This is why you always get things checked

It may have felt a bit like a strain (which worsened on movement, particularly when walking for more than a few minutes). There may have been a small bit of pins and needles, which mostly felt like a stiff plantar in my right foot. There was no swelling. No discolouration. No heat.

But, there was (is) a clot.

Two days after thinking ‘how the hell did I strain my calf when I was walking round the house?’ I had an ultrasound on my leg (weird. Particularly hearing my femoral pulse going. Which sounded like the indigestion I’ve been experiencing). She was really thorough, and gentle, and found a clot. Just one. Not very big. But a clot.  My blood test results on Saturday night were borderline for pregnancy/a clot when it comes to coagulation. So, they sent me off with heparin, and an appointment for further tests.

Consider this. Many DVTs are asymptomatic. Until they turn into a pulmonary embolism and kill you. I got treatment within 10 hours of noticing an issue. I got a referral to a DVT clinic within 48 hours.

I cannot believe how lucky I am. This is easily managed. OK, it means daily injections (hopefully for the next 9 months, assuming Thing1 is still sticking in there – I won’t believe it is until we’ve had a successful viability scan next week. Seems like a long wait). It means lots of bruises as each injection leaves a bruise about 1cm across, as well as stinging like stink. It means a sharps bin. It means more appointments. BUT it is straightforward. It is easy.

It seems that I rested a tad too effectively with the OHSS (but when you’re told ‘don’t move except to go to the loo or to get a drink’, you do as you are told – the clinic will be reviewing this). I maybe should have worn support stockings anyhow. The chances of this happening were really, really small. But it happened.

I will be upping my activity when walking doesn’t hurt quite so much. And because I’m an optimist (and extremely childish), I have booked a spot in Basingstoke Half 2018 (7th October). The tech top is by Bonk Athletic. *sniggers*

xxx

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Calf pain…

So. If I’m not moving, if I’m coagulating more enthusiastically owing to hormones and OHSS… yes of course the next loop on the rollercoaster is calf pain (because how, how can I have managed to pull my calf walking round the house in a onesie? I have no idea – nothing went ping. Nothing was suddenly painful. I just realised…it hurt). There followed boring evening in A&E where no one could quite decide, based on blood tests, if I have a clot or not. Everything is a bit borderline. I was hoping for something more specific along the lines of “it’s probably nothing”. Not so.

Got sent away with blood thinners (more needles) and an appointment for a scan on Tuesday. I think we are all being a little overly cautious here, but it is not worth the risk. Blood thinners and scans are simple and relatively cheap. N says this whole thing is exhausting. I am inclined to agree. I also reckon my blood actually looked sticky when they took it out of me yesterday. Who can say?

In order to recover from all this excitement, I have hung my medals up. N put the hooks up last week. I am hoping to need more hooks one day.

I got the hanger at the Boston Marathon Expo. 3 marathons, 33 half marathons, no idea how many 10kms, and a few 5kms. Plus cakeathon and chocathons.

I am also knitting up a storm. And napping. I seem to have developed a tendency to need a nap mid morning or mid afternoon. Friday was particularly frightful. I did both…

Xxx

Mild….

I am now mildly hyperstimulated. I had a flare and then it dropped and this is all perfectly normal and a fairly good sign.

I am also convinced that all this hormonal rollercoaster has made me even more sensitive to some varieties of gluten than I already was. Today’s breakfast, thankfully, behaved perfectly. I had eggs and tomatoes.

I have also napped. Happy Black Friday.

Xxx

Oh my…

I am never eating museli again. I don’t know what it is, but my stomach goes into complete revolt right now when presented with what has been my usual breakfast for several weeks.

As far as I can tell, despite this gastric upset (and oh my, it involved much dry retching, just about managing to be sick, violently clearing the system in the other direction rendering prune juice totally unnecessary, some weeping, lots of pain and lasted about 2 hours), Thing 1 is ensconced in a nice thick endometrium.

I, meanwhile, have just attempted a cream cracker with some cottage cheese and while I feel decidedly delicate, do feel much more chipper than I did for the two hours after breakfast. And, this time I did not end up in A&E. Mostly cos I couldn’t figure out how to get myself there.

But I am never eating museli again. It clearly no longer agrees with me.

Xxx

Quivering in antici….

…

…

Pation.

So. Another Monday, another scan (ovary smaller, but other liquid floating about). Two days of mild indigestion (not helped by being really slow off the mark about realising I’m actually constipated by my standards….). Yesterday I went for another scan, and got to Go Outside and Walk in the Car Park. This did immense things for my mental wellbeing, and I think helped relieved the constipation a bit this morning.  Honestly. I feel so much more comfortable now (is this TMI?).

There is, after all, a limit to how long one can stay on the sofa watching Last of the Summer Wine and Doctor Who. I’m on Season 4 of Doctor Who now. Catherine Tate and David Tennant. Best Doctor and Companion ever: finally, we stop having a companion who’s mooning about being in love with The Doctor. I love Catherine Tate. I met her while she was in Much Ado About Nothing. She’s just so kind, and friendly, and down to earth and funny and normal. Bloody Love Catherine Tate.

