WTO Wednesday 8/22

thegirlwhowaited_

**This is a thread that welcomes all regardless of where they are at in their TTC journeys. Please be mindful of topics that are discussed that could be hurtful to those going through tough times. Mention of children or pregnancies of others should have a TW and be in a spoiler, and only be mentioned if it is extremely pertinent to the conversation. Thanks for keeping this a safe place for us all to engage!** 

Month/Cycle: 

CD: 

WAYDTGKU: 

R/R: 

CS/Q: 

whiteswanblackswan

Month/Cycle: 2/2

CD: 1

WAYDTGKU: Waiting for my uterus to stop trying to kill me

R/R: I'm feeling weird today - a mix of wildly anxious yet serene yet super excited yet blah. Like, what? Maybe because August is drawing to a close and fall is near. I know most people feel like spring is life renewal but to me, fall is exciting feels "new". Maybe a leftover feeling from when I was in school and it signaled a new school year.

CS/Q: 

marebear15

@whiteswanblackswan - I get that fresh feeling too when fall begins. I work on a college campus so in a way that is when our year starts.

Month/Cycle: 4/4

CD: 15

WAYDTGKU: Prenatals, BBT, OPKs, CM, N&C

R/R: DH finally went to the chiropractor yesterday after back pain for about a week and found out he has a dislocated rib. Unfortunately, he was also running a fever, so he had to get that check out with blood work before the chiropractor can work on him, just in case there are some other issues. I feel terrible for him. 

CS/Q: My temp went back down to normal, so as I suspected it was just a fluke and I haven't Oed yet.

FROM TUESDAY:
@swiftlet - Yay for the positive! Hope you can make the timing work.

@kiki047 - The wedding didn't go off without a hitch, but it was beautiful and my sister was happy, so that's what counts. I'm so glad that stress is over, and now I can focus on other things, like a back to school party for my college aged siblings, and all the September birthdays in our family.
I hope you get your CHs today!

@klmcguire - I'm so sorry to see you back over here. Be kind to yourself.

@kindbytealikat - My temps are consistently low 97s with one thermometer, and low 98s with the other. It might have to do with how the thermometers are calibrated, but if you are worried about it, it's not that hard to get your thyroid checked.

harrierwife

Month/Cycle: 4/5

CD: 5

WAYDTGKU: CM/CP/BBT/OPKs/supplements and herbs, N&C

R/R: Rant: I miss MH. I don't like waking up in the house alone. When I went to sleep last night the dogs were lying by the front door waiting for him. Before we got married last year it was hard to get good sleep with him, now its hard to get good sleep without him. 

Rave: We're one day closer to fall. So looking forward to a few of the trips we have planned - we have a good one planned every month - September we're going to Jacksonville for a long weekend to visit very good friends we haven't seen since our wedding, October I'm going home for a family wedding and my favorite sheep and wool festival with my friends, November we're going to Dallas for Thanksgiving to visit another set of very good friends, and then skiing ALL BY OURSELVES in UT for Christmas. We're both very excited to do Christmas alone this year - the last several years have been full of family drama and 17 hour drives home juggling dogs. 

These trips are the only things getting me through this 95-100 degree weather. 

CS/Q: Nah.

thegirlwhowaited_

@whiteswanblackswan I get that feeling too. Even though it isn't the new year it seems like the beginning to holiday season.

@marebear15 I've dislocated a rib before so I know that pain. I hope he gets fixed up soon. Hopefully O will come soon. Has you CM been indicative of O being soon? Or any OPKs?

*edited: sorry @marebear15 I didn't see your chart before. If you haven't had any OPKs that are getting close to the control line then I'd say keep going. I tend to get watery or EW CM about 5 to 6 days before I actually O. But it does stop after O.

Month/Cycle: 14/15

CD: 10

WAYDTGKU: IUI w/ clomid, trigger, and progesterone. Ultrasound tomorrow!

R/R: Last does of clomid was last night. I had a little bit of a headache this morning, but its since gone with eating breakfast. DH says I was my own personal heater last night, but my Ava skin temps keep dropping. I guess because I keep sleeping without the blankets and the fan on me. To celebrate my last clomid dose I had a bubble bath with some sparkling wine last night.

CS/Q: nope

klmcguire

Month/Cycle: 4/3

CD: 2

WAYDTGKU: BBT, OPK, CM, Prenatals, VitB, CMZ

R/R: I got a slim can "hopsulator" for myself a couple of weeks ago and I used it for the first time last night. BEST INVENTION EVER!  

