Hello ladies!
How is everybody doing? I hope you're all in the best possible shape!
I had my appointment this morning. Once I got there, the nurse called me by my family name and started explaining the Puregon procedure to me... then started talking about how I would start tonight and come back on the 22nd for my next apt... that was not right. We realized she did not have the right file (a Lisa or Lynda with my family name) and she had just shown me the hyperovulation Puregon protocol! And I was not even on their apt list this morning, despite what the nurse wrote in my file on the 3rd! Fortunately, she found my file of course, did the blood test and simply had to change the dosage in the procedure - 100 units of Puregon instead of 150. The needle is still mildly impressive, but I keep remembering what my acquaintance said about how once I got to the Puregon stage, the injections would "really be comfortable". So I don't worry; I'm handling the Lupron shots fine and this will be no different.
The bottom line is... I just got the phone call (I was with my husband on the phone and they called on my cell; he was with me when I got the news, how cute is that?) and
I'M STARTING THE EGG FOOD TOMORROW!
YIPPEEEEE! They suggested me to do the injections in the evening so I would get less side effects. So I'll do my Lupron injection in the morning as usual tomorrow (half the dosage of course) and I'll do my Puregon shot just before I go to bed - 10pm. It will be great to crawl out of the mini-menopause! Wasn't so bad, but with the IBS...
And well, there was that lighter sleep, too... LOL I actually have a funny story... I woke up last night, feeling well rested and being absolutely sure that the radio would start soon... had my DH cuddling behind me in a
very happy mood... I'll spare you the details, but some time later, after a very cute argument about where I had put the kleenex box I realized that, instead of the 6am or something I thought it was... the clock indicated
3:40am! Whoops! I actually swooped down on him in the middle of the night thinking it was morning! If that's how menopause affects me... bring those fifties, I'm not afraid!
And about IBS; I had acupuncture yesterday. He did his best to act on it without interfering with the meds too much... I had two needles in my tummy and he put the whole thing under a heating lamp for the duration of the treatment. I told him I felt like a baby chicken about to hatch and he laughed... I was VERY disappointed to see that, even after waiting patiently till the end of the treatment, no alien-type little monster burst out of my stomach. Ah, well; I guess I'll have to wait till my next appointment!

IBS is not completely under control right now, but I've had no crisis and diarrhea seems to have stopped. So far so good.
(*update* forget what I said; just had to interrupt my post and spend some time in the bathroom! *sigh* but I'm okay, it wasn't too bad.)
BUT! I went to the pharmacist after my flamenco lesson yesterday evening and I thought I'd share the info with my fellow IBS sufferers. She checked very carefully and agreed with the other pharmacist I saw that Immodium is
safe during pregnancy. Pepto Bismol and the like are
not. But then she started talking to me about my diet and how I could adapt it better to control IBS. She explained how a high fiber diet would help me both with constipation and its charming opposite. I already knew that the fibers absorb water and that's why they make it better, but there's more. She strongly suggested that I try eating All Bran each day (in the morning or the day,
never in the evening to avoid forming a clot of fibers in the intestines), starting gradually and increasing the dose to their recommended daily dose. She said the supplements like Metamucil don't work as well, as they don't have as many fibers. She also suggested to try something else, which is a bacteria that's used in the Activia yogurts; it's a bacteria that really helps the natural flora in your intestines and apparently it makes a difference for IBS. Comes in pills or liquid. So of course she suggested me not to try everything at once so I would know what's effective or not. I opted to eat All Bran every morning (since it will help with constipation later when I start Progesterone) and keep Immodium pills as a backup.
But there's even better. I was curious about those facts and how I could use the All Bran in my diet (should I eat it with less milk to help it absorb more liquid for example?) and I stumbled on that
amazing website. It seems a little complicated, but my... it's really complete, really clever, and it has lots of recipes. Those who have IBS should
really take a look at it; I'll read it carefully and try to incorporate the principles to my diet.
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/faq.asp#break_cycle
Ok, enough babbling! But just a note before I jump into personals... forgot to mention it yesterday. It may sound silly, but to me it's important. I've received a few jokes here about me being a psychologist and interpreting dreams or using a couch. Just like nurses don't wear that cute little hat anymore except in the movies or parodies, psychologists
don't use the couch, unless they are psychoanalysts. That's very old-fashioned psychology and, unfortunately, the image stayed and is still very present in movies and the literature. I
don't practice that kind of psychology, I'm everything BUT a Freud follower (to me, a cigar is ALWAYS just a cigar!

) and I don't do dreams interpretation. The rare times I use my patients' dreams in my practice, I don't do it the psychoanalytic way. Just not my cup of tea. So, no offence really, but please know that all psychologists are
not anal-phase-subconscious-ROCKS-fanatics-everything-happens-before-kids-turn-six worshippers. 'Nuff said!
(whew, that post is too long already! sorry about that!)
Lara! Good to see you here again! I'm so sorry about your husband losing his job... has he another job in sight? Was it a shock for him or did he see it coming? How is he coping, with you being pregnant (men are usually more self-conscious about the money they make when their partner becomes pregnant)? Despite the sad news, however, I'm really, really happy that you have twins! Was it something you were hoping for? Ooooh, I really wish to join you in a couple of weeks!
Shantala, hello sweetheart! Oh please honey, don't beat yourself up for that "it's just one month" thing. My baby project was planned, agreed on and then reported no less than FIVE times over a year, for all kinds of more or less crazy reasons (for example, my surgery was delayed THREE months because my surgeon broke his ankle!). So at that point sweetie, when we finally were able to decide that the cycle would begin with my December AF... and said AF came 10 days late, I was about to go crazy. My husband gave me the "but honey... we've come this far... it's just a week" remark as I was crying and crying and crying on the phone with him for 15 minutes straight after having my dates from the clinic... I can understand. You're not crazy, and you're certainly not unreasonable.
That being said, it's funny that good
becleo said exactly what I intended to quote in what she told me that day (except she mentioned it came from her doctor, not her husband... mmmmh...)... while waiting for so long, building up expectation on possible start or key dates, you lose focus. You make plans and you mentally try to organize your life according to them, or you make scenarios, or you just daydream... and then when the plans have to be changed, you freak out. Think about when you'll have your little bundle of joy in your arms... will you think about how it could have arrived last month? That thought REALLY helped me let go of the control (
becleo, thanks SO much again) and from that moment on, I decided I would not assume anything about dates anymore and just be very careful about what I assume.
ss: congratulations on the first shot! One down... how many more to go? But either way, you're a step closer to your baby sweetie!
nouna! Hey girl! Hi! Great to see you here! *hugs* I wish you the best for your cycle darling!
charlie: you're so sweet! Thanks for your sympathy! It helps! Looks like we're still VERY close in our cycles; I'll start stimming tomorrow!
becleo: sorry to hear about the headache...

what can you do to relieve the symptoms?
Vickie! Congratulations on having your two babies back home! I wish you a smooth 2ww!
phx: ooooooh I'm so sorry that the meds are giving you such hard side effects! Really sorry! I hope everything clears out real soon! But wow, 22 eggs is amazing! when are they supposed to call?
Okay, gotta go (that post is too long anyway)... Take care you all, and I'll see you around!
Sophie
