tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11200955003374421942024-03-13T17:36:22.841-07:00Endo Who?Struggling with Endometriosis, infertility and all that came with it. We welcomed our precious daughter in September 2011. Hoping for another miracle.Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-49349405996749696122015-12-19T04:27:00.000-08:002015-12-19T04:27:03.052-08:00Gone too long<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a while since my last post. To be truthful I am just lazy and plus there is nothing interesting to write about. I joined Twitter last summer and has found it to be useful in sharing my daily struggle with chronic pain and endometriosis so I have been spending more time there. When I first joined it was kind of depressing to see so many young women struggling daily with endometriosis and chronic pain. At the time even though I talked about chronic illness I haven't accepted that this is where I am at with my illness. I thought somehow I was going to overcome it and be normal and that is just not happening. So now it is about acceptance, management and finding a new normal.<br />
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I am blogging at 6am in the morning. Normally I am never up before 8am but we have all been sick the last 10 days and it has been hard on my little girl. It started out as a cold and she is so congested that sleeping has become a challenge. Now she has sinus and ear infection. She saw her Doc yesterday who suggested we hold off giving her antibiotics for a few days to see if the congestion resolve on its own. To make it complicated we are going home for 3wks and scheduled to fly on Friday. It's a 15h flight and she has to get better before that so fingers crossed that all goes well.<br />
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Preparing for vacation was going smooth until all the sickness derailed it for over a week and I am now left to do all that needs to be done. The Endo pain is at a minimum this week so that helps. My fatigue has also improved the last few months so that is a plus. Hopefully all will go smoothly. <br />
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Have a merry Christmas an a Happy New Year.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-43623912996233644242015-08-31T17:53:00.002-07:002015-09-06T21:26:56.930-07:00Life, big girl & chronic pain<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How I love summer and it is slipping away too quickly and I am appreciating the warmth even on the hot muggy days. At the beginning of the summer we went out shopping for a dining set for our deck but ended up buying a conversation sofa set. Best decision ever. Every morning I have my tea curled up on the sofa and soaking up the sun. When the pelvic pain becomes too much I just lay there watching my girl play with her water table. My husband doesn't like the hot weather so he is usually out on the deck only at night but we have both been using it a lot so worth every penny we spent.<br />
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On other news my girl is turning 4 years old and over the last few months she has been so interested in actually playing and conversing with other kids. My nieces and nephews are much older than her so she really doesn't have anyone to play with on a regular bases so we decided it is time to put her in part time daycare. I found a place I liked that is reasonably priced. We visited 3 daycares and I liked one the best but it was a little pricey. I also felt they are too focused on learning and not enough on play. A 4year old just needs a lot of play and I think kindergarten is enough to get them prepared for school. So I picked a place that fits in a lot of play. On the three days that she is home we will redo the alphabets with small letter recognition and may be start on teaching her how to read. I also plan on continuing to teach her our native language. <br />
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This week she went to preschool for 2 hours just to see how she would manage. Over the week we have been playing school with all her little dolls and talking about it. So on Thursday morning I told her that she was going to her playgroup. She was so excited and was dancing around and she also understood that mommy and daddy will drop her off and go home and come back later. When we arrived at the preschool the kids were having circle time and as soon as we walked in the teacher asked her to hang up her backpack and sit with the kids and asked her name. Wes snuck out after that<br />
and she didn't even look back. She was so ready. If DH wasn't with me I would have went home and cried. I was happy but felt a little sad. She has never been away from me or my husband. Instead we went for coffee and talked about our childhood :). It just feels like yesterday when we brought the 5 lb little baby. When we went back to pick her up she was happy to see us. Didn't get a chance to talk to her teachers since they were busy with getting the kids ready for lunch. So next week she officially starts. If it wasn't for the expense I would have liked to do four half days but didn't find an option that was not too expensive.<br />
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Of course I have to talk about my reproductive organs in ever post. After all my day is spent fighting the terrible pelvic pain. The last few weeks my pain has been up the roof. The fatigue is much better and it is due to drinking Red clover leaf tea ever other day. That staff really works, it also minimized the increased pain associated with follicular phase. If I could I would drink it everyday but last time I did that my CM was no show so I try to not overdo it. But this cycle It seem like my hormones have<br />
normalized but that means more pain as endometrial implants respond to the increased hormone. Well I think that is what's happening. I am in so much pain that I have been sleeping on the floor for the last three nights. It seem like the hard surface decreases the internal organs movement. I feel that on the left side something has stuck to my colon. I was suppose to do am MRI but insurance did not approve it and they want an ultrasound done before an MRI. My doctor is joining another practice and his old office will not tell me where he is going. They actually said he won't be seeing patients at his new position which is a lie. When I saw him last he said he is joining another practice but has a non-compete agreement that is for a year so he is moving to my state so he can practice. So now I have to wait until his new information appears on the Internet. Otherwise I will have to pick another doctor in his old practice. The reason I went to him is because he is one of the better specialist on endometriosis. The waiting is killing me. I should stop the rumbling here.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-89362901465897843552015-08-08T20:16:00.001-07:002015-08-08T20:16:21.264-07:00Alive and kicking<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1. My computer is having so many issues and I haven't been able to use it much and the motivation for blogging is not there. Truthful, I really don't have anything interesting to say. Our life is the same routine which is fine but not so much fun :)<br />
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2. We are enjoying summer, as much as my physical well being allows it. There are days I prefer to just stay home curled up on my sofa nursing my pain. My little girl is growing up so fast and she is just so adorable and precious. She will be turning 4 next month and she talking a lot. She is constantly asking questions and making me laugh. She will be going to daycare for 2days/wk ones summer is done. I am happy that she will spend time with her age group but I will have to do the drop off/pick up and there are day where my pain level is through the roof and driving becomes challenging so I am a little worried. <br />
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3. Health wise I went to see the GYN that I saw last year. The first time I went to see him was to determine if I had scar tissue in my uterus which came up negative and I haven't seen him since then. Since I had two cycles where I had a lot of menstrual cramping and no AF I was a little worried and wanted for him to do an ultrasound and also wanted to hear his suggestion on how to minimize the endometriosis pain. The visit went better than I expected. He thinks I may have adenomyosis and he wanted to do an MRI and go from there. He also suggested I try the Mirena for the pain. I have never done well on any hormone treatment so far so I am hesitant to go that route but I have no other choice unless I go get everything removed. The Mirena will put a stop to the possibility of a miracle baby but it has to be done. I have heard a lot of horror stories about the Mirena but some swear by it for Endo pain management. I am fighting with insurance to approve the MRI and we will go from there. I also got blood work done for LH, FSH and estradiol. They were all within a normal range. <br />
The FSH is on the high side at 12.5 but seems expected for my age. The day after the blood draw AF showed up after disappearing for two cycles. It appears that I am ovulating but sometimes no AF. I knew I was ovulating since I have mid cycle pain and also the usually hormonal shift. </div>
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4. It has been 3years since I quit work. I need to go back hence #3. I am hoping the Mirena will work some. In order for me to consider going back I need to control the pain, get rid of the migraine like headaches but most importantly kick the fatigue. I assume that if we control the pain the other two will be resolved. One thing is for sure, I will not go back and struggle as I did before having my baby. I never want to go back to the daily agony of working while in pain and fatigued. Just thinking about those days give me anxiety. <br />
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5. We are planning to visit DH's family in the winter. It will at least be for a month. Instead of being excited to be able to go and see my home country, I am nervous. I can deal with the pain some how but I don't know how I would deal with the fatigue and hormonal ups/downs. The pycnogenol was helping a lot but after a while it started giving me stomach ache so I stopped it. LDN helped some too but I can't tolerate taking it at night anymore. I am going to try taking it during the day and see how I do. Red clover tea has helped some too but not enough. I want to be well prepared for the trip so we can all enjoy it. After all escaping winter for a whole month is something to look forward too.<br />
