GYNO appointment

scott79 · 08-07-2002, 06:58 PM

Hi Everyone.

This is the first post I have made for myself. I am 28 years old and I already have a little girl who will be 3 in September. My hubby and I are currently ttc #2 and have been since August last year. I have a really good GP (when I can get an appt with him

) who refered me to the Gun clinic at QMC, Nottingham. We have an appointment there on Manday, and I am wondering what this first appointment will involve. Any advice? I know I will have a scan and I thinlk DH will have to produce a sample(?!?!). but apart from that I don't know what to expect. I have been on Metaformin (1500mg/day) since April and I have had AF twice since (light in June, normal in July). I am currently on day 25 and had a Day 22 p4 test on Monday morning. I should get the results tomorrow all being well. If I O'd I hope that I may already be PG. When I fell PG with Lucie, I fell the 1st month - I don't know if I was PCOS then or not. I have gained about 2 stones since she was conceived - not a lot, but enough - I am now around 18stones.

I would really appreciate any advice regarding my appointment and advice in general. I sometimes feel very lonely - even DDH doesn't understand how miserable I can feel at times. I look at Lucie, and although I wouldn't be without her, I don't think I would have had her at all if I thought she wouldn't have a brother or sister to love!

.

Anyway, look forward to hearing from you.

Sheli xXx

EmmaE · 08-08-2002, 06:19 AM

Are you going to the Fertility Clinic or the Gynae clinic at the QMC?

Who are you seeing?

I attend the Fertility Clinic there and my consultant is Miss Macpherson.

The good news about the Fertility Clinic is that the are used to women with PCOS and to them being prescribed Metformin.

I see Miss Macpherson privately as I did have private health cover through work - this allowed me to jump the queue (10 days instead of 3 months). Her first appointment was £75 and subsequent appointments are £50. Its worth considering if you can afford it.

On my first appointment, I was examined and Miss Macpherson discussed my 'history' with me, especially relating to my cycle. At the time I hadn't had a period for several months and I was overweight so PCOS was the suspected diagnosis. This was confirmed with a whole set of blood tests.

She also arranged for me to have a scan and for my partner to be tested but this wasn't done then and there, you may be glad to know!

The staff at the Fertility Clinic are great but be prepared for a bit of hanging around. I sometimes have to have scans in 'Clinic 3' and that usually involves a lot of hanging around. The best times I've found for scans are 8.30 - 9.30 (done in the Fertility Clinic) or just after 12 (done in the Antenatal Clinic). Certainly between 10-12, its Clinic 3 and I've never gone in on time there.

Email me if you have any more questions!

Emma

scott79 · 08-08-2002, 06:12 PM

Hi EmmaE

Sound like we have a bit in common!! How do you feel about the age gap between your kids - this is the thing that is worrying me most!!! Lucie was born in September, and so will be almost 5 by the time she starts school - to be honest, she's a real handful - far too bright for her own good. I don't know if I will want to start all over again when she's getting to school age - what do the rest of you think?

I went to the nurse today - my P4 results were back - 1.4 - so no O this month. I had almost convinced myself that things were going to be fine now that I have had 2AF's at 28days in a row. How wrong could I be!?

Emma - i am going to the fertility clinic and seeing someone with the initials LJM/MJM, so I guess it could be the same lady. I hope that she is as nice as you say. I am getting pretty nervous and DH is really not looking forward to it at all!!!

All your advice is greatly appreciated.

Sheli

EmmaE · 08-09-2002, 08:10 AM

My daughter will be eight in October and yes, it has been a big concern. It doesn't help that she's been asking for a brother or sister for the last few years now.

Miss Macphersons initials are MJM! She can be a little abrupt but she is very nice really.

Let me know how you get on!

Emma

hunterli · 08-09-2002, 08:58 AM

I have a biggish age gap between me and my sibs....I am the eldest, then I have a sister 6 1/2 years younger, and two brothers 11 and 13 years younger.

I remember when my sister was born, I had been asking my Mum for a sister, but I expected her to be like my friends sisters i.e. near to my own age! I hadn't really understood that she would be a baby, and would ALWAYS be 6 years younger than me! So I think it is worth just checking that your older children understand that any new arrival will not be ready to play with them, and indeed they may never really play together.

