I am in Ottawa - Page 2

Bethany · 05-15-2003, 02:36 AM

No, that was not TMI, girl!! I LOVE details. Drives dh up the wall!!

All the info you gave me came at a good time b/c guess what I just found out today.... I am pg!!! I can't say I am that optimistic though b/c my beta was only 47 -- an absolutely terrible # I know, unless I just got pg a few days ago (I have no idea when I O'd b/c I am on cd 50 (!) now, & haven't had af since my last m/c in March!)
One relatively good thing for me was that my progesterone was 66, highest I've ever had. Not sure if that is really a good # for progesterone, but it's my "personal best"

I started prog suppositories today w/o asking Dr Haebe b/c I want to do all I can to help this pg stick.

The funny thing is, I took a hpt yesterday only b/c I wanted to ask Dr Haebe for Provera to start af so I could go ahead & get the b/w & SIS he ordered. I took a hpt, it was bfn, then I went downstairs to eat something with dh. I came back after 90 min & noticed it was + (faint). I was confused b/c I know you aren't supposed to wait that long to check the results so I called the 1-800 # for Shoppers & the girl told me the hpt can give a false + after 30 min. So I was still not really thinking I was pg (don't feel pg at all! Probably b/c my beta is 47!)

So it looks like there is a good chance I will m/c... so all this may be a moot point... but I was glad to hear your take on things re: the Met. I am still scared to have m/c #3, but as strange as it sounds I feel like I'm getting used to it! How awful is that!!!

I think I'll remain on Met at least until I see if my betas are rising appropriately (last 2 times they haven't). If this pg is actually going somewhere then I'll have a scary decision to make! I think in the end I will stop Met, b/c I trust Dr Haebe & I don't want create any risk of birth defects. However the statistic that sticks in my mind is:
m/c rate w/o Met = 40-60%
m/c rate with Met = 9-11%
That is what scares me!!!!!!!!

Hope all is well with you, & thanks again for sharing your story. Very interesting; a miracle really!!
Good luck with the Femara. Btw, what is the difference between that & Clomid? Any advantage?

goingtobeamom · 05-17-2003, 10:26 PM

Hello everyone,

I don't post here very often but this discussion is very interesting to me. A little background on me: I moved back here a year ago after being away for 5 years. At the time, dh and I had been ttc our second child for approximately 18 months. I had been on Met. for 10 months, had gone through many tests and was also 6 weeks away from a referral to Dr. Leader when I got pregnant. I decided to stay on the Met. for 14 weeks to ensure a "healthy" pregnancy. It wasn't an easy decision on my part, but I felt confident after doing much research that it would be fairly safe. I've sinced delivered a healthy baby boy. I'm not advocating that anyone stays on the Met. without dr.'s permission, I simply wanted to let you know what my experience was.

Hope this helps.
Take care.
Sophie.

Bethany · 05-18-2003, 01:32 PM

Thanks so much Sophie for your post!
I have actually decided (with Dr's blessing) to stay on Met until 6 wks & then reevaluate. I have no idea where I am now in this pg, but I have my 1st u/s on May 30.

I am starting to lean more & more towards remaining on Met -- at least for the 1st trimester like you did.

Couple of ?'s for you if you don't mind...

1 - Are you IR? I have IR & b/c I'm at a healthy weight my RE says I have severe IR. To me this is another reason to stay on Met; I think I need it more than some (just my reasoning? not totally sure)

2 - Did you taper down the dose of Met when you stopped it?

3 - Who were your Drs? I'd like to go to someone (OB) who supports me being on Met.

My Dr at the fertility centre admitted to me that he is one of the "holdouts" where Met is concerned. He still tries to get his pts to stop Met b/c he is super-cautious. But a couple of this collegues keep their pts a Met for the whole pg! So the way I see it, if I had been ref'd to one of his collegues this wouldn't be such a tough decision for me. My RE says supports me being on Met until 6 weeks; after that it's up to me.
I have given it a lot of thought & I think I'm going to do it. I really want this baby!!!!

Hope all is well with you, & that you're enjoying this beautiful w/e!

Elizabeth

goingtobeamom · 05-18-2003, 10:40 PM

Thank you for replying to my post - this subject has always been dear to me!

