I must say. I feel as though I've been put through the ringer after the last few weeks. It's all gone by so fast. It's a blur.
I remember something about cruddy sperm. Something about hormone suppression, injections, ultrasound monitoring, and ICSI. I remember getting a few lab tests, good FSH, plenty of antral follicles hanging around. A repeat dwindling SA. A 2-hour GTT. I remember a vaginal exam, and STD check (all clear, whew!). I remember an ultrasound, my uterus, healthy ovaries. I remember a diet counseling session and a Metformin education session that I didn't need. A list of psychologists for a looney and coping skill evaluation. Woooooooosh.
Then I got a call from the NP. "Dr. P has reviewed your file, and you've been approved for IVF. Just give Sheila a call and she'll start you on birth control pills with your next cycle!"
What the fuuuuuuuuu....?
I'm sorry. Am I missing something? Have I gone from 'TTC' to 'IVF' in a mere 45 days? Uh. Does everyone else at the fertility clinic know what's going on but me? Is this a joke where they laugh at me when I walk by and say, "she soooo doesn't even know who Sheila is" because who the hell is she? Don't I get a new-girl orientation, or was my seminar the extent of it.
Ok. Yes. They gave me a book to read and a DVD to watch, all made by their clinic, which promises a "personal approach" to IVF. Yeah, well, I guess anyone who looks at your vagina that often can claim they are taking the "personal approach" right? And it's not that they haven't been nice...it's just that they seem to be very well informed. I just feel like that 'new girl' on the block who didn't get the orientation letter.
I feel like it's my first day of school in a new town full of people who have never lived anywhere else. I don't know who Sheila is and why I should call her. I don't know why my plan just accelerated from a snail's pace to warp speed. Hellllooooo? Don't you guys even want to know how you're going to get money for this? Don't I get to talk to some kind of car-salesman credit plan woman who handles all your Mo-neh?
Who is Sheila? Sheila is Dr. P's IVF nurse. She'll handle everything from here on out.
What is her phone number? Her extension is blah blah blah.
We were thinking of waiting until next Spring to start IVF. Should I call her now? Waiting? Oh. Well. If you want to wait that's fine. Just call Sheila to start you on BCPs when you're ready.
Is it really that easy?
Maybe it just seems so fast-tracked to me because for us there is NO other option. Maybe other people have a chance to get their feet wet first with things like Clomid and IUIs, then slowly work their way into IUI with injectables, then when it finally comes time to "Call Sheila with your next cycle" it doesn't seem so wacky speedy? or maybe everyone feels this at first?
Maybe I'm just slow?
One question. If we are planning on waiting until Spring for IVF, should I go ahead and call Sheila now just to get a game plan in order...or should I just sit on it for awhile?
Also, am I the only one so head-spinning-in-circles-it's-all-so-fast about all of this?
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- 'Murgdan'
- I'm 34. I've been married for 8 years. We've been trying to get knocked up since Summer 2007 (and have succeeded!). We have 'oligoastenoteratozoospermia', otherwise known as 'Severe Male Factor Infertility'...also known as 'Super Crappy Sperm'.
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18 conceptions:
I felt similarly when I was whisked into my first IUI cycle 2 days after visiting my first RE consult. I really hadn't even had time to agree with it and the next moment I was popping pills. From one moment to the next, I had no idea what was going on if I didn't consult the notes I took while they rapidly gave me directions. So I can only imagine where you are.
I did 6 rounds of Clomid and six medicated IUIs, with a lap thrown in for good measure. By the time I did IVF the first time, I was 2+ years into it.
And I still Freaked Out when I got my schedule.
It's a huge step, regardless of what has come before. Just make sure that you are ready on your own time, not theirs. The lab will wait, your follicles will wait. You need to be really sure that you are ready (and even if you are, you will still probably hyperventilate a few times).
You are perfectly normal!
I think you've hit the nail right on the head. You never got a chance to come to terms with all of this by slowly being eased through the processess, starting with some gentle Clomid rounds, followed by some IUI's and then IVF. You were thrust from the start button all the way to the end! Just give yourself sometime to come to terms with it all, perhaps waiting till Spriing is a good idea because it will give you time to get your head around it all.
I'd suggest giving Sheila a call to see what she suggests in terms of when to start with the pill.
(((Hugs))))
After 6 useless IUI cycles and 3 wasted years, I changed RE's in 2002. My new RE jumped right in with IVF/ICSI, and 8 weeks after my first appointment, BOOM!! Positive beta. Even though it was a long road up until that point, it still felt SO fast!
