tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082115167981402562024-03-05T01:10:03.445-05:00Pregnant with JRATrying to to conceive, struggling with infertility and IVF and then being pregnant with JRA.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-27233780018338495872017-05-25T16:46:00.000-04:002017-05-25T17:04:17.679-04:00My labor and delivery!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-GT2wZJDQYicjCxtTWxrNXxPq7ThuhatDEt676aHz1B9ysi1I5yxC8dN-Mw_tRybD9kU7COA0JR4y2pWljFmgAn4bLHQzFUGZA-8iK7G7G51gcnGPCaC5eh9KYRSMpAVpm3Bv5yw0cc/s1600/20170321_075415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6-GT2wZJDQYicjCxtTWxrNXxPq7ThuhatDEt676aHz1B9ysi1I5yxC8dN-Mw_tRybD9kU7COA0JR4y2pWljFmgAn4bLHQzFUGZA-8iK7G7G51gcnGPCaC5eh9KYRSMpAVpm3Bv5yw0cc/s200/20170321_075415.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last day being pregnant. </td></tr>
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My amazing son was born on March 22 at 12.48 am! He weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 inches. The last few weeks of my pregnancy were challenging. I was tired, uncomfortable and just ready to be done! I worked until 4 days before I delivered and those last few weeks of work were very tiring. It was hard physically to work with my patients and hard mentally to stay focused.<br />
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We had planned an induction around 39 weeks as my OB thought this was the ideal time to deliver and to put less stress on my body. After a back and forth with my Enbrel (tapering at 34 weeks only to start it again), I stopped Enbrel completely at 37 weeks. My joints and uveitis remained quiet and I restarted Enbrel two weeks postpartum. I felt good about having about 5 weeks without Enbrel in order to boost my immunity and my baby's.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9YvEQ_gz8W_veNPPtS66BzwR2XARk2VLuRCMdsrR5CXpCcqlAykbpZ-isaEKhz_5JaUdjts0lK7qr_8wpCyWMWkYtcLapbRpIVR3E2URqpMNPveLvEDao3nFtUrdvZFMTs1nOXoIOAU/s1600/20170322_071613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9YvEQ_gz8W_veNPPtS66BzwR2XARk2VLuRCMdsrR5CXpCcqlAykbpZ-isaEKhz_5JaUdjts0lK7qr_8wpCyWMWkYtcLapbRpIVR3E2URqpMNPveLvEDao3nFtUrdvZFMTs1nOXoIOAU/s200/20170322_071613.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting my son for the first time. </td></tr>
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On the morning of March 21st I drove myself into the hospital (as to not get carsick!) to have a baby! Since I was induced, I didn't have that crazy in labor car ride and it seemed just like every other day. They started the induction around 11.00 am and by 5.00 pm my water broke and I was 4 cm dilated. At this point, I chose an epidural and around 11.30 that night, it was time to start pushing! At 12.48 am, my little boy was born! Everything throughout my induction and delivery went well with no complications.<br />
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We were fortunate to have lots of help throughout the first few weeks so we could just focus on our son. We didn't even have to grocery shop for the first 3 weeks! I functioned much better then I thought I would on 2-3 hours of sleep a night and my husband and I took shifts for napping. By my 6 week postpartum appointments, I felt like I was getting the hang of this whole motherhood thing!<br />
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Amazingly my joints and Uveitis have been completely stable. My glaucoma eye pressure has also been great. I have had so little pain that I have been able to walk 3 miles at least 2 times per week, which is something I have never been able to do. Honestly, my arthritis is the last thing on my mind! Here's hoping that this calm continues to last. He is now 2 months old and growing fast! I will continue to update about "parentingwithJRA" or "motheringwithJRA" on my main blog at www.allgrownupwithjra.com.<br />
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Stay tuned!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-86455401928790955202017-05-25T16:28:00.001-04:002017-05-25T16:28:15.012-04:00Third Trimester Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ozhxdgghD_WYAOKylTcOfoe_L3CwKorGhGoqK4WjKHaRYE1Jobmcs8gNLYzfkeuR4o7GyESnXvljPZ0kFzyiEvHOan7NX1_9K0JiBkmbCZe4AGtVZNm3lvHlScOCtMrKJHvFCGqdwIM/s1600/6c5fb6cb7fc6f349e4a4e2d64d76bbc0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ozhxdgghD_WYAOKylTcOfoe_L3CwKorGhGoqK4WjKHaRYE1Jobmcs8gNLYzfkeuR4o7GyESnXvljPZ0kFzyiEvHOan7NX1_9K0JiBkmbCZe4AGtVZNm3lvHlScOCtMrKJHvFCGqdwIM/s200/6c5fb6cb7fc6f349e4a4e2d64d76bbc0.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>Update: My son was born on 3/22/2017 and is amazing. However, I started writing this post during my third trimester and never posted it. More updates about my labor and delivery next. </i><br />
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Third trimester and I'm feeling very much like that monkey. I am 35 weeks with about 4 1/2 weeks left and it feels like it may never end! The beginning of the third trimester was nice! I had a nice round belly, energy and had learned how to manage my least favorite symptom of heartburn. We had my baby shower and we were blessed with so many generous gifts!<br />
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However, the past few weeks things have been more difficult. First, I started talking to my doctors about what to do with my Enbrel dose as we get closer to delivery. After a lot of back and forth between my OB and rheumatologist with many confusing and different opinions, we decided to taper my enbrel at 32 weeks. It was frustrating coming to this decision because I didn't feel like either of my doctors had strong opinions either way and left a lot of the decision up to me. After a month of the slow taper, I started to become sore again. It was hard to determine if this was a flare or just the added pregnancy weight. However, finally my OB and rheumatologist agreed to go back to weekly enbrel doses as I was worried about a flare right before delivery. Enbrel is considered safe during breast feeding and I will just need to let my pediatrician know in order to delay any live vaccines.<br />
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In terms of pregnancy symptoms, the fatigue, aches and pains and cramps have increased this past week. I have had weekly non-stress tests and during each test I have been having contractions. Although, I have not felt these so no one seems concerns yet. However, it was scary when the nurse mentioned this! It made it seem much more real! Baby continues to kick constantly and usually I can see his foot poking out around my right side.<br />
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In my final few weeks, I have lots of "nesting" tasks I want accomplished, but we will see what really gets done! I can't wait to meet this baby boy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-64261460114800994302017-01-15T11:48:00.001-05:002017-01-15T11:48:56.901-05:00Second Trimester Update: Weird Pregnancy SymptomsI am 30 weeks pregnant now. I can not believe I am done with my second trimester and only have 10 weeks left! The second trimester is typically called "The Honeymoon" trimester, because a lot of the nasty first trimester symptoms have stopped, but you are not big and uncomfortable yet. Although my nausea has decreased and my energy has improved, my first trimester symptoms were just replaced by strange, new second trimester ones!<br />
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Skin Changes: I noticed some weird skin changes these past few months. First, I had a weird red rash after a hot shower and then I noticed my first stretch marks! I had been applying cream to my belly, however, these stretch marks appeared on my bum! I didn't think to apply cream there! Luckily, they will be hidden from most people.<br />
