It's the last day of 2014. And I am a little terrified - was doing fine this morning until I went to the bathroom a few minutes ago and found that I'm spotting. Now, it could be completely normal. Might not mean anything at all. It's not a heavy or bright flow, I'm feeling some unusual twinges/tightness/heaviness in my abdomen but not cramping, per se - and this is just a bit of brown spotting. I don't usually spot, I usually full-on BLEED, so it could still be okay.
But I am so worried that it's not. ;.;
I only *just* managed to get this new OB/GYN to agree to see me next week, when they didn't want to do it until the end of January. I can't exactly call them and ask them to see me *omgrightnow* because of spotting. But if I call my RE's office they'll tell me I'm not their patient anymore. And the Greek clinic is too far away to be able to do anything or tell me anything about it. There's nothing to do but wait until tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, and pray that it doesn't turn into any sort of full flow.
Last night I went to my general physician, who had me give a urine sample. They couldn't find any indication of a UTI in the basic test they did, but he prescribed me antibiotics anyway to be safe - Keflex, which he says is safe for pregnancy. I went home in the -10 degree weather, ate dinner, then drove to the pharmacy to pick up the meds. They taste TERRIBLE. Like, gag-me terrible. But I managed to get them down, along with my last progesterone pill of the day, and Kaitlin gave me the heparin shot (shudder) and I went to bed early.
Exhausted this morning, even harder time getting the antibiotics down, but already the super-frequent peeing seems to have slowed as has some of the discomfort I was feeling yesterday. Ate some yogurt for probiotics, and will need to make sure to have pretty decent servings every day until I'm off the antibiotics. Was feeling pretty awesome about today, and ending the year pregnant, and all of that - and then this.
And there's nothing to do but wait and see. It's not like there's anything they could do at this point if I WAS miscarrying. It will either happen or it won't. But I am so worried that this cold, and possible UTI, might have done something bad to the pregnancy. And I won't really know if there's still a baby in there until next week. We may or may not get to see a heartbeat - if the baby's in there and doing ok it will have a beating heart by then, but may be too small to see it. Or maybe there were two babies in there, and the spotting has to do with one of them not being strong enough to make it. Or maybe there are two babies in there, and the spotting is related to having twins - apparently that's more common in twin pregnancies. So many unknowns. Oh, oh, OH THE CONTROL FREAK IN ME HATES THE UNKNOWNS OF TTC. Seriously. It is so hard to plan for the future when things are so up in the air.
Will I get pregnant?
When will I get pregnant?
Will the pregnancy stick?
If the pregnancy doesn't stick, how long before miscarriage happens?
How many babies are in there?
If there's more than one, will they all make it?
What sex(es) are the baby(ies)?
Will the baby(ies) develop normally and be healthy?
Will having a cold/UTI/whatever cause interference with the pregnancy in any way?
If the pregnancy doesn't stick, how long before we can try again?
And on, and on, and on. Where is my crystal ball, dammit?? Or my time machine, so I can hop a couple years into the future and get answers to these questions, every one of which will have a relatively significant impact on the way my future progresses. Yet none will have answers AT LEAST until next week at the first u/s, and maybe not for weeks or months after that. Oh, how I hate unknowns. And I realize my little type-A personality needs to Let It Go. I should probably have that song on repeat right now, seriously. This is a skill I am seriously lacking.
So we achieved our OLW for 2014 - CONCEIVE. I was considering what the word for 2015 will be, but I think I'll have to hold off on deciding until we see what happens at the ultrasound next week. Until we see if this holds, I don't know what's coming next. But maybe it should have something to do with learning to let go. If there was one skill in this life that I really, really need, it's that one. I'm awful at it.
I am hoping and wishing that the spotting goes away. Maybe it's just the infection being cleared by the antibiotics? Maybe it's just the baby snuggling in a little deeper, getting a better grip in there?
Please, oh please, universe, don't take this away now. PLEASE. After everything we've done to get here this year, it will just make me want to curl up into a little ball and implode...
EDIT: Okay, deep breath. I am reminding myself that the day we got our BFP, I had lots of cramping - bad enough to use a heating pad - and spotting that was much heavier than this. But I'd felt pretty peaceful and confident anyway, because for the very first time I had a second line on a test.