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6. I love summer. The extended daylight is just wonderful. It is going so fast and we are enjoying it as much as possible. My DH doesn't like hot weather so when it gets too hot he doesn't want to go out much but I tried to spend as much time on our deck as possible. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-91339567984220888152015-06-28T17:38:00.000-07:002015-06-28T17:38:17.293-07:00Brutal peri-menopause symptoms<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This past week was brutal emotionally and physically. I haven't had any relief from pain even though I am post ovulation. Let me back up a bit, last cycle all was going fine, some pain as usual, ovarian pain mid cycle. I wasn't paying much attention to CM. So a few days before my period I started cramping, boob pain, nausea, and lower back pain which kept me close to my sofa. I waited and waited but no AF. You all know what happens after this, I become convinced that I must be pregnant. Ha ha. So by cd17 I given in and pee on a stick and it was negative. The next day I pee on another stick and get a BFN. I have not felt this crashed in a long time. I was so sad and the no period started to worry me on what could be wrong. So I cramped for a week but no citing of AF. no spotting, nothing. So I started googling "no period and cramping" and learn that it is one of peri -menopause symptoms. Yea, it is strange to have period cramps and never bleed. So after the cramps stopped back to a preovulatory phase an started to have mid cycle pain at the right time and even saw some CM. After what felt like ovulation my pain level increased. My ovaries are hurting and I am blotted and mid section hurts like hell specially when I lay on my belly. Every day I wake up with pain and a headache this week. I believe I am p+9 (cd23). I started drinking Nettle tea in addition to Red clover tea and that could have also contributed to the no AF. I stopped both this cycle. <br />
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It is pretty clear that I haven't given up on getting pregnant even though we are not actively trying and that I have been telling myself that I have given up and moved on. I guess my mind hasn't but for my sanity I need this to sink in. <br />
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I had an appointment with my Doc to go over my thyroid hormone levels this past Friday. My appointment was in the morning and I only slept 4 h the night before and I was in pain and in a bad place emotionally. For the first time ever I cried in my Doctors office. I just couldn't keep the tears in while explains the pain and roller coaster of the month. She was so nice about it. I am not a crier. If I cry it usually happens in private but it was just too much that day and I was exhausted. <br />
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In a lighter note I am enjoying the weather. We have been looking at preschools around here. My little girl is turning 4 in Sep and she will start attending for a few days a week once summer is done. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-59139665850481231022015-04-30T09:30:00.001-07:002015-04-30T12:46:13.831-07:00On Money-ER(Early Retirement)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So in an effort to redirect my energy from all things fertility/infertility and TTC I have been reading a few helpful blogs on money management that has helped me some in dealing with money. <br />
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As you know I never had any intention of being a SAHM. I always thought it was ideal to stay home for a few years after you have a baby but I never thought it would be feasible financially and career wise without some big sacrifice that we were not willing to make. But as with most things in life things don't go as planed, circumstances will force you to make some changes to the much thought out road you envisioned for your life. <br />
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So it has been over two years that we have been living on one salary. It has been an adjustment but not as difficult as I thought out it would be. However, the loss of my income has a big impact on our retirement funds. The plan was after we bought a home (which we did 2.5 years ago) we were suppose to significantly increase our retirement contribution. <br />
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So my hope is that my health will start improving as Menopause approaches. I am betting on the endometriosis pain getting easier and I will be able to go back to work in some form or another in a year or two but that is no guarantee. <br />
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The blogs I have been reading on retirement are mostly focused on achieving early retirement. Since I can't make that goal for me right now, I have adjusted my goal to being able to save as much as we can now and may be I will be able to go back to work and be able to save a lot more if we stick to our current life style. The trick is not to maximize our lifestyle as income increases and eliminate excess spending. <br />
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My DH laughs at all of my planning. When I tell him about people who have saved enough and are retired in their 30s and 40s he says he is not interested in retiring. Even if that is not the goal wouldn't it be wonderful to not worry about money even if you choose to keep working and knowing that you can walk away from your job when you see fit. That is just liberating. <br />
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Any how, everyone can learn from these blogs what ever goals they have financially. If you read this far then you have some interest in early retirement or just saving more for retirement so hope these blogs help you as well. It certainly has helped.<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/">Mr Money Mustache :</a> This site has helped me a lot in looking at money as a tool to have a more meaningful life and to really question unnecessary spending. <br />
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2. <a href="http://www.gocurrycracker.com/">Go Curry Cracker:</a> These couple retired in their 30s and travel around the world.<br />
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3. <a href="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/">Budgets are Sexy:</a> The blogger quit his job to permanently blog about money. <br />
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4. <a href="http://earlyretirementextreme.com/">Early Retirement Extreme</a>: for the extreme :)<br />
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Hope you enjoy it<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-21187249361119570542015-04-09T19:53:00.002-07:002015-04-10T20:14:47.541-07:00peri-menopause or what?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My cycles are driving me nuts. Its been more than a year now that it hasn't been regular. I usually have a 40 day cycle, followed by a 16 day cycle and two text book 28day cycles and then back to 40 or 16 day cycle. This has been going for more than a year. Gone are the 26-28 day regular cycles. <br />
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So I had a 30 day cycle in Jan after a 16 day cycle. So I was expecting another 28 day cycle. I had cramps for eight days, deep menstrual cramps and lower back pain that left me exhausted. On what looked like P+15 I started to think these might be pregnancy symptoms. So I told myself I will test in the morning on P+16 if I don't seen anything. So next morning comes and there was nothing. I found a stick in the back of my cabinet and peed, BFN. I cursed a lot under my breath while getting toddler ready and go down to have breakfast. Then I went to pee and to my surprise I see red. <br />
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I think my head is playing some games with me. 30 min after I tested I see blood. Ha, what kind of a joke is this. Once bleeding started the cramps subsided. If I didn't know better I would have taken the bleeding as implantation because it looked like old blood and it was very scanty. So two days of very light flow followed by a day of spotting and I was done. The cramps felt like I was going to bleed a bucketful. After my period ended I was bracing myself for the usual pre-ovulatory endometriosis pain, instead I was hit with fatigue and lower back pain for a good five days. Over the weekend while we were out I barely said anything, not intentional just was way too tired to even have a conversation and my DH was thinking I was feeling sick. So I stayed low and slept it off. I immediately started taking picnogenol which I had stopped taking for a month or so. The fatigue has lifted and the pain is tolerable. I saw fertile CM around cd7 which disappeared a few days later. So I am bracing myself for a 16 day cycle. <br />
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What is really bothering me is on top of the pain having more than a week of cramping before AF. Usually the post ovulation my pain lessens and that is when I recuperate for the next pre-ovulatory pain. <br />
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This looks awfully like peri-menopause symptoms. Irregular cycles, minimal bleeding, hormonal ups and downs, wacked up CM etc. We have stopped actively trying but we are not avoiding either. It has been more than a year since the last failed pregnancy so there is a very slim chance of it ever happening. <br />
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I have to stop myself from associating certain symptoms with pregnancy and just accept that this is what peri-menopause looks like and wait for all of it to end. In the meantime I will go hide under a rock.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-9555836906188493502015-04-01T16:24:00.001-07:002015-04-01T17:34:43.396-07:00On Money #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
About a year ago I wrote on how we were planning to save money by cutting some of our expenses so we can increase our retirement contribution. I didn't think this was going to be easy since both DH and I are for the most part on the same page when it comes to our finances and that we don't really have excessive spending. The followings are areas that we tried to cut back<br />
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1. Cell Phone Plans: Both of us were on Verizon plan and did not have smart phones. We paid about $96 on a basic plan (phone & text) which we were happy with. We never had smart phones even when I was working. I never saw the need for it since I was stuck at work all day and the rest of the time I am home and use my I-pad for most things. <br />
So a few months ago I changed over to Republic Wireless and got a smart phone for $150 and have a $10/month plan. My DH uses his phone rarely so he decided that he will also get a smart phone, mainly for the camera and sign with Ting. His is a prepaid plan and it costs him about $5-10 a month. Now this might not work for some people. The$10/month republic wireless plan doesn't have a data plan but you can use Wifi for Internet and also it defaults to wifi service for calls when available. The plans has been working wonderful for us and once we cover the cost of the phones we will be saving about $70-80/month on it compared to our Verizon plan. <br />
