WUW 9/14/16

[elliecat17]

Welcome to the Dark Side CAL What’s Up Wednesday!
   
I'm posting this a bit early because I have clinicals tomorrow morning super early.



Your rotating weekly check in leaders:

cali @eliida muscari elliecat17

Good afternoon, loves! Welcome to Dark Side CAL What's Up Wednesday! It is posted on Wednesday every week. Come on in and let us know how you're doing. If you need anything from us between check ins, or if you get a BFP, please PM any of us. Please, do NOT feel the need to reply to everyone else’s updates!

So, ladies…How are you doing? Please post an update including any news, thoughts or questions you may have.

NEWBIES: We are so sorry you find yourself here but are happy you have found us; welcome. Feel free to join in when you are ready! Also please check out our CAL blog which is filled with a wealth of information. Make sure to post an intro on the board, and add in an avatar and/or siggy when you can so we can recognize you more easily.

Newbie Questions - to help us get to know you!

1. How are you?
2. What is your status? (TTC, TTA, etc.)
3. Tell us something about yourself - Hobbies? Pets? Favorite TV show? Anything you'd like to share!


QOTW: Share your favorite fall recipe.

[birch113]

Hey hey. Thanks for the check in, elliecat17. How are you?

Surgery from my polypectomy and resection has been pretty easy. I'm just plugging away on estrogen right now to heal my uterus and researching the crap out of Day 6 and Day 7 embryo success rates while we try to decide to transfer one or two next month.

QOTW: We go to the Garlic Festival every October because we LOVE garlic. I always make my first batch of garlic mashed potatoes of the season after that. Just play with the serving sizes unless you're feeding an army. 😉
allrecipes.com/recipe/21391/garlic-mashed-potatoes-secret-recipe/

[elliecat17]

birch113 LOL sometimes I feel like it's an army and it's only 3 adults..... How is the estrogen treating you?

AFM: Not much going on here, just waiting for AF to end our "waiting" cycle. But honestly I think I might just keep TTA for a while. I feel like I've lost track of myself and H in all of this. Plus there is a part of me that's just too tired to keep trying. Maybe someday that will change, but right now I just want to have fun and maybe save up enough money to take a nice trip.

QOTW: Coq au Vin, but I'm lazy so I render the salt pork (although the crock pot recipe calls for bacon) and onions on the stove and then add it all to the crock pot. So yummy! Pearl onions are also amazing in this! www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/simple-slow-cooker-coq-au-vin

[cali]

Hi elliecat17, thanks for the check in. How are you?

birch113, deciding how many embryos to transfer has to be tough. I remember when we were preparing for IVF that was something I stressed a lot about and went back and forth a lot!

AFM, I decided to go ahead with a medicated TI cycle this month just to be doing something because natural cycles just don't seem to be doing it. Had baselines today and other customers that caused us to cancel IVF is totally gone and all looked good so I start letrozole on Friday.

Notuch else to report, as far as school goes I had my first big test of the semester this week and I did really well so that was a big relief. I studied so much so I would have been so disappointed if I did poorly. School is rough this semester!

[cali]

elliecat17, sorry I posted before seeing your post. I think it is great that you are focusing on you and YH for a while. You deserve it!

Oh and I forgot QOTW, I looooove pumpkin everything (yes, I'm one of those people) but if I had to pick a favorite recipe it would be a pumpkin roll with cream cheese filling. So yummy!

[birch113]

elliecat17 LOL!! How's it going with your new roomie?? The estrogen was not so nice over the weekend. I was pretty nauseous and even threw up. I seem to have acclimated now, though. Thanks for asking! I can totally see the appeal of a break, especially after all you've been through. How does H feel about that?

cali congrats on your test!! I'm so glad your cyst is gone. GL this cycle!!

[MissSally]

elliecat17 I totally get where are are with the "finding" yourself and your H. I think I'm in the same boat.

@birch I'm sorry the estrogen made you sick!! Hopefully you're fully acclimated.

cali let me know how the letrozol goes for you. I'm starting that next cycle. We want to do one round of it before getting into the "harder" (injectable) drugs with the RE.

[MissSally]

AFM...

CALR: After my panic last week about the RE, I've begun to calm down some. H said that he is really ok with spending the money because he really wants us to start a family. That made me feel much more reassured. I guess I've been worried that he will blame me and that I'll feel really guilty if we don't get pregnant because that is a lot of money to bet on a small chance of success. It's scary y'all. Also our anniversary is next week... which means it is also our official "two years of TTC" boo.

NCALR: I've been decorating the house a ton... and I decided I'm going to build a buffet table. Nothing crazy... but I need such a big one for our dining room that I can't find one anywhere I like. The wall is like 15ft. I also want to build a dining table, but I'm terrified and also don't have all the tools I need. Maybe someday...

QOTW: I'm with cali. BRING ME PUMPKIN EVERYTHING! I make some delicious pumpkin chocolate chip bread. MMM. I need to do that soon.

[cali]

MissSally, I've actually already done two letrozole cycles (last year). They were both a breeze as far side effects and stuff goes. If you have any questions PM me anytime.

[birch113]

MissSally Happy wedding anniversary and (((hugs))) for the TTC anniversary. I'm glad you and your H were able to talk things over. Are you planning to go ahead with your RE? Also, pumpkin chocolate chip bread sounds amaaaaaaaaazing.

[MissSally]

birch113 we aren't going to the RE quite yet, we are doing a semi-monitored letrozol cycle with the OB first, since we can get that somewhat covered. I just need to wait around for AF to start... could be tomorrow... could be another 20 days! So annoying.

