Immune/Natural Killer Cell treatment for those ttc or pregnant. (AKA the 19th pred thread!)

[Seekingmiracles]

The new thread for anyone ttc or pregnant with immune issues or natural killer issues. Welcome ladies!

No worries PJ. I started testing early to limit the amount of pred I was taking. I've tested early with Clearblue every time and it's always given me the correct result. You should be able to reliably tell 4 days early as long as the test is an early detection one.

I'm feeling ok thanks. Just trying to stay positive and keep my mind occupied. I will wait for the results to come back in a few weeks and the refocus from there.

How is GF going? Hope you feel better soon. Take care x

PJ I've always got results with internet cheapy sticks before cb showed anything, I guess it's different for different people. So frustrating for you though, I really hate those times when the tests don't back up your symptoms and uncertainty is really unhelpful when you're dealing with meds and emotions too. I hope you get a definitive answer one way or the other soon. I have loads spare, if you'd like some, pm your address and I can post them off today.

I feel bleeeuuurrrgghhh today. Queasy and yuk. All I want is carbs suddenly (which is hard because we eat very low carb and don't have any in the house). Trying to see it as a good sign but it's so exhausting to have faith all the time despite my history, and so so hard to see changes in symptoms as a positive thing. I got woken up in the night and was shocked at how awful I felt! Have been feeling a bit queasy in the evenings but ok in the day up until now. Filled pasta and sauce with garlic bread would be a really fresh, clean and healthy breakfast, right? :-/ There's nothing else I want to eat 😢. Apart from biscuits... Has anyone else had symptoms ramp up at around 6 weeks? Presumably this change in symptoms isn't due to meds because the dose hasn't changed, so is it due to rising hormone levels? And is that a good sign? It had gone wrong so many times before, and my symptoms have been so variable from pregnancy to pregnancy anyway, that I don't know what's 'normal' any more. But I do know that I haven't had symptoms ramping up at this point in either of the last 2 pregnancies, which both ended around 7.5-8.5 weeks.

Also, I'd be happy to indulge myself if I trusted it was my body asking for carbs, due to preg symptoms rather than meds. That would make me ecstatic. But (and I feel shit saying this because I'm taking a new approach of forcing myself to be bloody positive and embody self-belief etc and this totally goes against that and exposes me as a fraud, so let's agree to pretend not to notice that!!)... if this is gong to go the way of all the others, which I do know is a very real possibility, I don't want to embrace the cravings and fill my face with carby crap with wild abandon for 2 weeks and then have a bunch of extra weight to lose as well as all the other emotional and physical effects of a mc. Aaaarrgghhhh. I just want some certainty

FRER, I meant, not cb.

Unfortunately Yomping nothing we can say in terms of symptoms can give you a definite answer... there is no such thing as normal in a straightforward pregnancy, let alone one which includes a shed load of meds and anxiety. DrS himself told me that he's seen both loss and success at every end of the symptom spectrum, so I would just roll with it day to day. Try not to pin anything to how you're feeling.
As for the carbs situation, I say if you want some today then allow yourself it. Don't see it as only worth eating if the pregnancy remains viable. See it as today, this is what your body is asking for. Maybe by eating a some today you will keep those cravings at bay. Don't deny yourself, this part of pregnancy is shit at the best of times.
Just keep that positive head on, keep taking the medication and try to remain relaxed. You are doing EVERYTHING you can for your little one.

Yomping- I don't think symptoms can definitively dictate how a pregnancy is going... However, the carb cravings are very common in this stage of pregnancy! I pretty much only are carbs the first trimester and know a lot of women who do the same. It feels like it may help with the queasiness (kind of like a hangover cure)!

How are you Seeking? Update please!

I'm good thanks Drttc, 37+4, scheduled for c-section on 13th as little madam is breech. Very uncomfortable and ready to meet her now! Having a shit time in every other aspect of life - DH's business had to be liquidated due to his arsehole business partner so he's understandably not in the best place. Just very shit timing. But our little miracle will change the mood in our lives while he gets himself sorted again!