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2. Water consumption: We looked in to low-flow toilets & washing full loads of laundry to minimize water bill. We also installed a control at the kitchen sink where we can adjust the flow. My sister changed all her toilets to low flashing and said she it has made an impact on their water bill but I didn't really like those toilets, it seem like sometimes their is a need to reflush. After reading about is a bit we decided to just adjust so that the tanks only fill up 3/4th of the way. We didn't want to go out and spend money on new toilets. Another thing I just don't want to give up is my long hot showers. I take a long hot shower to manage my endometriosis pain and that is not something that I am going to give up. But I have really tried to make sure I wash a full load of laundry. <br />
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3. We also tried to lower our thermostat by a few degrees. We used to set it at 74C and changed it to 72C at nights but it became really cold in our bedroom and toddler MH doesn't like sleeping under a blanket and sometimes asks for a her PJ bottoms to be removed. It may be 72c by the thermostat but our room is much cooler so we had to increase it back up to 74C. We are babies when it comes to cold weather :). So we have failed in this department. I think in the near future it might be better to upgrade to efficient windows. <br />
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4. Cable: I sometimes watch TV, especially when my pain it at its worst and I am not able to do much. But I really don't care for cable much. When we were in our apartments we didn't have cable and relied on just local channels for years and we were fine with it. But now we are not able to get the local channels without the cable connection and so we singed up for cable service when we moved to this house. We are looking in to ways we can get rid of it when our contract ends.<br />
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5. Food: This department is a fail. I looked in to joining Costco but the one closest to us is not very convenient and I didn't think we are going to save much. I try not to buy anything that I have to freeze. My freezer right now has some chicken, a small container of ice-cream and some spices. We go to the grocery store at least three times a week and buy fresh. So food is our biggest expense in general and I try to buy vegetables that are on sale and buy eggs & chicken from Trader Joe's to minimize expenses. <br />
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6. Other sending: DH doesn't like eating out much so we try to eat at home and may be end up going out 2-3 times a month for a meal. Most of the time we eat at home and go out for coffee. I really don't miss eating out much since I can't eat a lot of things because of the gluten free diet and that I am also trying to be careful and eat as much fresh vegetables as I can. Cloth is another area where we don't spend much on. DH hates shopping and may go out 1-2 times a year for cloth. I am at home and don't need to buy a lot of cloth. I usually just go out about twice a year and we don't buy stuff if it is not on sale & reasonable priced. <br />
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In general we have made some improvement but not a lot. We are more aware of where the money goes. We were able to increase our retirement saving last year and will be doing that this year too. When I tell DH we need to budget he laughs at me and says we already know where the money goes and there is no need for a budget. I guess he is right. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-68605306737354367622015-02-26T16:36:00.001-08:002015-02-27T10:58:58.272-08:00Thyroid Stuff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In Nov I had my Thyroid hormone levels checked. Initially only my free T3 was on the low side and I was being treated with slow release T3 since 2010. In late 2013 I tested low for T4 so I started taking (NDT) desiccated thyroid med in addition to the slow release T3 I was on and felt great for about three months. My anxiety and fatigue resolved on NDT and I felt a whole lot better than I felt in years. Then suddenly I wasn't able to tolerate T3 and LDN and I had a lot of sleep disturbance and palpitation. <br />
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I went back to my Doc after being only on NDT for about two months and still tested low for T4 even though I was on NDT. T3 was within range but not optimal. So my doc suggested raising the NDT dose to twice a day and cutting T3 dosage by half. I still couldn't tolerate the T3 but also the 2nd dose of NDT in the afternoon. So I went back just to taking the NDT in the morning and see what happens. I attempted to raise NDT and also add the T3 multiple times through out 2014 and couldn't tolerate it. I was feeling OK on just morning dose of NDT (32mcg). <br />
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Around the same time I initially found out I couldn't tolerate the T3 & LDN, after the blissful 3 months I was on estradiol and progesterone and my pain level due to the endometriosis was up for the obvious reason that I was on estradiol. To make it worse my doc switched me to cream form of estradiol in an effort to build up my lining which wasn't responsive to the pill form. That month I had increased pain, heart palpation, chest & shoulder pain and I stopped the medication right away. And then in March 2014 I attempted to take increased dosage of estradiol pre ovulatory to again build up my lining. Lets just say that playing around with estradiol made my endometriosis worse. After that I had a good talk with my DH and we decided that I would stop both estradiol and progesterone permantently and focus on taking herbs to fix my lining. <br />
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So the thyroid and endometriosis are pretty connected. So back to last Nov visit after a lab work. My T4 was normal, T3 in the mid range and high RT3 level. Here is a summary of the last three different tests over a year. <br />
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 552px;">
<colgroup><col style="mso-width-alt: 2742; mso-width-source: userset; width: 56pt;" width="75"></col>
<col span="2" style="mso-width-alt: 3693; mso-width-source: userset; width: 76pt;" width="101"></col>
<col style="mso-width-alt: 2816; mso-width-source: userset; width: 58pt;" width="77"></col>
<col span="2" style="mso-width-alt: 3620; mso-width-source: userset; width: 74pt;" width="99"></col>
<tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl67" height="20" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border: 0.5pt solid windowtext; height: 15pt; width: 56pt;" width="75"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Date</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl67" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext black; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 76pt;" width="101"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">TSH</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl67" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext black; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 76pt;" width="101"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">T4</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl67" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext black; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 58pt;" width="77"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">FT3</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl67" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext black; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">RT3</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl67" style="background-color: #95b3d7; border-color: windowtext windowtext windowtext black; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 0.5pt 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">FT3/RT3</span></strong></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 15pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10/25/2013</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.76 (0.450-4.5)</span></td>
<td class="xl66" style="background-color: #c0504d; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">0.53 L(0.82-1.77)</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.2 (2-4.4)</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.8 (9.2-24.1)</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">41.0</span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 15pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/31/2014</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">0.01</span></td>
<td class="xl66" style="background-color: #c0504d; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">0.56 L</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.7</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.1</span></td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">26.7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15pt;">
<td class="xl65" height="20" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 15pt;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10/31/2014</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em></em></span> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.29</span> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.23</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </td>
<td class="xl63" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.7</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </td>
<td class="xl66" style="background-color: #c0504d; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">25.9<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>H</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </td>
<td class="xl66" style="background-color: #c0504d; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </td>
</tr>
</tbody></colgroup></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em>levels in bracket normal range</em></span><br />
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So my doc suggested to cut the NDT level by half (16 mcg in the morning) and add 5 mcg of T3 (cytomel). My local pharmacy has the NDT on back order so I decided to experiment with the current dose (32 mcgs of NDT) and adding the cytomel at 5 mcg. Well that didn't work out so well. Around 2 pm I had an urge to take a nap and took a 2 h nap. That evening I felt kind of funny and knew that the same thing may happen so I stayed up until 2 pm just to let the feeling pass. By 4 am I woke up with my heart thumping and slightly numbness feeling of the legs and my lower bell was hurting (more like inflamed) so much and I felt tense. As usual I got up, walked around, drank water and stayed up for 1h or so and went back to sleep. I ignored my Thyroid issues during Christmas break and only took NDT. <br />
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Just this week I tried taking 16 mcg of NDT and 5 mcg of Cytomel in the morning. I had a headache after about 2 hours which got better after lunch. Besides that I didn't wake up with palptation. So the next day I just took the 32 mcg of NDT and the 5 mcg of Cytomel. I think I think I took it for five days and I just didn't feel right on it. I still woke up every night and during the days I had headaches and didn't feel good at all. <br />