CS/Q: Nothing on this months yet.

emeraldduchess

@whiteswanblackswan I definitely get what you mean about fall. Being a teacher, September and the start of the school year is really my "new year". 
@marebear15 a dislocated rib sounds so painful!  I hope your husband feels better soon.
@harrierwife I'm glad you have some traveling to look forward to!  The Christmas skiing trip for just the two of you sounds heavenly.  This year my MIL and FIL are traveling for Christmas (they usually host Christmas Eve) and I am not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to a cozy Christmas Eve at home with just DH.  
@thegirlwhowaited_ I like how you celebrated the last dose of clomid.  I really need to start taking bubble baths as a way to relax again.  I haven't done that in years.  Maybe that's how I will celebrate surviving the first week back to school next month.
@klmcguire I just had to google "hopsulator".  I might have to get one of those for DH for Christmas. 
*edit: spelling
Month/Cycle: 2/2

CD: 13

WAYDTGKU: Prenatal vitamins, Fertility Friend, OPKs, HIO, red raspberry leaf tea, cutting down on alcohol and trying to eat cleaner

R/R: I really need to buckle down and start lesson planning for the first few weeks of school.  I've been dragging my feet this year, and I don't know why because I really do love teaching.  At this point in the summer, I am usually excited and feel ready to go back.  I'm hoping I'll snap out of it tomorrow when I go into my classroom and start setting things up. 

CS/Q: OPK was negative this morning.  Not a surprise, but the test line was even lighter than yesterday.  I am not going to overthink it, but what the heck?  I wasn't expecting the line to get darker, but didn't think it would be lighter/barely visible today.  

marebear15

@thegirlwhowaited_ I did have one day of EWCM but it went back to creamy yesterday. OPKs have been negative. I always O "late" compared to the 14 day average. I'm expecting O around CD18. FX for your ultrasound.

@klmcguire - What did you drink in your hopsolator?

@emeraldduchess - Did you take the OPK at a different time today? Maybe had more fluid intake right before? 

klmcguire

@marebear15 I am a fan of Truly's. Preferably the Blood Orange and and Grapefruit. 

rikiteacup

Month/Cycle: 5

CD: 7

WAYDTGKU: BBT, OPK, prenatals, PreSeed, CM

R/R: Time is going so slowly since charting.

CS/Q: I'd love to hear stories about checking your cervix position. To me, it looks like my vagina is too long AND my fingers are too short. When I had an IUD, I couldn't check for the strings. I must not be the only one?!

Swiftlet

@whiteswanblackswan Sorry for CD1 And I agree with the anticipation of fall, even though I've been out of school for a while.

@marebear15 Ouch! I hope everything gets better for him soon.

@harrierwife Sorry YH is gone When my guy was out of town for 10 days at the end of July, my dog was definitely mopey. I'm glad you have some fun things to look forward to, though. We have a staycation coming up I'm excited for!

@thegirlwhowaited_ Ooh, bubble bath! Hope those damn hot flashes subside soon.

@klmcguire From yesterday- sorry to see you back -hug- What the devil is a hopsulator? Google isn't helping, haha.

@emeraldduchess I had my first positive OPK yesterday, but the day before my lines at both testings did lighten and I freaked out a little. Don't overthink it, just keep testing! (Easy for me to say, right? )

@rikiteacup I feel like I can barely reach mine either (I definitely have small hands/short fingers!) but I've been tracking it intermittently now for a couple cycles and can reach it more easily when I'm not in FW time. What helps me reach it sometimes is "bearing down" if that makes sense.

Month/Cycle: 4/3

CD: 29

WAYDTGKU: PNVs, started OPKs this cycle, trying desperately to keep HIO!

R/R: So last night's OPK was even darker than the afternoon's and strongly positive again this AM just recently. I think we need to HIO tonight and tomorrow night at least (did last night too) but my libido is waning AND I work late, too - ugh! I'm going to try reeeeeally hard to make it happen. We'll see if hubs can keep up.

CS/Q: So I feel silly even asking, but if I'm having multiple days of positive OPKs - ovulation should happen ~12-36hrs after the FIRST positive OPK, right? Like I said, I'm going to try to keep HIO today/tomorrow but if I get another positive tomorrow I feel like I should also HIO Friday too? (I'm not temping.)

kiki047

@marebear15 it wouldn't be a wedding if it didn't have a few glitches, but that your sister had a great day that she'll cherish forever is all that matters. That really sucks about YH's rib, sounds so painful! Glad he finally got it checked out. I did get my CH today so I'm very tentatively moving over to TWW today.... I may be back if my temp drops again but FX!

Couple responses from yesterday - 
@meatballs37 I started with cutting out dairy, gluten, grains and simple carbs. That one temp spike last week was the day after my cheat day when I gave in and had a whole wheat scone from my favourite bakery and two slices of naan pizza baked in the stone oven at the cottage. This week I cut out red meat too. 

