Moving On

Hey, everyone!

The last few days have been days of recovering for me. I'm happy to say, though, that they've been pretty great, and I've not been struggling much at all. I am glad I took the HPTs early last week, because they gave me a chance to mourn ahead of time and put it behind me, which I really needed. I couldn't imagine having that news sprung on me with no inkling of what it might have been ahead of time.

A lot of people have been asking me what is next in my plans as far as TTC goes, and my answer has been the same: I'm going on a break. I'm not going to temp. I'm not going to track anything. I'm most likely not even going to use my fertility monitor, though I'm still on the fence about that one. I'm just going to let things be while I focus on getting healthy again. I think that's the best route to go, especially since I've been dong this non-stop for over half a year now. I'm pooped!

In a half hour, I will leave to go to the doctor to find out what the official plan is. I am bringing a notebook with me, and in the notebook, I've written down questions that I want to ask the doctor, so I don't forget. They are:

1) Ask about immunology testing: There's a newish theory (or practice) going around in the infertility world about immunology for women who have recurrent miscarriages or unexplained infertility (specifically after transferring good embryos during IVF). This theory suggests that the woman's own body attacks the cells that make up the placenta, therefore never allowing the embryo to implant. There are ways to treat this, fortunately, but unfortunately, I don't think my insurance covers immunology testing because it's still classified as being experimental. Also, I am not sure where my clinic stands as far as this goes, and the closest immunology endocrinologists are states away. Granted, many women do get on planes and go see these doctors...I just don't think I'm at that place yet.

2) Supplements: I want to learn more about the royal jelly supplement, which I've been hearing all sorts of great things about. Problem is, it comes from bees, and there are warnings out there that those who are allergic to bees can also be allergic to the royal jelly. I happen to be allergic to bees, go figure. .

3) Dexmethasone: I have been on it for almost half a year now to straighten out my DHEA levels. But, I've read that if you are on it for too long, you can develop Cushing's Syndrome from the elevated cortisol levels. I've researched Cushing's Syndrome, and two of the telling signs are weight gain and purple-red stretch marks. Guess what I've been experiencing?

4) Laproscopy: This is a surgery where they cut a hole into your bellybutton and put a little camera in there and take a peek around at your uterus and surrounding organs. It's to check for any abnormalities, specifically endometriosis. I don't have any symptoms of endo, but I do have "kissing ovaries" which, according to a study, is a telling sign of endo. I turned down getting a lap done before because the doctor didn't think it was necessary before my IVF, since he didn't think I had endo. That was before they mentioned anything about my "kissing ovaries" too. So, I want to revisit it. I've heard plenty of stories of women who never thought they had endo actually turn out having stage four endo. After having it removed, they went on to have perfectly healthy children. It's worth looking into.

Other than that, there's not much more to discuss. I'll probably start metformin today, and hopefully that will help out with my weight loss. Today is day four of restricting my calorie intake, and I wish I knew if it was working or not, but I'm still too afraid to step on the scale. I guess that doesn't really help things.

I am also thinking of starting the primal diet, which I've heard really helps people out with PCOS. My husband said he'd go along with it, so I'll at least have some support. The primal diet is pretty much a theory that we should go back to living and eating like cavemen. It's a simple diet and easy to follow. I need to look into it a little more first, but I am leaning in that direction.

I will have more to post when I get back from the doctor. I wanted to write up a post about my best friend's pregnancy and how I'm taking that, but it will have to wait. :)