TTC/Pregnancy on Prednisolone or similar part 8

[Arianrhod]

A positive thread for all those diagnosed with High or Very High NK Cells and looking to start TTC or already pregnant on Prednisolone and/or Intralipid treatment.

Newcomers very much welcome!

Part 7 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1452035-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-7

Part 6 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1419032-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-6

Part 5 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1391787-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-5

Part 4 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1366323-TTC-Pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-4

Part 3 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1348773-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-3

Part 2 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1323594-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar-part-2

Part 1 here www.mumsnet.com/Talk/conception/1236324-TTC-pregnancy-on-Prednisolone-or-similar

olives, that would definitely skew your perspective. My perspective is skewed just from sitting in that bloody early pregnancy room so often with quietly sobbing women, so god knows what it's like with them round you all day...

Kittens, I just bought a wowcher a couple of weeks ago for cocktails for two in Skylon. So it was pretty obvious I was going to get pregnant straight away after that!

Picolina, have you tried meditating? It might help. When I get mental I try to talk myself through a logical thought process that begins: it's all already set in place, what happens with this pregnancy was decided at conception, so try to relax and accept it. Doesn't always work but it's a good way to stop the blame game - none of this is our fault, and we're doing all we can to make it work.

So, meal at Heston's last night was great though I got it all wrong - totally forgot you're not supposed to eat certain things when you're pg, was just cheerfully remembering the booze as the no no. So I had pate (oops!), which was Heston's meat fruit, actually amazing, and cockles (oops!) which were with a lovely bit of turbot. And then the most amazing brown bread ice cream with salted caramel that i just wanted to fall into. Lush. Had a couple of sips of DH's wine, just to try. Didn't miss it that much though.

And then this morning I did an excellent bit of mentalling with a clearblue digital - today I'm 4+1, so I figured that if everything's going well it should say I conceived 2-3 weeks ago. And it did, thank god, or I would be having a very bad day today. I know it guarantees nothing but it's on the right path. I will use the second one next week to make sure it says 3-4. I bet I'm not the only one who does this on here, am I?

On a slightly different note (sorry to hog the thread, I'm just excited to have someone to talk to who understands!) how have people found the pred weight gain issue? I'm very sensitive to weight gain, having battled iwth weight all my life, and am currently pretty much at goal - though I struggle every month when I take it and have to be incredibly strict. Did you gain lots? Did it drop away when you tapered?

I have already noticed that despite being at goal my middle is somewhat bloaty.

sarah I am normally fairly slim and my weight is pretty stable. I found I put on about 1lb per month with the pred, so around half a stone for the 6 months I was on it (with no pregnancies in my case), which I am now trying to shift!

Cockles are fine as long as they are cooked, aren't they? And I doubt a Heston portion of pate is going to have enough Vit A in to do any harm. I am glad you had a lovely dinner!

Thanks. I thought the pate thing was in case of food poisoning but thinking about it you might be right.

Hi all, just touching base quickly!
Welcome sarah - congrats on the bfp & am completely hearing you regarding the pregnancy equals baby scenario! I try to visualise all being well but always fear the worst.
olives & sue good luck with your scans on Friday
bertha great news on your scan
kittens fingers crossed for a later than expected bfp - the waiting game is so depressing
Dh & I have decided to postpone our scan on Friday & just go along on 17th July when I will be 8 +3 unless anything goes wrong before then. Whilst an early scan can be reassuring if all ok, we were in the same position a year ago & saw the heartbeat only to lose it before the following 8+ week scan. Therefore, even if we saw a heartbeat we would still be very anxious so have decided to leave it and find out what's happening one way or another at the later scan. We ideally would have gone in next week but as mr s is on holiday, the 17th was the next available slot. I am obsessing (again) about lack of pg symptoms even though I know pred masks them & I sailed through last time with virtually nothing! Aaarrrggghhhh!!! Oh to just feel excited at the idea of being pregnant - sadly not an emotion us recurrent miscarriers will ever know again!
Hello to everyone else & good luck with all your individual situations

I also thought the pate thing was because of food poisoning and also because it might be full of crap. But now I think about it you are warned about eating veggie pate too.

