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

@Gooe thank you! Yes delighted although the cm is making me feel crap! I hope mine is implantation bleeding too 🤞🏽

🤞 @HoldingOn2Hope can only wish the best for you x
I've just caught up with all the messages and I think all the ladies on here are super supportive and really helpful. Its wonderful to see. In regards to the omega 3 I take algae oil as I am a vegetarian. It gives me a little more than what Dr S recommends but I figured it can't do any harm!

Another BFN for me this morning 😢 hopefully Dr S will agree to superovulation on our call today as I’m just not sure how many more stark white FRERs I can see 💔

Morning ladies. Does anyone here temp whilst taking fertility meds?

I took my Ovitrelle trigger shot on Friday night and my temperature was still low this morning. I don't think I've actually ovulated yet...

I stopped trying in Feb due to corona but my husband and I are ready to start trying again next month. Has anyone else stopped trying but are now ready to try again? I just turned 29 and this would be our first baby so I'm not keen on waiting anymore as we don't know when this virus will pass.

@HoldingOn2Hope congratulations of your bfp! I hope that you are feeling ok and managing to keep the nerves at bay?

If anyone needs more tests, I buy the FRER from a site called Zoom Baby, think they are 3.99 so cheaper than most supermarkets. x

For those asking about fish oil, personally, I like Bare Biology bump and glory. Reason being they come from sustainable and clean sources, EPA and DHA is what youre looking for, DHA is especally important in pregnancy for brain develpoment of the baby and important for mum postpartum too. Cod liver oil shoudl be avoided in pregnancy due to Vit A levels.

Ladies, I was wondering if anyone can recommend anything they find helpful to keep the hope and positivity alive in this tough journey? Helpful meditations? Anything else that helps? I've been in a bit of a dark place the last few days, I'm panicking about my age and feeling like it wont happen for me, I'm sure we've all been there. I do meditations, exercise etc... but struggling. Thanks for any receommendations x

@Wishing5tar I'm sorry to hear you got a bfn, its so deflating. I'd definitely speak to Dr about SO. He said I could but I live in Scotland so impossible in current situation but if you live closer then sure he'll agree x

Hi @Eeviee - so sorry to hear you’ve had a hard few days. We’ve definitely all been there. This isn’t a specific fertility one but I’ve been doing it since last week (sometimes twice a day) and I now find myself really looking forward to it. You’re advised to do it for 30 days in a row. You can obviously adapt the images on your mental ‘screen’ so you’re seeing yourself pregnant etc. I’ve been setting up a little area at night with blankets, pillows, candles as opposed to just doing it in bed and conking out and it seems to be working for me -

@Wishing5tar good luck with your appointment. I hear you on the stark white FRER! It’s the worst sight isn’t it... When I decided to start SO last month I just called the nurses and said I wanted to start and that I understood the risks etc...so hopefully you’ll be able to get going soon too.

@peperethecat I stopped temping because I found that it was adding to my stress. I found that if I had a bad night’s sleep (which was often!), it was skewing my results. So maybe that could be the case with you? X

@Eeviee thank you, I'm trying to stay positive but it's so tough. We wait for our periods to start treatment, then it's the 2ww wait hoping for a +, then it's trying to keep calm and hopeful after a positive and just hoping this one sticks! I'm telling myself this will be ok, I'm trying to put it out there to the universe hoping it keeps my energy positive!
I met a wonderful Dr (alternative natural therapies) on my last holiday who gave me some amazing advice and I msgd her to give her my news and she's sent me some lovely words so I woke up on a positive.
I'm sorry you've been in a dark place, we've all been there and it's so hard to pull yourself out on some days. When I was feeling rubbish I'd make a list of my fears and worries and my positives and thankful's. Is then run down the list of the negatives and separate them into whether I can control or not. It used to put things into perspective for me and I made some positive changes.
I'm not good at meditating, I lose focus but I'm religious so I do pray every morning for a few mins which keeps me calm.
Did you say you've got an appt with Dr S soon?