So bottom line is, I need to have a nice, big pregnant-lady lunch, including a plate full of greens, carrots, tomatoes and snow peas, and a lentil and sausage soup. I need to take my meds, take my vitamins, drink water like it's going out of style, and rest assured that no matter what happens, it's not the end. Worst case scenario, we miscarry - and I'll shuck money at our HELOC until I have enough to try again. October - maybe August.
Internet says 50% of women with spotting don't miscarry. Other studies show even better percentages than that. So stressing isn't going to help - but eating and drinking and resting will, and that's just what I'm going to do.
I have tomorrow off, for the New Year's holiday. I am assigning myself to bed rest for the entire day. No chores, no nothing. I will sleep as late as I want, I will take a nap, and I will sit in bed and do page proofs all day long. If Kaitlin is home I will make her bring me food. :P
In the meantime, since I got paid today, I paid my bills. Did a little research on our travel American Express, and due to some promotional benefits and the significant portion of our Greek trip that I was able to use it for, I should end up with enough rewards points to get free airline tickets to Vegas for our elopement later this year.
Or maybe it's just the afternoon meds making me dizzy, which is a feeling slightly like being drunk, in which things feel less serious and less important and I feel oddly more relaxed. Now back to our regularly scheduled workday, and I'm actually going to try and enjoy this (perfectly legal, even at work, haha) buzz. LOL.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
5WK1D - Possible UTI and other developments...
So what I thought was just a quirky pregnancy symptom has, in the last 24 hours, worsened to the point where I now suspect I have a UTI. I've had a couple of them before, never very pleasant, but apparently it sounds like pregnant women are particularly susceptible to them (and partly because of the progesterone in their systems which weaken muscle tone around the urethral tubes, or something??) Seeing as how I'm on 800 mg of progesterone a DAY, it makes sense.
But I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable even as my cold is slowly getting better. I called the OB/GYN today, and after a bunch of shuffling around managed to get an appointment for next week - January 8th - for an ultrasound. They weren't going to see me that early, but I explained to them that I had an IVF transfer in Greece and the Greek clinic needs ultrasound results to ensure my medication dosages, and they managed to get me in. (Hee, I get a u/s at 6 weeks instead of having to wait until 8!)
But a few hours after making the appointment, I was uncomfortable enough to realize that I just can't wait that long to see if this is a UTI and get treatment for it - I'm already a lot less comfortable than I was yesterday and I don't want to do ANYTHING that might end up risking the pregnancy. So, I called my general physician's office and they're going to get me in at 5:20 tonight. Thank goodness. If they prescribe me something, I think I will also end up picking up some cheap pregnancy tests when I pick the prescription up.
In the meantime, trying to eat lots of snacks and stay super hydrated. I am ALMOST caught up on the work that's on my desk from being out... almost. Hopefully by end of the day tomorrow it will be back to normal again.
Also, I am super tired. Then again, I'm often super tired. :P But I think right now it's a combination of trying to fight off this cold and being pregnant. The cold is getting a little better every day. I was able to sleep ok last night, about half as snuffly today as I was yesterday.
Oh, and I finally got the prescription for my progesterone/estrogen/heparin refills from the Greek clinic, and again got to play the fun internet game of where-the-hell-do-i-order-these-from. The place I ordered from last time doesn't carry the heparin. Finally found a UK clinic that offers all three and has 7-day shipping. Which will be cutting it close, but hopefully still get here on time. I sent the order in - around 367 British pounds, no idea how much that's going to be in USD when it's all said and done... guess we'll see. Hoping it will be my last major TTC expenditure, because all the ones going forward should be covered by insurance - yay!!
Now to get through the rest of the day until I can get to the doctor...
But I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable even as my cold is slowly getting better. I called the OB/GYN today, and after a bunch of shuffling around managed to get an appointment for next week - January 8th - for an ultrasound. They weren't going to see me that early, but I explained to them that I had an IVF transfer in Greece and the Greek clinic needs ultrasound results to ensure my medication dosages, and they managed to get me in. (Hee, I get a u/s at 6 weeks instead of having to wait until 8!)
But a few hours after making the appointment, I was uncomfortable enough to realize that I just can't wait that long to see if this is a UTI and get treatment for it - I'm already a lot less comfortable than I was yesterday and I don't want to do ANYTHING that might end up risking the pregnancy. So, I called my general physician's office and they're going to get me in at 5:20 tonight. Thank goodness. If they prescribe me something, I think I will also end up picking up some cheap pregnancy tests when I pick the prescription up.