How are you and your little one? What did you name him in the end?

The 13th as in 10 days from now?! Oh my goodness!! So excited for you!

I'm really sorry to hear about DH's business... I hope you're both able to overcome that as smoothly as possible. Really terrible timing :-( Try not to let the sleep deprivation at the start aggravate the situation. Just remember all that is temporary, except for the amazing gift of having made that child together.

Baby Harry is amazing! He's finally starting to sleep in longer spans. It was sooo rough the first few weeks - especially as I was terrified something might happen to him in the night.

Yesterday we had a really lovely day out in the sun with lunch outside and everything - he slept through the whole thing. He's so much more smiley and interactive now that he's had his first growth spurt- makes all the work so worth it!

Yep... 10days!! Cannot believe that we are this close! Still feels like an absolute dream, it's gone by in a blur and I feel a bit weird that in 10days we'll have a baby!!
Utterly shite timing with DH but I'm hoping everything will work out, I'm ever the optimist so I have every faith that it will do.

Ahhh glad Harry is settling into a nice routine for you, sounds like you had a lovely afternoon yesterday. I'm so scared about the sleep situation and how horrendous it may be! Haha! But like you say... SO worth it!

Hang in there Yomping . I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to indulge yourself. I gained 5lbs with each of my last 2 miscarriages. It sucks gaining weight then having to lose it and have no baby to show for it in the end. However (as hard as it is), you just need to trust your body now and maybe, as Seeking said, if you give in a bit here and there you won't crave it as much.
Well, AF was 2 days late but it's here now . I guess the meds messed my cycle a little bit as I'm never late. Was quite disappointed as its never taken me longer than 2 cycles to get pregnant. At the same time I'm absolutely terrified of getting a BFP as I know I will be ball of nerves in those first few weeks.
Seeking all the very best of luck to you. It will feel amazing to finally be able to hold your little girl in your arms. Sleep deprivation is a killer but it's amazing how quickly you adjust to it. I remember when my DD slept for a 3h stretch the first time I felt like superwoman

hello everyone,
I have high NK cells and am using Dr S regime. I am now 10weeks pregnant after 4MCs so quite anxious! I did not make it to Epsom as it's such a long way for me but managed to organise IL locally. With regards to medications, did you start tapering down the prednisolone at 12 weeks? I am nervous about this!!! any suggestions please?
Yomping - I hope it all works out for you!
Seeking - wish you all the best of luck xx

Sorry af came PJ, I know it's hard to compare when you've fallen pregnant so quickly before but remember you've also had heartache with the last few pregnancies. This current pregnancy took me the longest to achieve but it's been successful. And 2 cycles is really very quick, I'm sure you'll be successful soon..

Congrats carryon, I started weaning at 12 weeks, which took about 2 weeks. I was also very nervous, but DrS and all the lovely ladies here reassured me. And all has worked out well .

Lovely to have an update drttc, glad baby harry is letting you get a bit more sleep! It does get better, toby sleeps from 7-6 now - but only since he was about 6 months old. Things is when he now has a bad night I feel awful as I've got used to having sleep again! I'm back to work one day a week next week before going back 3 days after xmas, it's gone so fast!

Seeking can't believe how soon it is? Hope you're feeling ok about the c-section? Mine was actually ok and even after it wasn't too bad, first couple of weeks were probably most uncomfortable. Don't worry about the sleep thing, you soon get used to it! I remember the early days when I sometimes didn't even get dressed as I couldn't find time - now Toby's 8 months we have a good routine and I can be out the house dressed, hair and make up done! Let us know how it goes and when lit,e one arrives

Scan all good. Measuring 6+4 (I think I'm 6+5 today but my calculations always seem to be a day ahead and I really don't get why) with 120bpm heart rate which he is happy with. I had read it should be nearer 150bpm so would have liked it to be higher but he said anything between 100 and 200 is fine.

Great news Yomping. I'm so pleased for you. When is your next scan?