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A Third Boob: Wait, what?! Yes. One of the strangest symptoms I had this month was noticing a large lump/swelling of tissue under my left armpit. Of course I immediately thought I was dying of cancer. This symptom caused a very stressful few weeks. After it being observed by my OB, they requested an ultrasound. Luckily, the ultrasound was negative and the lump has not changed. I am following up with a breast specialist next week to be on the safe side. However, the consensus seems to be that it's nothing concerning and has to do with the extra pregnancy hormones that may have made some accessory breast tissue to swell. So basically a third boob. Awesome!<br />
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Gestational Diabetes: My last hurdle of the second trimester was my glucose loading test. This is the one-hour test where you drink the sugary drink and then have your blood tested one hour later. I was told I could eat a meal of protein an hour before the test and I was worried about feeling faint so I had some scrambled eggs that morning. However, I found out that I failed this test by 4 points. I was crushed and felt like I was putting my baby in danger. After a stressful week where I changed my diet and ate like I had gestational diabetes, I took the 3 hour glucose tolerate test. I passed this test without any difficulties! As part of my hospitals protocol I had to meet with a nutritionist and as the silver lining to this experience, I feel like I am more conscious of how much sugar and carbs are in the foods I eat.<br />
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I am excited to start this final trimester of pregnancy. It is getting closer every day and I can't believe we will meet our baby boy in 10 short weeks!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-14420026474100833212016-10-14T11:51:00.000-04:002016-10-14T11:51:08.188-04:00Pregnant with JRA: First trimester re-cap!!I can not believe I am already well into my second trimester of pregnancy! It is surreal, exciting and terrifying all at the same time. The first trimester was a blur of surviving the nausea and anxiously waiting for each follow-up ultrasound appointment. I feel thankful that I have had three successful and healthy ultrasounds thus far and things are moving along right on track. I have to admit, only in the past week or so I have really begun to feel it's real. My stomach has started bulging out and it's becoming harder and harder to hide the truth!<br />
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I am going to try to remember as much as I can about those first 12 weeks now for a re-cap:<br />
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<i>Weeks 4-6:</i> As a result of my IVF procedure, finding out I was pregnant was slightly different than typical. I had my embryo transfer on July 5th and literally watched them insert the embryo that is currently wiggling inside of me. How strange! I waited 5 days before taking a home pregnancy test, knowing that it could be a false positive or false negative, since the IVF medications makes pregnancy tests less reliable. However, it was a positive! At this point, I wasn't even 4 weeks pregnant yet! I was thrilled but still cautious. I waited an agonizing 10 more days before having my first blood test which confirmed the good news!<br />
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Weeks 4 and 5, I actually had lots of bloating and nausea, however, I was still on many IVF medications and recovering from the whole process, which added to my malaise feeling. This was confusing because I then started to feel much better around week 6, which increased my anxiety.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnlj1uZw4QPLJhUZ9ZHYv-tHvn6KVxCyeA3WYFdweTJ0pUe83jSwoRMiEnsxLBbwBNBfbaypN5xNfDAzZN3B3K4DPKVZsGRiRYe07ntsHbLAY9qCRBUwMRqtjuBG9WY1ddYEOMzZJEKk/s1600/download_20161014_114657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdnlj1uZw4QPLJhUZ9ZHYv-tHvn6KVxCyeA3WYFdweTJ0pUe83jSwoRMiEnsxLBbwBNBfbaypN5xNfDAzZN3B3K4DPKVZsGRiRYe07ntsHbLAY9qCRBUwMRqtjuBG9WY1ddYEOMzZJEKk/s320/download_20161014_114657.jpg" width="180" /></a><i>Weeks 6-8: </i>The first of my real pregnancy symptoms begin to really start these week. I began to have nausea randomly throughout the day where all of a sudden, I would feel sick to my stomach. I found chewing gum and ginger chews helped as well as eating lots of ritz and saltine crackers. I was usually feeling better by dinner time but then I frequently felt nauseous again after dinner as I was trying to fall asleep. Fortunately, I never actually threw up, but I frequently gagged and dry heaved. Awesome! These few weeks, I was also anxiously awaiting my 8-week ultrasound. It was such a relief to finally see a beating heart!<br />
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<i>Weeks 8-12: </i>My nausea started to decrease around week 9-10, which although is a fantastic feeling, it also begins to cause more anxiety about "why am I feeling better?" However, the extreme fatigue started to set in around week 9 and 10. I was exhausted and had to consciously think about staying awake. Fortunately, this week ended with our 12 week ultrasound! Everything looked great and it was so surreal to see baby moving around inside my stomach!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT_v0mKzHxY8YbBKP9m6oBSJbAAtGYeP3_52kyUSuoLcbAJzMbzkh_aIxC9QDPVND5DntuKYxvpTm0xaLqHkCJ7JoU-8UVgz67o5iwJlhpb_1QOK3JyN4VLhwmyz6rkTqIf9nxLyzYuk/s1600/IMG_20160922_202259_975000.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT_v0mKzHxY8YbBKP9m6oBSJbAAtGYeP3_52kyUSuoLcbAJzMbzkh_aIxC9QDPVND5DntuKYxvpTm0xaLqHkCJ7JoU-8UVgz67o5iwJlhpb_1QOK3JyN4VLhwmyz6rkTqIf9nxLyzYuk/s200/IMG_20160922_202259_975000.png" width="149" /></a><i>Weeks 13-16: Start of Second Trimester: </i>I definitely started to relax more after the 12 week ultrasound, however, I still found myself often having to remind myself that I really was pregnant. Around weeks 13-14 my stomach started to be more noticeable and I dove headfirst into buying maternity clothes. I may never wear regular jeans again! Although the nausea and fatigue subsided, I was greeted with new symptoms of pounding headaches and heartburn. My OB recommended Tums and zantac which has been helping the heartburn and the headaches are starting to decrease. This week ended with our 17 week ultrasound which was the fetal anomaly scan. This ultrasound was really neat because they looked at every organ, the heart, legs, arms, face, kidneys, etc. It was really cool to see the four chambers of the heart pumping blood as well as the bones in the baby's legs. Everything looked good and baby wasn't cooperating to roll over so we get another ultrasound in four weeks to look at the spine. Baby was moving all around but I haven't felt it yet. I'm looking forward to that in the upcoming weeks.<br />
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<i>JRA: </i>Amazingly, everything has been good with my Arthritis and Uveitis. I have some aches and pains in my knees but I think it's from carrying more weight and trying to walk 2-3 times per week instead of Arthritis symptoms. Hopefully, as I get bigger each week, my joints will continue to be quiet.<br />
