Immune/NK Issues - aka Pred Thread no 24!

[KittyKatSmile]

An introduction to this thread. It has been running for many years and has proved a saviour for so many of us who have suffered recurrent miscarriages as we go through this incredibly tough journey.

Discussions cover NK (natural killer) cells, thyroid issues, PGS and many many more.

Welcome to the group no-one wants to be in 

Tagging people from the previous thread but please tag anyone else I've missed.

@Chickjen @FrannyAnny82 @ginandtonicformeplease @HoldingOn2Hope @LockThatFridge @Luckyducky2 @MairMum18 @MrsMargot @weddinghelp1 @williteverhappen @Wishing5tar @zoe16
@Eeviee
@Ultra26

[FrannyAnny82]

@Crystal2020 @Eeviee Thank you and good luck today Eeviee. I tested again this morning, line came up quickly and was darker so didn't need to tear test apart like a rabid raccoon. But it's still so, so faint - squinter faint - and I'm supposed to be 12dpo now. X

[FrannyAnny82]

Also thanks for setting up a new board @KittyKatSmile 😀

[Eeviee]

@KittyKatSmile thanks for the new thread.

@FrannyAnny82 that’s great! Have you restarted the pred?

Another BFN for me today so a few tears as per always, not even a faint line so think Im out this month so will wait for AF now.

[FrannyAnny82]

I'm so sorry @Eeviee, it's the worst feeling. But 10dpo is so early, there's still hope! Ive got everything crossed for you. I've restarted the pred but I don't fancy my chances with this one. It's fainter than anything I've ever had before. Its probably another chemical.

[Eeviee]

Thanks @FrannyAnny82 , not holding out too much hope, best prepare myself for AF arriving soon... Oh no, have you had CP before?
I suppose that's one downside to having to test so early, in the past I always just waited until AF was overdue, I hate testing so early.
Really keeping everything crossed for you this time xx

[ceebee21]

Tagging myself in this one x

[KittyKatSmile]

@ceebee21 sorry I missed you off! It seemed there wasn't a very easy way of transferring people over. Hopefully others will find their way over if I've missed any others.

@FrannyAnny82 let's go with my old favourite mantra: 'today I am pregnant'! Who knows what the future holds but take something positive from this good news xx

@Eeviee I always hated having to test early. It goes against everything I believe in really...

[Luckyducky2]

Thanks for the new board @KittyKatSmile and thanks for the welcome @Eeviee, great to speak to a fellow Scot! That journey down and back sure was long. So sorry to read you had a BFN, it's such a rollercoaster every month hoping and praying, then crashing down, urgh! Exhausting . Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

I had my appointment with Dr Shehata yesterday and he was really lovely. Confirmed I have polycystic ovaries with a scan and took an eyewateringly expensive number of blood tests (hubby wasn't too pleased!). Now the wait to get the results and it's even longer than usual as he is off on holiday. Must say I had a wee cry when I got back - it felt amazing to finally speak to someone who didnt just fob me off and tell me to try again or think about donor eggs (I absolutely would but I definitely feel something else is going on with me). Just nice to be close to getting some answers at last x

[HarrietM87]

Hello, I’ve been dipping in and out of these threads for years. Had my first baby with Mr Shehata in 2018 and now trying for no 2, second cycle on SO and currently in the tww. Had 2 follicles this time so fingers crossed! Congrats on the pregnancies and wishing luck to everyone else. Anyone else doing SO?

[FrannyAnny82]

@Eeviee yes, I had one this exact weekend last year, right on my husband's birthday! I totally agree, I'd rather not know about it. I hate everything being so regimented now.

@KittyKatSmile you are right, that's a really good way to look at it. And even if the worse happens, at least SOMETHING finally happened on the dreaded pred. X

[LockThatFridge]

Just marking my place on the thread. I can feel AF cramps starting bang on time so another month goes by.
Is there anyone on here that has successfully conceived with Graves Disease? I only see my NHS consultant every 4 months and he is pretty negative about ttc. I don’t know if I should be looking to have private treatment or if my fertility will eventually return.

[Crystal2020]

How are you getting on @FrannyAnny82? Do you need to go for intralipids?

I'm having a massive wobble this week. I had felt positive about seeing Dr S, having all the bloods done etc. But now I've turned into a real mess...crying all the time and totally not myself. Not sure if this is a delayed reaction to the recent miscarriage or if I'm somehow scared about the test results. Really don't know what's going on with me. Any advice any of you have about how you've gotten yourself out of one of these periods would be much appreciated!