In the meantime, trying to eat lots of snacks and stay super hydrated. I am ALMOST caught up on the work that's on my desk from being out... almost. Hopefully by end of the day tomorrow it will be back to normal again.
Also, I am super tired. Then again, I'm often super tired. :P But I think right now it's a combination of trying to fight off this cold and being pregnant. The cold is getting a little better every day. I was able to sleep ok last night, about half as snuffly today as I was yesterday.
Oh, and I finally got the prescription for my progesterone/estrogen/heparin refills from the Greek clinic, and again got to play the fun internet game of where-the-hell-do-i-order-these-from. The place I ordered from last time doesn't carry the heparin. Finally found a UK clinic that offers all three and has 7-day shipping. Which will be cutting it close, but hopefully still get here on time. I sent the order in - around 367 British pounds, no idea how much that's going to be in USD when it's all said and done... guess we'll see. Hoping it will be my last major TTC expenditure, because all the ones going forward should be covered by insurance - yay!!
Now to get through the rest of the day until I can get to the doctor...
Monday, December 29, 2014
FIVE WEEKS
Sore throat is gone, but still sneezy and snuffly. However, I got the best sleep last night (almost 8 hours straight) that I've had since we returned from Greece, without any interruptions, and I think that helped a lot.
Definitely nauseous today. At first I thought it might just be my usual morning nausea, especially since I've been making myself eat breakfast. I pretty much always feel sick to my stomach when I wake up, especially if I haven't had enough sleep, and it gets worse if I eat - especially if I eat something sweet. This morning I had some grape-nuts cereal with blueberries, a little honey, and milk, and so on the drive to work I was feeling queasy, but that's pretty par for the course with me.
But, it's afternoon now and it still hasn't gone away. It's not awful or unbearable, just a general sort of background yuck. It's actually less intrusive if I don't think about it and focus on work, so that's what I've been trying to do.
I went to the grocery store on my lunch break, though, and bought myself a Christmas present - the mini-fridge I've had my eye on all year. Since being pregnant's going to require frequent snacks, I figure it's time I had a little fridge at work to store them in. It's still out in my car, though, because I don't want to have to answer a bunch of questions from my staff when I bring it in. I'm going to wait until they've all gone for the day before I bring it in and set it up. Stealth!Fridge. LOL.
Oddly enough, what I am craving right now is leafy greens. Sitting here eating a big salad and my tummy is rejoicing, even through its slightly seasick feeling. Meds are still making me dizzy after each dose - I think I'm going to have to be careful about driving right after I've taken them.
Still having to pee a ridiculous number of times a day. And, while this may be TMI for some folks, how come no one ever talks about feminine itching as a pregnancy symptom? Because I've googled it, and it IS one (thank goodness, because I was starting to think I might have an infection or something.) But of all the stuff I've seen pregnant ladies talk about, this is one that was kind of a surprise. O.o Awkward much??
Right now I am just more grateful than I can express that the sore throat is really and truly gone. That was one of the most uncomfortable ones I've ever had, and dealing with the snuffles now feels like cake in comparison, bah! I did make a call and leave a message for the appointment scheduler at the hospital that's halfway between work and home, but haven't heard back yet. I was having phone trouble earlier this morning so if I don't hear from them in another hour or so I figure I'll call back again. Really looking forward to having an ultrasound appointment date, so that I can put it on my calendar and count down to it. Hoping very, very much that everything's progressing like it's supposed to. Also, it would be really nice to know whether we're looking at twins or a singleton. That question's going to be burning up my brain until we know for sure.
Definitely nauseous today. At first I thought it might just be my usual morning nausea, especially since I've been making myself eat breakfast. I pretty much always feel sick to my stomach when I wake up, especially if I haven't had enough sleep, and it gets worse if I eat - especially if I eat something sweet. This morning I had some grape-nuts cereal with blueberries, a little honey, and milk, and so on the drive to work I was feeling queasy, but that's pretty par for the course with me.
But, it's afternoon now and it still hasn't gone away. It's not awful or unbearable, just a general sort of background yuck. It's actually less intrusive if I don't think about it and focus on work, so that's what I've been trying to do.