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More updates soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-20787223434166567962016-07-23T19:48:00.000-04:002016-07-23T19:48:25.655-04:00IVF Cycle #1- Embryo transfer and the two-week waitFive days after the egg retrieval, we found our way back in the familiar IVF operating unit. I started to drink water on my way in as directed and by the time I had been checked in, I was bursting at the seams! Supposedly, they had the most patients ever that day and the doctor was running over an hour late. This hour turned into two and I had enough time to empty and refill my bladder three times before the transfer! The transfer was painless and easy, much like a pap smear. A very caring and motherly nurse explained everything step by step to me. As the doctor was inserting the embryo she told me not to move and I don't think I have ever been so still in my life! It was over in 15 minutes and we were given pictures of the embryo and the embryo inside my uterus. It was a very surreal experience. <div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our embryo!</td></tr>
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My clinic does not require any amount of bed rest. I took it easy that afternoon but did go to my acupuncture appointment that same day. Although, it was probably the least relaxing acupuncture session yet! I was lightheaded from not eating lunch yet and my head was spinning with too many thoughts! I took it easy the following day as well. Thus began the two-week wait...</div>
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This two week wait was very hard. My mind was spinning with thoughts about if it worked or didn't. I battled back and forth between taking a pregnancy test or not. However, after five days I caved and decided I wanted to know the outcome with my husband by my side instead of at work with a phone call. I took a test on the night of day 5 (after hours of googling home pregnancy tests after IVF) and it was positive! Faint, but positive! I took two more that week and all were positive. This made the week leading up to my pregnancy test so much more bearable! It was also nice to have one week that only my husband and I knew about the news before telling our parents. I had three HCG blood tests that all showed doubling and now begins the more dreaded three week wait until our first ultrasound!</div>
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I am having mixed emotions this time. I am obviously thrilled that it was successful, but I still can't quite believe its real. I am having some pregnancy symptoms such as heart burn and fatigue and I began to feel a little nauseous this week. However, I know that I am guarding myself from becoming too excited yet. I am hopeful that this will change as time goes on..</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-69646278991299367072016-07-05T10:34:00.001-04:002016-07-05T10:34:58.608-04:00IVF Cycle #1- Week 2 of stimulation and Egg Retrieval Week one of my first IVF cycle went by quickly and uneventfully. However, week two was more challenging:<br />
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Cycle day 7: This day I went in for my first monitoring appointment. I had blood work and a transvaginal ultrasound. They said everything looked good and I had 6 follicles on the right and 3 on the left. They had me add in the Centrocide at this point and decrease my Gonal-f from 150 to 112.5<br />
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Cycle day 8-10: For the next three days I continued with morning ultrasounds and blood work. They kept my Gonal-F at 112.5 and on day 10 I had 10 follicles on the right and 6 on the left. I was feeling OK, but becoming really tired from all the early morning injections and appointments.<br />
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Cycle day 10: On day 10 I was told to trigger at 9.30 pm with Lupron and HCG. I was unnecessarily anxious for the HCG trigger, which was my only intramuscular injection all cycle. However, it didn't hurt at all. In fact all of the IVF injections hurt way less than my weekly Enbrel injections.<br />
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At this point in the cycle, I was feeling quite bloated and wore only elastic band pants or skirts for the rest of the week!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt7uQ1EPeJjQqAgwK9gfwj_nCgWq3GEArucMWBHTBPoFZO3qzZ-5XGwcJVi2vZ6snGSBVvLlECFO701VPtYX7H5C9hGhILyphawzy2Ujr2cO8jY60Xv8XLYl2NIkUf6IRICIeDOIlSI4/s1600/20160630_085702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjt7uQ1EPeJjQqAgwK9gfwj_nCgWq3GEArucMWBHTBPoFZO3qzZ-5XGwcJVi2vZ6snGSBVvLlECFO701VPtYX7H5C9hGhILyphawzy2Ujr2cO8jY60Xv8XLYl2NIkUf6IRICIeDOIlSI4/s200/20160630_085702.jpg" width="150" /></a>Egg Retrieval: We left our house around 7am for our egg retrieval in order to arrive the required 1.5 hours early. Once at the hospital the nurse checked me in and began gathering my medical history. At this point they left my husband in the waiting room for him to be called to produce his sample. However, my husband and I were texting back and forth and after a 30 minute wait still no one had come to get him. This was frustrating as I was anxious and would have appreciated if he had been able to stay with me. Finally, I asked where he was and one of the nurses went and got him and assured us they would find him when he had to produce his sample. I walked into the OR independently, they got me settled on the table and then begin giving me the anesthesia and that's the last thing I remembered. I woke up and my abdomen was really crampy and sore with sharp pains. The nurse gave me one dose of pain medication which took the edge off but I was still quite sore, so she gave me one more 1/2 dose before I left. They had collected 22 eggs which was great!<br />
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Retrieval recovery: I spent the rest of the day at home sleeping and resting. The next day I was still sore and my lower back was really achy. I went to acupuncture but that was all I had the energy for. On the second day after my retrieval, I felt less achy but I became very nauseous in the morning after taking my Estrace pills and felt nauseous on and off the rest of the day. I made sure to drink lots of water and gatorade during this recovery and my bloating decreased little by little. I also had to take a pill called cabergoline to decrease my risk of OHSS due to the high number of egg retrieval. Fortunately, by the third day post egg-retrieval, I felt much better and more like myself! We learned that we had 18 eggs fertilized! I was so thankful to know that we will probably have some embryos to freeze. It made me feel less stressed about our fresh transfer having to work, knowing that we have back-up!<br />
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Today in just a few hours is my embryo transfer! I am nervous and excited! It's strange to think there will be an embryo inside of me this afternoon! I have acupuncture tonight at 6pm and then I plan to just rest and take it easy tomorrow and return to work on Thursday! Fingers crossed for success!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-91852160261725133982016-06-24T17:20:00.000-04:002016-06-24T17:20:45.340-04:00Let's get this party started: IVF Cycle #1 is underway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav3gPfujQj8iGyWFNhDGjKY_dZTeiYkVX1ihviowfYgznH3Xo2rAaEXc0iuuYAgkhTACbd26h5DqfpModTbeUZsgCOu18TF511f8lxMkfkL3wiP2LlGPW2HvtDPSnb082bIvnxw4ycw4/s1600/20160610_185809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav3gPfujQj8iGyWFNhDGjKY_dZTeiYkVX1ihviowfYgznH3Xo2rAaEXc0iuuYAgkhTACbd26h5DqfpModTbeUZsgCOu18TF511f8lxMkfkL3wiP2LlGPW2HvtDPSnb082bIvnxw4ycw4/s200/20160610_185809.jpg" width="200" /></a>This post is long over due but a lot has happened since my last entry. First of all, I got my "box of meds" in the mail. Having had JRA my entire life, I am used to having tons of medications and am not easily overwhelmed with complicated medical regimes. However, this was a much larger box then I was expecting. It also contained a ton of 1 1/2 inch intramuscular needles. This caused me to panic, because under my protocol I only have one intramuscular injection. After a panicked 9.00 pm phone call on day 2 to the on-call fertility pharmacy nurse, we realized these needles were intended to be the syringes you used to mix the medicine, and you could just unscrew the needle cap. Crisis averted. </div>