Also my husband has a brother 15 years older and a sister 20 years older than him. An unexpected late surprise for his Mum and Dad!

But I don't think a large age gap is really a problem. Now we are all adults we all get along just fine, and I never really had any disagreements with my brothers as I moved out of our parents' home when I was 19 and they were 6 and 8. I think there can be definite advantages in waiting until your child is at school before having another. Take it from me that having two kids less than 2 years apart was no picnic.

Lis

scott79 · 08-10-2002, 05:09 AM

Hi

Thanks for the advice Hunterli. My dad is in fact the oldest of 6 at 52 and his youngest brother is only 29. My DH is 30 and his older brothers are 42 and 44. I guess he was a late suprise also! Dad has always been close to his sibling, but DH has never really had a lot to do with his!!

In some senses I would love for Lucie to be at school before a new baby came - I have seen endless friends struggle with a 2-3 year old and a new baby!! All of them feel guilty that they do not give the new arrival the attention that they had to give to their first. On the other hand, when I see Lucie with their babies, loving them and being so gentle with them it breaks my heart to think that she may never have a sibling of her own.:9

Anyway, Mondays the day and I am getting more nervous as the hours tick by! In a way I am hoping that they just give me Clomid to try with my Met. When I tried Clomid alone I didn't O and AF never came. I should be on day 1 or 2 on Monday, so that would be an ideal time to start it, wouldn't it. I don't know if AF will show - I don't have any symptoms so far and being PG isn't an option if I didn't O.

Anyway, Thanks for your concern and advice. I'll let you know how I get on.

Sheli

EmmaE · 08-10-2002, 12:25 PM

Some more good news about the clinic - they WILL scan you through your cycle when on Clomid- the only sure way to tell if you're ovulating. So many people don't get scanned and there's no point doing a day 21 prog. test if you ovulate on day 20 for example.

They might not want to give you anything yet until you've had all your blood tests. They might also want to do a dye laproscopy to check your tubes. I had one done but that was because I'd had a coil in the past.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Emma

scott79 · 08-10-2002, 04:26 PM

THANKS FOR THE POST EMMA!!

THE MONITORING THING MAY BE A BIT DIFFERENT FOR ME 0 iT TAKES ME ABOUT 2 HOURS TO DRIVE TO QMC - DO YOU THINK MY LOCAL WILL SCAN ME AND CONVEY THE RESULTS? THEY DO HAVE A FERTILITY CLINIC THERE ALTHOUGH IT IS QUITE SMALL AND THAT IS WHY MY DOC REFERED ME TO QMC!

6YOU SAY YOU WERE OVERWEIGHT WHEN YOU WERE FIRST DIAGNOSED - HAVE YOU LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT? IF SO, HOW?

LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

SHELI

EmmaE · 08-11-2002, 07:55 AM

I have lost about a stone so far. I'm not very good at taking my Metformin or sticking to a low carb diet so that doesn't help.

At the moment I'm trying to build up my Metformin dose again - I'm just taking one 500mg tablet in the mornings, I'm going to to move up to 1000mg in the next week or so.

I'm finding it hard to get lunch at work right. My evening meals are fine, usually meat, salad and green veg.

Giving up the chocolate is hard too

Losing the stone has brought me down to a size 20 instead of 22 which is great as there seems to be a much wider choice of clothes, 18 would be even better though!

Travelling so far would make it more tricky, but its worth it! I would usually be scanned about 3 times in the 'key' week of my cycle. I imagine you could get a lot done closer to home although scans are normally followed by a chat with one of the clinic nurses.

Good luck for tomorrow!

Emma

PS. Posting in CAPS makes it look like you're shouting! Its good netiquette to post in mixed case!

scott79 · 08-11-2002, 06:42 PM

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I would just like to apologise for the CAPS - just a slip of the CAPLOCK - no insult intended.:o

Thanks for your advice EmmaE - I am also a size 22 going on 20 - 20 is just that bit too tight at the mo - maybe in the next few weeks, eh?!? How do you feel when you see women much larger than you with a huge brood of kids at their ankles? It just makes me feel like I must have done something terrible to deserve this punishment!! There are so many people that are in worse physical shape than us, but seem able to pop out the kids every 12 months or so! Why do you think this is?

Anyway, I will post you all after out appt. tomorrow.

Thanks again

Sheli