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I can certainly understand your dilema about how long to remain on the Met.. If I would have had a physician to back my decision, I believe I would have remained on the Met. the whole pregnancy.

To answer you questions:

1 - Are you IR? I have IR & b/c I'm at a healthy weight my RE says I have severe IR. To me this is another reason to stay on Met; I think I need it more than some (just my reasoning? not totally sure)
I don't know if I'm IR. The doctor who prescribed the Met. (Endo. from the Toronto area) didn't believe that it would help "lean PCOS women". I convinced him to give it a try anyways and whithin two months my cycles were 30 days (something I had never had before). The Endo. only did the "run of the mill testing"; ultrasound and bloodwork then sent me on my way with a year's prescription. My family doctor in Oakville just renewed the medication, I wasn't pregnant at the time.

2 - Did you taper down the dose of Met when you stopped it?
Yes, I tapered down to 500mg @ 10 weeks, then stopped altogether at 14 weeks. No side effects I noticed, I start gaining a lot of weight - but that was also the time to do so!

3 - Who were your Drs? I'd like to go to someone (OB) who supports me being on Met.
I never saw an OB; I had two family physicians - one who followed me for the first 33 weeks and the other was a delivering physician. The delivering physician's name is Dr. Schneider. I can't recomend him highly enough if you prefer the "midwife" type approach. He's very hands off. My family physician was told at the begining that I was taking Met., he advised me not to take any medication during pregnancy that it would be preferable that way. The subject never came up again and I never had any complications.

I've never had any regrets about staying on the Met.. In fact, I really haven't given it much thought since early in my pregnancy. I can't help you out as far as the doctor situation goes. I don't know any in the area who would be openely willing to take-on a patient on a medication like Met. during pregnancy (more to cover themselves i think).

How are you feeling so far?

I wish you luck in finding an informed physician. If you have any other questions or simply want to chat, drop me a line anytime. My e-mail address is s_lecaval@hotmail.com

Take care,
Sophie.

Hezzer · 05-19-2003, 12:30 PM

Hi. I just wanted to say that although I live in the states, I'm only an hour from Ottawa.

I was just there yesterday for the Tulip Festival and then we had dinner at The Greek Souvlaki. Ever eaten there?

I also go up to the canal in the winter for skating too.

nightrider · 05-19-2003, 12:38 PM

Hezzer - Did you go to the Sam Roberts concert? I would have loved to have gone.

Hezzer · 05-19-2003, 12:46 PM

No, we didn't get to see that concert although there was a Peruvian (I think) group performing and a funny street performer doing some comedy, magic acts, juggling, etc.

We didn't get there until around 4:30 and we mostly just walked around admiring the tulips until around 6 p.m. and then we went to dinner.

It was so hot yesterday that by the time 6 p.m. rolled around, we were desperate to just get out of the sun.

sambrose · 05-20-2003, 05:55 PM

Hi everyone!
I'm in Ottawa too - Kanata actually! Nice to see so many Eastern Ontarians here!

freespirit · 05-30-2003, 11:41 PM

I am living in Hull, but I am mostly in Ottawa. Work, play and family (well in-laws). We are looking to move back to Ottawa, where public transportation is reliable.

Anyway, just wanted to ask, if any of you have tried alternative medicine and if it worked? I have noticed that I am back to square one. That is: I can grow a better goatie than hubby, just got my first period of the year, last one was in december, and now that i got aunt flow, she has been here for almost 3 weeks now. I have been trying to find a family doc, and finally i have an appointment in 2 weeks, but the cramps, the mood swings, the bloating and the sudden weight gain (20 lbs in just 2 weeks!!!!) I feel like all the hard work i put in trying to lose the weight, and was able to keep it off for 2 years, feels like my body does not want me to stay at this weight. This is depressing me.

But it would be nice, to get to know some of you Ottawa cysters, and meet. Sometimes, i feel like I am the only one with this, and just when it seems that all is going well, it gets worse. But, i still stand with my head up, because I know that I can survive all of this. Especially since hubby and I talked about family, and decided to give up on the natural way of having a family, but instead to adopt. Now, if only we could be financially secure we could start now.