If there is any piece of luck here for you (and I know it's a stretch and a half to call any of this LUCKY), it's that your husband's SA isn't "borderline"--possibly triggering many useless IUI cycles. That was delightful fun, let me tell you. IVF was easier than IUI for us, by a long shot.
Good luck deciding what to do, whether it's calling the mysterious Sheila now or in the spring.
(And congrats on the great FSH/antral follicle count--woohoo!)
I'm glad to hear you were approved. I say take your time. Call her when everything settles in your head and explain your plan to her. Maybe then she can give you advise on when to call and get things started. I'm sure you're not the only one who feels like their in a whirl wind.
Miss chatting with you!
Sometimes I wish I had jumped right into the IVF thing - I would have saved 3 1/2 years of heartache and countless dollars... but that being said when you don't have the "other" options first it does seem overwhelming and way too quick...
I suggest calling Sheila now to plan the bcp schedule so that your body is ready to go in the Spring...
HUGS!
xxx
I have felt the same way. When told of my high FSH, we moved from not doing one type of fertility drug or ART procedure to having to do IVF. Even with IVF, our odds of getting PG are poor.
Maybe just call Sheila to get an idea of costs and the game plan for the spring? Good luck!!
I promise that once you get your head around it - you will be aching to get going. Besides who wants to stuff around with Clomid timed cycles anyway? xx
I felt the same way! I felt really bad for DH.. I am that sort of spontaneous, got to have it now, person. He is the take your time, rationalize, pick out the pros and cons person. So I was okay with moving fast, but he was NOT.
All the sudden, I needed this procedure and then that one and then surgery and then blah blah blah! It was very fast. Then I hyperstimulated and hit a brick wall.
I say, make them go by your time line. You can call Shiela, but call to let her know when you are planning on doing it. It is nice to know that they are "taking care of you" by getting you in and getting you started, but on the other hand, it's like: WOAH HORSEY.
Yikes, my head would be spinning too. Hello, stop, everyone just stop for a sec. Someone take my hand and walk me thru this.
Maybe you can call Sheila, have a chit chat with her about financing so that you have a clue when the time comes, and then talk about the first step, ie BCP, and when that step can/will start. At least you'll have more info and not feel like you're in a whirl wind when the time comes to start the IVF process.
It was really "sudden" for me, too, even though we wasted a lot of time (and emotions) with IUI's. I think a lot of it is the money aspect. It's SO huge. It's SUCH a big committment and likewise, risk. Wait until you're ready - both emotionally and financially.
We jumped right into IVF, because like you, we didn't have the option for IUI. Although we did 3 months of Clomid, which was before we determined the MF. It does happen fast and it can be overwhelming.
I'd say call Sheila and ask some initial questions, including how far in advance do you need to schedule your cycle.
Good luck getting your head around all of this.
P.S. You won the MF kit from my contest. I sent you an email. I hope you got it.
Wow! They mean business! But I think what you are feeling is normal. I mean, 45 days is NOT a lot of time to wrap your mind around everything that you have been through and all the information you have had to absorb.
I agree with the above - go ahead and call Sheila. Establish a relationship and find out what to expect in the spring. Good luck!
I agree with you, it all seems so fast. Even for me who has been doing this for 8 years.
I am waiting until spring too and my dr told me to wait because prices could change due to maybe they could put me in a study or something. I don't know if that is what your dr does but it's just a thought.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
You are totally normal! I feel the same way and we're only doing Clomid, HCG trigger, monitoring and "homework" and my head is completely spinning. I think we just get so much information on things so quickly that we can't take it all in. I'd call her and just let her know that you are waiting until the Spring. You should also talk to their billing department about payments and when things are due etc. Then you can have your full game plan in place and when you're ready - you won't be spinning anymore!
AHHH< i left you a longish post earlier but my damn internet went out. so, here's the short version of my opinion. i say go ahead and talk to sheila. if i hadn't went ahead and talked to our IVF dr when i did instead of waiting til we were ready i would have missed an entire cycle b/c i didn't know that i would start bcp's on cd 21. i just thought you called on the first day of your cycle.
Wow, I'd feel left in the dust. That is some quickness.
My doctors take the laid back approach. Much to my disdain at times.
I think going ahead and calling would make sense. That way they don't forget, or think you forgot. I mean, they'll forget anyways, but when you call in the spring they can look it up and be like,"Oh yeah, so you did say..."
Obviously I'm commenting on a really old post...sorry. But reading your blog has taught me a lot and certainly made me laugh. Unlike you, I am MORE than ready to jump into this IVF with ICSI thing, even though we just learned we need it. In fact, I'm a little irked we have to go through counseling, approval, lessons, more tests, and the other associated bullshit... just know me up already, you know?!
Anyway, thanks for being so blunt and candid... I like the honesty.
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