@nomangos23 The PCOS diet seems to mainly focus on cutting out anything that could cause inflammation, namely dairy, gluten/wheat in general, refined carbs (white rice, white bread, pasta, etc), added sugar. Eating lots of greens, lean protein, nuts/fish/foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, high fiber to combat the insulin resistance. 

emeraldduchess

@marebear15 I tested around the same time that I did yesterday (FMU), and I don't think my fluid intake last night was much different.  This is really the first cycle that I have used them, since I got them late last cycle.  I got what I *think* could have been a positive the day that they came in the mail, but I had nothing to compare it to.  

@swiftlet thanks for the encouragement.  I will try my best not to overthink it.  I'll test again this afternoon and see if there is any difference.  I don't mind sacrificing some extra test strips while I am still getting used to paying such close attention to my cycle.  I can dial it back once I figure it out.

klmcguire

@Swiftlet Its a yeti type can holder for the slim cans 

Swiftlet

@klmcguire ooh, I see! We have the Yeti regular can ones and they are amazing!

kiki047

**lurking from TWW again**

@emeraldduchess what kind of OPKs are you using? Some say not to use FMU as most surges typically happen later, between 10am-8pm. Some people choose to actually test twice a day closer to their O date in case you miss your surge, so whether that is morning and afternoon, or afternoon and evening... personally when I was still testing (before I knew that I just had elevated LH levels due to my PCOS) I was testing at lunch and when I got home from work around 6pm. 

emeraldduchess

@kiki047 I am using Clinical Guard (bought on Amazon, they had pretty good reviews).  There isn't a whole lot of instruction on the packaging other than "dip/wait/read".  There is even less info on their website for the OPKs.  I hear different things too about the time of day to test.  Good point about surges happening later in the day, the one I took last cycle that looked positive was taken around 5pm, so maybe I should test later in the day.  

asupernovablizzardstorm

Tags from yesterday: 
@kiki047 @thegirlwhowaited_ thanks for the suggestions ! It Will most likely happen again since I don't learn. 
@kvh22 I'm left handed, I took the skillet out with my left hand. Switched the mitt to my right to stir with left. Then for some reason I didn't want the handle pointing out, so I grabbed the handle to turn it away without thinking. 
@nomangos23 got lucky and no blisters this time. 

Today :
@klmcguire sorry to see you back here. 
@marebear15 hope your dh feels better soon. How did he dislocate a rib? 


Month/Cycle: 8/9

CD: 12

WAYDTGKU: HIO, temping, OPKs, fertility tea 

R/R: nothing new. 

CS/Q: temp jumping around and no sign of O.

jessg2223

Sorry for the quick post, work is busy today.


Month/Cycle: 4/4

CD: 22

WAYDTGKU: BBT/CM, PNV, VitD, HIO EOD

R/R: Still with the low temperatures. Hoping O is imminent though as my husband is going away this weekend for a fantasy football draft... At least now I'm not as worried about not temping last weekend as it looks like I definitely didn't O yet.

CS/Q: None yet.

marebear15

@Swiftlet - I was thinking O happens 12-36 hours after the last positive, but now I'm not so sure. Off to Dr.Google!

@kiki047 - So glad you got your CHs! Hopefully your temp stays up.

@emeraldduchess - Seconding what kiki047 said, FMU isn't usually the best sample. I'd try late afternoon/evening and perhaps try twice a day if you can?

@asupernovablizzardstorm - He's not really sure how he dislocated it. He helped move my sister into her apartment the day it started really hurting. I think it was that combined with years of a back and avoiding seeing the chiropractor for routine adjustments.

meatballs37

@whiteswanblackswan I also feel like fall is new and exciting. I’m so ready for the cooler weather. 
@marebear15 I hope your DH feels better soon. And what a sneaky cycle you have going on. 
@harrierwife When does MH come back? DH is at a bachelor party tonight and I’m sorta looking forward to having the bed to myself and watching my crappy reality to shows without him rolling his eyes. 
@thegirlwhowaited_ yay for the last dose of clomid! Cheers to that! Hoping this cycle is the ticket! 
@emeraldduchess what grade do you teach? 
@rikiteacup no advice on cervical position. Bt im on the same CD and feel like it’s dragging too. I wonder if it has to do with the weather here. 
@Swiftlet sending some energy your way! I’m not gonna lie, I’m sorta enjoying that I’m not in my fertile window right now so my lady bits can get a break. TTc sex is just so much work. 
@kiki047 no carbs, dairy or red meat?! Oh man I commend you for your self control! I think the hardest for me would be dairy for some reason. 

