Getting Fit Before Baby

[tulip110]

Well I had my pap test today and I ended up being there just over 2 hours because my doctor had to go deliver a baby. I did get my husband some info for semen analysis. He won't need an actual appointment just a 1 day warning when he's going in... so we are going to wait til AF gets here just in case it's not necessary. My doctor said she doesn't want to recommend any tests for me yet since it hasn't been a year and they are pretty expensive. I guess I'm okay with that. She doesn't really agree with BBT but I really like it so I'm going to continue. She said about 85% of couples are pregnant within a year. I just didn't want to wait a year but she is going by when we stopped my birth control so I will go back in October if nothing has happened by then.

 

[ireadyermind]

Tulip - A two hour wait!? That's insane! They couldn't have had another OB/GYN on duty help you with your pap? Or did you prefer to wait for that specific doctor? I know no one can predict exactly when they'll go into labor, but that is a loooong wait. Haha. I hope everything comes back just fine!

AFM - Well, my ankle is almost better -- but because I was limping around on it for two weeks, now I've screwed up my back and I have a pinched sciatic nerve. I just can't get ahead this week at ALL!

At first I thought this pain was ovary-related. But I can gently prod and poke my entire abdomen without any pain. It's only painful when I go from sitting to standing, or vice versa. If I try to pick up my left leg while sitting, it's essentially dead. And there's a slight tingling in my toes. Ugh!

I feel like my body is just falling apart. I'm only 31! What gives!? lol

 

[cupcakestoy]

Take care irym! Maybe a nice muscle rub & hot bath will help?

Fern- was your retrieval today?!?!

Afm-yet another failed cycle.....*sigh....spotting & cramping, AF will be here tomorrow I told dh that I was sorry the clomid didn't work & that I am absolutely done with TTC, except for just bd during my fertile time...I have been bloated, starving, moody & crying sporadically this cycle, only to be left with sore boobs, bad skin & AF knocking on the door! I think he's disappointed, but he agrees that its time to just stop, focus on us & getting ready for ivf....thank God! In other news, the teen girl is in rehab, doing exceptionally
Well! God is good! Hope all is well!

 

[tulip110]

Cupcake - I'm sorry. Maybe a break is what you need.
And that is great news the girl is doing so well.

IRYM - The tingling in your toes sounds kind of serious. DH had some kind of spinal stenosis episode a while back and he had some tingling too. It was a very scary time and happened just a few months after we were married. He joked that our vows were "for better or for worse and in sickness and in health". I joked that I didn't know the "worse" and "sickness" would come so soon. Luckily he slowly got better after about a month of being in bed. So we both decided we needed to be more healthy and exercise more regularly before it happens again. Unfortunately we still struggle with that.

AFM - The closer I get to the end of my two week wait the more discouraged I feel. I haven't really worked out the last few days. I just feel tired and a little sad and I've been craving sugary desserts. I know if AF comes I will be upset the first day but after that I usually start to feel better about prepping my body for better chances but right now... ugh. I always feel that maybe we waited too long. I need to just shake it off. DH is off the weekend with me so hopefully he can cheer me up.

Hope everyone is doing well. It seems a little quiet lately.

 

[Fern81]

Hi all, sorry for being absent. Just so much going on.

We had egg cell collection yesterday and got 9 egg cells from my 1 functioning ovary. I got some bad news this morning. Of my 9 egg cells, 4 were abnormal. Of the 5 remaining, only 3 got fertilized. Each of those only have a 30% chance of making it to day 5. I was prepared for this last year, after all my diagnostic tests, when my dr told me I will most likely never get pregnant and that my egg cells are most likely of very bad quality due to the extensive endometriosis I have on both ovaries esp the left one (and it keeps growing back at an alarming rate) and of course my age (34 yrs 6 months).
This was not just an IVF to ttc... it also served as diagnostic tool to see once and for all what the quality is of my egg cells and ovaries (now we know for sure I have only 1 functional ovary, and of the egg cells on that one, only about 30% can get fertilized at all).
And as I said earlier we also did IVF to have no regrets in the future (we didn't want to regret "not trying hard enough"). I sent a message to our financial sponsor this morning and just told them again thanks so much that they at least gave us the opportunity to TRY, even though we knew the chances of success were slim.