I went to the grocery store on my lunch break, though, and bought myself a Christmas present - the mini-fridge I've had my eye on all year. Since being pregnant's going to require frequent snacks, I figure it's time I had a little fridge at work to store them in. It's still out in my car, though, because I don't want to have to answer a bunch of questions from my staff when I bring it in. I'm going to wait until they've all gone for the day before I bring it in and set it up. Stealth!Fridge. LOL.
Oddly enough, what I am craving right now is leafy greens. Sitting here eating a big salad and my tummy is rejoicing, even through its slightly seasick feeling. Meds are still making me dizzy after each dose - I think I'm going to have to be careful about driving right after I've taken them.
Still having to pee a ridiculous number of times a day. And, while this may be TMI for some folks, how come no one ever talks about feminine itching as a pregnancy symptom? Because I've googled it, and it IS one (thank goodness, because I was starting to think I might have an infection or something.) But of all the stuff I've seen pregnant ladies talk about, this is one that was kind of a surprise. O.o Awkward much??
Right now I am just more grateful than I can express that the sore throat is really and truly gone. That was one of the most uncomfortable ones I've ever had, and dealing with the snuffles now feels like cake in comparison, bah! I did make a call and leave a message for the appointment scheduler at the hospital that's halfway between work and home, but haven't heard back yet. I was having phone trouble earlier this morning so if I don't hear from them in another hour or so I figure I'll call back again. Really looking forward to having an ultrasound appointment date, so that I can put it on my calendar and count down to it. Hoping very, very much that everything's progressing like it's supposed to. Also, it would be really nice to know whether we're looking at twins or a singleton. That question's going to be burning up my brain until we know for sure.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
4WK6D - Lazy Day
A little more energy today, a little less soreness in the throat, somewhat more sleep last night than the night before. Still sick, but on the upswing. Feeling a little nauseous tonight but I'm still thinking it's the cold, not the pregnancy. Got a few small things done around the house, like putting away some laundry and emptying the dishwasher, but overall I've really spent most of the day sitting on the couch doing nothing and trying not to nap, since when I nap my insomnia kicks in at night.
I did have a really vivid, disturbing dream last night. Like, a pure EVIL dream. Disturbing enough that I woke up feeling sick, and suddenly feeling like I could kind of understand how ladies who have recurring nightmares while pregnant might become convinced that their unborn child was somehow demonic, because there was such evil going on in their dreams. It actually took me a while to calm down and remind myself that pregnancy does weird shit to one's brain. But ew yuck shudder ugh! I hope I don't have many more of those, because that was not fun at all.
Guess in a bizarre way it means so far, so good. Though I haven't taken a pregnancy test of any kind all weekend and, dumb though it might be, it makes me nervous not to have confirmation that baby(ies) is/are still in there.
Tomorrow I call the OB/GYN and see if I can set up an ultrasound appointment. Tomorrow will officially be five weeks. I'm trying to brace myself, as everything I've read says that morning sickness is coming soon. And honestly, with everything that's going on at work I don't know how I'm going to deal. My mom says morning sickness was really bad for her... and she was a stay at home mom, so she didn't have to try and balance it with work. I inherited her early menopause, so it makes sense to expect I'll inherit the sickness too. A little worried about how bad it might be.
We still haven't really told anyone, other than a vague "so far it's working, let's wait and see" kind of thing to a very few members of the family, the ones who knew what we were going to Greece for. I feel like saying something right now will jinx it. It still doesn't quite feel real. I think my boss is actually going to end up being the first to know because I'll need time off, maybe some work from home time, when the sickness hits.
If I'm still pregnant. Cause, you know, I haven't had a pee test to confirm it. And once I had the beta, well, the pee test feels inadequate. Now I want the blood test on a regular schedule just so I can be reassured that the numbers are still rising like they should. SIGH. Also, I want to BUY ALL THE BABY THINGS. Which is completely jumping the gun, since first of all I have less than no money, and second we are still in that super delicate time when this could turn out to be an early loss.
But I think I may not ever be able to fully trust this thing until I actually have a baby in my arms. And that's going to be a very, very long time away. I should probably just be focusing one one thing at a time right now... Like kicking this cold. That first.
I did have a really vivid, disturbing dream last night. Like, a pure EVIL dream. Disturbing enough that I woke up feeling sick, and suddenly feeling like I could kind of understand how ladies who have recurring nightmares while pregnant might become convinced that their unborn child was somehow demonic, because there was such evil going on in their dreams. It actually took me a while to calm down and remind myself that pregnancy does weird shit to one's brain. But ew yuck shudder ugh! I hope I don't have many more of those, because that was not fun at all.
