There are very few things worse for a hypochondriac than to actually have an illness, disease, syndrome, disorder, etc and double that worseness if the malady is rare.
I am a very self-aware hypochondriac. I remember sitting on the landing between the master bedroom and the dining room at my grandparent's house reading their medical dictionary. (Who owns those, anyway? I wonder where that went...) I loved to use medical terms and exclaim, "My spleen hurts!"
When I was pregnant with June I was very careful to explain to Dr. Man that I erred on the side of paranoia when it came to my health. I always armed myself with a notebook full of questions for every visit. He was incredibly patient and explained his answers with full medical terminology and balanced with the gentle reassurance I needed. Thomas was surprised with how low-key I was and how great I felt most days. I have to say, I impressed myself too.
I officially have Asherman's Syndrome. Basically, my post-pregnancy, post-d&c uterus has scarred itself shut; instead of healing in a healthy manner, it just scarred onto itself. I have about 75% of my uterus surface area that is "healthy" and viable. The remaining 25% is shut. Gone. Unavailable.
This is a problem for a few reasons:
At the moment, I have fluid in my uterus from only God knows what. Even Dr. Latino has no clue what it's from. However, we do know that it cannot come out. It could be stuck in that scar tissue. It could be that the bottom of my uterus is too scarred for it to be released.
For the future this is a problem because when we choose to get pregnant, there is a limited amount of surface area for the embryo to implant. This raises the risk of miscarriage. This raises my anxiety. Dr. Latino has taken me off estrogen and told us that our new plan is "hands off." His thinking is that getting pregnant right now may be the best thing for my body. It may open my uterus and give it time to heal. Is this ideal for us? No. Do we desperately want another baby even if it's RIGHTTHISMINUTE? Yes.
Side note: It's so incredibly odd for me to say, "we're (thinking of) trying for baby #2!" Why? Well because that basically just means, "we're having a lot of sex!" Think about it. It's just a declaration of a lot of unprotected sex.
Side note: It's so incredibly odd for me to say, "we're (thinking of) trying for baby #2!" Why? Well because that basically just means, "we're having a lot of sex!" Think about it. It's just a declaration of a lot of unprotected sex.
So I guess to sum up my health right now I'd say that it's problematic. If we can get pregnant, it will be considered high risk from day one. I will more than likely need to be on hormones to assist the embryo with growth and development. I would love to hear from friends and readers if anyone has ever had any sort of reproductive issues. I truly accidentally got pregnant with June and so this whole thing is so foreign to me. How did you decide to "try" to have a baby? Did you check your ovulation? Was it like the movies where you rushed home because you were ovulating? If you don't feel comfortable with leaving a comment here, please email me!
amber.losey@gmail.com
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| I NEED this plush toy. Please, someone, buy it for me. Seriously. www.iheartguts.com/uterus. |
I don't know what phone you have, but the iPhone has a period tracker app. You can put in when you start and stop your cycles. You can track your temperature which helps tell when you ovulate. It tells you the time you should be fertile. You can also track symptoms.
ReplyDeleteYou can buy OPKs (ovulation prediction kits). Those help too from what I hear.
I don't know much about 'trying' to get pregnant because Daniel was a surprise to us as well.
Best of luck momma.
Hi!! So i'm chiming in again because I am now an official expert on ovulation, using ovulation prediction tests, and peeing on sticks in general! It took me about 2 cycles to really get the hang of how to read the ovulation tests (OPK'S) They can be pretty tricky to say the least! And yes, it is sorta like the movies! Once you ovulate the egg only lives for 12 hours. 24 hours if you are lucky. So timing really is everything! I could go on and on on this topic but I don't want to bore you with info that you may not want so please let me know if you have any questions on here or my email. Oh and it sounds like I am on the same hormones that they would put you on if you were to get pregnant. That has been an interesting experience as well! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, man... I have had two miscarriages of my own, so having a viable reason to panic and worry would put me over the edge. I am so sorry! But.... well.... in the meantime, seriously: have fun having lots of sex! :) haha!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I actually popped over here to answer your blog comment/question about baby sign.
Your sweet girl is the PERFECT age to begin playing with signs. Babies at this age won't usually begin trying to sign back, but within a short time, you can often tell they are beginning to UNDERSTAND your signs to them.
A few tips:
1. choose just 2-4 signs to do in the beginning (until she starts signing back, often around 10-12 months old)
2. Good starter signs:
- "eat"
-"milk"
-"more"
- "all done"
- "mom"
- "dad"
- "diaper"
(choose a few and stick with them!)
3. Sign and say the word at the same time, with an animated face (use your "baby talk voice!") Repeat a few times each time.
4. Only use the sign when it is applicable to the situation. Don't list them like a"flashcard" experience! Example: sign/say "more?" when you give her baby food and are about to give her another spoonful. When the baby food is empty, show her the empty jar and sign/say 'all done!"
5. Encourage dad and grandparents and any babysitters to be consistent with these same 2-4 words, too.
6. When she begins to show that she's trying to do it back, even if it is a totally unrecognizable sign, but a clear movement with her hands as a result of your signing to her, get really excited and praise her like crazy! Reinforce the success. She'll refine her motions eventually. Like my Lucy was signing "milk" for every response she'd attempt with me. But just this week, she has managed to do "more" and "all done". WOO HOO!!! So exciting!
7. Once she is consistently signing back to you and getting the signs vaguely similar to the real sign (they'll always be a bit "baby-handed" and not as dexterous as a grownup), you can introduce more words. Toddlers LOVE to sign the words for animals and for vehicles and for things in nature like trees, flowers, etc. So fun!
8. Make sure you're doing it for fun, and don't get stressed with her lack of interest or attempts to sign back. She'll do it eventually... even if it is not til 13-14 months. She WILL take to it if you keep showing her. And from 12-20 months and beyond, you will both LOVE being able to communicate beyond her first verbal words.
Good luck!! :) Enjoy that bebe of yours, and all the best to you with your journey to #2.
...aaaand... that was like a whole blog post of its own. I might have to come back and "borrow" it and blog it! LOL!
ReplyDelete