OK so I had a good cry about that... but have to move on. We will see what happens to the 3 embryos, it's out of our hands. And if we don't get pregnant, we believe it's God's plan and that there are sooooo many other GREAT things the future holds. After the call of doom from the embryologist we started talking again about all the other things we would like to do and achieve eg travel and continue with our studies etc etc. I refuse to be one of those women who feel like they have nothing to live for just because there is ONE thing they can't do (to have children).

At least I did my BEST. And lost 13,2 pounds in the bargain (my weight is still stable despite all the hormone injections!!) So I'm really an advocate of HIIT and a pure diet (no preservatives, no sugar including no fruit, no additives, no starch except plain sweet potato, no starchy "fillers", no tinned or processed food, no snack bars, no drinks except water and rooibos etc etc). It really worked even while taking all the injections etc! (Anyone who wants to know more about this diet please pm me!) it took 2,5 years to find an eating plan that works for me while taking infertilty hormones.

Tulip - when will you test?

IRYM - hope you are better!

Cupcake - sorry about AF arriving :/ hope your IVF is super successful!

Urs - have you been doing smoothies again this week?

Miracle - how has your eating plan been this week?

Hugs to you everyone I missed too! xx

 

[BronteForever]

Fern - I'm so sorry the results were lower. But three embryos is still a chance. Keep the hope. I will be sending lots of positive vibes your way. I do love that you are prepared for whatever happens and ready to live a happy life regardless.

IRYM - hope you are feeling better. I have degenerative disc disease and have suffered with bulging discs and pinched nerves for more than 15 years. It does suck. But the chiropractor does wonders and I bought an inversion table awhile ago and love that thing. Anytime I have an episode I use it and it goes away quickly now.

Cupcake - your IVF appointment is coming up quickly. So focusing on that is not a bad thing at all and if it happens naturally before that then it's just a bonus. So glad to hear your friends daughter is making progress in such a short time.

Tulip - remind me again how long you have been trying? It's so easy to get discouraged during this process since we are so invested in it. Hang in there and give yourself permission to have bad days. They get us all. I always crave sweets around period time and ovulation as well.

 

[cupcakestoy]

Fern-Hang in there! Those 3 embies may just surprise you!

Bronte & Tulip-Thank you!

AFM-I think I just may need a transfusion! Geez! I'm usually not a heavy flow til day 3, but not this time. Hoping its just a heavy & done kinda af lol

I restarted 21 day fix today, after seeing the scale this morning! I KNOW I gain a crazy amount of weight with af, but this is crazy! I'm up 5 pounds since yesterday!!!! How much do you guys gain?

I was doing the calorie counting, but feeling deprived, so I got the containers out. Plan to skip the yellows tho (carbs) since I will get carbs in fruits, veggies & peanutbutter lol I've come to accept I may not reach my goal to be under 200 by consult date, but I have decided I AM going in anyways! I figure the worst they can do is discuss a plan & tell me to lose x amount then come back(now that would be motivation! LOL) or proceed with said plan. When I inquired about BMI requirements at the clinic, they said they "like" it to be around 36, but have seen higher go ahead with treatment, so I figure I'm going! I should be close to it by then!
In other news I need to find another gym, next week, as I cancelled my PF membership Loved the gym, but they are opting to open the locker rooms pending on gender identity. I'm not getting into that discussion & love regardless, but I have rights too, that I feel are being violated to accommodate others....Going to check out a smaller gym in the town where I work Monday.

 

[ireadyermind]

IRYM - The tingling in your toes sounds kind of serious. DH had some kind of spinal stenosis episode a while back and he had some tingling too. It was a very scary time and happened just a few months after we were married. He joked that our vows were "for better or for worse and in sickness and in health". I joked that I didn't know the "worse" and "sickness" would come so soon. Luckily he slowly got better after about a month of being in bed. So we both decided we needed to be more healthy and exercise more regularly before it happens again. Unfortunately we still struggle with that.

IRYM - hope you are feeling better. I have degenerative disc disease and have suffered with bulging discs and pinched nerves for more than 15 years. It does suck. But the chiropractor does wonders and I bought an inversion table awhile ago and love that thing. Anytime I have an episode I use it and it goes away quickly now.

I was a little concerned about the tingling, too. I have scoliosis in my lower back and I'm constantly throwing it out, having pinched nerves, muscle spasms, etc. Usually having a nerve pinched there affects my entire body, sometimes to the point that I can't hold my own head up. It was strange that the affected area was only my leg!