Glad the dinner was good Sarah. I don't think you have done any harm with the pate. I think what we have all learned from recurrent miscarriage is that you would really have to do some bad things to actually cause a miscarriage yourself. The odd deviating from the line on food recommendations and wine is not going to do any harm at all.

Talking of which, I had a half glass of sparkling rose this evening and god, it was the the best thing I have tasted for ages. Been craving it for a while and haven't succumbed but in the end thought sod it - felt like I needed to celebrate after feeling a bit sorry for myself knowing that I am not to have much of my own cash for the next year (I know I know, DH earns for both of us now but it still feels odd) and DH cheering me up immensely by producing my birthday present early - an iPad! He's obviously taken on board my strong hints about how it would be great to have one in hospital/on late night feeds with baby etc.

Good advice for Pico on the relaxation. I also wrote a few yesterday on my phone but then lost them. DH does a mentally strenuous job (he's a psychotherapist/counsellor) and finds mediation CDs helpful. Oh and drinking lots on weekends...

Re the weight Sarah, if you scroll back through these threads it has been a running theme for us all to complain about it at some stage. Weight has also been close to my heart (no weird coronary health pun intended) as when I develped a thyroid problem when I was 21 I went from being a part-time model (swimwear would you believe) to being three stone overweight and a size 16 in just a couple of months! I was never obese granted but I then spent a few years as a size 14 and hated it (am around 5ft 5). Eventually I discovered exercise and got down to a size 12 where I was happy but in 2009 really started to go for it with the exercise and spent the next couple of years very happy at a size 8-10. When I got pregnant with the first of my adult losses (3 pregnancies in a row last year but my first two mcs were when I was 19/20 and I wasn't seriously emotionally affected) I was at that weight. After two mcs in a row and beginning steroids I went into this pregnancy at a stone more than my size 10 weight but still around my size 12 weight. I was gutted but I have been bigger so am hoping that I will be able to get back to the smaller weight sometime after the pregnancy.

I did get a rather noticeable moonface from the steroids! Funny enough this was more pronounced after I had had a mc and started to taper last summer.

Kittens any more news with the testing/AF?

sarah crossed posts! Meal sounds fab (as does the wine). I have been taking pred for a long time & have had no issues. Was warned by mr s that it can make you more prone to put on weight as it can make you hungrier but I haven't noticed that at all. Hopefully it won't cause you any issues either.
I do feel like a chemists with all the pills & jabs required to try and make me 'baby friendly'!

Sarah, I've put on half a stone since being on the pred. I lost a bit of weight during my 2 month break last year but it's all gone back on now. Probably not helped by all the hormones I'm throwing at myself with Super Ovulation etc. Mind you, I've also done a fair bit of comfort eating over the last 6 months or so since loosing my mum so I'm sure that's not helped either. Did you go to Skylon by the way? I'd love to go. Mind you, probably best to wait until the weather is a bit more reliable to make the most of the view.

Free, you've done well to hold off this long. I bet that wine was like nectar!

No more news this end, apart from me going slowly mad! I tested this morning (twice.... ahem!) and nothing . Still no AF though either. I don't feel in the slightest bit pregnant though. No tiredness, no weeing etc. I do feel like I'm hyper aware of smells but that may just be my imagination, or actually being around smelly places! I've been in the countryside and also there are some pretty nasty drains where I live in Islington! Oh, and I went to a yoga class today and couldn't lie face down on the floor 'cos it hurt my knockers, but they aren't generally painful or tender. Slightly more lumpy than normal perhaps. But it's easy to let your mind run away with you when you are looking for symptoms. I'm quite baffled though as I usually have a 10 day luteal phase and I'm just coming to the end on 13dpo. I'm turning into one of those crazy Googling BFP after BFN at 13dpo and suchlike. Shame on me! When AF turns up I will feel silly for wasting all that time!

Kittens I still have everything crossed for a shy BFP for you, there are a few good signs there.