[muscari]

elliecat17, thank you for the check-in. Hope clinicals went well!

birch113, I was glad to read surgery went well last week. I'm sorry the estrace made you feel so crappy over the weekend though - is it better now? The decision whether to transfer 1 or 2 did my head in, esp. since we didn't get any info or help from our RE either. Now in the end we only had the one embryo so it was a moot point but still.. Are you leaning one way or another or do you really don't know yet what to do? I forget, how many do you have on ice? Also, that garlic festival sounds neat!

elliecat17, **hugs** Taking the time to focus on yourself and YH, find yourself again, perhaps take a nice trip, etc, sounds like a great plan. These past couple years have been such a rollercoaster for you two, it's easy to get lost and you can only swim in open water for so long before starting to feel you're going to drown. Ahh don't I know it. I hope a break, be it short or longer, will do you both a world of good

cali, Ohh great news about the cysts being gone, woot! Also, yay for being able to do a medicated cycle while waiting for IVF. Wow, a test already, didn't school just start back up like 3-4 weeks ago? Gratz on doing so well on your first test of the semester though!

MissSally, I'm sorry about the panic attack And for worrying and feeling guilty towards YH *hugs* I too sometimes worry about how all our IF issues are with me, it's quite a burden to carry at times I feel. I'm glad that the talk with YH made you feel more reassured about everything. Now come on AF so you can get your medicated cycle started! I love how so many of us here at CAL are DIY crazies who like to make and decorate stuff themselves!

cardhard, It's hard being benched while your heart really wants to get back to TTC.  How many cycles are you still benched for? *hugs* I'm right there sitting next to you on the crazy train, btw, I'll bring cookies! I'm sorry you find yourself in that funk *more hugs* What kind of books do you like to read? I mostly been reading fantasy lately but if you like that I got some really good title suggestions!

[muscari]

AFM, just plodding on and trying to beat this funk I've been in for the past weeks. IVF#1 being a bust with none to freeze hit me harder then I had expected I guess. Before we started I did my best not to get my hopes up but then while cycling I wanted to feel positive and with that apperently also started believing it just was going to work period. So when it didn't, it came down pretty hard on me. Those first weeks after I really struggled with the prospect of living childless-not-by-choice (and I still do) and together with other crap going on in our life it's just as if all is falling apart and I don't know what to do to stop things from crumbling and be able to move forward again. On top of that life has been rough on so many fronts.. but MH&I are plodding on and continue to tell eachother that as long as we're together, we're good no matter what gets thrown at us. Ahh I sure hope so!

With our summer trip falling
through due to IVF and all other crap going on we decided a proper holiday was in order THIS YEAR and so we will be going on a trip States-side soon after all. Sooo looking forward to this trip! We'll be house&petsitting for friends in MA, and spending a week together once they return home from their trip as well. 3 weeks 2 days and counting woot!

CALR: Our WTF was late August and we've decided to do another IVF cycle. We could have started with my next AF already but with as hard as our busted cycle hit me, I realized I needed a bit more time to get my feet under me again and boost myself. So we'll be cycling late October&November - same protocol as IVF#1 except with ICSI this time as per the embryologists advice, since my eggs suck balls (we have 0 MFI) and they hope to get a higher fertilization rate with ICSI, especially since with DOR and POF we don't get a lot of eggs to begin with. My heart and my head aren't quite on the same page when it comes to thinking about IVF#2, but I'm glad we get the chance so I'm taking it. I just hope I won't fall apart in case it doesn't work again.

Ahh the QOTW! not sure whether it's my favorite recipe but it sure is one of my favorite recipes, getting hungry just thinking of it (or maybe that's cause I haven't had breakfast yet and it's 12:30pm??): Boerenkoolstamppot (aka kale mash). I always just use milk though, never made it with sour cream.

[muscari]

Also, all the Pumpkin Spice mentions above made me think of this one!



I'm sad the StarBucks here doesn't sell anything pumpkin spice.. now I don't drink coffee at all but I always loved their pumpkin loafs mmmmmm.  Guess I'll have to bake some myself instead.

[cali]

muscari, hi! So good to hear from you. I've missed you!! I'm so sorry you've been struggling lately. It just sucks. I can kind of relate because I was in a real funk after our August IVF cycle was cancelled due to the cyst. It's so hard when you get your hopes up and life knocks you down. I'm really glad you're doing another cycle though. I so hope that this next cycle is it for you! If these med cycles don't work for me I may be cycling close to the same time (if there are no more unexpected cysts or complications, we're planning for early December). I'm also glad you and YH are taking a nice trip together. You guys need that!! I hope you have a fabulous time. I wish you were coming to the Midwest though!!!

[cali]

cardhard, it's so hard to TTA when you just want to be TTC. When are you cleared to TTC again?

[birch113]

muscari (((((hugs))))) I'm so sorry you've been having a hard time. It's so hard to balance being positive with protecting your heart. I'm not sure there even is a balance? I'm glad you have a plan with your RE for your next cycle and hope that ICSI makes the difference for you.

[birch113]

muscari thanks! I haven't had any more nausea from the Estrace. I'm just so. Tired! We have two on ice, and they are Day 6 and Day 7 blasts. I keep going back and forth. The success rate for the Day 7 is low, so if we transfer the Day 6 and it fails, I'm going to be a wreck doing FET prep for a Day 7 knowing it's more than likely not going to take. But, if we transfer two, I worry about complications with twins with the small chance that both manage to implant. Hopefully we can sit down with our RE one more time to talk. Otherwise, I'll bombard him with all my questions at my next saline sono. 😉