I Love Acupuncture

Last year I visited an acupuncturist for a few months. She was lovely and I felt so relaxed when i went to her for treatment. Then life got hectic, I missed an appointment and I didn't go back. Part of it was because I never called her after the missed appointment and I felt a bit ashamed to do so. I think the other reason was that I was in a funk about everything and procrastinated on a lot of stuff.

I decided that I wanted to do acupuncture again in the lead-up to the IVF cycle. I decided not to go back to the same person - instead, I wanted to go to someone who had some experience with treating people for IVF. I contacted a few people and one came back with what I wanted to hear. While I filled out a very thorough questionnaire - followed by another fertility questionnaire, I read 'The Infertility Cure' by Randine Lewis. The book made me more excited to meet with the acupuncturist because the questionnaires were asking the relevant questions.

Yesterday the visit consisted of going through the questionnaires, an examination of my tongue and pulse and acupunture on my back to see the reaction of the major organ groups. We had a wonderful discussion about Ms. Lewis' book and we were both sad that I hadn't found his practice earlier. In any case, we got started and I ended up falling asleep on the table (I love that)!

I unfortunately cannot go again until June 30th - he's booked solid! I'm waiting for a cancellation in order to get in earlier. I've also scheduled DH to go in on July 1. He doesn't really think much of acupuncture but even if he just takes the herbs, that'll be great. Granted, I know he'll do everything since we'd like to do whatever we can for a succesful cycle.

The Ideal Cycle

Yes, I am in the midst of the ideal cycle. AF was almost pleasant - without many cramps, energy was good and moods were pretty even. During the next phase I enjoyed yoga as I stretched and prepared for O week. And O week has been spot on with significant CM and a :) OPK today. I'd love this ideal cycle to have an ideal end - which would allow me to have a 2 week vacation instead of 3 weeks of needles, doctors appointments, gels and pills. This morning I looked in the top drawer of my bedside table and had to shake my head at the birth control pills that looked back at me. So if this ideal cycle has an imperfect yet perfect ending on CD 28, we then transition into the Adventure!

We're about 15 days away from the beginning of IVF... it's scary and exciting at the same time.

Shopping....

I've downloaded about 35 books on the Kindle. I got it so I won't have to carry any books with me when we travel this summer. It is amazing! It'll work well when we travel!

I also picked up one of those mini laptops with no movable parts. I decided that I will not lug my Dell overseas unless I'm forced to. That thing is way too heavy. I got a really nice HP mini and so far it fits beautifully into my purse. I was watching a video on it this afternoon and the screen is so clear. Again, it'll work well when we travel.

DH had regiment training this morning and I had to go to the salon. There I got bad news. My hairdresser's work permit has not been renewed (she's been here for about 10 years and is being affected by the term limit). So in September I have to see someone else! She'll recommend which stylist but I am sad. She has been my hairdresser forever!!!!! I hope she comes back in 2 years....

Anyhow, afterwards I had to go shopping for lawn furniture since the table in our backyard died. I visited about 4 stores and the prices are crazy! When DH got out we went to look at the ones I liked. We agreed on one and we'll get it on Thursday when it is 15% off.

We also got a plastic folding table and two plastic folding Adirondack chairs for our waterside sanctuary. I also managed to get a great chimera to cook and such down there. And hopefully the hammock will come soon. The grass planting is going well - we were down there on Tuesday and Thursday and have pretty much been going down to water it daily. I also purchased 2 oleander plants and 10 hibiscus plants to put down there. I hope we can plant them tomorrow since it is supposed to rain!

Need to run - we're going to see Madagascar 2 and Quantum of Solace at Horseshoe Bay tonight. We're going to try out the Adirondack chairs...

I'm going to be starting birth control at 35!!!!!

Well, today was the big appointment with our joint GP. We provided him with all of our records from our three doctors and brought him up to date on where were are in the IVF process. He was happy with what we've accomplished so we got to work.

He gave us the forms for the STD blood tests and we'll have to come back to the office to do the urine sample. He also gave me a prescription for Loestrin. I haven't filled the prescription yet but what I've read online has been interesting. I need to read about it being used for IVF cycles. Our doctor also gave us his email address so we can keep him in the loop with correspondence with the clinic.

All in all, we're pretty happy with where we are right now!

Birth Control Pills, Weight Loss and Airlines... Oh My

On Tuesday we have to meet with our GP and I have to get a prescription for low dose estrogen birth control pills. I have no clue as to brands and such since I haven't been on birth control for about 15 years. I've been doing some research and hope to get one with little side effects.

I lost 4 lbs last weer and 2 inches off my waist. DH did better than that. We're settling into the frequency of eating but DH seems to be having some issues with the limited red meat (we only have it once or twice a week). Otherwise, we're making good progress and will do some resistance training tonight. We'll get back to running on Friday or Saturday - thankfully only 2-3 miles at a time.