I was able to get up and move around with help, and a constant ache in the joint and muscles. I told DH that if it didn't improve on its own in a couple of days, I was going in to urgent care. I usually end up with a prescription of muscle relaxers, and some pain killers to last me a week. Then I get confined to bed, where I languish there and feel like I'm going to die of boredom before I can finally get up and move around again.


I have tried chiropractic help since I was about 12 years old, and I had to wear a corrective back brace for 4 years (and 22hrs per day! Ugh!) during high school, but lately all I've been doing to help that part of my back are core muscle exercises. And they do help! I haven't thrown my back out in years, when previously it'd happen about every 6mos.

Yesterday I was able to stand up and sit down with very little trouble, I slept better and this morning I have almost no pain at all. The tingling disappeared yesterday, too. Phew! Thank goodness, because there were so many things I had to put off. It was too much trouble just to vacuum! And with so many pets at my house, I really REALLY need to stay on a frequent vacuuming schedule. lol


ANYWAY --


Fern - As the saying goes, don't borrow trouble! You still have three good eggs to try this out with, and that's three separate chances! At 30% odds, that's a 1 in 3 chance that you'll get a sticky bean -- and with 3 eggs, I really like the sound of that!


Cupcake - So glad to hear your niece is improving!

 

[BronteForever]

IRYM - glad you are feeling better and have found what works for you. When I have pinched nerves I sometimes feel it all over as well, but more often it's just down the leg and in the toes. Just depends on the nerve and where it's pinched. It sucks so much and makes everything harder. Hope it doesn't last long. I haven't had a pinched nerve in awhile now which I'm very grateful for. I mostly just get disc issues which act up in cold weather. It gets challenging to walk or stand and I had to buy a cane awhile ago to help which I only use in the house to get around. Tried physical therapy for over a year but didn't make progress until seeing a chiropractor three days a week. Back issues are no fun at all. Scoliosis would suck though. I feel bad for you. Really hope this episode is over soon.

Cupcake - my doctor did not bring up weight at all when I went in. I brought it up at the end because I'd read the 36 BMI requirement to use attain. I know it helps to have a lower BMI but from what I've read your chances of success with a higher BMI are really not that much different with IVF. I'd definetly not let that hold you back. I'm more worried about my age and if I wait to get to a healthier BMI I might lose my window of opportunity. Good luck.

 

[cupcakestoy]

Thanks Bronte! Some of the articles I have read make it out to be gloom & doom unless you hit a magic number! Like your more likely to M/C if your over weight. I NEVER had a M/C until after my TR, but I think that it was a bad egg/bad sperm issue, really. I feel like if we can just get a good embryo, I won't have a problem carrying a pregnancy.....

 

[Fern81]

Thank you all so much for the support! It really means a lot. Your kindness is inspiring. xxx

I have better news today, all 3 my fertilized eggs turned into "very nice" day 2 embryos. So we are going to keep them in the incubator until day 5 and then transfer one on Wednesday. ATM I'm hoping and praying really hard that all 3 survive to day 5. That will mean 2 to freeze, which will give us 3 chances at having a baby. Given that it takes (on average) 3,5 tries to conceive with IVF, I will feel so much better if we actually GET 3 x day 5 embryos. The embryologist is going to inspect them again tomorrow morning and phone me with an update. I pray they keep doing well. Was so afraid that my poor egg cell quality would influence the embryo development... at this stage all we can do is take it one day at a time and leave it in God's hands.

My weight is going to be ridiculous tomorrow morning... I unashamedly had lots of junk food and wine this weekend! It's hard being a breeding machine & DH and I decided to just let go for one weekend while I'm not "incubating" any eggs or embryos. I know I will lose it all in a week; starting up my healthy eating again this evening.

Cupcake - don't be too hard on yourself... you've been through a LOT the past few weeks! And there are still almost 3 months for you to get as healthy as possible. Oooohhh.... 3 months is exactly the amount of time it takes for the egg cells that will be harvested during your IVF in August, to develop! Golden opportunity to just do your best. xxxx hugs! I know it's hard.

Bronte & IRYM - hope you both have a pain-free weekend.

Drjo - I'm guessing you've had your little one!? Thinking of you, hope all is well!

Urs - hope you are doing OK hun.

