Book on IVF

[Sheila]

Junior -- I think that even *thinking* about writing a book is a "Start-up." You have gotten way past that. Would it be OK with you if I combined your two threads and moved them to Start-up, where we can continue to cheer you on as you continue to pursue your passion?

[Junior]

Junior -- I think that even *thinking* about writing a book is a "Start-up." You have gotten way past that. Would it be OK with you if I combined your two threads and moved them to Start-up, where we can continue to cheer you on as you continue to pursue your passion?

Go for it :)

[Junior]

Thanks everyone for your kind replies. I was very disappointed at first but I'm over that now. As much as I want to get published, I do NOT want to get ripped off. Rather, I've put it down to experience and will move on.

Stan, I didn't google WL Writers Agency but they are one of the list of companies that belong to the same people. There is a big warning about them on the Writers Beware website. So glad I checked. My instincts told me something wasn't right and I listened. Besides, according to the contract offer, I wouldn't have earned anything until after the first 1000 sales. That is obviously how they rip people off. Bugger that. You should have seen the email they sent me after I declined their offer! It was like they were begging me not to listen to the hearsay!!

Sheila, self-publishing is an option I am considering but until I got the email from these scammers, I had put the whole book thing aside until after my lap-band surgery which is on Novermber 25. I am going back to my original plan of doing research into the whole industry and finding out how it all works before making a decision. I also found a list of publishers who are members of the Australian Publishers Association and thought I might go through it, find out who is accepting submissions for non-fiction and approach them. I got some good feedback from a couple of the agents I approached in the past - one said my book was "an interesting read and very well written"; another said my story sounds compelling - so maybe if I find a publisher I could go back and see if they will take me on.

Hey, is anyone interested in reading a synopsis of my book?

[stan]

hello,

knowing nothing about lap-band, i checked the risks;
as for your book, have you checked internet for your lap-band surgery?

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep...death-20110924

i am interested to read a synopsis, reading books is too much difficult concentrate for me since paxil poop-out and seem to be worse more time passes;

[Junior]

Thank you for your concern Stan but my surgery is different. I went here to see a surgeon http://www.gastricbandingprocedure.c...d=74&lat=&lon= They are also affiliated with Monash University, where I did my degree and post grad diploma in psych. http://www.core.monash.org/obrien.html

There are always risks with surgery but I am confident I am in good hands. My surgeon is Stewart Skinner (scroll down) http://www.lapbandaustralia.com.au/surgeons.html

[Junior]

hello,

i am interested to read a synopsis, reading books is too much difficult concentrate for me since paxil poop-out and seem to be worse more time passes;

Is anyone else interested? It's 800 words.

[Sheila]

Yes, definitely post your synopsis here, please. I'm pretty sure 800 words will fit handily in one post, but if it doesn't just do it in two posts.

Sounds like you have an excellent plan for researching the Australian publishing industry. Please keep us posted, because I want to learn from your experience. It has always been on my list-of-things-to-do to write a book.

OK, now everyone hold on to your hats as I try to remember how to combine threads and move them!

[Junior]

OK, now everyone hold on to your hats as I try to remember how to combine threads and move them!

You did it!!

[Junior]

Sounds like you have an excellent plan for researching the Australian publishing industry. Please keep us posted, because I want to learn from your experience. It has always been on my list-of-things-to-do to write a book.

Haha I'm learning as I go! If you wanted to start looking for a publisher now, it would be the blind leading the blind. LOL!!

[Junior]

Yes, definitely post your synopsis here, please.

You asked for it!!

CYCLES OF LIFE – A synopsis
There is something wondrous about the beginning of a new life. A freshness, a newness, a pristine tabula rasa upon which a life narrative is yet to be written. From a young age, perhaps 12, this was the life narrative I had chosen for myself. To be part of the mother-child bond that only a mother can truly understand. The idea of becoming a grandmother and somehow perpetuating the life cycle was one which sat very comfortably with me. But it didn’t work out that way.

Cycles of Life focuses on the emotional impact of what I have called, “My IVF Journey”.
There are 11 chapters. Chapter one speaks of the grief of being infertile. Dealing with the reasons for this; thinking about when my disabled son was conceived and pondering what may have gone wrong. Then, while doing pre-IVF screening tests, the discovery of an ovarian cyst, meaning I would need surgery and could lose my ovary. It all seemed so unfair.

Chapters 2, 3 and 4 basically describe the mechanics of going through the process of in vitro fertilization; the blood tests, the self-administered injections, the ultrasounds, egg-pick up, embryo transfer and the agonizing wait to see whether the cycle had worked. There is a BOOST cycle, a frozen embryo transfer and a cancelled cycle.

The next chapter, named “Crisis Time”, is a study in uncertainty. It takes the reader through the grief of a failed IVF attempt and my psychological readiness to deal with the prospect of IVF never succeeding. I then describe how this conflicted with my spiritual beliefs and how I became angry with, and turned my back on God. I’d also been working in a casual job but upon quitting found myself totally lost, without an identity, and in counselling.

Chapter 6 details the use of traditional Chinese Medicine as an adjunct to IVF treatment. Anything was worth a try. There were also signs that I was beginning to resent how having IVF treatment meant putting my life on hold.

Entitled, “Illness, Hospital and Spiritual Healing”, chapter 7 begins with an embryo transfer and a description of my fragile emotional state. This is followed by a sudden illness, an extended stay in hospital and what I now call my “winter of hell”. While much of this chapter is underpinned by a theme of spiritual healing, the issue of clinical depression arises and with it the fear of being on medication and conceiving, as had happened with my autistic son.

Despite my now strong fear of the intense grief associated with failure, I still had a need to continue my journey. Chapter 8 therefore recounts how I spent the entire first half of the next cycle in denial and the shock and confusion of suffering from Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome, which meant I was unable to go ahead with embryo transfer. This chapter ends with me beginning to question how much longer I could keep putting myself through this emotional rollercoaster.

Undoubtedly the most powerful chapter in the book, Chapter 9 is about “Healing the Psychological Wounds”. There are four main themes. First, accepting that depression is an illness not a weakness, and accepting it as part of myself. Second, wrestling with whether to quit IVF treatment or not. I needed time to deal with my issues but my biological time clock was ticking. I was now 35 and becoming frightened of the risk of having a child with Down’s syndrome. Third, I was working on redefining myself and rewriting my life narrative. It was difficult to finalise this until my IVF journey was complete. Finally, I was in therapy, gradually learning how to put the past behind me and build for the future.

The tenth chapter is a record of my appointments with an IVF psychologist and an independent psychiatrist. Key points include learning how to approach IVF with a positive mindset instead of a negative one; developing a visual sketch of the child I wanted to have; and a change in my thinking from “I must” to “I can”, thereby lessening my expectations of myself. This chapter shows that I was changing. There is the realisation that having another baby wouldn’t fulfill all my needs and wants, and with it a sense of acceptance that there would be no more children.

The final chapter of Cycles of Life describes how I calmly approached what became my last attempt at IVF. I had become strong, whole again, and was looking to the future. The feeling that it was time to move on pervades this chapter. Finally, despite the failure of this last attempt, there is the powerful recognition that I wasn’t going to fall apart again. “My IVF Journey” had come to an end. I was at peace.