I think we're going to take Aer Lingus from London (Gatwick) to Vienna and then drive to Zlin this summer. The Bermuda flight arrives at Gatwick and most flights to Vienna and Prague then seem to leave from Heathrow. I do not feel like rushing to change airports so Aer Lingus seems like a reasonable choice. Neither of us has flown them though but they do partner with Jet Blue - I hope that means they're pretty comparable. The flight from London to Vienna is 2 1/2 hours so I hope it is at least comfortable.

Planning and getting ready for the 1/2 marathon

I've booked the hotel for London. We'll be staying at our regular place - the Grovesnor which is over Victoria Station. We'll check in on Sept 11 and check out on the 13th. We got a family room for 3 (one double bed and a single bed) so my mom will stay with us. It cuts the cost down quite a bit. I wonder where in the hotel the family rooms are located.

Tomorrow is the 1/2 marathon. I'm so nervous. I'm worried about my knees, the heat, the humidity, the crowds. I just want us to finish. We feel pretty ready though. The healthy eating has made somewhat of a difference. DH has lost 6 lbs and I'm down about 4lbs (and an inch off my waist and hips - I'll find out for certain at my weigh in on Tuesday). Anyhow, I hope we can maintain a good pace and run more than walk tomorrow. I pray that we don't enjoy it too much and want to do it again in the future....

Anyhow, after the 1/2 marathon we plan to keep up running (2-3 miles a few times a week) with the resistance training and yoga. We go to see the GP on June 2nd to sort out the BC prescription for me and to order the STD tests for the clinic (I need to follow up with them on the desired timing of the test). I then have my first acupuncture visit scheduled with the new acupuncturist on June 11th. While I hope to be at a good weight by July and maintain it for August, I have ordered two pairs of drawstring pants for our adventure this summer. I want to find a few more travel items with elastic waist or such so that the bloating is not a big deal.

Changing Our Diet

I don't think I've said much about the nutrifit programme that I signed up for. We decided to have a healthier diet leading up to our vacation in Aug. DH ended up not registering since there are no males in the class. The instructor knows what we'll be doing so the meals are developed for both of us. On Friday I was a bit peeved about my measurements and DH was irritated by the food (he doesn't like nuts, hummus, etc but it's on the menu..). Anyhow, having the menu is great because I don't have to think about it. I just buy the food and cook. I made turkey chili and creamy pasta with hummus on Saturday and DH actually liked it. Yesterday I had class and I got my analysis back. Thankfully we have good habits - wholegrains, lots of veg and water. Unfortunately, we have too much saturated fat in our diet - primarily due to the amount of milk we drink/ eat and the red meats and fried foods in our diet. DH can only have 2% milk with his cereal and has to have water or diluted fruit juice (I was stunned over the amount of sugar in juice). I cannot have dairy at all as it looks like I have an allergy. I was so sad... Anyhow, we're eating more than enough food. DH is getting used to smaller portions and seems fine with most of what I've given him ( he picked the raspberries out of the mixed berries I gave him with brekfast though and he hated the honey flax seed Kashi granola bar). Since the milk is the only major lifestyle change for us, I think we'll be fine eating this way for the next 3 months and beyond.

The juice thing really got to me. The nutritionist recommends only 10oz of diluted juice daily because of the sugar in the juice. Apparently one 8oz glass of juice has 14 teaspoons of sugar, which is one tablespoon less than if you drank a bottle of say Tradewinds Iced Tea. Also, did you know that a small yogurt has about 6 teaspoons of sugar. It's mad. She recommends that if you want yogurt, eat plain yogurt with fresh berries added. To figure out the number of teaspoons of sugar in a food item, look at the serving size and multiply the grams of sugar accordingly. Then divide that by 4 and you'll see the number of teaspoons (roughly). Looking at our diet from my food diary, we were getting a lot of sugar and didn't even realize it. Thankfully, DH agreed that was a huge problem. He even went on a 10K run on his own tonight since his milk and juice intake is worse than mine.

Anyhow, I survived my first dairy-free day. I wonder when the withdrawal will kick in. It was crazy at work and then I had a board meeting but I managed to have my meals and snacks and it kept my energy pretty level all day. I got home about 8.30 and did 30 minutes of Power 90 Sculpt 1-2, Ab Ripper 100 (hell!!!) and a Gaiam yoga practice for fatigue. I feel pretty good. I'm sad that I didn't get to run but DH didn't work out with me either so I think we're even. I was hoping to run tomorrow morning but we're leaving home early since the Pipe Band has been invited to take part in a German movie. I do have dance class though so I should be fine. I might also take a short run while DH is at practice.