 

[Fern81]

Deleted, double post

 

[BronteForever]

Fern - yay wonderful news. Really hoping you end up with three at day five. You have the right attitude. Just take it one day at a time. The wait has to feel incredibly long for you. I'm sure it's more magnified than any TWW. Hang in there. And oh my goodness give yourself permission to have a cheat weekend. You so deserve it!!

 

[ireadyermind]

FX'd, Fern! We're all rooting for you!

 

[drjo718]

Yes, I did have my baby, thanks for thinking of me! I had to be induced for gestational hypertension, but all they did was break my water and I went into labor on my own, no pitocin needed. Nora Kelly was born at 39+3 in April 27, at 0141. Weighed 7lb5oz, 19.5in long. She and I both had some issues, and I was readmitted to the hospital the following week for postpartum toxicity. We're both on the mend now, although I'm still on blood pressure medication. Because of the hypertension and because of my hormonal problems, like PCOS, I can't produce enough milk for her, so we're having to supplement so she has enough to eat. Makes me sad, but it's what I have to do for now.

Anyway, I've lost 30lbs since delivery. I had a ton of swelling associated with the hypertension, so I'm sure most of that was fluid. 9lbs to go to pre-pregnancy weight, but I was too heavy then, so I need to lose more to be healthy. Once my BP is a little better under control and I'm able to do more activity, I'll be joining you ladies on here again.

 

[Fern81]

Thanks everyone! !
Congrats drjo! Love the name. Sorry that you both had health issues but it's great to hear you're mending up.
Wishing your family the best for a wonderful future together xxxx

 

[Ursaula]

Yay Fern! I can't wait to hear more good news!

Congrats drjo!! Unfortunate about the upsets after but glad you're both on the way up.

Sorry I haven't been posting. I've been trying to catch up reading all your posts! This past week was full of stress so I did a lot of calming down and trying to do things for myself. I was told by my gyn's nurse to not leave the house because I started bleeding really heavy. I ended up at the hospital once just to make sure everything was normal and they discussed keeping me overnight but decided to send me home and call me the next morning since there were no beds. All in all, af was hell but I felt so relieved and excited! S/o has his birthday tomorrow and it will be cd10 for me, so I'll be starting opks. We'll probably have some fun tomorrow anyway, you know, just in case

I hope this week gets better. I NEED to stop pigging out...

 

[tulip110]

Fern - Yay for the 3 eggs! Will continue wishing good thoughts for you and your eggs!

Ursaula - Glad to see you back! Sorry AF was so terrible and you ended up in the hospital. Happy birthday to your S/O. Good luck with your OPKs

Congrats drjo!

 

[miracleworker]

hello ladies
Sorry i have been away for a while now, last week was a hard one! mmgh where do i start..okay so i went to see my gyno for feedback and i was told that one tube has a condition of some sorta of blockage and the right one is good. Second issue was that my ovaries seem to have thick wall so the eggs cant penetrate. Doc suggested to operate me to make that layer thin and i booked for the appointment before thinking through. when i went home and thought it through i said its too early for this shit that is one secondly am 26 years old and have only been trying for five
months and also i still have hopes it will happen my GOD is good. So i cancelled the appointment.
on the same week i had exams at the same time i had three family functions...had alot on my plate.
i didnt eat health, i just delicious foods and ended up gaining back 4lbs.
well today am back on track and am starting the smoothie for this week but also am back to gym.

Fren: finger crossed for you that all 3 survive.

drjo: congrats on the baby...

Urs: So sorry abt the pain

Cups: dont be so hard on yourself just breath and move on

 

[cupcakestoy]

Fern-So glad to hear your 3 embies are doing good! Hoping the little boogers grow like crazy to day 5!

Urs-Glad you finally got AF, even though it was traumatic! Time to get busy girl!

Dr.jo-Congrats on mommy hood! Speedy recovery to you!

Miracle-I don't blame you for re-thinking. Have you considered a 2nd opinion later on? 5 months at your age is a little too soon to jump the gun, unless there is proof of any issues!

Happy Monday to all!

AFM-Back down to 239! Lost 5 pounds of fluid & no fat lol but at least I didn't have to add more pounds to my ticker! lol 21 day fix is in full swing....dh really has tried my patience this weekend! Not sure why he gets on his rants, but I'm ready to go back to work just to have some alone time!