Just got a call from the RE nurse and she did not have good news for me. They have not come to a final protocol for fat girls. If the BMI is over 40, it's officially a no-go.
They will be taking vitals at the suppression check (August 4) AND at the egg retrieval (est. August 16).
Things that can go wrong:
1) I don't make weight at suppression check, diet continues for a full extra month. Don't think this will happen. I'm at 238.3lbs as of this morning (have to be below 240) and it's only a few more days so I'm pretty sure I can keep it down.
2) They measure my height again and decide that I'm 5'4" instead of 5'5". At 5'4", my weight has to be 232.7lbs or lower in order to make the proper BMI. Not going to happen so that adds another month of this hell.
3) The stimulation meds cause me to gain a couple of more pounds that I can't fight off and I tip the scales at egg retrieval. All of the work and expense of an IVF attempt without being able to finish it. We start all over again with more diet and full IVF attempt for another month.
4) They check my height at egg retrieval on a different scale (it's at a different facility) and after all of the work of keeping the weight off despite extra hormones, they still cancel the procedure because I'm shorter on that scale than on the other one. Once again, all of the work and expense, none of the reward. Considering that everyone will have an hour set aside for my procedure anyway, they can instead spend that hour in the operating room with me ranting and screaming and crying directly at the people who made this decision. Yup, that's what will happen, right before security physically removes my screaming and ranting ass from the building.
Sooooooooo, continuing hard core dieting.
Fellow IVFers, I've never kept track before, how much weight did you gain between suppression check and egg retrieval?
WTF? Seriously? How can they even contemplate putting you through all that?!? Just to keep their own statistics high???? I thought their job was to help you have a baby...not to put you on a ridiculous crash diet or to judge you because you're not a skinnny mini.
ReplyDeleteI am rooting you on for your weight loss, in the meantime, and hoping that none of your scenarios comes to pass.
UG! I'm beginning to hate those people just a little bit. And I can't believe one inch in height, or one lb or two on a scale, can really make that much of a difference. No wiggle room at all allowed? Grrrr.....
ReplyDeleteWell, you could do what my boyfriend did when he went into the army :) He was unnaturally skinny, and fairly tall, so as not to appear too skinny he bent his legs juuuust a skooch. You could try to raise up, just a little, on your feet and streeeetch your spine as much as you can? It's worth a shot.
Unfortunately with the stims, you tend to put on fluid weight in the ovaries. Make sure you pee right before weigh in! I used to get mild OHSS and puff up painfully with fluid...and water is heavy! Drinking Gatora.de or V.8 juice draws the water out because of the salt, it can help with the fluid balance, and the water weight. I've got everything crossed for you.
I'm sorry that whole weight crap is ridiculous! I'm 5'6 weighted about 240 they only thing they really worried about was blood pressure and gave me two trigger shots because of my weight. I'm so sorry you have to go through that, you should call another RE and see what their policies are regarding weight.
ReplyDeleteI have lost weight between suppression check and retrieval this cycle. On purpose because the next RE I will go to told me I had to before he will treat me.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't all that hard-just watched what I ate-cut out all that is bad for you and didnt let myself "reward" myself with food for having to go through IVF.
The stimming hormones don't force you to gain weight (fluid or other wise)-most women gain before retrieval because they are stressed and well we all eat when we're stressed now don't we??
However-it is the post retrieval where you can bank on weight gain up to 10 lbs that will be hard to shed due to the estrogen, progesterone and steriods during your 2ww (all of which influence water retention, and progesterone just makes you crave carbs like mad)-but you don't have to worry about it at that point so eat away!
Clear your mind of the excuse that stimming will force you to gain weight.
If you maintain your crazy diet-you will continue to hold or loose while stimming-I promise-and when all else fails-go walking.
It makes me so mad they are doing this. OK, I can see MAYBE having a limit at the beginning of a cycle, but how can they say they are going to check you in the middle of a cycle and if you've gained weight they won't complete the cycle?!? Seriously?!? Can you go somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteSoooo sorry you are having to deal with this.
In answer to your question, I tend to gain around 10 lbs per IVF cycle...ugh...
Good luck to you...