Guess in a bizarre way it means so far, so good. Though I haven't taken a pregnancy test of any kind all weekend and, dumb though it might be, it makes me nervous not to have confirmation that baby(ies) is/are still in there.
Tomorrow I call the OB/GYN and see if I can set up an ultrasound appointment. Tomorrow will officially be five weeks. I'm trying to brace myself, as everything I've read says that morning sickness is coming soon. And honestly, with everything that's going on at work I don't know how I'm going to deal. My mom says morning sickness was really bad for her... and she was a stay at home mom, so she didn't have to try and balance it with work. I inherited her early menopause, so it makes sense to expect I'll inherit the sickness too. A little worried about how bad it might be.
We still haven't really told anyone, other than a vague "so far it's working, let's wait and see" kind of thing to a very few members of the family, the ones who knew what we were going to Greece for. I feel like saying something right now will jinx it. It still doesn't quite feel real. I think my boss is actually going to end up being the first to know because I'll need time off, maybe some work from home time, when the sickness hits.
If I'm still pregnant. Cause, you know, I haven't had a pee test to confirm it. And once I had the beta, well, the pee test feels inadequate. Now I want the blood test on a regular schedule just so I can be reassured that the numbers are still rising like they should. SIGH. Also, I want to BUY ALL THE BABY THINGS. Which is completely jumping the gun, since first of all I have less than no money, and second we are still in that super delicate time when this could turn out to be an early loss.
But I think I may not ever be able to fully trust this thing until I actually have a baby in my arms. And that's going to be a very, very long time away. I should probably just be focusing one one thing at a time right now... Like kicking this cold. That first.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
4WK5D - A Little Better
Last night was rough. My throat hurt so bad I could barely think about anything else, so I went to bed around eight or so... Woke up at midnight to pee and couldn't go back to sleep, I was just too uncomfortable. So I stayed up for a while surfing on my iPad, and around 3 am was finally able to go back to sleep. Woke up again at 7, used the bathroom, and was actually able to doze off again until about 9.
The sleep has done a lot of good, though I still feel tired. My throat is better, still sore but at least now it's bearable. And, I had an epiphany in the middle of the night about the nursery, which I pitched to Kaitlin this morning and she loves... We're thinking of doing an "It's A Small World" theme. Since one of the things we dream of doing with our kid(s) is taking them with us on international vacations to see the world, it seems like a really apropos theme... And, it's definitely non-gendered. I think I'm going to make a ton of plushies (one of my online friends is a near-expert at it and I've always wanted to try it myself) with the different international costumes, and we'll either arrange them on a shelf or maybe clip them to strings that drape the walls... And Kaitlin will do a big mural, and I'll appliqué a crib blanket and/or bumper or maybe make some Spoonflower fabric for sheets and curtains. Not entirely sure yet what the entire thing will look like but we're excited about it.
I heard back from the Greek clinic last night... Our coordinator's going to send me a prescription so I can order more of the meds I'm on (we only have 11 days of injections left and apparently we have to keep them up for the next 5 weeks.) and, we are supposed to schedule an ultrasound in 2 weeks. I think I am going to try and schedule that with an OB/GYN instead of the fertility clinic, though. I want to find a doctor who will consider me their patient and actually talk to me about what's going on.
Two weeks feels like a really, really long time to go without reassurance that the pregnancy is still progressing like it should. I wish they'd at least let me do HcG tests every week or so. :/ I may end up buying more pregnancy tests just to reassure myself that things are ok.
But anyway, eating spicy soup now and staying in bed today, even though the house really needs cleaning... I want to make sure I've kicked this bug before I have to back to work next week, since I was too sick to get almost anything done yesterday. Maybe I will even take a nap :p
The sleep has done a lot of good, though I still feel tired. My throat is better, still sore but at least now it's bearable. And, I had an epiphany in the middle of the night about the nursery, which I pitched to Kaitlin this morning and she loves... We're thinking of doing an "It's A Small World" theme. Since one of the things we dream of doing with our kid(s) is taking them with us on international vacations to see the world, it seems like a really apropos theme... And, it's definitely non-gendered. I think I'm going to make a ton of plushies (one of my online friends is a near-expert at it and I've always wanted to try it myself) with the different international costumes, and we'll either arrange them on a shelf or maybe clip them to strings that drape the walls... And Kaitlin will do a big mural, and I'll appliqué a crib blanket and/or bumper or maybe make some Spoonflower fabric for sheets and curtains. Not entirely sure yet what the entire thing will look like but we're excited about it.