Tracy

Paulag · 06-09-2003, 06:42 PM

Hi ladies,

I'm glad I found this thread. I live just outside Kanata in Dunrobin. Its nice to talk to Canadian/Ottawa ladies. Were TTC and I wonder if anyone has found a HPT that picks up the lowest amount of HCG other than First Response. Were also going to the Parkdale clinic and seeing Doctor Claman. He wants us to go of the met when we conceive. I was under the impression that it wouldn't hurt. I'm so confused.

Glad I'm not alone on this journey.

Best wishes to all!!

Bethany · 06-10-2003, 09:46 AM

Hi Paula,
Nice to "meet" you!! I'm so surprised how many Ottawa PCOSers there are!!
I go to the Parkdale fertility clinic too. I am seeing Dr Haebe. I am nearly 8 wks pregnant & he has wanted me to go off Met since my + hpt. I have resisted b/c I am afraid to m/c for the 3rd time (1st m/c was before I knew I had PCOS, I got pg with Clomid & I wasn't on Met yet. 2nd m/c I was on Met. Both m/c's were chemical pgs).
From what I understand, Dr Clayman isn't 100% against Met while pg, but he & Dr Kotarba are the only Drs who let their pts stay on while pg (well Dr Haebe is letting me stay on Met but he would really rather I come off). The catch is that Clayman & Kotarba only recommend staying on Met after 3 m/c's!! The other 2 Drs (Spence I think & I forget the other one) absolutely refuse to let their pg pts stay on Met at all!!
The reason for the division & controversy is that although Met has been undoubtedly proven to decr the m/c rate in PCOS substantially (from 40-60% down to 9-11%), it hasn't had enough large studies to prove beyond a doubt it's safe for developing babies. So far the babies "appear normal" at birth but there have only been studies done with 100 women here or there.... Dr Haebe says in order for Met to be considered truly safe there needs to be a study with 100 000 women, not 100.
This has been a really difficult issue for me. I have been struggling with it so much. No matter what I do, I keep worrying that I'm making the wrong decision. I just hope & pray everything will be OK with my baby.
Anyways... hope that answers your question in a round-about way!!
Welcome to the thread girl

Nantucket · 06-10-2003, 09:51 AM

Hi Paula!!

i go to the Parkdale Clinic and see Dr.Leader. Dr.Clamans is a very nice man as well-he did my HSG.

I am 5 weeks pg-found out on Saturday and i stopped the met immediatly since I know that is what I did my first two pg's.

I wish you all the luck in the wold
Nancy

Paulag · 06-10-2003, 01:38 PM

Thanks for responding Elizabeth & Nancy. And Congratulations on both your pregnancies. I wish you both a happy 9mths.

Your both taking different routes concerning the Met but I know that you'll both have healthy beautiful babies. Its promising to know that your both going to the Parkdale Clinic and that your both pregnant. Is it true that once you see a fertility doctor that your considered high risk?. How often do you go in? Will you be delivering at the Civic?? I'm still not sure what to do or what to believe about Met. I've only had one appointment with Dr. Claman and when I mentioned the Met and pregnancy he said I would have to come off it, I’ll have to discuss this with him further. We have an appointment on the 12th of June and I suspect he'll be putting me on Clomid. I hope that it only takes one cycle. We had a HSG done last month and that turned out all clear. How often did you have to go in while on Clomid. I heard that they have to check your follicles?? I’m just trying to prepare myself. TIA.

Paula

*any chance either on of you have an appointment June 12th. If so we could say HI*.

Nantucket · 06-10-2003, 02:11 PM

NOPE-using fertilty meds does NOT make you high risk!! My first pg-totally normal...my second was high risk because I had GD. One you get a postive beta they see you back in 2 weeks for an U/S and then make you an OB appt for 12 weeks.

For Clomid you may have to have CD 12, 14, & 16 U/S. And then you need blood drawn on CD days 14 and 21. I have always found it better to go into the clinic and have the blood drawn there-that way the results are quick getting to your doc!

Nancy

Paulag · 06-10-2003, 02:17 PM

Thanks for the fast reply and the answers. I guess I better prepare my self for the U/S. Its not easy to think up different excuses as to why I'm missing work. Unfortunately I can't be open with my boss about my TTC. Hopefully I can schedule some my appointments first thing in the morning.

Thanks again

Paula