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I have been thinking about this the past few days and I think the bottom line is I may not need to increase NDT or start T3. Since the T4 level is within range with out the increased meds may be my body is healing. I don't have hypo symptoms. My doctor may suggest taking only T3 but I am not willing to go that route since I had anxiety and fatigue on it. With the exception of low vitamin D (27-the last test) my vitamin levels are fine. I am going to keep tweaking my diet, continuing vitamins & pycnogenol and see how it goes. I will have another test in about two month and see how I have progressed. <br />
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I think taking pycnogenol may be the reason for some of the improvements. It certainly have helped my cycles. I don't spot as much and has improved the quality of AF. In addition the fatigue I got in the afternoons are gone.<br />
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Now how to get minimize the endometriosis pain? That is the biggest obstacle right now and I don't think the pycnogenol has helped much. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-51452992154002052202015-02-21T15:39:00.002-08:002015-02-23T07:37:36.980-08:00Anti-Inflammatory/Paleo like Diet Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So back in October I started a modified Paleo/anti-inflammatory diet. So this post is meant to keep me accountable to continue and improve my diet even further. <br />
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So I stuck to most eliminated food. I have been off gluten for six years now. In addition to gluten, I cut out most grains with the exception of rice and teff. I also cut out legumes and decreased my rice intake by at least half and filled my plates with more vegetables. The little cheese I was eating on a daily bases with breakfast I eliminated. The only diary that I have been consuming is a little cream with my coffee. <br />
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So first on the measurable accomplishment, I lost about 6 lb and able to wear some of my pre-pregnancy pants. 6lb on my small frame is huge for me. My tummy is still a little big but not as big as what it used to be. On most days I don't look pregnant so that is a huge plus. Another 3-4lb would put me back in all of my old clothes. <br />
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The occasional IBS symptoms are completely gone and I rarely get blotted. Overall I feel better, I don't get hungry easily like I used to. <br />
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Around Christmas my DH was home for 6 weeks and I kind of slipped a little on eating more vegetables. Our schedule was tossed in the air; we would get up late and only managed to eat two meals. I have been making soup (mainly veggie) that I have with breakfast which has helped a lot. <br />
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Where I did not do good is on giving up sugar and eating more fish. I still have a teaspoon of sugar in my one cup a day coffee and enjoy it so I am not going to give it up. Besides that I rarely have any sugary food; going off gluten eliminated most of my sugary intake. I haven't been able to find a good source of fish that don't cost a lot.<br />
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The next phase is for me to try to cut our red meat consumption. We eat it at least 2-3 times a week. With all that I am eliminating it is hard to find protein source to replace the red meat. I still need to do better on increasing our vegetable intake. I am not consistent, some days I manage to cook 2-3 kinds of veggies and other days I barely have one. I also need to increase my fruit intake. <br />
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What is lacking here is the inclusion of exercise. But that is another blog post. With the Endo pain, any exercise I incorporate leaves me with increased pain the next day :(<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-88436144135127445142014-12-28T17:25:00.002-08:002014-12-30T16:48:49.627-08:00Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It has been a while since I blogged. Just stepped away from blogging life to enjoy the holidays.<br />
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For Thanksgiving I prepped and cooked over two days. Right before the family arrived I was in so much pain I had to lay down and hide in my bedroom for about 30 min. My two sisters who are going through some problems decided not to join us and I was very hurt. It wasn't like they had somewhere to go. I could have just made it simple and had an easy Thanksgiving with just my husband and toddler MH. But I wanted to make a good meal for the family and for us to get together and enjoy a meal specially for my sisters who are at a low point in their lives. I tried to be understanding but with all the pain and fatigue I was a little emotional but put is aside and had a good time with the people present. The next day I was on the couch the whole day recovering. <br />
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We spent Christmas afternoon with DH side of the family and it was a lot of fun. Toddler MH being 3 is now in to gifts. This is the first Christmas where she actually understood & enjoyed receiving gifts; any time her name was called she marched to Santa to accept her gift. Since we don't see DH side of the family often it was nice to touch base and just hang out. <br />
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On TTC front I had two normal 28 day cycles with normal flow which made me very happy. Yes after a year or so of very light cycles I am seeing normal bleeding. I think it may have to do with a combination of Raspberry leaf tea and pycnogenol that I have been taking for the last six months or so. It gradually increased in flow over the 6 months period, but it looks like every two cycles it goes back to being 40 day cycle. Right now I am on cd30 or so and a few days post ovulation. So I am going to get my lining checked again. <br />
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I saw my Thyroid doctor last month and we are going to half the NDT and add 5 mg of T3. I haven't been tolerating T3 while on NDT. I haven't adjusted the dose yet, I wanted to enjoy the holidays in peace and will experiment with the new dose. I am also going to try LDN once the thyroid hormone dosage is sorted out. We shall see. <br />
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As usual next Wednesday is our Christmas and I don't plan to invite any one. We may go to see my aunt or just stay home. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-48746102223591013592014-11-03T16:18:00.003-08:002014-11-04T06:33:03.709-08:00Pycnogenol & other things<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So back in July I started taking Pycnogenol supplement. It is an extract from the pine bark of French Maritime pine tree. A <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17879831">limited study</a> in endometriosis patients has shown that it is effective in reducing pain. It is being used for a lot of others things from anti-aging, circulation issues, heart disease , cancer and plenty of other ailments. I started with 1 capsule (30 mg) and increased it to two capsules after a few weeks. <br />
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I did not notice any reduction in pain but what I noticed is that since I start taking it the number of brown spotting prior to my period has been reduced to a day or none. I haven't taken it long enough to determine this is real but it is promising. About a month ago I noticed my stomach was acting up specially in the mornings, I take it after breakfast and dinner. So I stopped for a few weeks and I have resumed taking it once a day and will go up to two capsule a day. If anything may be my skin will start looking better and my body will stop growing gray hair :). <br />
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I talked about hysterectomy being an option down the line but probably wouldn't help me since I don't have crazy cramps like I use to around my period and removing my uterus would not take care of the endometriosis outside of the uterus. Well lets just say I am rethinking it. This cycle after ovulation I felt great, my pain was minimal and my mood was even better, felt hormonally stable and come P + 9 I started cramping. It started with lower back cramps, feels like labor contractions. Today is P + 13 and I am still cramping like crazy. It is on and off but enough to ruin my day. I took pain killer for two days because I needed to stay out of the house. It is crazy to have serious cramps for a week. <br />
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I usual host Thanksgiving and I have never made the traditional Thanksgiving meal. I usual stick with the Ethiopian dishes. But this year I was thinking of doing strictly Thanksgiving menu. I have never oven roasted meat so today I am trying my hand in oven roasting a whole chicken and see how it comes out. Lets just say I hate touching whole chicken. My family is not much in to Turkey so I probably will substitute the turkey with chicken. What I was hoping to avoid making both the traditional Thanksgiving meal and also Ethiopian dishes; it will just be too much work. My niece is a college freshman and she is home sick like crazy. So I asked her if she has any request for Thanksgiving she said to have Ethiopian food. So now I am stuck, may be I will have my sisters bring the Ethiopian dishes, we shall see. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-60238595379143720972014-10-22T17:17:00.000-07:002014-10-22T17:17:56.253-07:00A day in the life of a chronically ill mother<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I woke up around 3am with IBS symptom, pain and sweaty hands and feet. I lay there for a minute assessing the situation; experience has thought me that it is better to get up and move about, get a glass of water and lay flat on our living room floor to stretch out my back and to relieve some of the pain. <br />
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After I calm down, I sit on our sofa and start reading stuff on the internet. An hour later the pain has subsided a bit and my belly has calmed a bit so I decide to go back to sleep. So I slowly go up the stairs trying not to wake up my little girl and husband. No matter how quite I am DH is a light sleeper and always wakes up. He opens his eyes looks at me and goes right back to sleep. I curl up against toddler (she sleeps with us) and I drift off. <br />
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The alarm set for 7:30 am. I hear it and I jump and shut it off. Usually I just let it go on so it wakes up toddler. Since I lost an hour I needed to sleep in. When we finally wake up it is 9 am, I have the same pain but with less intensity. For a minute my mind goes to a place I don't want it to be, Oh GOD please don't let me die; not good, not good at all and overly dramatic. I wake up toddler and we cuddle for a bit before washing up and heading downstairs. I note that I have a stress headache and I am also more anxious than usual. I brush it off and go about my business. I make fried egg, toast with peanut butter and apple slices for toddler MH breakfast. <br />