Thanks :-). Next one in 15 days, on the 20th. My girl's 4th birthday. Hell of a day to be given big news. And it will be big, whichever way it goes. It is the one that has never gone well. Well, not since the first time. Although I didn't have an 8 week scan the first time, so yeah. It has never gone well.

My dates with all of my pregnancies have never sat exactly where I thought it should. But I was told that at those very early scans it's quite hard to get an accurate measurement so they can be a day or two (or even 4 in my case) out. They did seem to catch up as the pregnancy progressed this time round and I did reach the day I thought was more accurate. My eventual NHS NT scan dated me 2 days ahead of where I thought I was.
A good scan, with a good heart rate is all you can hope for right now yomping, so take comfort that today everything is working out just perfectly. Stay strong, hopeful and have faith. I'm sure everything will be just fine at the next scan. Congrats on today's positive news.

Reading that back, I worded my post confusingly. I meant that he said I was 6+4 yesterday based on my lmp, whereas I made yesterday 6+5 based in my lmp. I know that taking a measurement from scans has a margin of error, and was delighted that I was measuring pretty much spot on. I have measured a week behind before at a 7 week scan before and it didn't progress well from there. Mind you I measured bang on at the last 7 week scan, symptoms disappeared 2 days later and at 8 weeks there was no heartbeat so it's just a damn lottery.

But I'm confused about why he and I disagree about how far along I am by lmp. Is it that if the current day is 6+5, then they say you are 6+4 on that day because the day isn't over yet and you only become 6+5 at midnight?

Thank you, though, positive words most welcome. This is the hardest week for me because it is historically this week, after seeing a heartbeat and being told things look ok, that it all goes downhill, and a week later, it's all over. So hard to trust that will be different, and I feel so anxious and am all over the place emotionally. Steroids also making me feel like utter shit if I have caffeine, carbs or sugar. No fair!

I'm not really sure how he works it out... I think also based on my lmp he'd dated me a day behind but I just ignored it! Lol! As long as from scan to scan baby was growing. Y the correct amount of days I was happy. The you'll get your EDD at your 12 weeks scan and go by that for the rest of the pregnancy.

These next few weeks are undoubtedly the most anxious weeks, hormones are mental, you're shit scared - generally makes for a miserable few weeks. Just take it day by day Hun.
Not nice that you feel crap from the steroids on top of it all

hello everyone
hope you are all doing well. I am thinking ahead but also still v nervous! Seeing midwife tomorrow. Did you get a 16 week scan in between to 12 and 20? and if so may I ask what was the reason for it? Dr S suggests it but I do not think the NHS will do it. Just wondering if I should consider it privately if things continue, fingers crossed!!

7+4 today, hopefully. Constantly starving, very tired and extremely anxious. Hoping very much that the hunger and tiredness are good signs but I know they could equally just be side effects of the medication. Not sure I can handle waiting 9 more days for the next scan, thinking about getting one this weekend at a nearby private place, either for piece of mind, or to save me the heartache and cost of going all the way to Epsom to find out there's no heartbeat.

It's nice to hear the success stories on this thread. It sometimes feels like there will be no way out of this and it's so great to know that some of you have broken the cycle.

Yomping my thoughts are with you. Such an anxious wait. If it takes the stress away, get the scan done locally. No point in getting yourself worked up over it. Take care.

Carry on how long until your appointment in Epsom?

Hi guys - I just wanted to update that my little girl was born on 14th sept by c section. She's doing great. I'm so sorry I meant to update before now but it's been a rollercoaster these past few weeks. I just wanted to let you guys know as you've all been a huge support to me on my journey to having baby's and finally I got there after three miscarriages owing to having high NK cells and being a carrier of the MTHFR gene (hetero compound). My treatment for this issue was prednisolone (25mg) for the first trimester and clexane for the whole pregnancy and baby aspirin. I just wanted to let you all know and say thank you for all your support over these last three years. Will keep checking in to hopefully continue to offer my support to you guys.

Seeking wishing you all the best for tomorrow!!! Xx

Oh wow tumtimes massive congratulations! Hope both baby and yourself are doing well. Enjoy that snuggly little newborn

Good luck seeking, I'll be thinking of you!