@peperethecat I don't temp either as I started to and found that because I worked odd hours I wasn't able to get a accurate reading most days and it used to add to my anxiety as @Crystal2020 has mentioned. I think if your in a routine job where you get up at the same time every day maybe it's worth it but I know for me it wasn't possible.

@Wishing5tar sorry to hear that :( What plan are you on currently with Dr S? If it's SO you want to do then tell him and I'm sure he will support you. Xx

I'm pretty good at temping and can usually clearly see when I ovulated. If I have a bad night's sleep then my temperature is generally too high rather than too low. That's why I'm pretty sure I haven't ovulated after the trigger shot.

I'm getting a lot more pink almost bloody discharge now. Can't help but think it may be a chemical pg. 😑

I’ve been thinking of you @HoldingOn2Hope. Have you managed to get through to the clinic this morning?

I see what you mean @peperethecat. They say ovulation takes place 24-36 hours after the injection but I’m sure there must be exceptions to that. Can you call your doctor?

@Crystal2020 No. I called this morning and they said someone will call me back and I've emailed too.
I've doubled up on the progesterone so used one this morning. It's how my last miscarriages started - pink when I wipe. So frustrating 😩

@Eeviee thank you! I briefly mentioned it on our last call and he said it would be a sensible next step. Just hoping they can get the prescription to me and I can get the meds before AF arrives 🤞🏽 I live about 40 mins south of Newcastle in the north east so it’s about a 5 hour drive to London but we’d make journey.

To try and stay positive, I visualise what our life will be like with a baby. We often talk about how we’d like the nursery to look, baby names and building a treehouse in the garden etc. and remind ourselves that it WILL happen not IF it happens. I appreciate that this may not work for everyone & I have to be in the right frame of mind otherwise I end up thinking of it as a form of self-torture 🙈

@Crystal2020 thank you! It’s at 2pm so hopefully by this afternoon I’ll have a plan in place 🤞🏽 Thank you for sharing the meditation - I might give it a go and have some me time away from my husband & puppy - something I’m struggling with during this lockdown 🙈

@peperethecat I temp each month - I use ovusense which gives you your average core body temperature. I’ve learnt to read my temps so I know when I’m due to ovulate and then it confirms ovulation too. Some months I stop tracking after ovulation as like the other ladies I worry/stress over each rise/ fall and then other months I track right up to AF. This month I’ve kept it going but what I’ve found is my post-ovulation pattern varies so much. The 10 months I have been using it, not a single one has looked the same 😂

@HoldingOn2Hope I’ve got everything crossed that it’s just implantation bleeding. Remember what @KittyKatSmile always used to say - today you are pregnant! Keep repeating that to yourself 💜 xx

My temps fluctuate a bit, of course, it's just that I can usually pinpoint ovulation within a day or two and I'm worried that I took the trigger shot on Friday night and don't appear to have ovulated at all.

So the clinic have finally called back and booked me in for intralipids on Wed all being well. Nurse said the spotting can be normal but as I know it can mean things aren't going well and to basically see what happens over the next 48 hours. She said to stop the aspirin and progynova and to double up cyclogest which I have today - Thanks @HarrietM87 for the advice!
She also said to take another pregnancy test on Wednesday to see if there's still a strong ring line before I head to Epsom as it's a good 3-4 hours drive.
In the mean time I've painted my nails and some some online shopping! Keeping my 🤞🏽

Xx

@HoldingOn2Hope I've got everything crossed for you. I almost always get implantation bleeding and it lasts anywhere from 2 to 5 days. It is brown, pink and sometimes even red like the start of a period.

@Eeviee I completely understand how you feel. The pit of despair is a dark place and for me it's the worst part of all this. I can just about cope with the loss, trauma and disappointment but I struggle to overcome the panic and negativity that sometimes engulfs me. I know I shouldn't, but I blame myself for everything.