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I take my thyroid med and start cleaning up the living room. The house it too quite. I rarely remember to put on music but I needed something to occupy my mind away from the pain. I go through our old cd collection and put on a boys II men CD. Haven't heard their music in ages.<br />
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I haven't mopped my floor for a week. Hard wood floor is forgiving but I just couldn't let it be today, I have put it off for the last three days. I sweep and mop the floor and I feel better for at least accomplishing something. The dishwasher needs to be emptied but I put it off for later. I make myself omelet for breakfast with leftover baked potatoes from the night before. I make tea, print some work sheets for toddler to scribble on. I have her sit on her high chair. We are on letter F. F for frog, F for foot etc. She draws and I am happy that she actually now colors the letters instead of just scribbling aimlessly all over the paper. This occupies her for some time and I am a happy camper and read some blogs, news and check my e-mail. I was reading a blog post by <a href="http://hafsa-thepeaceofchrist.blogspot.com/">'Peace of Christ'</a> and enjoyed her blog post chronicling her day so I decided I would do the same so the reason for this post.<br />
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Toddler had enough with drawing so we go out on our deck and it actually feels good. Not too cold and the sun is finally out. I crank up the music and start dancing with toddler. I am one of those people who like to dance in private :). She loves it, but she loves it more when I hold her and we dance. My back is not up to that task especially after mopping so I distract her and we play with a pile of leaves on our deck. I was wondering where my Mom and Dad were, they said they were coming but didn't say the time. I am actually excited to have company, it is also an early day for DH so he will be coming home at 5. Tuesdays are nice.<br />
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My mom and dad finally show up and they said they already had lunch and all they want is coffee. Toddler is happy to see her grandparents and my dad is overly excited to see her. He says "give me my medicine" and she runs to put her hands on his forehead and rub it:). They play this game every time he sees her. I start on lunch for toddler and I. I give her a slice of cheese followed by pasta with no sauce and a banana. For lunch I have left over chicken, cucumber salad, beets & potatoes that my mom brought. A small glass of coffee after lunch always puts a smile on my face. I empty the dishwasher and clean up after lunch. <br />
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My dad leaves and mom is staying the night to help cook for a get together my father has planned with his friends which I agreed to host on Sunday. I give toddler milk before her nap. After she finish she gets up and runs around, she doesn't want to nap since we woke up 1.5h later than our usual time. DH calls and says he is on his way home. It is now 4:30 pm and he shows up a little earlier than expected. Stir fry beef with tomato salad served on injera is usually on the menu for Tuesdays. DH picks up the beef and injera after work. He decided to head to the gym while I struggle to put toddler to nap. She is upset over something but she is just tired. I lay with her on our sofa and she finally drifts off. I quickly cook dinner which took me about an hour and we head out to the grocery store with my mom to get stuffy for the party while DH eats dinner and toddler naps. We decide to go to Shoppers since I have $10 coupon. I love these coupons. <br />
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For dinner I warm up some left over veggies and pasta for mom since she is on a fast (no meat). I make a cheese & chicken sandwich for toddler. I struggle with her to finish her dinner. We eat dinner followed by ginger tea with honey. Toddler is watching TV. DH is preparing an exam he has to give on Thursday. We talk more with my mom while I pack up DH's lunch and clean the kitchen. We decide to call my sister just to check on her even though it is late. She is going through an ugly divorce. She has the kids every other week until permanent custody is decided next month. It is a sad situation. <br />
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My mom goes to bed and DH has finally finished his work so I sit with him and we watch TV for a bit while toddler plays. Since toddler had a late nap she is not up to sleeping but we call it a night and go upstairs. DH and toddler read in bed while I take a hot shower, massage my lower back and get ready for bed. I think I pass out before toddler :) </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-13779949274208268002014-10-13T15:35:00.003-07:002014-10-15T13:29:36.998-07:00This & That<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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1. Earlier last week I was feeling really crappy. I woke up one day and just felt irritated and depressed. Being on cd 12 or so I was baffled. I was mopping around for a few days and full of anxiety for no reason and bam, I started spotting on cd15 and the anxiety and depression lifted. The next day AF was here. Yes I had a 15 day cycle, I should have suspected this since I only had fertile CM right after AF for only two days. Welcome premenopause or what ever this is. My last few cycles were long like lasting 40 days. I think my body is trying to reset after the HCG injection a few months ago but it could also be this is my new normal. When I took estrogen pre-ovulatory in the spring the same thing happened. I had a couple of long cycles and a 16 day cycle followed by two text book 28 day cycles. Then I took the HCG injection and things haven't been the same ever since. Lets just hope that things will reset and I will be back to regular cycles. <br />
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2. I have been thinking about what options I have medically in dealing with the endometriosis pain. Premenopause could last years so I need to look at my options now that having another child looks out of reach. Hysterectomy is not a good option for me since the endometriosis pain is localized outside of the uterus. I don't have a lot of bleeding or intolerable premenstrual cramps. What makes my life hell is the pain especially during the ovulatory phase. I don't think I want a complete hysterectomy, I think removing my ovaries at this point is a no no. So my options are limited. My pain level is gradually getting better since I am off estrogen. I am trying to clean up my diet as much as possible and see if that makes a difference.<br />
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3. Most days I am OK with not having another child but some days it hurts. When I got pregnant last summer I was hoping for a girl because I wanted my little girl to have a sister. But recently I have dreams that I am holding a baby boy or when I see a baby boy I have this weird feelings. I don't know where this is coming from.<br />
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4. This weekend I did not do so good with keeping up with the anti-inflammatory paleo diet. We went to California kitchen and DH pointed to the option of gluten free pizza and I just had to have it. Well the curst tested like cardboard and couldn't eat much of it after the 2nd slice. I also consumed sugar in my coffee and cream. I have been doing so good with adding extra veggies. I am not into raw vegetables so may be I will share a few of the simple recipes I use for veggie dishes. <br />
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5. I rarely get colds or flu. Like may be a cold every two years. Last time I had a flu is back in 2005 I think. So I was talking to my cousin who always gets what ever is going around and she takes care of herself more than anyone I know. I was telling her that for whatever reason I rarely get colds. That afternoon I felt kind of off and my throat felt scratch. Next morning I woke up with a cold. So I took it easy for a day and by the next afternoon I was feeling like myself. I better not say this thing out loud. I have enough sickness as is, don't want to add to my misery. </div>
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-20362112091563003142014-10-06T18:03:00.001-07:002014-10-06T18:03:23.592-07:00Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1. The new diet where I am eliminating legumes and most grains (except teff & white rice) has been going Ok. Partly a failure I guess, I just couldn't take myself off sugar in my coffee. So right now I have a teaspoon of honey with tea in the morning and a teaspoon of sugar with coffee in the afternoon. In addition, I was only able to give up crème in my coffee for like a day. I guess I can manage drinking dark coffee when I am at home but I just don't like store bought coffee test without the cream. One thing I did well with is eating more veggies. I have included veggies at ever meal including breakfast and I am loving it. Usually I always have something green for lunch and dinner but breakfast was lacking. I also try to make two-three vegetable dishes a day so that we get variety. On Friday we went to Trader Joe's and bought all kind of veggies that would last at least a week. I also cut down rice portions by half. The aim for this week is to look into baking with almond floor so I can slowly back away from rice. The other day I was going to buy it from a local organic place but a small bag of it costs $10. I figured I can get it somewhere else for cheaper.<br />
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2. Toddler MH turned three two weeks ago. We had a small party for her at home. The girl still has no interest in eating cake or for that matter a lot of other things. I am attempting to have a structured time where she can sit and do some preschool. She knows all her letters, colors, shapes and can count to 20. She also knows most of the Amharic letters. Since she was two she has been watching Amharic learning videos and that helps a lot. I am struggling with teaching in two languages. I am thinking that mornings will be reserved for learning in English and may be 30 min in the afternoon we can learn some Amharic. It is really hard to teach a 2nd language. Mostly we talk to her in Amharic but since she watches some TV she has a tendency to only talk in English. She does understand Amharic but she is just not at a point where she can talk with the exception of a few words here and there. For us it is very important that we teach her Amharic, it is just part of teaching her about her culture. I often see grown kids complaining that their parents did not take the time to teach them about their culture and language. <br />
