Methotrexate Injection

The second part of my ectopic story is that I needed to have a Methotrexate injection about 10 days after my laparoscopy.

The reason for that was because my hcg levels began to rise again.

That’s really hard. This hurt a lot and brought up some emotions. Obviously, all sad. Obviously, all desperate.

Methotrexate is a drug they give to chemo patients to stop cells multiplying, but it has applications for ectopics too. Some info here

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Chemotherapy/Individualdrugs/Methotrexate.aspx

They administer it via intramuscular injection into the top of your bum. The nurses that gave me my injection both wore black aprons when they gave it to me, as it’s some seriously harsh stuff!! This totally freaked me out.

All I wanted to do was draw a line under this whole sorry situation and things just kept getting worse!

After I had the injection I had a considerably amount of bleeding in my mouth and nasal passage, as it affects that tissue, but the worst was the crushing tiredness for weeks after.

I was also told to not ttc for 3 months due to the increased chance of birth defects.

Could this whole situation be any shitter?

I am Fat

I am fat

I am fat.

I’m not entirely sure how I now manage to weigh 2 stone more then my pre-ttc weight. The last stone has crept on after I had my son, in fact that last stone crept on in the last 3/4 months.

My arms look like the Michelin Man, and I look like I’ve swallowed a duvet.

I am not a pretty sight. Luckily I’m not at the stage where I have to buy a new wardrobe to accommodate my ever increasing thighs, but I’m ever so close.

To top it all off, I do not feel very good, neither health-wise, nor mood-wise. After  my failed IVF I decided that enough is enough. So I contacted Kelly from Fit not Thin @FitNotThin.

Initially, I was convinced my expanding stomach was due to damaged muscles due to carrying a baby, but given that I gave birth to him nearly 2 years ago, cant really hide behind that tired old excuse, can I!? And Kelly confirmed that there is not much wrong with my actual stomach muscles. Although, she could be wrong, she had to press down through an awful lot of fat to reach them, that’s for sure!

So here’s what’s happening, I am no longer eating cake. I am not eating carbs. I am eating salad. Lots of salad.

I see Kelly 2/3 per month. The sessions are excellent and all about weights and using the vibrating machines at the Re-vitalise Studio in Hove. I’m really loving it.

Sadly, I have also discovered a correlation between my coffee consumption and weight gain, i.e. the more coffee I drink, the more weight I gain.

Goddammit, no coffee, no fags and no cake.

 

 

 

 

Hormones

I’m fairly sure my hormones are all over the place at the moment. What makes me say this is that I have spots! On my chin and on my back and its not from the DHEA as I haven’t been taking it recently. Plus I have definitely had some angry moments recently. (mostly aimed at my poor husband).

If my hormones aren’t “right”, then I doubt my baby making capability is 100%. In fact I’m certain that if my hormones are functioning properly, I’ll never make a baby without the aid of IVF.

This is what I am doing to try and correct this problem.

•  I have cut out caffeine
• I have stopped eating wheat and any “white food” – I’m trying to lower my gluten as I’ve heard good things about gluten free diets or at least low GI diets
• I’m not having any artificial sweeteners – aspartame is now banned in the US, so that cant be good
• I’ve started taking Wheatgrass juice again
• Agnus Castus
• Vitamin B supplement
• Evening primrose oil
• Fertility Tea – it contains Red Raspberry to regulate menstrual cycle (mine has been all over the place recently – uh oh – is that the menopause looming????!!!)

 I am also exercising. I just feel that if I can make my body as healthy as I can, then things might start to work properly.

I have also been helping a friend who might have PCOS. I really think going on a PCOS diet could be really beneficial for her.

 I’ve also started listening to the Zita West CD. Its very relaxing and I hope that its doing some good. My FSH has always been bad but recent tests have suggested its ok. The Zita West CD talks about optimal amounts of hormones being released. Hope its doing me some good.

What more can I do to balance my hormones? Any idea, tips or tricks, let me know!

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e: jo@assistfertility.co.uk

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Hypnotherapy at the Zita West Clinic

I was lucky enough to attend a session of hypnotherapy with Zita West’s practitioner, Maureen at the Clinic in London.

It’s a first for me, having never done anything like his before, so I really didn’t know what to expect.

I arrived at the lovely clinic and was only kept waiting for a few minutes before being whisked to the very top of the building by Maureen, where we talked about my situation. I loved the way she spoke. Really such a positive person and we also talked about her family too.

We talked about some of the negative thoughts I have about trying naturally for baby number 2, my negative feelings about my own body, and my fear of letting my place of work down by having another baby. She really did help me “re-frame” some of my negativity and put a more positive spin on it.

Then the hypnotherapy session started. I lay back on the reclining chair and she began to speak. It was very much like you see on the TV, designed to make you relax but not at any point did I feel I was not in control of my body, my thoughts or my actions.

She set a wonderful scene. I was to imagine myself on a beach surrounded by lovely greenery and a bright sunny day. The session was focused on relaxing and using counting and imagery to do so. When I think back to the day I get a really strong imagine in my mind and its fantastic! It truly does help me feel less anxious and more relaxed.

The actual hypnotherapy last for approximately 20 minutes.

I enjoyed it very much, however, I can see that you would need a number of sessions to really benefit. I really felt very positive when leaving the clinic.The session also gave me some “self hypnosis” tools. When I think about it, it helps me relax and feel less stressed about the whole baby situation.

All in all, its was a fantastic experience, but I think I need to do it a few more times.

I sell Fertility Tea! Go to my website http://www.assistfertility.co.uk

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Zita West – Vitafem Boost

Last time I was trying to get pregnant I took the Zita West supplement, Vitafem Boost (alongside, many other supplements and herbs). The reason I love this product is because it contains 2 really important and fabulous ingredients, Resveratrol and Pycnogenol.I had heard a lot about these two ingredients before discovering that they were in the Zita West product. Separately they are actually pretty expensive to buy. Not to mention having to take a multitude of different supplements every day. This product “wraps them all up” together.

I did a lot of research on supplements to help my personal situation which was high FSH and therefore, aged eggs that were of poor quality. I was looking for a product which could help guard against any further deterioration of my eggs, with a view to using one of my own eggs during my IVF cycle, one that might actually turn into a baby!

There is strong, positive evidence in support of the benefits of both Resveratrol and Pycnogenol. Resveratrol is a power antioxidant which can help guard against age related infertility. Or in my case I had hoped it would help guard against further deterioration of my rapidly aging egg supply. Pycnogenol is another super antioxidant, it is also an anti inflammatory, and it can help improve egg health. It is also good for improving sperm health.On a more general note, these herbs are both pretty good anti aging products too! Bonus benefit!

Vitafem Boost also contains selenium, vitamin E, manganese, ALA and Acetyl Cysteine, all antioxidants which may help protect the developing egg cells. The product needs to be taken for roughly 3 months as egg development takes 90 days and the thinking is, the better the environment the eggs matures in, the better quality it will be. Well that’s the thinking – hoping – praying anyway!

Most healthcare professionals say that egg quality cannot be improved due to females being born with all the eggs they will ever need. I don’t subscribe to that way of thinking as I think the environment that the egg matures can contribute to the health of the egg. But it’s up to you to decide which side of the fence you sit on that argument.

I have just ordered a new supply of this Zita West product. I cant wait to start taking it!

You can buy it online through the Zita West website. http://www.zitawest.com