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Cycle Day 2: I was on birth control pills for two weeks. I had no side effects from these pills but it was a long two weeks anxiously awaiting the green light to proceed with the injections. I had my baseline ultrasound on cycle day 2 to determine my Antral Follicle count and make sure there were no cysts. I started my Gonal-F injection this night. It comes in a nice epi-pen style injection and I barely felt it.</div>
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Cycle Days 3-5: I dutifully completed my Menopur injection each morning around 6.30 and my Gonal-F injection, every night around 8.30. I felt ok throughout most of this week. I was definitely feeling tired, crampy and more bloated by day 5. However, I think I felt tired from waking up at 6 every day to do the injection. I went to acupuncture on day 5 and have my first follow-up ultrasound and blood work on Day 6.<br />
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The one thing I did that I felt was really helpful was to make a calender to keep track of all the medicines. There are a lot of medicines to keep track of and it helped the weeks go by quicker when I could cross off the days! I invoked Daeneyrs, the mother of dragons, from Game of Thrones as inspiration for my cycle. I felt like she was a strong inspiration!</div>
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Will update more!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-67413592032646175612016-06-02T08:42:00.002-04:002016-06-02T08:42:55.556-04:00Cycle Day 1: Pre-IVF cycleToday is cycle day 1 of the month before my first IVF cycle. In some ways I feel like I have been waiting for this day forever and in other ways I still can't believe its happening. I initially thought that an IVF cycle was one month long, but it is frequently about two months long from start to finish. This month I will take birth control pills to help suppress my hormones and regulate my cycle. Next cycle I will start all the injections to suppress ovulation and then stimulate the ovaries to produce many eggs in preparation for the transfer and retrieval.<br />
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Since my last entry I successfully had hysteroscopy #3 to remove the left over tissue from my miscarriage. It wasn't as painful as I expected and I even returned to work that afternoon with minimal cramping. I am hopeful that I will not need many more hysteroscopies in my future, three is enough! I then anxiously awaited the insurance approval and here we are.<br />
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I have been attending acupuncture for the last few months and you can read about that <a href="https://allgrownupwithjra.com/2016/05/15/my-adventure-into-acupuncture/" target="_blank">here.</a> It has been relaxing and has helped decrease my stress level. I am going to continue to try to take it one day at a time for the next two months..<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-25713399897377490802016-04-12T10:09:00.000-04:002016-04-12T10:09:51.778-04:00One step forward, two steps back. Since my miscarriage in February, I have often felt like we continually take one step forward and then two steps back towards getting pregnant again. Since I last updated, I had an office hysteroscopy to determine the "state" of my uterus. I made the mistake of googling this procedure before my appointment and had managed to make myself incredibly anxious. However, the procedure itself was only mildly crampy, and over quickly. Unfortunately, they found some retained tissue during the hysteroscopy and recommended a surgical hysteroscopy to remove the tissue. I was not expecting another surgical procedure and this felt like a huge set back, pushing our timeline back again another month.<br />
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The day before the surgical hysteroscopy I had an ultrasound scheduled to determine if the retained tissue was still present. The ultrasound showed a clear uterus. Hooray! We cancelled the surgery and scheduled office hysteroscopy #2 and an endometrial biopsy to once again make sure my uterus was clean and ready to go. Unfortunately, this procedure showed that the retained tissue was still there! Two steps back again. We are now waiting to have office hysterocopy #3 to remove the tissue and then hopefully (all fingers crossed) proceed forward with IVF.<br />
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In the mean time, I made an appointment with a different fertility clinic. Dealing with very specialized doctors my entire life for my JRA, I am not used to having so many different qualified doctors to choose from. Although, I believe my current fertility specialist is very competent, we have not been overly pleased with the lack of communication between the doctors, nurses and patients. We often feel like procedures are being scheduled before being explained to us, or we are being shuffled around between a variety of different doctors who aren't fully aware of our plan of care and treatment history. For now, we will continue to proceed with our current clinic as to not be delayed any longer and will investigate another clinic at the end of May. Hopefully, we will soon be taking one, two or even three steps forward at a time!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-11282693889162023352016-03-20T15:02:00.001-04:002016-03-20T15:02:23.690-04:00Picking Up The Pieces<i>Update: Before I share my new post, I want to give a quick update of where we are now. After my last post, I had a D&E. Often times this is a sad day, as it can symbolize the pregnancy officially being over. However, I had felt that way since learning about the miscarriage the week prior. I was actually eagerly awaiting the D&E because it meant that we could move forward to the next step. Unfortunately, my beta levels took a long time to decrease and were still at 4 even after a "period." I had an office hysteroscopy to investigate and it was determined that there was still some retained tissue after my D&E (a known complication). As a result, I now need to have a surgical hysteroscopy to remove the last remaining tissue. Initially, I was disheartened by this momentary set back. However, if we are to move forward with IVF, I would rather do everything possible to give us the best chance of success. So that's where we are now, waiting for my next cycle so I can have the hysteroscopy and hopefully continue moving forward with IVF. In the meantime, I am taking advantage of this extra time to prepare myself physically and mentally. I have been going to yoga and may try acupuncture.</i><br />
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I just returned for a week long vacation in Florida. Lying on the beach and submersing myself in a novel was what I needed to distract myself from the many ups and downs of the past two months. I grabbed a Nicholas Sparks book from the condominium library, a novel about a cowboy meeting an elderly man and their friendship that evolved. However, I couldn't find myself feeling motivated to read it, so I switched it for a Jodi Picoult book about a music therapist overcoming some of life's obstacles. I was intrigued by her career as a music therapist which has always interested me during my career as an occupational therapist. On page 5 of this book it discusses the main character, "Zoe," and her struggle with infertility. I immediately put the book down and scoffed out loud to myself. Out of all the books I could have chosen, I randomly choose a book about a women and her struggle with infertility and miscarriages. How ironic! I could have chosen to pick another book, but I felt like it was too coincidental that I choose this book. </div>