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3. I am reserved about posting pictures of my little girl. DH doesn't know I have a blog. Yes it is been four years and he doesn't know I have one. At the beginning I didn't tell him because I think I thought he would find the idea too weird, especially with something so private as infertility. I had planned to tell him if I stuck with it but then it is nice to have something so private. He knows I read blogs, mainly blogs with infertility. <br />
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4. Around this time of the year I always struggle. I hate winter. I love fall but it just reminds me of winter and I get depressed. I noticed that I am visibly down on cloudy cold days. The summer has been fun with sitting out on our deck sun bathing while toddler played with her water table. I have not taken vitamin D in a few months. My Dr. said the one thing she want me not to stop taking is vitamin D. But I don't do well on it. I just can't pinpoint the exact issue I have with it but every time I want to take it my gut says no. I take prenatal everyday which has a low vitamin D dose. I will be seeing my Doc in Nov and will see where my levels fall.<br />
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5. On TTC front I am on cd12. For the last few months I have had 40 day cycles. So unheard of for me with out any meds. If anything my cycles were short before my 2nd surgery. This happened after a cycle on HCG. So right now I am on no meds. I am done with meds for now. I am drinking red raspberry tea everyday and taking pycnogenol. After the HCG cycle I had no CM the entire month so I tried Red Clover tea for one cycle. It worked wonders with the CM but my period went back to being 2 days of spotting and nothing else. So I have dropped the Red Clover tea and we will see what this cycle looks like. A few days ago I had some fertile CM which disappeared and today I am on cd12. I guess it is going to be another 40 day cycle.<br />
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6. In the summer we had a lot of family activities to the point of seeing the large extended family for three weekends straight. This past weekend it was nice to not have to be somewhere. We had a slow weekend where we went out for coffee, to the mall, playground and just sitting at home with my hubby. The next few weekends I am going to make sure we go out and enjoy what is left of the relatively warm weather. Hope everyone reading is doing well. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-13950346948716674372014-10-01T07:59:00.000-07:002014-10-01T08:36:08.140-07:00Day 1 on Anti-Inflammatory/Paleo Diet<br />
I have been gluten free for six years and that has helped a lot with inflammation, IBS and endometriosis. However I still do have some issues with some foods. <br />
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I am not fond of diets. The word "diet" for me is obsessing on weight loss, being hungry and deprivation and I want none of it. <br />
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I have been reading about Paleo diet and inflammation for a while and wanted to try it but the hard rules kind of turned me off. I am not willing to go completely grain free. Since I have been dealing with inflammation for a while I kind of have some idea on what food makes me ill. <br />
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I don't drink soda or alcohol. I also gradually gave up oatmeal, corn and beans over the past few months. I had some beans/corn the other day because they were noting cooked in the house and I was feeling lazy. I have been paying for that mistake over the last few days. <br />
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So here are the foods that I already avoid: gluten, corn, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oatmeal<br />
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The foods I know I need to avoid based on my reaction after I consume it: diary, sugar, sometimes coffee but I think it is due to the cream and not coffee it self. But it does disturbs my sleep sometimes but I am not willing to part with coffee :). <br />
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Being Ethiopian lunch and dinner often involves injera made of teff grain. This is the one thing I am not willing to give up. I also haven't noticed any reaction to teff when it is fermented. I also am not willing to part with rice right now but will try to eat less of it.<br />
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So the foods that I will give up in addition to the ones I already avoid: sugar, diary<br />
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I am allowing myself a teaspoon of honey with my morning tea. Since I avoid most foods that I have issues with this diet will focus on consuming more vegetables and fish. I will also focus on more soups and easily digestible meals. <br />
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Today's breakfast: a cup of acorn squash soup, a small avocado with lemon and green tea with honey. <br />
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This weekend I will spend time planning all meals. Wish me luck. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-83247953005294798232014-09-16T15:46:00.000-07:002014-09-16T15:46:51.655-07:00Love of CoffeeI just put down toddler for a nap. Yep, at 5:30pm, we have been having issues with sleep but that is all our fault for not having her on a consistent schedule. Any how that is for another day of blogging. <br />
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So I am sitting here and decided to have a cup of coffee (small cup) even though I know it is going to disturb my sleep. <br />
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Coffee has so much meaning in our culture. It is a social event and it brings so many memories of home. Although I love the traditional Ethiopian ceremony I was never a coffee drinker (ceremony picture below). But this was not by choice, I avoided coffee for the longest time due to heart palpation I had since high school and was told that coffee would aggravate it. So I become a tea drinker. I would only drink coffee when I visited family over the weekends but never consumed on a daily bases. The smell of coffee is addictive enough that at work I was adamant not to give in to all the flavored coffee. That lasted for years but they I got pregnant with toddler in 2011 and it all changed. I so craved coffee that even before my lunch I would day dream about the half a cup of coffee I allowed my self during my pregnancy. Since I couldn't have gluten, coffee was the one thing I could indulge in. Since then I haven't been able to give it up. On days I wake up in the middle of the night due to caffeine I vowed to myself that it would be the last time I drank coffee but then morning comes and everything changes. <br />
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It was not too difficult for me to give up gluten but coffee is a different beast. I also sometimes would feel guilty that my one cup a day might be contributing to my infertility. But I only drink one cup a day after lunch and on occasion I would drink in the morning if my mom is around. Coffee has become a symbol for all the glutinous treats I can't have so to heck with fertility, heart palpitation and sleeplessness. I am just not ready to give up my one cup of coffee. After all I am from the birth place of coffee :). <br />
Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-38531014598767372852014-09-03T08:11:00.002-07:002014-09-03T19:28:34.296-07:00Managing chores with Chronic Pain<br />
The pain, hormonal states & fatigue associated with endometriosis is often unpredictable. Some days my pain is minimal and the next day I am barely making it through the day. I left my job two years ago since I needed time off and also wanted to focus on my child and health. Pregnancy was a blessing, the pain was gone, the hormonal instability were gone and replaced with joy but once I had my baby girl the pain slowly but surly has returned. It is not as bad as pre-surgery but could get up there easily. I have finally accepted that this is my reality. At some point I had such high hopes that surgery was going to take me out of my misery and that the endometriosis will never come back. When that didn't happen I was hopeful that after pregnancy that it would not return. Well, that is not my reality either. I am learning slowly to accept that this is my normal. Right now I have accepted that in my current state there is no way that I could work and raise a child. It would just be too much for my fragile health and I would be sacrificing my home life. Before kids working was manageable, at times barely manageable. At the end of most days I would come from work and crash. I can't do that with a child. <br />
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I do things to reduce the pain but there is always going to be some sort of pain and hormonal instability. With the acceptance I have been able to not fight the pain but work with it and try to deal with my day to day activity as best as I can without tasking my body too much. Here are some ways I get stuff done around the house. <br />
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1. Cleaning: While toddler eats breakfast I usually spend about 45min cleaning my living room and unloading the dishwasher. I sweep the floor, mop if necessary and straighten up. No I can not designated hours for a task such as cleaning, or cooking for a party or any thing that involves physical activity. If I clean for a whole day I need a couple of days to recovery. Instead, the different cleaning tasks are spread through out the week. I usually clean the master bedroom bathroom toilet right before I take a shower and also clean the shower while I am in there. The sinks might get done when I brash my teeth on a different day. Never both at ones unless I have extra energy at the end of the day. My husband usually mops the bathroom floors after toddler takes a bath. The kitchen gets cleaned while I am cooking, that is if I am not in too much pain. On the days that I don't cook, I would clean the stove, fridge or the other bathrooms. The house is clean enough but not spotless clean but I am Ok with it. <br />
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2. Cooking: I cook every other day. Since it would be too physically tasking for me to do too much in a day, I use the days I don't cook for cleaning, laundry or to sit on my sofa and watch TV or read. Usually, I mop the floors on non-cook days and do laundry, wash my hair or what ever else needs to be done. Non cooking days are essential, it gives me time to recovery from the previous days of activities. <br />
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3. Laundry: It is random. DH takes care of his own. I do bedding and toddlers and my cloth. I usually put a load when I take toddler to the basement for play. It usually sits in the basket for days to be folded. <br />
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4. Groceries: all groceries are done with my husband. We usually go on weekends and anything we need during the week my husband would stop by after work. I really don't have the energy to go grocery shopping with a toddler. It would just wipe me out for a day. When my mom was with us I did the grocery shopping. <br />