meatballs37

Month/cycle 10/3 (6 benched)
CD:7
WAYSTGKU: PNV, OPK, PS, BBT, CoQ10
R/R: AF is still lightly here. Ugh. But it’s still spotting. So hopefully by tomorrow she’s packed her bags for a while. 
CS/Q: This is my first full cycle doing OPKs(I know technically I shouldn’t start them until day 10-12). I’ve done one everyday because I’m curious and mine are really dark. Almost as dark as the control. So my guess is, my baseline LH just runs higher than average. I’m really curious to see what the heck a positive will look like for me. If this cycle doesn’t work out. I may have my OB order a lab on it just so I have a numerical value to compare to the sensitivity of the sticks I’m using. 

nomangos23

@Swiftlet I always I get two full days of strong positive OPKs and I usually see O about 24 hours after the PEAK, or, when I see the strongest OPK lines. 

@harrierwife Christmas alone! What a dream! 

@emeraldduchess Using OPKs was so frustrating for me at first. I'd think I was going to wake up and for SURE have a positive because yesterday's test was almost positive. Then nope. You'll get the hang of it! Also, I use the OPK digitals (the pink kind not the purple) because I struggled so much with the cheapies. The digital just tells me for sure if it's positive or if its negative. I can also watch the line progression when I take the stick out, so I can tell if it's a strong positive or not. 

@thegirlwhowaited_ bubble bath and sparkling wine sounds tremendously relaxing. You must not live in Texas though. You couldn't pay me to take a bath with how hot it is outside right now! 

@rikiteacup I'm not sure why but this had me cracking up. I can so relate! Try different body positions. Sitting, standing with one leg on the toilet, squatting. Good luck!



Month/Cycle: 8/12

CD: 5

WAYDTGKU: Benched for now

R/R: I'm trying very hard to think of a rave instead of a rant, and it's not coming very easy. What does this say about my state of mind? 

Ummmmmmmm... my dogs are cute today? 

CS/Q: Nah

rikiteacup

What does PNV mean?

kiki047

@meatballs37 the hardest part for me is giving up white rice. I'm Japanese so that's basically the staple of every meal. Quinoa or brown rice are both delicious but honestly, I would eat quinoa WITH my rice before  

@rikiteacup PNV = prenatal vitamins

lulu1180

@rikiteacup Re: checking CP, first as nomangos said above, try different positions.  I know I tried standing with my leg up on the toilet, tub edge, etc but I couldn't really get a good feel that way.  The best way for me is squatting down as low as I can.  My other piece of advice is to throw out the knuckle rule that you read about.  The first cycle will be a little confusing, but I suggest just noting what you think you feel and once you have a feel cycle under your belt, it will make more sense.  When I first started checking CP, mine was at medium for a good part of the cycle if I went by the knuckle rule.  But once I had gone through the entire cycle, I realized that was low for me and I knew for the next cycle to note it as low instead of medium.  

I hope this makes sense to you, if not feel free to ask questions either here or in a PM

thegirlwhowaited_

Sorry it's taken me a while to come back and respond. It's been a crazy day with work still trying to get some things finalized before the end of the month.

@emeraldduchess I always highly recommend bubble baths.

@rikiteacup You are not the only one. I can't reach that far.

@Swiftlet You can do it! Make it through that hio marathon! 

@nomangos23 I do live in Texas I live in San Antonio, but we've had the house freezing cold with my hot flashes. I didn't have one yesterday afternoon so I took a bath and it felt amazing to get out in the cool air. I even convinced DH to give me a little back massage after my bath.

harrierwife

@rikiteacup - re: Cervical Position....I have a squatty potty and find that I can reach mine easily when my feet are on it. (PS I cannot recommend squatty potties enough, otherwise!)

Re: PCOS diet that some ladies were talking about....I do not have PCOS personally, but found that doing a round of Whole 30 or two better regulated my hormones. My best friend has PCOS and when she went to TTC, she did Whole 30 and was successful after some difficulty. Obviously YMMV, but I recommend it if you can manage. Its not easy, but like others said, minimizing or eliminating foods that cause inflammation can only help? Just my experience. 

nomangos23

@harrierwife Totally agree. I tried it a few years ago lasted 4 days. My mood was SO bad my boss was literally like "I need you to leave and get a cookie"

emeraldduchess

Thank you ladies so much for your input RE: OPKs.  

@nomangos23 that's what I was thinking this morning, too. "Clearly it will be darker today..." nope. 
  
@marebear15 I will try testing later and 2x/day but that might be tricky since I don't have a whole lot of time or bathroom breaks at work.

@meatballs37 I teach fifth grade.  It's a really fun age group to work with (they still think I am cool).  I am laughing to myself about trying to test with an OPK during the school day.  With my luck one would fall out of my purse and they would be able to read the packaging!