I heard back from the Greek clinic last night... Our coordinator's going to send me a prescription so I can order more of the meds I'm on (we only have 11 days of injections left and apparently we have to keep them up for the next 5 weeks.) and, we are supposed to schedule an ultrasound in 2 weeks. I think I am going to try and schedule that with an OB/GYN instead of the fertility clinic, though. I want to find a doctor who will consider me their patient and actually talk to me about what's going on.
Two weeks feels like a really, really long time to go without reassurance that the pregnancy is still progressing like it should. I wish they'd at least let me do HcG tests every week or so. :/ I may end up buying more pregnancy tests just to reassure myself that things are ok.
But anyway, eating spicy soup now and staying in bed today, even though the house really needs cleaning... I want to make sure I've kicked this bug before I have to back to work next week, since I was too sick to get almost anything done yesterday. Maybe I will even take a nap :p
Friday, December 26, 2014
4WK4D - And we're still in the game!
In spite of feeling snuffly, coughy, sneezy, and sore-throaty, I still dragged myself out of bed bright and early this morning to get to my pre-work doctor appointment for a blood draw - the moment of truth - a second hcg beta.
Usually they don't get the results back until later in the afternoon, but today, by some miracle, by the time I got to work the results were in my inbox:
And we have doubling!! More than doubling, in fact, as we needed at least 380 based on the last test and it's over that. This is really happening, folks. I can hardly believe it, but we are definitely pregnant. They also did a progesterone test:
According to their little chart my progesterone is off-the-charts. Which is hardly surprising since the Greek clinic has me on 800 mg A DAY. It's sounding like we have to keep up with the med schedule for five more weeks. Not happy about having to have those heparin shots daily for that long *shudder* but they're a little less awful when I know that there's really a baby in there.
I emailed the results to the Greek clinic and am now awaiting our next instructions. I'm also going to begin the search for an OB/GYN to take us the rest of the way. I think our next appointment will either be a third beta (if the Greek folks ask for it) OR our first ultrasound, either at 6 or 8 weeks depending on what the clinic asks us to do... but I'm excited to find out.
In the meantime I am suffering through this cold as best I can, sans medicine. I'm taking tylenol and alcohol-free chloraseptic, as the internet says it's okay :P but no tea or my usual drug of choice, decongestant nasal spray. Oh, how I long for nasal spray and sudafed! Apparently an OB/GYN may know of some additional meds I can take that will be safe, but honestly we are SO early into this... and it's such a critical, critical time in baby development, that I'm really concerned about using anything at all. As long as I can get enough sleep to avoid overstressing myself, everything else I will just have to suck it up for.
Still peeing every five minutes. Ugh. Though not as often, it seems, since I started getting this cold, maybe because my body's using more of the water that I'm drinking... Seriously, I am drinking a TON. No real morning sickness yet, though right now it's hard to tell since I do feel pretty tired and a wee bit tummy-sick, but not in any way that would be worse than the usual cold. Meds are still making me dizzy, especially after the lunch and dinnertime doses. But right now it's the sore throat that's bothering me most. Feels like I'm trying to swallow a golf ball that's on fire. Drinking hot water helps, but only a little. I really hope it goes away over the weekend, 'cause I'd like the chance to enjoy this pregnancy thing a little before the morning sickness starts... according to TEH INTARWEBS, 6 weeks in is about when that particular joy begins. :P
So bring on the first trimester, and here's hoping those numbers keep going up as they should and our first ultrasound shows a healthy little proto-human (or two) in there. ^_^
Usually they don't get the results back until later in the afternoon, but today, by some miracle, by the time I got to work the results were in my inbox:
And we have doubling!! More than doubling, in fact, as we needed at least 380 based on the last test and it's over that. This is really happening, folks. I can hardly believe it, but we are definitely pregnant. They also did a progesterone test:
According to their little chart my progesterone is off-the-charts. Which is hardly surprising since the Greek clinic has me on 800 mg A DAY. It's sounding like we have to keep up with the med schedule for five more weeks. Not happy about having to have those heparin shots daily for that long *shudder* but they're a little less awful when I know that there's really a baby in there.