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At one point in the story, after she has just had a late term miscarriage at 28 weeks and delivers a stillborn, she is angry lying in bed and throws a clock radio shattering it to pieces. She decides that she needs to pick up the pieces of the broken radio before someone walks in and pick up the pieces and move forward with her life. I feel that at this point in my journey I am picking up the pieces to move forward as well. It still stings when a baby shower invitation arrives in the mail or when I see the cute young family at the beach playing with their two year old twins, but instead of being sad that we could have had those moments, I am excited that <i>we will </i>have them. There are still many appointments, procedures and obstacles ahead in our adventure to become parents but I have begun to pick up the pieces, one a time, to move forward in our journey. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-75380298717065136002016-02-07T16:36:00.001-05:002016-02-07T16:36:11.687-05:00When things don't go according to plan...Having had JRA my entire life, I am used to things not going as planned. I can't even count the number of times my typically positive attitude is crushed after having heard that my Uveitis or JRA is flaring once again. I think subconsciously I was trying to prepare myself for the possibility of a miscarriage, knowing that nothing in my life has come easily. However, nothing could have prepared me for that ultrasound appointment. <div>
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I was having an early ultrasound by the fertility clinic. I didn't have an appointment scheduled with my OB until 10 weeks and when I called to cancel my follow-up appointment with my fertility specialist, I voiced my concerns about waiting so long until being seen. The nurse said they would see me sooner for a 7 week ultrasound. I had had pregnancy symptoms on and off for the past 7 weeks. I was occasionally nauseous, cramping, bloated, etc. Although, all my symptoms were varying in intensity, I had no reason to be concerned that anything was amiss. We had told our family and many close friends and I was beginning to believe that this was really happening and we were starting how we were going to tell more friends around Valentine's day. </div>
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We were brought into the ultrasound room by a young, friendly technician, who explained what was going to happen and than began with the abdominal ultrasound. She took her measurements and then asked me to change for the transvaginal ultrasound. I thought I saw what looked like an embryo on the screen, but never have been pregnant before, I was unsure what to expect and I was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole process. She explained it is protocol to have the doctor's assistant come in to oversee the transvaginal ultrasound and explain the results. </div>
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The doctor's assistant was cold, blunt and barely looked at me throughout the process. I began to become concerned when she asked, "have there been any other images of this?" She then went on to explain that typically at 7 weeks there should be a heartbeat and based on the size of the embryo, this was a failed, non-viable pregnancy. She was sorry and they would call my doctor to let her know. They then left us shocked and in disbelief in the dark, ultrasound room. I could barely process the news and immediately began crying, still not fully comprehending what had happened. </div>
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My fertility doctor was very empathetic and agreed that it was in fact a failed pregnancy. She then went over some of the early results of our fertility testing and recommended a D and E procedure and to schedule more fertility testing at my next cycle. This 45 minutes appointment with the fertility doctor was a blur. I was listening to everything she said but the words did not seem real. Just two hours previously we were discussing who to share our exciting news with next and how we would every agree on a boys name we both liked. Now we were discussing a surgery to remove the embryo and further fertility testing. I felt numb.</div>
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I was able to hold it together until we got into the car in the parking lot. All the emotions off the past few hours overwhelmed me. Why did this happen? Was it my JRA? Will I ever get pregnant again? Is this just the first of many miscarriages? What do we do now? It's not just not fair... That following weekend was one of the hardest weekends. I was crushed, devastated, angry and worried. I have known many people who have gone through miscarriages, but you truly do not understand the grief, emotions, and sadness that comes with miscarriages until you experience it personally. What's more difficult is that these emotions are usually dealt with silently as women are expected to get right back into their normal lives. For that entire following week, I became upset just saying the words aloud. I avoided all social media. Pictures and status updates of pregnancy and babies brought me additional anger, sadness and grief. I bowed out of the one year old birthday party I was invited to over the weekend. How would I be able to see babies and pregnant mothers without becoming angry and upset over their success. It wasn't their fault they had successful pregnancies, but where else would the frustration and anger go?</div>
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I had my D and E on Friday and will write about that in an upcoming post. I am still sad about my miscarriage and will be for many months to come. This is an experience that never leaves you and it will be forever a part of our journey to start a family. However, I am feeling much better now and am ready for the next steps, whatever that may be...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-39583652054358966622016-01-15T17:45:00.000-05:002016-01-15T17:45:27.120-05:00My Big Fat Positive!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On New Year's Day I found out I was pregnant!! I still can't believe its really true! I am only 6 weeks pregnant so we have just told our families for now, but we can't wait to be able so share it with everyone!</div>
