Immune/NK issues - aka Pred Thread no.20!

[harrietm87]

Hi all, thought I'd get the ball rolling on the new thread.

Welcome all with immune/natural killer cell issues.

It's been a while since a new thread so thought it might be helpful if we all added our stats:

I'm harriet, age 30, TTC#1.
3 mcs (2 at 5 weeks, 1 mmc at 9 weeks).
Hypothyroid and high NK cells.
Cycle 2 on pred!

Boom 👊 I'm on it!

Yes Harriet, still away, back on Tuesday. Monday is test day and I will be searching for decent tests over the weekend. DP heads back up to an industrial site on Monday and I fly out that night, so I would like to test and have the chance to tell him in person if it's positive!

Good news about spotting and cramping subsiding and glad you're feeling more positive. Do update us after the clinic. And yes, no more testing! 😂

Poppy, good to hear your score is raising nicely 😊 I would drink plenty of water as you could be dehydrated, especially with the warmer weather and all the travelling which would cause a back log! I've got you in my phone diary to test on Sunday 😂😂😂 just FYI

Harriet, I came off pred for a few days (thinking I wasn't preg) and that's when my boobs got swollen and hot, the pred took it away again and I've had the exact same boob symptoms as you since back on it! Big darker nips, but boobs not very swollen, just a bit tender when pressed (like AF, nothing more) so the pred def masks the boob symptoms.
I think it may be early for nausea? Mine started at probably 6-7 weeks and came in the afternoon/evening, not morning. Had a very sickly evening yesterday, but nothing the day before so don't feel worried if sickness comes and goes from day to day 👍🏻 Pred also masks that, they actually use it on ladies with severe morning sickness to ease nausea, so don't rely on that symptom either.
I've had lots of stretching aches, if I get up too quickly or walk too far I ache from my waist going into pelvis over my ovary area.
Also, the feeling of pressure on cervix is scary but quite natural so don't worry about that either 😊 (just a few more things NOT to worry about lol)

Xx

Thanks, JustLa, that's so sweet! And yeah I should drink more water, I always forget to.

Love you list of things NOT to worry about. We take as many of those as we can get!

Intralipids went well! It was totally fine. And they were so reassuring about the spotting. I've been told to stop the aspirin and double up on the cyclogest (as you thought justla). Also reassured that the pred does indeed mask symptoms including nausea and sore boobs.

So I guess there's nothing to do now but wait until my scan. It's had to be moved to the day DH flies out so hopefully he can still make it. 18 days to wait!

Hope you're all well.

Wonderful relief harriet - we are all feeling better now! So the aspirin might be causing the spotting?

Yes could have been luna, or could just have been some old blood from last cycle. Mr S will reassess whether I should start the aspirin again when I go for my scan.

I'm still pretty nervous tbh, but going to try to just take each day at a time.

Interesting - even though we moan about it sometimes, you can't put a price on a little reassurance... so I hope you've gained a bit more calm in the general storm that is constant worry!

Just logged in to check on you, Harriet, what a relief! It sounded ok anyway but the expert opinion is a welcome confirmation! Congrats and roll on 18 days :)

Harriet- glad your intralipids went well and you feel reassured! Lovely line progression on the FRER's. Now we need to buckle down and continue waiting lol... My least favorite part of the process! I don't really have any symptoms except for very light cramping- which I would expect at this stage. With DS I didn't feel pregnant at all until closer to 6 weeks, so I'm okay without symptoms atm.

Poppy- fingers crossed for you!

Thanks, DrTTC. Light cramping sounds ideal; proof that something is happening but whatever it is is normal and not unpleasant.

I have to say, I am pleased because I was cramping and spotting by 7dpo last cycle and cramping by 5-6 dpo the cycle before. I've had a few very light cramp and lots more creamy cm, which is not normal for me, so it's looking promising.

Hi ladies! I've just spent the last hour and a bit catching up with everyone's news. HOLY MOLY this thread is a such a rollercoaster!

Harriet - I was so so happy for you, followed by frightened for you, followed by relieved for you! I'm sending all the good vibes for a sticky bean.

Seeking, Trying, DrTTC and JustLa - mega healthy sticky bean good vibes for you all too (and anyone else I missed!).

LunaB - "By the power of our moonfaces we will succeed! 🌝🌝🌝"

Hey everyone. Just popping in quickly to say hello and wish everyone the best, so much happening on the thread at the mo it's amazing!

Today is due date! But baby isn't even engaged so couldn't even do a sweep. Not used to this as edie was a spontaneous labour at 40+1 haha but our home is still a building site so maybe it's for the best.