There’s been knitting. There’s going to be some cross stitch. I have started my tax return. I have written all my Christmas Cards, bought and wrapped most of the presents (other than N’s stocking, which I think is going to have a Running theme this year).  I have worn my onesie over my PJs. I have rested as much as I am capable of, mindful that the RCOG says, with OHSS, to move about so that you don’t get a DVT. Today I intend to walk to the letterbox (200 yards).

I have learned the hard way that, while I am on progesterone, I eat Little and Often. Because a full roast dinner with a sluggish digestion is really uncomfortable and results in a night of really not sleeping (Hello 3am! And 4am! And 5am! And 6am! But not 7am! And then it was time to get up).  And this doesn’t help N if he’s got an Early Morning Run for Tokyo Training.

All the slowness in resolving the OHSS is apparently a Good Sign. I am cautiously optimistic, not entirely sure how I’m going to get through to tomorrow morning, terrified of actually testing, and totally on tenterhooks.

I’m going to have my lunch very early. Actually, it’s the remnants of last night’s supper which I didn’t finish because I was too full owing to aforementioned backing up of the digestive system.

Cross everything.

xxx

Well…

It’s much harder to drink 2 litres of water while actually working from home instead of lolling about on the sofa.

I am not keen on this waiting bit. And I really am not looking forward to the bit where I take a pregnancy test next week. Too many negative ones. Too many that were positive then negative. It’s a lot easier not knowing. And talking to Thing1. I rather enjoy that.

Progesterone is great. I had to send N to acquire the next cup-size up bra for me. On the downside, it’s going to be such a long slog getting my fitness back if this doesn’t work…. all this lolling. All this boobage to try and squash into a sports bra…

Xxx

Hurrah!

I may still have Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome, but rest and water have started doing their thing. Today’s scan said my left ovary has shrunk down a bit. Still got a bit too much liquid sloshing about the place (although less than before), so I get to go for another scan on Friday. I am allowed to WFH tomorrow which will keep me occupied. I am not allowed to walk for more than five minutes at a time. I am glad I do not need to go into the office, frankly, the amount of energy it took to get in and out of Woking to the clinic had me slightly surprised.

The lovely thing about the extra scans is that I got my endometrium measured as part of the process. It is nice and thick and just what Thing1 wants at this point. I am a memory foam mattress. So, fingers crossed, even with all this upset, Thing1 is settling in cosily.

This made up for feeling rough as anything after the scan. She was ever so lovely, but boy was she Thorough.

Xxx

Hyperstimulated Ovaries

A new, and exciting, development. My left ovary is 9cm across, and sloshing about in about 200ml of liquid. Bizarrely, I still fit into my jeans (must be the cut) but I have been put onto sofa rest and have to have another scan on Wednesday.

It seems there’s not much you can do to prevent Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. Treatment is rest and liquid. Complications involve DVT and fluid on the lungs (but hey! Don’t exercise!). At worst they’ll send me to hospital and hook me up to a drip. But it does seem that all you can do is wait it out. Apparently, it will resolve faster if I’m not pregnant. What a thought.

I haven’t slept enough. My health insurance doesn’t cover complications of IVF (but my consultant is also a consultant at the local hospital, so I am sure I can skip the private hospital if I am well enough to argue the toss…and I have savings for this sort of eventuality). I am a Bit Worried about it all. I have been signed off work, but I could wfh I reckon. Will see what the result of the next scan is. It seems disingenuous to not work when my brain is mostly functional. On the other hand, the Christmas Cards are getting done. And they didn’t ask if I could wfh. Just that I stop working and self-certify. Aye me. So complicated. Such an ethical conundrum. The thing is: other than this build up of fluid, I feel fairly symptom-free. Very little pain. Some slightly darker pee (so I have something to drink: but I’m a runner. I am obsessed with the shade of my pee anyhow and I suspect my tolerance level of pee colour is lower than most peoples’). Some bloating, but no worse than I’ve had pre-menstrually.

This is an incoherent brain dump.

Stick, Thing1, stick!

Xxx

Embryo on board

Cross everything. 

We also have one in the freezer. This is more or less as good as it could be.  I have spent the afternoon being rather lazy on the sofa watching silly films, based on a study done in an Israeli clinic where they sent in a clown to entertain women after IVF and got better results. 

Well. Why not giggle?

Of course, I’m not actually pregnant until a proper HCG test, and anything could happen in the next 2 weeks until that happens. 

Xxxx

Gosh, I shall be glad to be done with this week

It’s been slow, ponderous, emotionally strained, anxious and sleepy. 

On the plus side, no-one has phoned to say Thing1 & Thing2 have given up the ghost, so I guess we are all go for tomorrow. 

This is faintly terrifying, as well as being exciting. I’m going to go knit. We need to be on the 7:46 train tomorrow, and the only time I’ve made it out of bed before 7:46 this week was Monday. 

Xxx