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As you can read from my <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-infertility-appointment.html">previous post,</a> we met with a fertility specialist in December after 7 months of trying to get pregnant. She agreed that it would be reasonable to pursue some testing to see if there was something preventing conception. However, one of the tests she recommended was called an HSG, a presumably painful procedure where they inject contrast die into your uterus to make sure no tubes are blocked. She advised I want till my next cycle and enjoy the holidays before scheduling this procedure. Fortunately, I am still waiting!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In light of all these fertility appointments, I was totally not expecting a positive test this month! I took a test the morning of New Year's day because we had plans with friends over the weekend and I wanted to know if could drink. I was completely shocked when there was a faint line on my wondfo test strip. I quickly chugged as much water as I could to take my last first response test and there was a bright, bold second pink line within seconds! My husband was at work so I had to process this news by myself for the next 8 hours! It was so hard to keep it a secret until he got home from work, but the look on his face was worth it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-journey-begins.html">one whole year </a>since we first met with my rheumatologist in December 2014 and began weaning off cellcept and methotrexate, in order to start trying to conceive. There have been many <a href="http://www.allgrownupwithjra.com/2015/09/epic-pharmacy-fail.html">physical </a>and <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/04/that-familiar-ache.html">emotional </a>ups and down over the past year but we are thrilled that it has all finally paid off! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I will be continuing to update here as my pregnancy progress and will link this blog with my main blog, <a href="http://www.allgrownupwithjra.com/">allgrownupwithjra</a>, once the first trimester has passed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Stay tuned!</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-90442148647670987792015-12-11T11:18:00.001-05:002015-12-11T11:18:16.469-05:00The Infertility Appointment. I have been delaying to write an update for a while, because I have been hoping it will be an "I'm pregnant!" update instead of the infertility appointment update. However, after 7 months of unsuccessful trying I decided it was time to investigate things further. My anxiety about keeping my JRA under control, on less than optimal systemic medications has continued, and was recently exacerbated after my pharmacy gave me the <a href="http://allgrownupwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/09/epic-pharmacy-fail.html">wrong dose of Enbrel,</a>causing a brief Uveitis flare. Fortunately, everything is back under control and I am even more anxious to get pregnant quickly.<br />
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<a href="https://conceptionconnections.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/infertility.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://conceptionconnections.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/infertility.jpg" width="130" /></a>This leads me to yesterday's appointment at the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery. I have been to hundreds of doctors appointments in my lifetime but I was more anxious about this one then many of my previous appointments. Infertility is certainly out of my comfort zone of medical knowledge and experience. Send me to an ophthalmologist or rheumatologist any day but I had no idea what to expect at this appointment. Infertility is usually managed by a reproductive endocrinologist (RE), a new specialist to add to my list! The RE we met with was very thorough and informative. She agreed with my concerns to want to become pregnant quickly and my hesitation to wait the recommended year of trying to conceive before seeking out fertility treatment. She suggested a full-blood work up, semen analysis and to schedule a hysterosalpingogram, or HSG, at my next cycle. She then discussed that if nothing is found wrong, it will be a little tricky have insurance approve any treatments before a year of unsuccessful trying, but we can cross that bridge when the time comes.<br />
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I left feeling slightly relieved that we had a plan in motion and were no longer just waiting for it to happen. Trying to conceive while having JRA is very emotionally stressful. It is very hard for me to not think about the "what if's?" What if some of my medications make it harder to get pregnant? What if having JRA for 30 years somehow impacts my fertility? What if I flare and need medications that are contraindicated in pregnancy? What if this never happens? However, I am hopeful that we are heading in the right direction and will have answers one way or another soon...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-34496378676525500672015-08-31T17:18:00.002-04:002015-08-31T17:18:49.434-04:00The Trying To Conceive Chemistry Experiment <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvRWQEg1e8qvfJFkmjb9xmMxNBYIPNL8oEyXJpVaV0m6_K1-eKKlv06FURHBYI3J6J4mT3-JhOHwuEvkMUj4rybr57UuRLoc2QgOj_6YfCkX0BD2KCdEi1IiuX_Bzo4c83xVEUIEXxdM/s1600/dd51ea12b6bc637a763a945d7f2a59a0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvRWQEg1e8qvfJFkmjb9xmMxNBYIPNL8oEyXJpVaV0m6_K1-eKKlv06FURHBYI3J6J4mT3-JhOHwuEvkMUj4rybr57UuRLoc2QgOj_6YfCkX0BD2KCdEi1IiuX_Bzo4c83xVEUIEXxdM/s320/dd51ea12b6bc637a763a945d7f2a59a0.jpg" width="320" /></a>When trying to get pregnant, it is very easy to get sucked into the "TTC" world. Full of confusing acronyms, countless gadgets and endless stick peeing. I promised myself that I would not "be one of those women" whose whole life becomes focused on charting their temperatures and getting pregnant. However, this is a lot easier said then done. After <strike>two</strike> one unsuccessful cycle, I began turning the whole process into a chemistry experiment, anxious to quickly become pregnant while my JRA continues to be under control. I used more ovulation predictor strips then I care to confess to and dutifully charted every symptom that could possibly mean anything on my fertility app on my phone. However, this whole experience quickly takes the romance, spontaneity and fun out of the whole process. Having to drop everything and "get to it" as soon as the ovulation predictor strip turns positive, can quickly make having sex a chore. <span id="goog_764436344"></span><br />
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Of course having JRA, adds additional pressure to trying to conceive. I started this journey last January when I began to wean off my current medical treatment for <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/05/one-more-checkpoint.html">6 months </a>and add safer medications to my regiment. Every minor ache and pain I have received since starting this process, has caused me to spiral into anxiety about whether this is a start of a flare that will further delay my family plans. Fortunately, I have been very lucky so far (knock on wood!) I have found some support in fellow RA bloggers stories about their journeys to parenthood as well as a facebook group for mothers with RA. The two week wait continues to seem agonizingly long as I continue on this journey but I am optimistic that will be an announcement soon...<br />
