Thursday, January 24, 2013

TTC = BACK PAIN

OK so I know it's been a while since I've written anything in this blog... and I've been enjoying the time off!

Last month I was so obsessed with trying to get pregnant, that I think I burned myself out to some degree, and this month I'm taking things a lot easier. Not completely, but let's just say I'm only doing about 2/3rds of the things I was doing last month. And guess what.... my back pain has practically vanished!!!!

Last month, when I was feeling more fertile than ever, my back pain was HORRIBLE. A couple of times I wondered if it could have anything to do with all the crazy things I was doing to increase my fertility, but I'd shrug it off, thinking, why would my back pain get worse just because I'm extra fertile?  Well, I still don't totally get why, but nowI'm convinced  the two things are related. The fact that my back feels great this month... after I've finally cut back a bit on the fertility treatments... seems to be a lot more than just coincidence.

One day I was complaining about my back pain, to a friend of mine who had gone through major fertility treatments (clomid, IVF) and she told me she had terrible back pain while she was doing it! I really think there must be a connection. 

So I just wanted to write this to warn women not to get discouraged. When I have back pain, I just feel terrible, and am more prone to feeling cranky. I started worrying a lot more too, like, "How am I ever going to be able to deal with being pregnant for 9 months, and then carrying around a 7 lb, 10 lb, 15 lb, 30 + lb BABY, for the next few years, when I have this kind of miserable back pain? There was a little voice that would creep into my head saying, "um.... whyyyyyy, are you doing this, again???"  Not really the best state of mind, for someone who is trying to have a baby.

So it is a relief to realize the back pain is probably just temporary!  I can't believe how much better I feel, this month, now that my fertility isn't as jacked up as it was last month. I am still taking lots of vitamin D (over 6,000 IU/day) and that does seem to help my lower back (whereas last month it didn't seem to help like it usually does!)

Things I stopped doing this month, that I did last month:

-Eating Yams (I haven't had a single one this cycle)
-Drinking He Shou Wu
-Eating Pumpkin Seeds (I ran out, and just never got more)
-Taking extra Oil of evening primrose (I still take it, but not as much)
-... and I'm only eating about half the raw vegetables, that I did last month. Mostly due to laziness. 

I don't have nearly as many "pangs" in my ovaries, this month, as I did last month. And though I did feel miettelschmerz, a couple of times, it wasn't nearly like it was last month. Last month was like fireworks!

I am still taking Fertil Plus, though I could definitely be better about taking it at the right time of day. I'm also taking Fertile CM, garlic, and Coenzyme Q10, in addition to the Visalus Vi-Pak.

I haven't taken a single ovulation test this month either. It was partly because I ran out of them, but I was just too tired to order more. On the day I had the bladder infection, I saw some test strips on sale at the store and did get them, but never used them. 

Like I said, I am enjoying taking a break right now. I'm not giving up, I'm just not going nuts this month. I'm going to keep eat well and do what I can to just be healthy, and see what happens. 

EB

------------UPDATE 10/11/14: For about 3 days straight, my back was KILLING me, and I realized it was around the time I was ovulating. I have been taking Astragalus and CoEnzyme Q10 and exercising, and seriously, I had so much cervical mucus, it felt like I peed in my pants. I also felt pangs in my ovaries, which i hadn't in a long time. My hair is getting oilier. And I can't help thinking all this is a sign that I am in "Ovulation overload" of some sort. I keep thinking of my friend who agreed, when she was doing fertility treatments her back got really sore, and so did mine about a year ago when I was kind of overdoing it on the fertility treatments. For several reasons I am taking a break on actively trying to conceive right now, but I'm trying to preserve the quality of my eggs just in case (by taking the CoEnzyme Q10 and Astragalus). I like to think it's working!!!


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