Sarah Dinner sounds really yummy. A little bit of what you fancy will do no harm at all! On the Pred weight gain front I didn't find my appetite increased so I had no problem with weight gain however the constant pregnancy nausea I have currently is only relieved by eating so there will be some serious weight gain at this rate!

Delta It makes perfect sense to delay your scan to a time that will give you more reassurance. I hope times flies to 17th so you can see that little flicker!

Free Pink bubbles! Yum, what a nice little treat!

24 hours to go until my scan! I'm excited and terrified in equal measure - this one feels like the most crucial as I'm pretty sure that if there isn't a HB seen at 6+6 then something is wrong! Obviously if there is a HB then there is still a long road to travel but it would at least be another milestone reached! My other mini milestone is that I haven't reached 7 weeks without bleeding since my pregnancy with DS. The pessimistic part of me says that could be because of the Cyclogest though! Arrgh - why do we torture ourselves like this?!

Hi - I'd love to join the thread if you have room for another. I am "Brownstag's" friend that she has referred to in a couple of her posts.

I have two older children (first partner), but have had six mc's in the last two and a half years. Am currently pregnant, with my first scan early tomorrow morning. Will be 6 + 4 tomorrow. Nervous - obviously - but particularly because that's the stage when I found out something was wrong last time!

Have been seeing Mr S, this is my 1st month of SO.

Hello LJ! Lovely to have you with us, I mean apart from the recurrent miscarriage that has got you here. So sorry to hear of the rough time you've had over the last couple of years. Tentative congratulations too on the pregnancy and fingers crossed for the scan tomorrow. It's such a scary time, we all know. Time moves so slowly and strangely when you're counting down to these things. Please do stick around with us! I am sure there are plenty of people who will find it reassuring too that you have got pregnant on your first month of SO.

Kittens sorry things are still unclear! We know exactly what it is like to be mentalling over possible symptoms/non symptoms!

Crossed posts with you Delta yesterday. It won't make the blindest bit of difference having the early scan or not so no problem with waiting until the 17th at all. And yes, it might just save you a bit of mentalling! Mind you, I am aware that nothing can save the mentalling really but I hope you can relax and enjoy life before then. I too am counting down until the 17th and there are 12 days to go. Agggh! Try not to worry about symptoms, as you know, the Pred masks things quite significantly.

Same to you Olives with scans - good luck for tomorrow!

There are some many scans to have fingers crossed for I might have to plait my hair ala Pippi Longstocking instead. Come to think of it, it might be a rather fetching look to have when I go in for my CS in 12 days...

Thanks all for the weight gain thoughts. I will be as vigilant as I can but I guess putting a bit on is inevitable. It is a v touchy subject for me as I was once obese (size 20) and am now a stable size 12, but only through lots of hard work. The thought of putting it back on.... gah. But then, worse things happen at sea.

Kittens, knockers! Haven't heard that word for ages and it tickled me. I've stopped all my yoga just in case - I usually have lessons twice a week, but it's power yoga and not really suitable for early preg. Will go back to a gentler class after first trimester. I didn't go to Skylon; might end up giving it as a gift to someone...

Delta, totally get the scan panic thing. I'm freaking that mine is too early to see a heartbeat (I will be 6+2). I've just had so many early scans where they say 'oh don't worry, it's just a bit behind, perhaps your dates are wrong' and I go ARRRRRGGGHHHHHHH not again! I know Dr S won't be like that but that feeling... knowing it's all over. The worst was when I had a scan at 9 weeks - 7 week scan had been ok but behind in dates, 9 weeks it was still there but obvously very unwell- heart was beating very slowly. The sonographer was almost in tears and said she couldn't offer me a D&C because the embryo was still alive, but it was clearly going to die. SO I had to go away and wait for a natural mc. Blargh. So I think you're very wise to wait. I've got my fingers crossed.

Greenolives best of luck for your scan tomorrow. I have the same Cyclogest thoughts, but we must try to keep that PMA up. Will watch for your update.

Welcome LJ71. Let us know how the scan goes and good luck!

