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Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Friday, August 31, 2018

Summer 2018

One of the most popular questions people ask around back-to-school season is "what did you do over the summer?" I feel like honesty in this case is TMI. I had a lot of procedures and spent most of my time in doctor's offices? I cried a lot? I worried about the future? It was too hot and gross to be outside?

It wasn't the most relaxing or fun-filled summer. We did accomplish a lot though, such as crossing off several items recommended by the RPL specialist. Whether or not that means we're closer to our goal, who's to say. It was an investment in our future so I don't regret spending it this way.

May
- Varicocele repair surgery
- Visit to RPL Specialist in NY

June
- Glucose/insulin testing
- Toxins bloodwork
- Hysteroscopy and CD138 stain

July
- Quest to figure out cause of headaches, including visits to: ENT, physical therapist, eye doctor, PCP, and endocrinologist
- Start medication for blood pressure

August
- IVF 8
- Pathology results for CD138 and start of antibiotic treatment
- Post-op appointment for varicocele repair

Maybe next year we can do a relaxing beach vacation or fun travel trip. For now, this is the honest answer to what we did over the summer.

In store for the fall season, in no particular order:
  • Retest CD138
  • Natural cycle ERA
  • FET or IVF, depending if any embryos available
  • Retest glucose/insulin
  • Follow up blood pressure

Monday, June 18, 2018

Making the wait count

Things have fully transitioned to summer mode around here and the change has been nice. Things are slower at work, the weather is finally hot, and it seems like we're on our way to getting our summer projects started.

I'm still learning about insulin. I don't understand how my fasting and 2hr glucose are both well under the limits but my fasting/2hr insulin is high. I think I broke Google trying to come up with an answer because it doesn't seem to know. Beside that there are conflicting opinions about what to eat. Some say to strictly limit all forms of sugar while other opinions say that fruits are fine. Cutting out fruit entirely would be really hard for me so I'm not doing that yet. I have a call in to the Registered Dietician and in the meantime I'm working on cutting out white flour and refined sugar. I think that if I try to change too much too quickly then it will backfire so I'm focusing on small steps to help the changes stick.

This week's changes are to include at least 30 min of activity most days. That's up from 0-2 per week ever since the March loss. I'm also back to counting calories and, while not cutting it out entirely, limiting white flour and sugar. I found some recipes from an Instagram blogger that I'm excited to try. One is a lemon-garlic chicken and the other is a zoodles salad recipe. Very diet friendly and they both sound delicious.

The biggest challenges are going to be planning ahead and avoiding cereal. Planning ahead is crucial to having healthy food already in the house so that we don't resort to take-out which has been a major go-to in the past few months. Cereal is my food drug of choice in all forms and flavors. I can easily inhale two bowls for a snack, or instead of any meal of the day. It's not only a lot of processed sugar but there's also barely any nutritional value and it's a waste of calories. I'm not going to attempt to go cold turkey but it will have to be eaten sporadically and within small controlled portions.

In treatment news I'm getting ready for the hysteroscopy scheduled for the end of the month. I'm still on bcp so I can schedule my period around when it needs to be. The tricky part is with regard to mikvah since the procedure needs to be on a certain day of the cycle and will likely cause spotting. Hopefully the procedure will go smoothly with limited recovery which won't delay anything. After that I get a two week break while they get the results over to the RPL specialist and we all wait for the start of my next cycle.

If all looks good, we'll start an unmedicated ERA in that cycle. I've done two already but they were both with the medicated FET protocol. Per the medicated ERA results I need an extra day of progesterone for my lining to be receptive. The RPL specialist wants to see if I still need that extra day if I'm not on any meds. Obviously we don't want to miss the window if I do an unmedicated FET with an actual embryo, so we can't use data from a medicated ERA. I understand the reasoning, I just hate the idea of another uncomfortable biopsy.

I'm trying not to "bird view" the summer because thinking of all the things ahead makes me anxious, but it's helpful to think that if all goes well with the hysteroscopy and ERA then the next step is a retrieval. That finally feels like progress. It's also the biggest hurdle before a transfer, since we have nothing to transfer now. So while things are slowly moving forward, there are still a lot of steps to happen between now and a potential pregnancy.

In the meantime we're working on taking one day at a time. We also added a new project: enjoy the wait. The time will pass regardless of whether we're anxious or not, so we may as well do things that make us happy in the meantime. There's a time to be sad and anxious and worried, but it's not all the time. It's a gift to wake up every day and our time shouldn't be wasted harping on things we can't control. We'll work toward what we want and we'll put in everything we can in to it. But at some point it becomes up to Him and our job is to just wait. So why not enjoy the wait. It's easier some days than others but it's a mitzvah to be happy and it's worth the effort to prevent becoming depressed and bitter. We don't have money or PTO to do lavish trips around the globe but we can do outings and things on a smaller scale. Yesterday we went to see The Incredibles 2 (3D) and it was fun. Highly recommend.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Latest happenings

It's been busy at work and I haven't had much time to think or process. Now that things are slowing down for the season, I wanted to update on what's been happening.

On Sunday I took advantage of my lab being open and knocked out the glucose/insulin test that the specialist recommended. It's a smallish lab -- only about 20 seats in the waiting room -- and they're only open until 11 am, so knowing I had at least a 2 hr wait, I had to make sure to be there early. I thought it would be a slow day, but the place was hopping the entire time I was there. I signed in and it took almost 30 min before they got me checked in and did the first blood draw. Then I had the gross drink and waited an hour for the second blood draw. At the two hour mark they took final blood. While I was waiting I was totally a backseat driver in the waiting room: telling people where to check in, showing them where they are in the queue on the screen, getting someone who had stepped out for a cig that it was their turn. At one point I overheard a clueless guy tell the receptionist that his doctor at [old clinic] didn't give him a lap slip so I helpfully suggested emailing his nurse. I was helpful all over the place. I hope results come back soon and that they're all normal. In the meantime have a beautiful purple-yellow bruise to remember my time there.