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5. Toddler's hair: yes it is a chore. Her hair is very curl and takes a while to detangle. It would take me about 1.5 hours to detangle and braid her hair. This gets accomplished on non cook days and usually after breakfast. DH gives her a bath, that tasks is just too strenuous on my back specially if her hair needs washing. He has been doing it since she was born. I give her a bath when necessary during the day but there will not be any hair washing.<br />
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6. I know there are people in worst shape that me. It is finally sinking in that this is how my life is going to be and I have to adapt and find ways to make it work. I use to see it as a temporary situation and I am going to get better somehow but that is not the case. It doesn't mean that I am not looking for ways to improve my health but as we all know there is no cure for endometriosis. I am very thankful for what I can do in spite of the pain. <br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-30409187834882483092014-08-20T15:57:00.002-07:002014-08-20T15:57:21.277-07:00Update & Crazy Hair<br />
1. I just put toddler for a nap and came up to our office so I can give an old coworker a recommendation. Its amazing how much one forgets in two years. I had to go back and review some stuff so I can talk in details about her experience. It kind of made me miss work but oh well. The coworker will be layed off from her job in a couple of months and she just found out she is pregnant so she wants to get a new job as soon as possible. I talked to her about a few months ago and she told me that they are TTC. And then today while we were texting each other about the job she applied for she came out and said that she is 7 wks along and you know my infertile self went to oh my God, she probably tried for 2 months and just got pregnant. That jealous feeling started raring its head and I had to stop myself and say I am glad she doesn't have to experience the pain of infertility. And then she texted and said it took 7 months for them to get pregnant and that made me feel a little better. I real don't like these feelings.<br />
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2. On reproductive front I started taking Pycnogenol about three weeks ago. They say it will take months to see the effect but I had no spotting or brown bleeding prior to AF this cycle. How cool is that, it just showed up. The cramps have also been tolerable and I haven't taken Advil since it started yesterday. In addition I only had faint cramps two days prior to AF. The flow is also normalizing and it is not scanty anymore. For the last few months ever months the flow has increased some and no clots. It seems that the red raspberry leaf tea has helped a lot. It has been at least three months since I started drinking it. I am going to add promegnant juice to my daily regim. I am so done with taking meds. My LP has lengthen on red raspberry leaf tea alone and we shall see how the next couple of cycles look like. I am hoping that the Pycnogenol will help with the endo pain. We shall see. <br />
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3. DH just started the fall semester. He only had a couple of days of break but he has been off every afternoon in the summer so its not too bad. His fall schedule is kind of crazy and he will be teaching two nights so we won't see him until 10 pm on those days. It is going to be hard on both toddler and I. We have been spoiled over the summer. My mom is no longer with us. She is now living temporarily with my sister who is in the process of an ugly divorce and needs my moms support. So it will just be toddler and I all day. <br />
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4. We were thinking of putting toddler in daycare for two days a week so she is exposed to other kids. There is a daycare at DH's work but we can not justify that cost just yet. She will be going in the spring, by then we should be Ok finically to be able to justify that spending and I am also counting on our tax return. <br />
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5. I will leave you with a picture of toddler and her hair :) Love her curls, it takes a while to moisturize and braid. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-4487249184844751202014-08-03T02:29:00.001-07:002014-08-03T02:31:10.584-07:00déjà vu: up at 3 am<br />
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I have been up since 3 am and two hours later I still can't sleep. About a week ago I thought it would be a good idea to try raise my NDT level. I am on very little NDT (only half a grain~ 32 mcgs). Three months ago I couldn't tolerate increasing it or either adding T3 as prescribed. I had palpitation, shoulder & arm pain etc. So I have only been talking the NDT in the morning for the last few months and the symptoms have pretty much subsided. <br />
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For about a month I have been feeling sluggish, especially after lunch and I thought it is time to try again and this time only increase the NDT by 1/4 grain in the afternoon. After about five days of taking it, yes only 1/4 grain increase, I am having the same symptoms without my heart racing but with the stomach discomfort, shoulder pain and arm pain. I feel like I am marching on the same spot and it is driving me crazy. On top of it I strained my neck and was unable to move it for a couple of days :( and that increased my headache. <br />
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Now I am back to believing that my adrenals are not optimal and it is time for another saliva test. Here we go again, back to spending more money. I will also have to go back to get my thyroid levels checked. The last time I was on the same dose my T4 was low. <br />
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So freaking frustrating. And I have no idea where my cycle is, cd24 today and no CM, none at all. At least the hormone induced headache seem to have lifted but replaced by tension headache from te neck pain.<br />
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I went to a family gathering last Sunday and people told me I looked good, this is before the thyroid mess but I had pain/and was fighting a headache. If only they knew. I guess on the outside I am cool as a cucumber :).<br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-29138312823532842422014-07-24T17:40:00.001-07:002014-07-24T17:40:09.722-07:00Quitting HCG<br />
I know I mostly talk about cycles, pain, infertility and endometriosis mostly but this is my reality and some day I will have more interesting and happy blog posts. <br />
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I tried the HCG injections post ovulation last cycle. I had terrible cramps and AF was once again the most painful time of my cycle like old times without the excessive bleeding. I haven't had this much pain in the days leading to my cycle in months. I can't think of anything but the HCG being the cause. <br />
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Usually the most painful time is right after period up to ovulation. In the last couple of months the endo pain was somewhat tolerable. I didn't have tension headaches daily, or my pelvic and butt weren't to the point of me having to massage/beat it under a hot shower to get the knots out. I still had pain but it wasn't pain where I had to lye down ever few hours. After the HCG shots and painful AF, all have returned. I was hoping HCG will at least stabilize me hormonally or help lessen the pain but that isn't the case. The last two weeks have been horrible especially this week. I wake up with a headache and pain up to my ears every day this week. TTC this week is out of the question, I have been in too much pain to want to do that. In addition, I don't even know if I ovulated or not, I haven't noticed any fertile CM and I am on CD14. <br />
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My gut tells me that I should stop the HCG. I know I only took it for one cycle but I can't risk it. In addition to all the physical pain, the pain of infertility reared its head when AF showed up. For a day I was convinced that I was pregnant because of all the pre-pregnancy symptoms. Yes please slap me. The next day it all came crashing down and for half a day I was in that desperate state and I had to pull myself out of it. I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that MH will most likely be an only child. <br />
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My doctor suggested I take estradiol in addition to HCG to raise my estradiol level post peak. That will not be happening. No HCG, estradiol or progesterone for now. I need to listen to my gut feeling.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-83248322799384707222014-07-17T10:11:00.001-07:002014-07-17T10:11:34.844-07:00Update<br />
1. My niece graduated from high school and her parents had a party for her last Sat. Huge party, more than 100 people showed up. Most of the food was catered but I was tasked with making two huge pans of lasagna. Since you all know my energy level and pain tolerance the work had to be split into two days. I made the sauce a day before and made the lasagna on Sat morning. The lasagna came out so good that both pans were gone pretty fast. Of course I didn't test it since I am off gluten but the sauce was pretty good. There were non left for the late comers. We stopped by my sisters the day after the party for lunch. They had some kind of yellow cake and I caved in and took three bites. Lets just say my energy level was fine on Sunday but by Monday I was so sluggish and had a migraine like headache and I knew it is the gluten. It took three days to get out of the funk. I had mild digestive issue for a day but the headache and fatigue were not fun and I just got around to mopping my floor that was suppose to be done on Monday. I learned my lesson. <br />
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2. After cramping for four days AF showed up never be able to deal with the disappointment of AF arriving when TTC. It has been six years since we first started to TTC, why is it so hard to deal with the disappointment? I drank a lot of raspberry tea to deal with the cramps. I should have drank it post ovulation too, it had made a huge difference in elevating my PMS.<br />
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3. I need to go see my Thyroid doctor. Last time I saw her I was suppose to be on T3 twice a day in addition to desiccated thyroid twice a day. I couldn't tolerate the T3 even at a lower dose so I stopped. I also couldn't tolerate the 2nd dose of desiccated thyroid. I was on T3 only for a few years but once I added the desiccated thyroid I couldn't tolerate T3. So for the last few months I have only been taking desiccated thyroid in the morning. I raised it by half a pill this morning. I would like to split it twice a day instead of taking it all in the morning. But I keep forgetting the afternoon dose so now I am taking all in the morning. Is it best to take desiccated thyroid on an empty stomach? I always take it 30 min before I eat breakfast and that had worked fine for me. But I think I need to raise my level since my T4 was slightly lower on this dose so before I even go back to my doctor and do labs I want to raise it and see how I do. <br />