Well my big news is that i have raging nausea as of this morning. Felt a bit gippy while I was getting ready but then just before took DS to school I had to stop and lie down for five minutes while the waves passed. Then on the train my friend had to ask someone to give me their seat as I was all green and sweaty - so had to tell her i was pg. She knows about my troubled history so was v supportive. Nausea is of course good and I'm pleased because I never usually get it, and with DS I didn't get it until later in the first trimester. So I'm adding it to my arsenal of PMA to battle the mentalling when it catches me unawares.

Hi everyone! Thanks for everyone's congrats on getting to term.

Kittens - I'm following your updates with interest....
Hope Duggs and Choccy are doing ok. I have been reading but noticed they have not been around.

mollie - that's interesting about your intralipids til 32 wks. I took an extra session than normal (up to 16 wks) because I didn't want to take the steroids. I think Free also took til 16 wks due to extra high NK cells.

Free - Like you I have also been having some period like back cramps but only briefly and only at night from time to time. I had a check up a few days ago and mentioned it to doc who said it's either body practising for labour or possibly a bit of minor uterine irritation but either way it's nothing to worry about and the main thing is whether they continue into proper regular contractions. Ideally I would like to hold on for another 2 weeks minimum, but reaching 37 wks is very reassuring. Rather annoying about your house move being held up :-( but more important things to concentrate on! 12 days!!!! Great to hear you have only had positive reactions about your CS :-)

I have only one more day left at work next week, then I'm done. Thought I would feel sad about it, but I'm not really.

Good luck with all these upcoming scans.

Another BFN this morning and now cramps. I think the fat lady is warming up her voice

Sorry for your BFN kittens, it sucks :(

Free and Charlie what a milestone being full term is, wow! Charlie you are my no Pred inspiration, Louise even mentioned you to me the other day, when I asked her if they had had any success with people just taking hydroxy, she said well we do have a someone who is due any day now who has only had intralipids! I assume that is you! Free you are my hydroxy trailblazer too!

Hello LJ good to have you with us (although would obv rather you had not suffered your losses).

Big scan day tomorrow. Good luck to you all, will be thinking of you.I am in total agreement with the cyclogest discussion. I have had spotting through all of my previous pgs and am convinced the progest is masking it this time around. I had quite bad cramping yesterday, period like pains, do you think that's normal? No bleeding, thank God.

euro so sorry you are having a tough time of it. I know that you are taking a break at the moment but just wanted to let you know about a friend of mine who tried ivf through Create. They use much more natural methods and far less drugs, which may suit you. My friend had had two unsuccesful attempts with hardcore ivf (no embryos to put back) and switched to Create and had two to put back in. Unfortunately for her they didn't implant, but she said it was so much more natural and reaped better results than her previous attempts.

Hi to everyone else, and :) to Choccy, Snoopy and Duggs.

Thanks, Belly D. I had actually made enquiries with Create before we started the hardcore, but they were a bit crap in replying to me, so I ended up just going with what was on offer as I am working away over the summer and wanted to get on cycle in before I went. But it is where I will mostly likely go once we have had a bit of time "off". My mind much prefers the idea of mild stimulation. And I think my body will prefer not having to downreg!

Those downregging drugs turned me into a completely different person. I never want to go near them again. I feel so much more human now.

Sorry I can't comment on the cramping!

kittens sorry that you feel that the fat lady is warming up. :(

Just wanted to hop on and say Good Luck to all those having scans tomorrow - let the Good Luck continue!

I also had aches and pains belly so try not to worry if you can.

LJ Welcome to the thread and Sarah your meal sounds amazing.

Free also craving a bit of bubbly but will hold off a little longer I think. Did have 1 alcohol free beer each evening on holiday. Made me feel a little more normal although our bill was a lot cheaper this year. (Do I really drink that much ;)

Progesterone did make me eat. I am not normally a big eater and I did munch away on anything particularly sweet and did put on quite a bit of weight by 8 weeks and also ended up with a bit of a moon face. What I would say is that I have lost all that additional weight now and I'm mainly all bump so I wouldn't worry about the weight gain it will level off. If you are hungry maybe try and have some carrot/celery sticks or something in so at least its healthy.