Hope you are all doing ok & having a nice weekend. X

[Luckyducky2]

Hi @Crystal2020, just saw your post there and I totally know how you are feeling. I've had 5 miscarriages and I've had periods where I feel like months later its hit me all over again and I'm a mess. It's hard. I was reading that women can often suffer ptsd after miscarriages and everything we have gone through (not sure of your history) so I think you just really need to be kind to yourself and look after yourself - eating well and exercising and dont be afraid to ask for help if you need it. I've had counselling during ivf and it really helped me when things went wrong, you could ask your gp for a referral? Not sure if that helps at all but I just wanted you to know you're not alone in how you're feeling xx

[Crystal2020]

Thanks so much @Luckyducky2 - it definitely helps knowing there are people who understand. 5 is an awful lot for you to have had to deal with (I've had 3).

I've definitely had bad patches before (after my 2 previous miscarriages) but this time is different and I'm not sure if I can pull myself out of it alone. I've tried meditating, reading/listening to positive thinking stuff etc but it's like I'm allergic to it all at the moment. So you make a really good point about counselling and it's something I'll definitely look into if I'm still like this in a week. We have a weekend away next week and a change of scenery is something that has really helped me in the past so fingers crossed. Thank you again. X

[Luckyducky2]

@Crystal2020 no problem at all, I think just knowing there are other people out there going through the same thing is such a comfort. I dont know about you but I dont know anyone else in my life that's going through this and it makes me feel such a failure when everyone else is popping out babies left, right and centre and I just keep losing them again and again. A change of scenery will be a great help for you I'm sure, I've done that before with pre-booked holidays and have sadly ended up miscarrying at the time of the holiday and have forced myself to go and it's been the best therapy of all! I am here if you need to talk, just PM me and happy to chat and help each other. I'm waiting for blood test results from Dr S aswell and wondering what on earth is waiting for me!! xx

[KittyKatSmile]

@Crystal2020 you are certainly not alone as @Luckyducky2 says. I would say try to focus on something that is not to do with TTC for a while, whether that be planning a big night out to let your hair down, going away or taking up a new hobby, it's good to do anything that takes your mind off the traumatic journey you're on. I would say I also didn't really spend time grieving properly. I was very conscious of not having much time left so I just wanted to get on with things which is definitely not the healthiest way of doing things. Above all be kind to yourself. We're all here and we all know how bloody hard this is xx

[MairMum18]

@Crystal2020 I suffered PTSD after my miscarriage that I had at the beginning of 2019. It took me 9 months to finally get the courage to speak to a therapist. I would find that I would be fine one minute then the next would be remembering everything and feeling so much emotional pain, I would cry for hours (my therapist likened it to flashbacks).

There's been lots in the news recently about how miscarriages can cause PTSD which surprised me, I didn't think it was possible but when you think about it, we've all been through a trauma, no matter what our experience has been. The one thing my therapist did say is that it's best to speak to someone about it, keeping everything bottled up inside makes it harder for us to cope with, and then it presents itself at the worst possible time, so maybe see if you can offload a bit on DH or a close family member, or speak to someone like a therapist.

Like @kittykatsmile says, focusing on something new may help. The turning point for me was going away on holiday. My husband took me to Vegas for a week, and when I came back I was in a complete different headspace, I'd even decided to stop TTC and just let things be, that month I got my BFP, and I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant. I do hope you find a way to cope, I understand what you're going through and I know how horrible it is, remember you're not alone. We're all here for you too. Xx

[Crystal2020]

Thank you so much @LuckyDucky2. I hear you...feels like all my friends have decided to pop them out at once! Even though I’m so happy for them (esp for my best friend), it makes me feel more and more isolated as I don’t believe anyone can know/help unless they’ve been through this. Ah you are like me and having to wait longer because of Dr S's holidays! I’m getting my results the week after next.

@KittyKatSmile I am very much like you and I always want to crack on and take action and investigate the next thing. And that’s what I was doing but I’ve been floored over the past week & it’s so unlike me. Definitely need to try and do some stuff for me that’s not fertility related like you say.

@MairMum18 success stories like yours give me so much hope. It’s probably no coincidence that I recently got pregnant in December when I didn’t give a damn about what I was eating/drinking/doing instead of trying to be perfect all the time!! I saw those stories about PTSD and miscarriages in the news and it does make so much sense and I’m glad you got help. I spoke to my husband again this morning and he made a good point that a couple of nights away next week is probably not going to make a big difference like proper holidays have done for me in the past. He thinks I should see someone sooner instead of waiting so I’m going to look into it today.