<span id="goog_764436343"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-38851345566764734782015-07-13T20:09:00.001-04:002015-08-01T16:07:29.205-04:00The Lack of Control<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6Oadcyu2sSTihA6cPS-u4oVOs-9lmV7BlFA9g44jLTj8iUGBAQ3T3ol9zeTn9vB-EmagIvgl85Red8gokrcrYk6cUtggZT3FwTAZ767MzMfrIoRQyFwAQelYSvNycQb6BVNM6HPGC20/s1600/alender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6Oadcyu2sSTihA6cPS-u4oVOs-9lmV7BlFA9g44jLTj8iUGBAQ3T3ol9zeTn9vB-EmagIvgl85Red8gokrcrYk6cUtggZT3FwTAZ767MzMfrIoRQyFwAQelYSvNycQb6BVNM6HPGC20/s1600/alender.jpg" /></a>I am a planner. I have a google calendar that controls my life. I have lists and post it notes everywhere. I send myself reminders to my phones and email, so I don't miss appointments. I am not sure if I would have always been like this or if having to constantly juggle 7 different doctors, therapy appointments and constantly changing medicines have forced me to become a planner. Whenever I am stressed or overwhelmed, I plan. By organizing my life and planning my future, I am able to relax and de-stress. However, the lack of control and inability to plan in my current situation is very hard for me! My husband just says, "relax, it will happen when it happens." But I can't! I know there are many parts of my life in the future that I won't be able to plan and I guess I will just have to "let it happen, when it happens.." Maybe tomorrow, I can make a plan to stop planning...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-30424769781559536392015-06-25T19:15:00.004-04:002015-12-27T21:12:36.464-05:00The Green Light<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_Yc-MO9x4vvozwBzVWGHvcBqzQJkqMqX13vfiuSTpLPvZOFB4HfX7wnPnMCwRU5FGLxg0WUL1FlnWZF8TXISfPOaffnkjLsYWngILqEgnYiERZ6s3RZRFhRPm_U_v09R1-k_EWseVSk/s1600/images+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_Yc-MO9x4vvozwBzVWGHvcBqzQJkqMqX13vfiuSTpLPvZOFB4HfX7wnPnMCwRU5FGLxg0WUL1FlnWZF8TXISfPOaffnkjLsYWngILqEgnYiERZ6s3RZRFhRPm_U_v09R1-k_EWseVSk/s200/images+%25284%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a>Since my last post, I got the green light from multiple doctors that my JRA was still being well controlled on the Enbrel since my medication change in <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-journey-begins.html">January</a>. Hooray! The 6 month waiting period after stopping my methotrexate was a lot more <a href="http://pregnantwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/04/that-familiar-ache.html">emotionally </a>and psychologically challenging than I had anticipated. I was cautiously optimistic when I removed the final "barrier" (my IUD) in May. However, like all aspects of my life, there was a minor set-back when I was tested for immunity to various diseases and had to be re-vaccinated. Read more about that experience on my other blog <a href="http://allgrownupwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/06/rheumatoid-arthritis-and-vaccines.html">here</a>. Fortunately, it was resolved quickly and I still have "The Green Light."<br />
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A lot of women are anxious and excited to get pregnant quickly once they have started planning. However, given the fast that I have patiently waited 6 months while changing medicines and dealt with increased pain during that period, I am even more impatient then usual! Luckily, there are apps for that! After a few minor set-backs including <a href="http://allgrownupwithjra.blogspot.com/2015/05/seventeen-stitches-to-sunshine-state.html">cutting my hand </a>pretty severely, I was pretty anxious to start trying. I downloaded and uninstalled a ton of phone apps to help track my cycle (considering I hadn't had a period in over 4 years, it was pretty much a shot in the dark). I finally settled on the Ovia fertility application. It is organized, clear, and had helpful articles that actually taught me new information. I also like that although there is a social, community aspect, it is pretty minor and easy to avoid (listening to other people's negative experiences just make me more stressed!)<br />
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I also bought about 50 ovulation test strips on amazon for about $10.00. There are no frills about them, they are basically litmus paper strips, but that is honestly what the $50.00 ovulation test kits are anyways, just in fancier packaging. I would highly recommending going this route.<br />
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And that brings us just about up to date to where I am now! I will try to continually update as I go through this journey..<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-79801031254480298372015-05-09T10:47:00.003-04:002015-05-09T10:47:17.375-04:00One More Checkpoint..It has been almost five months since I started this journey to prepare myself to try to start a family. Five months and we haven't even started trying yet. Fortunately, I have one more doctors appointment to make sure my JRA is in check and then I will feel confident that my current treatment is working. I am of course anxious to begin trying to conceive because that journey could take months as well. However, I feel very fortunate that I have been able to make it this far with limited pain and disease activity (knock on wood!). Today I am going on a a much needed week vacation to the beach and the timing is perfect. It will mark the end of my weaning off medication period and when I return I will be beginning the next phase of my journey. I feel like the ocean is coincidentally symbolic of living with JRA. Having JRA can often feel like the ocean tides, rolling in and out in waves of aggressive flares or periods of calm, tranquility. I am excited to begin the next phase of my journey and excited about what's to come!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-43222827774220984712015-04-21T20:49:00.000-04:002015-04-24T21:35:27.623-04:00My Love/Hate RelationshipMost people with JRA have a love and hate relationship with Prednisone. These small innocent looking pills can work quickly and effectively to reduce joint pain and inflammation but have a slew of unpleasant, annoying side effects. Personally, the biggest and most severe side effect of Prednisone is that it can raise intraocular eye pressure after an extended period of time. I have been battling with glaucoma for the past 7 years as a result of my Uveitis eye disease, and always need to keep a watchful "eye" (pun intended!) on my eye pressures. However, on some occasions I have needed Prednisone to help bridge the gap as we were waiting for treatments to work or to just get over the hump of a flare. There was a period in college when I was on Prednisone for a few months and every time I look at pictures of myself from that period, I can immediately tell what my JRA disease activity was based on the "moon face" in my pictures, In fact this "moon face" became so common, that after having my wisdom teeth removed, some relatives thought my JRA was flaring and it was Prednisone causing my cartoon like swollen cheeks! My third least favorite side effect of Prednisone is the "munchies" or extreme increased appetite I get while taking it. I already constantly crave sweets and have been trying to cut back on processed foods and dairy as much as possible, I know this will be much more challenging when the munchies set in!<br />
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I bring all of this up because my knees have been slightly achier than usual the past few weeks. My rheumatologist suggested a short treatment of Prednisone to tie me over for the next month, with the hopes that the Enbrel will be in full effect by then. Personally, I am still in denial over the achiness of my knees and am hoping it is just the changing weather that is causing me pain. However, I understand that active disease is not good for my pre-pregnancy planning as well and Prednisone is one of the few medicines that has been studied and is generally safe during Pregnancy. Therefore I am going to give it one more week to see how my knees feel before diving into my love/hate relationship with Prednisone once more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-67800455811461805492015-04-15T12:13:00.002-04:002015-04-27T21:42:26.838-04:00That Familiar AcheAfter 27 years with JRA, you become very in-tuned with different types of pain and what they may mean. The achy, sore pain after overdoing it. The throbbing, hot pain of a flare up. The popping, cracking, locking pain of degenerative knee changes. Up until now these pains have just been another part of my life and have not caused more concern then determining whether to take some advil or call my rheumatologist for a check-in. However, when I woke up in the middle of the night on Sunday with my knees burning, it caused my mind to race. Is this the beginning of a flare? What are my medical options? Is this what I am going to feel like for the next year? Am I going to be able to get pregnant and deal with this without being able to take medicine for the pain? What happens if it takes a year to get pregnant and this is my life for the next two years?<br />