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6. Right now I am in less meds that I was for the last few years. I am only taking the desiccated thyroid and prenatal vitamins and occasionally B12. I am thinking of adding pycnogenol to my supplement to see if it helps the endo pain. I don't do so well with a lot of meds, I feel overloaded especially my digestive system. <br />
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7. I wouldn't have minded going to my doctor every two-three month as planned but I can't. She doesn't take insurance which means I pay $300-400 out of pocket for each visit. I can only do that twice a year. I think I may have to find another doctor close by that would take insurance and treats with desiccated thyroid. <br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-37845392427136727702014-07-08T10:23:00.001-07:002014-07-08T10:23:18.872-07:00Not Feeling So Hot on HCG<br />
Today is p+13. Since I started taking the HCG I have had nausea and cramps. The cramps were faint but now I am hit with almost unbearable cramps and lower back pain. The nausea is here even after 4 days of the last HCG injection but fading. Emotionally I am fine, no hormonal crash. The last few unmediated cycles were much better than what I am going through right now. We shall see what the next few cycles are going to be like on HCG before I decide to stop or continue to take it. <br />
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I am also not too impressed with my p+7 numbers on HCG<br />
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Progesterone: 13 ng/mL<br />
Estradiol: 82 pg/mL (low)<br />
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They also did a test to determine ovarian reserve and that number is low, more in line with premenopausal. Oh well, I didn't expect anything better. <br />
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My boobs hurt, I am cramping and no bleeding yet. This better be pregnancy symptoms, if not this is not funny. Then again the cramps are too painful to be pregnancy symptoms. Not loving HCG at all. <br />
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I bought those cheap HPT tests a while back and the reviews for them were mixed. Since I have HCG in my system I thought it would be good to test and see if they work. It was negative on cd12 so those tests must either be crappy or HCG leaves my body running. <br />
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I have toddler parked in front of the TV. Going to sip some tea and relax.<br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-59935940583095993482014-07-03T13:20:00.002-07:002014-07-03T13:20:47.050-07:00Update <br />
1. The other day we went in to a bread bakery that recently opened. When you walk in you are hit with the most wonderful smell and it smelled so delicious. So we looked around for a bit and DH said he didn't want anything. Since I can't eat gluten we didn't buy any bread. So that night I dreamt that I was baking all kinds of bread, with all kinds of seeds and eating all night. I am usually over gluten, there is always bread for toddler and DH in the home but I never cheat. If I cheat usually it is a few bites of fried chicken that I make for DH. But I guess I can only take so much. Hehehe, I ate so much bread in my dream that I woke up satisfied. <br />
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2. Moving on to TTC, I am on P + 7 and has done two HCG injection so far. I had a blood draw today so we shall see where the progesterone/estradiol levels are. I knew that I might start getting pregnancy symptoms because of the HCG but thought much later than P + 7. I have had faint nausea and slightly tender boobs since yesterday. I don't find these symptoms fun. I am assuming it will increase the more HCG I inject. I know that HCG might improve PMS but I don't know if I am ready to trade the PMS with a new set of symptoms. Plus the last few cycles my PMS was at a minimum with out meds but I think that is due to Red raspberry leaf tea I have been drinking for the last two months. <br />
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3. Since DH is only working par time in the summer we have been watching the World Cup every single day since it started. This afternoon we didn't know what to do with ourselves since there is no scheduled game. We are loving all the intense games. So much fun and screaming.. <br />
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4. We have a lot of family drama going on. My sister is filing for a divorce. The spouse is putting the kids in between their fight and it is a sad and dangerous situation all around. You know the things that you thought will never happen in your family and they are slowly unfolding in front of your eyes and you are left with the feeling that you are watching a movie. Oh boy, I am praying for the kids that they come out of this situation sane. It is that serious and it is stressing me out. I am so mad at the parents. Kids are teen and preteen years and are not mature enough to handle all the craziness that is around them. It is very sad for everybody watching and we can't do anything to prevent the situation.<br />
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5. During the summer our upstairs get really hot if we don't have the temp way down. So one night we decided to crash in the basement where we watch TV. We put a few comforters on top of thick rug and it has served us so well. In addition to getting a decent sleep in a cool place my back is thanking me. I used to get up in pain and would have to walk around for it to slowly subside but now I walk up stretched. The only down side is the hard surface gives me lower back pain since I have a curved back and not being full supported. I am trying to work around it so that we spend the entire summer in the basement. We will have to change our mattress in the winter and get something very firm. Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-26558412348416280352014-06-25T15:17:00.003-07:002014-06-26T04:37:57.244-07:00HCG & TTCThis cycle will be the first time I am taking HCG. I am on cd14 today and definitely ovulating. I woke up today and just felt off. DH is home today, we had breakfast and I started on lunch so we can go out after lunch. Well, the only thing I managed was to chop some onions. I went out on our deck to get some sun for about 10min and came in and crashed on our living room sofa. My back and mid section were doing their thing and my legs felt tired. My lower abdomen was throbbing, yep ovulation. I took Advil and slept for about 2 hours. DH cooked lunch when he saw the state I was in. I feel much better this afternoon. <br />
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We have been off the TTC wagon since December. It has been a nice break and I was trying to keep it permanent but failing. Since I am going to start the HCG we are going to go ahead and try. With the exception of AF being light my last cycle LP is 13/14 days. I am encourage to TTC this cycle. I am having a lot of fertile CM and I am excited to try. I don't want to slip in to the obsessive TTC wagon. There will not be obsessive peeing on a stick to try to determine if HCG has left my body etc. I don't have the energy for it. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited and also scared of injecting myself. I will go for P + 7 progesterone/estradiol test. Since my last cycle I had a longer LP without meds I am hopeful that my progesterone level has improved. I am hoping that HCG will also help with the pain. So much hope riding on HCG. <br />
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<br />Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1120095500337442194.post-25727224670289423932014-06-16T20:14:00.001-07:002014-06-16T20:14:30.682-07:00Update<br />
1. We had such a wonderful weather this past weekend. Both days were spent outdoors. What a blessing. We went to a local farm on Sat and had a picnic with some friends. Toddler loved it a lot and run around like crazy. On Sunday I dragged my husband to a local park which has a garden and we walked a little bit. It was beautiful, a little too hot for my hubby but I loved it. However, two days of outing is too much for my body. Today I am paying for it. It kind of kicked up my pain. I usually wake up with pain but today's was extra specially. I cooked lunch and I can feel it start to become intense. I rested while toddler took a nap but by late afternoon it started back again and now I am bloated. But I don't care, we had such a wonderful weekend. <br />
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2. I was suppose to start HCG injection but I put it off and I have had two cycles med free. This past cycle I had a 12/13 day LP with no spotting which is good for med free cycle. In addition no PMS, I felt little cramping here and there before AF started but overall it was pretty sweet. I almost always have PMS that start about a week before AF. The cramps during my period were a little intense but resisted taking painkillers. I also had a good amount of bleeding so that is encouraging. It is still lighter than normal but close enough. I am on cd5 and will be doing HCG injection this cycle. Just hoping that it helps with the endometriosis pain. We will also TTC, we shall see.<br />
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3. After cooking dinner I put all the left overs in the fridge and just left all the pots/pans out. It will get washed tomorrow morning. I am learning to let things go when I am in pain. My kitchen is a mess tonight but it is more important that I rest. Sometimes I get frustrated with DH, when he sees that I am in pain I want him to go in there and clean the kitchen. But I also want him to play with toddler etc. I just wish that he is a little more involved in the kitchen. <br />
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4. Since DH has summer schedule (only two days of work/week) we have had a lot of free time and have been watching the World Cup. It has been fun so far. <br />
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5. I can't believe it is already June. It will soon be 2 years since I quit working. I have been thinking a lot about what it will mean to go back to work with my current pain level. It might be doable on painkillers but for how long? Having a large gap is never good for ones career. I need to find a way to manage the pain so that I can work. Going back to work for me will mean that the house work will have to be neglected. DH will have to share the burden. I may consider going to some pain management program. <br />
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I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. Warm weather puts a smile on my face. <br />
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Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928196702575539293noreply@blogger.com1