Thank you all so much xx

[FrannyAnny82]

Hi @Crystal2020 I'm so sorry you're feeling like this. Sometimes it feels so bleak and hopeless but a change of scene is a great idea. And acupuncture if you don't already do that? It's really helped me keep it together. I started bleeding today so it was a chemical pregnancy. My first loss under Dr Shehata. My husband has sperm DNA fragmentation and I reckon my eggs must be scrambled, otherwise I don't understand why it didn't work this time. But I'm going to put on some nice clothes and go out for a Sunday lunch and drink WINE! X

[Crystal2020]

I’m really sorry to hear that @FrannyAnny82. But also really impressed that you’re dusting yourself and heading out today. You deserve a goblet of wine!

My husband had pretty high DNA fragmentation at the time of our first loss (although we didn’t even know what DNA frag was at the time!). His was absolutely lifestyle related as he is a social guy who loves a night out and a drink. It took a good few months of supplements, virtually no booze etc but his levels are really good now. Hard to know how big a role it plays but it’s just another thing to rule out if nothing else!

Maybe Dr S will make some tweaks to your treatment plan now...I’m sure there are wiser ladies than me on here who can advise what happens after a loss on his plan.

Yes I do acupuncture and I can’t say enough good things about it. I credit my 3 pregnancies to it as nothing was happening before I started that! Xx

[FrannyAnny82]

Thanks @Crystal2020 xx That's great to know about your husband, it gives me hope. Before all this we loved a night out too (and an occasional drunken cigarette which is obviously terrible!) Now we don't really drink aside from a monthly trip out after a BFN. It's hard as I feel like I've given up my whole social life but just hoping it'll be worth it one day.

I hope you're feeling okay today. This business is such a rare form of fresh hell. It can be so isolating sometimes x

[Eeviee]

@Luckyducky2
glad to hear your appointment went well, where are you based on Scotland? It is a trek but hopefully will be worth it eventually.

@LockThatFridge Im sorry, i don’t have experience of Graves - but I know it’s autoimmune. Why is your consultant so negative? What did Dr S say about it?

@Crystal2020 sorry to hear you’re feeling so down, I totally get it and it’s such a rollercoaster. I too feel so isolated, not because I don’t have support but because people can’t fully understand. Ive been throwing everything at my mental health this year as I’ve really been struggling a lot, I’ve been referred for counseling through my GPand have also been trying hypnotherapy which I actually do think helps, I figure I can’t change the situation that I’m in but I can try to improve my view of the situation (if that’s at all possible). I think it’s helped me feel slightly less constant worry and fear. Also having acupuncture and reflexology, possibly overkill but trying to be extra good to myself.

@FrannyAnny82 Im so sorry to hear this, I was keeping my fingers crossed for you. How long have you been on Dr S protocol for? Hope you enjoyed your wine, you deserve it. AF started last night so I had a drink too. Big hug to you.

@MairMum18 your story fills me with hope too, did you take the pred & prog from ovulation even though you weren’t trying the month you conceived?

@FrannyAnny82 @Crystal2020 do you mind me asking how bad your OHs DNA fragmentation was? X

[MairMum18]

@Eeviee yes I still took the pred and prog that month, but just guessed when I was ovulating using previous months as a guide. The OPKs were starting to stress me out, so I knew I wanted to stop doing them altogether. My pregnancy test at 10dpo that month was negative as well, I didn't get my BFP until AF didn't show. I have my fingers crossed for you all. X

[FrannyAnny82]

@Eeviee Not at all! His came back at 34%. Only 3% with high damage, 36% average and 40% low so we're working towards getting more in that low zone. He's also got a 3.5mm varicocele that he's getting removed in a few weeks. And he's 41. I've been on the protocol for three months but the first month we only dtd after I'd ovulated due to a calendar mix up! Duh! How long have you been on it? And I hope you enjoyed that wine. We deserve it ❤️ x

[Eeviee]

Thanks @MairMum18 , Hope you are feeling well. Oh goodness OKP stress me out so much! I want to stop using them but by usually regular cycle has gone haywire and I’ve been ovulating from day 10 to 20 and keep missing key times. Was hoping AF wouldn’t show this month as had timed BD well but no luck.