My worry now is having been to the midwife this morning they measured me at 27 weeks not 29 so now debating about going to have a pvt scan next week when dh is back so I don't worry my baby is too small. Next scan is only at 33 week so quite a way off. Why can't we ever just enjoy our pregnancies. I'd hidden it so well my neighbours and people at daughters nursery have only just found out, one of which remarked how small I was just to make things worse today.

Kittens mean't to say sorry you got a neg on the stick.

Just a quickie as Ive had a shocking day at work!
Good luck to my fellow scanees tom!
Sorry to hear about BFN kittens
Welcome LJ Sorry to hear about your difficult times but fingers crossed for this one!

Best of luck for tomorrow Sue, Olives and LJ.

Huge buckets of luck to everyone with scans tomorrow!

Merc was it just the bump that measured 27w rather than the actual baby? I think that's absolutely fine, I know so many people whose bumps have been bigger/smaller. And indeed baby sizes when measured. But yes go ahead and arrange a scan if you fancy just to put your mind at rest and get another sneaky look in there. The bubbly was great. Felt such a relief! When I was in Spain I got into the afternoon alcohol free beer too. There's something about tapas, sunshine or foreign food that just needs that ice cold beer feeling.

*Euro so glad you're feeling better with coming off the meds. Pumping ourselves full of all this ain't much fun sometimes I know.

Sorry for the BFN kittens hope you're proved wrong about the Singing Fat Lady.

I did have quite a bit of cramping early on in this pregnant BellyD and none at all with the pregnancy that went wrong before then. As for symptoms Sarah Mr S said that feeling nauseous despite being on the Pred is great!No need to panic if you don't have it at all as some people don't get it, all pregnancies are different and more importantly the Pred can mask it. But if the Pred isn't masking it that is good too. So hurrah for you feeling sick :)

Charlie! You might just go on and beat me to it before the 17th! Well done on finishing work. I am still doing a bit of work from home but I have to say my brain is very very slow working and I take frequent breaks for mn, random surfing and sometimes just starting into space...

sarah i put on a lot of weight and still havint shifted it, mostly around my belly which has never happened before and back, i've always been 8-10 at top and more on hips .my advice is cut out ALL salt in cooking if you can, i stuggled with that, drink lots of water , and do some stretching / yoga, my muscles were a mess when i stopped , feels like they shrunk, mabe if i had done that it might have helped , i dont know how much i put on and i dont want to know, ive never been this fat ! : ) got moon face as well, i felt better on that after 2 mths it had pretty much gone.
thanks for relaxation advice will get the cd .

Has anyone got a scan at Newlife today? Mine is at 2.30 so fingers crossed we will all have a good result.

kittens any news yet on af turning up?

Welcome to lj too!

Nope, sue, no AF. Another BFN today too. I think someone's stolen my womb! WTF? I don't know what's going on. I'm on day 30 of what is usually a 25 day cycle. If I'm not pregnant I wish AF would just get on with it. I'm holding off on ordering my meds from Healthcare at Home because if there is a glimmer of a chance I'm pregnant I don't want to spend £200 odd on meds that won't get used, but now the weekend is coming up so that makes things slightly more tricky as I will need them to start taking on CD3. Also, I've had a rotten week. All I've done is cry my eyes out, all bloody week. I feel like I'm right in the eye of the storm as far as grieving for mum is concerned but I also feel like my hormones are magnifying my sadness enormously and I've just not really been able to function at all this week.

Realistically speaking, if I'm still getting a BFN on 15dpo it's not looking promising is it regardless of my missing period?

I had a cycle like this last year Kittens. I had a 16-day luteal phase, having, at 10dpo, had a ghost of a line which might have been an evaporation line. I'm sorry to say that I had a bleed eventually but I'm still confused as to what went on, whether I was ever pregnant or what. I had been using progesterone too, which of course complicates things.
Really sorry about your mum and your rotten week.