I know this is terrible advice but when the doom strikes - usually after a BFN - I go and drink wine with my husband/mum/friends and allow myself a night off from being my sad miscarriage self. For that night I go back to being my old silly, happy self and remembering what life was like and what it can be like again gives me the strength to keep trying. If that makes sense!

Xx

@peperethecat can you ask your doctor to do a blood draw to see if you’ve ovulated? Sorry I don’t know what else to suggest.

Just off my phone consultation with Mr S. He was more than happy for me to start superO and is sending the prescription through the post. Prescribed 2.5mg of letrozole to begin with and see how I react. Is there any side effects or things to expect once I start taking it?

He also said he’s happy for me to start taking the Pred again (15mg) alongside my hydroxy 👏🏽

@HoldingOn2Hope sorry I forgot to reply to your earlier question. I started off on the high plan then he put me on the complex plan after I had a miscarriage on the Pred. Fingers crossed for Wednesday! 🤞🏽 I’ll be thinking of you x

@peperethecat I thought I hadn’t ovulated this time (cycle I conceived) with the trigger because the cycle before I’d had extreme ovulation pains but didn’t this time despite more follicles. I did usual insane google research and something like 99% of people ovulate after the trigger. Sometimes it can be slightly outside the window they say. If you’re in the minority then presumably you will by yourself anyway as you must have been ready to go for them to give it to you?

@Wishing5tar I had awful headaches on 7.5mg of letrozole but no side effects on 2.5 or 5. I only produced 1 follicle on 2.5 but that follicle became my son, so even if you don’t get an amazing response first time it can still work out.

Oh my goodness - I came on to have a wee catch up with you guys and to thank you all for your lovely advice and it's all going off!!

@Holdingon2hope I'm have absolutely everything and more crossed for you. I really want to congratulate you but I know you'll be feeling so anxious at the moment so we are all 'holding on to hope' my for you in the next few days! Can I ask why you are on gonal f instead of letrozole - have you tried that before? And does it work in the same way? (If you've explained this earlier in the feed I'm really sorry, it's a lot to keep up with!)

@ultra26 you too! Congrats. It's so nice to see all this activity on here but my god our bodies don't make it easy for us do they girls!!

@pepperthecat any news on your ovulation?

@wishing5star I'll be interested to hear how your first SO goes as I'm going to mention it to Dr S in our telecon on Thursday to get started next month if nothing happens this so keep us posted!

@eeviee sorry to hear you are battling lovely - I hear you! It's so tough - And it doesn't get any easier does it (even after 6 yrs) have you tried the app headspace at all? I used to find it really helpful. Also I've started being good on my diet again but then getting to a weekend and either Friday/sat night having wine, takeaway and chocolate and just having a f* it day which makes it easier to get back on it after as you know it's only until next weekend and you can indulge and feel normal again, if that's of any help at all Xxx

@HarrietM87 It's just really frustrating. I've never ovulated before CD18 since I began tracking, and when I had my ultrasound on Thursday my gynaecologist said I looked ready. My dominant follicle measured 18mm and my lining was looking good. I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be a fluke early ovulation because my LH levels were low on Thursday (measured by a blood test) and my ovulation test on Friday (pre trigger shot) was clearly negative. So my new theory was that my follicles develop normally in each cycle but for some reason I ovulate a few days late, by which point my egg is past its best and that's why none of my embryos are any good. I was really hoping that the trigger shot would bring forward my ovulation by a few days and that that might do the trick.

But now it looks like I didn't respond to the trigger shot. My body is going to ovulate when it fucking wants to regardless, even if that means my egg has gone bad.

And if I don't respond to Ovitrelle (just like I didn't respond very well to misoprostol), what else will I not respond to? Does this mean I might do IVF and my body is just going to say, "meh, fuck you, I'll do what I want" in response to all the drugs?