After bloodwork I went to get my nails done - it's been a while and I had a work event the next day. I went with a pale pink on my hands (business) and smokey red on toes (party).

I also had my follow up appointment with my endocrinologist. My TSH has finally reached normal levels: 1.24. Hooray!  That means I don't have to keep coming back every 4-6 weeks to check levels. Now we're at 6 months checkups. She got the latest about what's happening fertility-wise and told me to keep her posted if my RE takes any labs that include thyroid, and when the next transfer is in case I get pregnant and the meds need to be adjusted as well.

I sent over the images from my hysteroscopy to the specialist and he said he couldn't see what he needed and recommended a repeat. So I need to schedule that for sometime in the next few days.

A few weeks ago I noticed a new trick my body likes to do which is make my heart race. At one point it scared me so much I went to urgent care and they got an EKG. My heart was beating at 100 bpm and my blood pressure was elevated but other than that they couldn't see anything wrong. EKG came back normal. Physical came back normal. I wasn't out of breath and didn't have pain anywhere. It was the Friday before a 3 day yom tov and right before my husband's surgery so they diagnosed it as anxiety. Maybe it was. It hasn't gotten as bad since but I have noticed the racing every so often, weirdly when I'm at rest. It never lasts more than a min or two and then I forget about it. I take my pulse often now to see where it's at, which is usually somewhere in the 70s. Every so often I'll feel it go back hovering around the 90s when I'm at rest. At urgent care they said as long as it doesn't go above 100 or 110 then it's not a big deal, especially since they couldn't find anything wrong. I mentioned it to the endocrinologist who said that it's not a side effect of the thyroid meds or any of the meds I'm taking. But she did say to look out for shortness of breath combined with leg pain, which is a sign of the bc pills causing clots, and (rarely) causing clots in the lungs which makes getting oxygen to the heart an issue. She did say that if it persists or episodes get longer that I should go back to the cardiologist. Maybe I'll do that anyway. I don't want to keep being the kid who calls wolf but I'd rather look dumb than have an issue, especially with a potential pregnancy on the line.

My husband sent me a picture of a bug he found in the kitchen and I panicked and called the exterminator for a full workup against roaches, mice, and all pests.  I googled roaches and the internet said if there's one there's likely hundreds more. Ewww. The guy took a look at the bug and said it was a beetle, not a roach. He searched the house and found not much more than a few spiders in the basement and couple of ants outside.

The weather has been unseasonably frustrating with lots of fog, rain, and humidity. There are mild patches of sun when we remember that oh yeah it's summer. At some point our roof started leaking. We called the roofer and got an estimate for a repair ($800) or replacement ($8000). So far we're putting out bowls when it rains and hoping that before we need to make a decision it will either repair itself or get so bad that insurance needs to get involved.

Another summer project I want to take care of, other than ttc, is decluttering. Every year I say I want to go minimal and I think this year I want to make it real. There are drawers of stuff that we don't need; closets of stuff we're storing and never look at; a storage area full of things we never touch. Why should they collect dust, and apparently spiders, when someone else can make use of it? If we don't use it on a regular basis, or at all, it needs to go. If I only manage to make a small dent in what needs to be gotten rid of, it's still a win. The ultimate goal is to feel like if we were to move tomorrow, I'd have nothing that I need to throw out. I'm still unsure what to do about thinks I know I'll never use again but am unsure about giving away, like my wedding dress. I guess I can start with the non-sentimental stuff and work from there.

Summer is upon us and I want to take advantage of the longer daylight hours. I want to get into a routine that includes better workout schedule and better food planning. I know it's just a matter of starting and I'm mentally motivated but need to get my butt in gear. My husband is on board to join in so that can be a big help if we do it together. Let's start with 10 lbs. I decided I'd get myself a present at the end of the summer if I'm successful. Maybe a bosch mixer or a new hairstyle.

Our 11 year anniversary is coming up. My husband's birthday is also coming up. This past week we sponsored kiddush in memory of our grandmothers, who happened to have the same birthday and died within a year of each other.

Happy summer :)

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

No news

Still no news, though I see that the lab charged my credit card. I know we shouldn't expect news yet - it hasn't been 10 business days (wth kind of timeline is that for something that happens immediately) - but I couldn't help emailing my nurse to find out if she knows anything yet. No news.

I've been trying to be better with eating and exercising. I tried starting South Beach diet but thinking about food is so time consuming. My chin broke out so there's still time until my better eating habits kick in. It used to be that it was the exercise part that would trip me up but for now I'm pretty good with that. I'm using myfitness"pal.com and the app for accountability.

On my path to new hobbies, I signed us up for a pottery class! I'm making my husband join in, at least for the first one.

Work has been crazy trying to catch up from when we were out for the week. It's only going to get crazier as we get toward the summer. I love summer and everything it includes like BBQs and bonfires and watermelon and beach time.

I saw Colin Farrell on TODAY talking about his new movie, "Lobster," coming out this summer. It's the weirdest plot: In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods" (IMBD). How weird! I love it. I want to write a novel with a quirky new concept and this just motivates me to get started.

I started watching Veep and Leverage - both awesome! Yay for having new shows to watch.

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