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Well some of these questions are legitimate, some are definitely an over-reaction of my tired, sore, exhausted state at 3 am. Fortunately, after a day of icing my knees and advil PM, I am feeling significantly better this morning and am once again optimistic for the potential ahead. Although, I do hope that I won't be stuck in this "limbo" period much longer, I have always felt that once I am pregnant, I will be able to deal with the pain and whatever comes my way. Because I know the light at the end of the tunnel, will be the best, most rewarding experience of my life. I need that goal in my near future to keep myself pushing forward. At this point, that goal is still around a curve at the ledge of mountain with no tunnel in sight...</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-71608468526143402422015-04-05T20:23:00.005-04:002015-04-27T21:41:19.425-04:00The Decision To Have a BabyI believe the decision to have a baby is a deeply personal and important decision that should be made between two loving partners. However, I'd like to share a little insight into some of my thoughts throughout this process.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyn4yTHwPQpwS4D2bbSjSWE3VNSNgHaulom5JXjtFU6BEkHfbyHBIQxB1zwgrTtrhuGNdTHonyCBPlHXvZR7QNxAzBBsWf31dYIwih1j_diTxCf9qR7I0DtBYODc2EtO9YINHd4N75Ic/s1600/baby_blocks_clipart.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCyn4yTHwPQpwS4D2bbSjSWE3VNSNgHaulom5JXjtFU6BEkHfbyHBIQxB1zwgrTtrhuGNdTHonyCBPlHXvZR7QNxAzBBsWf31dYIwih1j_diTxCf9qR7I0DtBYODc2EtO9YINHd4N75Ic/s1600/baby_blocks_clipart.gif" height="200" width="200" /></a>I have always wanted to be a mother. I love babies and children. I always loved babysitting and often feel like a child at heart. In my career I treat babies and children as a pediatric occupational therapist and without talking, listening and laughing with my patients, I would not be able to get through my day.<br />
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I always felt like I would know when the time was right. When most people are deciding to start a family they would like to be married, have a steady job, steady finances and a house or home they are comfortable living in. I've been lucky that I have known my husband for 11 years, so finding the right partner was not a challenge. I have a steady career and stable living situation. However, I feel like having JRA trumps some of the other factors in deciding to have children. I feel like I don't have the luxury to wait until we have our perfect house. I can not be sure of what the future holds for me medically. Will I need a knee replacement? Will I need more eye surgery? All of these questions made me want to pursue having a family while I was healthy and made the other factors less of a priority.<br />
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I have had relatively quiet disease activity since I graduated college. I felt like this was my chance. JRA is an unpredictable disease and I wanted to have a child when I was the healthiest I could be. I know that it will not get easier to be pregnant or care for a child as I get older. Therefore after talking with all my medical providers, they all agreed that I was healthy and were confident and hopeful with my plan. I know it may be the most challenging journey I have experienced so far, but I am very excited to begin it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-78222564160568267952015-03-16T13:05:00.001-04:002015-04-05T20:07:50.578-04:00Babies, Babies, EverywhereI am not exaggerating when I say that there are babies all around me. I had a cousin deliver a baby in January, my brother just had his first baby last week, I have another cousin due in April and a third cousin due in May. There are literally babies all around me. Of course this is making it even more difficult to stop thinking about weaning off my medications and trying to get pregnant.<br />
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Next week will be mark the 3rd month of being off my previous medication regime. Most rheumatologists agree that you should wait 6 months since stopping methotrexate before trying to conceive in order to ensure that the medication is no longer lingering in your system. Therefore this means we are <i>halfway</i> there in terms of this "limbo" waiting period. This "limbo" period has been a lot harder for me mentally and emotionally then physically thus far. Besides the rogue knee pain, I have been feeling well. However, emotionally and mentally it is very trying. I am constantly anxious waiting for something to go wrong or for my body to flare. Not being able to trust your body your entire life makes it hard to trust it when time becomes precious. However, I feel that with each passing month and each good medical appointment, I am feeling more confident that this in fact can be done!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2108211516798140256.post-19516097214613670152015-03-04T14:13:00.001-05:002015-04-27T21:37:22.437-04:00The Journey Begins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJbHdlShj750WNfKkLogy5Y8lLIlxLQywa4bOlCpqmgPdq1NzrMg9RxIyT6JXC7IwBKY9jz2_IPB3jUMqu00DHnw6coLTz8JB2sFQ83KyTrS9mOjuoc1JKOjlpXK8Z07DPqZ4KoxTYO0/s1600/images.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJbHdlShj750WNfKkLogy5Y8lLIlxLQywa4bOlCpqmgPdq1NzrMg9RxIyT6JXC7IwBKY9jz2_IPB3jUMqu00DHnw6coLTz8JB2sFQ83KyTrS9mOjuoc1JKOjlpXK8Z07DPqZ4KoxTYO0/s1600/images.png" height="185" width="200" /></a>I recently embarked on the terrifying and exciting journey to start a family. For a woman without JRA, after some planning with your husband or loved one, you decide to start trying and just go for it. You may change your diet or get a physical exam but not much more planning is involved. However, for someone with JRA there is a lot of planning. My husband and I started the initial conversation with my rheumatologist in December and decided to beigin the process of stopping my current medication treatment (which was contraindicated in pregnancy) to try to find a medicine regime that would keep my JRA under control, but not be contraindicated during pregnancy. I started Enbrel in January with the hopes that it would keep my disease under control until I tried to get pregnant and then as a back up if I needed it during pregnancy. Enbrel is an old buddy of mine from when I was younger, so I am cautiously optimistic.<br />
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I am currently in frequent communication with my specialists and am being followed monthly by ophthalmologist (to monitor my uveitis). However despite everything going as planned, I feel like I am living in constant fear that my JRA will not be able to be controlled on just Enbrel. Every twinge I feel in my knee or floater in my eye instills great panic about an upcoming flare and what that may mean to my future planning.<br />
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Fortunately, I have been busy at work and am trying to just think about it day by day. I find it hard to believe it is already March. I do wish that this journey was not so complicated but I know it will be worth it in the end.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0