I emailed the results to the Greek clinic and am now awaiting our next instructions. I'm also going to begin the search for an OB/GYN to take us the rest of the way. I think our next appointment will either be a third beta (if the Greek folks ask for it) OR our first ultrasound, either at 6 or 8 weeks depending on what the clinic asks us to do... but I'm excited to find out.
In the meantime I am suffering through this cold as best I can, sans medicine. I'm taking tylenol and alcohol-free chloraseptic, as the internet says it's okay :P but no tea or my usual drug of choice, decongestant nasal spray. Oh, how I long for nasal spray and sudafed! Apparently an OB/GYN may know of some additional meds I can take that will be safe, but honestly we are SO early into this... and it's such a critical, critical time in baby development, that I'm really concerned about using anything at all. As long as I can get enough sleep to avoid overstressing myself, everything else I will just have to suck it up for.
Still peeing every five minutes. Ugh. Though not as often, it seems, since I started getting this cold, maybe because my body's using more of the water that I'm drinking... Seriously, I am drinking a TON. No real morning sickness yet, though right now it's hard to tell since I do feel pretty tired and a wee bit tummy-sick, but not in any way that would be worse than the usual cold. Meds are still making me dizzy, especially after the lunch and dinnertime doses. But right now it's the sore throat that's bothering me most. Feels like I'm trying to swallow a golf ball that's on fire. Drinking hot water helps, but only a little. I really hope it goes away over the weekend, 'cause I'd like the chance to enjoy this pregnancy thing a little before the morning sickness starts... according to TEH INTARWEBS, 6 weeks in is about when that particular joy begins. :P
So bring on the first trimester, and here's hoping those numbers keep going up as they should and our first ultrasound shows a healthy little proto-human (or two) in there. ^_^
Thursday, December 25, 2014
4WK3D - Happy Christmas
Had a lovely Christmas with family this year. Got to FaceTime my youngest brother, who's currently in Laos, and our usual presents/family meal rituals went great. We got pies from Village Inn this year and they were much loved by all.
From left to right: Kaitlin, my youngest brother Caleb (via Facetime, because he's hanging out on the beach in Laos, lucky bastard), my dad, my sister-in-law Johanna, my middle brother Christian (Johanna's husband), me (plus tiny dog Cricket and even tinier invisible baby(ies)), my mom, Kaitlin's dad
Unfortunately I've felt sick all day, and it's progressively gotten worse. And I don't mean morning-sickness kind of sick, I mean sneezing, coughing, runny nose sick. It's combined with tiredness and nausea but I really can't tell whether it's part of being pregnant or just because I have a cold. Either way I feel really tired and have a bad sore throat right now, and really don't feel like going back to work tomorrow. I'm glad it will just be for one day before the weekend, though. I need a good long rest.
Hoping the beta tomorrow turns out okay. I'm kind of worried about what being sick could mean for the pregnancy. Sitting here drinking hot water with lemon and honey, because I can't really have tea or take decongestants... Hoping this bug blows over soon. Probably will post some pictures this weekend.
Merry Christmas, everybody. If all goes well, we'll have a little one with us by this time next year...
From left to right: Kaitlin, my youngest brother Caleb (via Facetime, because he's hanging out on the beach in Laos, lucky bastard), my dad, my sister-in-law Johanna, my middle brother Christian (Johanna's husband), me (plus tiny dog Cricket and even tinier invisible baby(ies)), my mom, Kaitlin's dad
Unfortunately I've felt sick all day, and it's progressively gotten worse. And I don't mean morning-sickness kind of sick, I mean sneezing, coughing, runny nose sick. It's combined with tiredness and nausea but I really can't tell whether it's part of being pregnant or just because I have a cold. Either way I feel really tired and have a bad sore throat right now, and really don't feel like going back to work tomorrow. I'm glad it will just be for one day before the weekend, though. I need a good long rest.
Hoping the beta tomorrow turns out okay. I'm kind of worried about what being sick could mean for the pregnancy. Sitting here drinking hot water with lemon and honey, because I can't really have tea or take decongestants... Hoping this bug blows over soon. Probably will post some pictures this weekend.
Merry Christmas, everybody. If all goes well, we'll have a little one with us by this time next year...
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