Hmmm Amy, I had a scare with the clinic when they first took my bloods. My blood clotting came back severely abnormal, and had to go back immediately for a retest. Turned out to be an error at the lab. Then when I collected my results Dr S informed me the lab has lost my Thyroid test and had to get that redone too. Annoying as that came back abnormal, which meant I missed out on a few days treatment. Doesn't fill you with confidence does it?

Oh wow, not you too Tee. Not cool at all with all this money we're paying. Have you decided to get started of treatment straight away?

I was thinking about going full tee-total-mind-body-hippy-earth-mamma for a few months and try a few natural cycles on an anti inflammatory diet... But if this egg count test comes back with dismal news, I'll probably dive straight into the steroids. I'm still worried about them and the intralipids, despite the reassuring stories on here.

I guess I also need to add Fragmin too now that I have this sticky blood result... !? Gah. So much to think about.

Amy, welcomed back and thanks for your applause on the Africa trip! Which tests did you have? They are very scary to wait for aren't they? I had AMH done recently amid concerns about my egg reserve but it came back excellent instead. I had to wait a week on the NHS, so I'd expect yours to be much quicker.

Amy and Tee4me I can't believe all this you have had to put up with re losing samples! The waits for fertility related results are bad enough without incompetence!

Snoopy, so close now! Love your comment about the state of the house! Looking forward to a happy update soon!

Poppy - I had the HS8 test today which includes FSH, LH, E2 and AMH. Thanks, yeah it's so freakin' hard to wait for results - blood or pee stick time! :(

Not cool at all considering the costs involved. He was very apologetic though and produced a stack of email correspondence where he had escalated to the Manager.
In all honesty I'm chomping at the bit to get started on the steroids. We've been trying for 20 months now and in that time have been doing yoga, tai chi and acupuncture. All of which I think are beneficial (especially the acupuncture), but I think I'm beyond the wholly 'natural' approach now, and totally ready to accept the new strategy. I'll still be drinking my daily nettle tea, keeping stress to a minimum and focusing on mindfulness, but I'm totally convinced that Dr S is my answer. Eekkk could be in for a fall, but so encouraged by everybody here x

Welcome back Amy.
Sorry your results have been a bit stressful for you. Hoping you get news of a nice strong egg count to give you a boost.
I'll be your Steriod-Fragmin sister if you decide to go ahead. I've been 'shooting' fragmin for over 5 weeks now and think I've got some good tips to share when you're ready to start 😊
My initial sticky blood results came back as very high on 2 tests, (this wasn't long after a MC operation so I think they should have considered that) I retested and still high on 2 counts. If you have any questions or worries on it, let me know and I'll try to help :)
The intralipids are fine, and that's coming from someone who had one vein collapse and the other flare up so we had to stop. I doubt they've ever had someone with problems like that before and I still didn't mind it. My 2nd lot went swimmingly well, I honestly find it quite enjoyable once it's in and dripping away. You get to talk to the nurse about all of your preggy concerns which is a fab opportunity and you get to chat to other ladies in similar positions.
Just drink lots running up to it and you'll be fine. #BetterThanASmearTest

Harriet, glad he upped your cyclo and didn't realise you were on aspirin. Did you get chin wagging to any other ladies in the treatment room? So pleased to hear Mr S is confident in your bean baking, take each day at a time as every new day increases your chance of success and look how far you've come in the last 2 days!

Glad everything is going well for you too Drttc, hope you're getting a little rest despite looking after a little one 😊

Snoopy how exciting! Well done on the fab job you've obviously done making a baby. Excited to hear the next update!

Poppy, roll on Sunday! (No pressure lol)

Xx

Tee, I really think you'll have success!! He may recommend super ovulation to really get you going but I'm sure he will get you there within a few months and hopefully sooner xxx

Good grief! Just got my blood test back early. Progesterone is 64.01! Apparently anything over 15 indicates proper ovulation. Doc said upper limit of the reference range for this point in my cycle is 59.01. He said I can go in for a blood test to check for pregnancy or just wait a few days for the ruin one. I've said I'll go for the latter because I can do that at home. I do overproduce a related hormone that can cross reference with progesterone but only by about 10%. Does Pred affect progesterone in the blood?

I will read everything properly tomorrow... until then, "cheers moongirls" - I've been feeling like 'barren woman walking' all year, so I've soothed myself this Thursday eve with 3 glasses of Rioja and am feeling ready for the Roids, the sex, and hopefully... Elvis 🕺 👆

Oh that's interesting! With regards to the Pred effects, not that I know Poppy but anything is possible. So your related hormone overproduction could be responsible for your results being 10% above the top of upper end?

😂 Haha Luna! Get it all in ya 🙌🏼

(But I will quickly say... poppy 🎉)