A Few Words About Toilet Paper

TTC involves many things I was clueless about before jumping on the baby-making bandwagon. One of these is the obsession with toilet paper. Once you decide to start charting, going to the bathroom is never the same again. I had no idea.

It comes in two phases. Phase 1 is the pre-ovulation phase, in which you stare at the TP in search of the elusive EWCM. And, if you think you see it, it sometimes hard to resist the urge to touch said TP just to see how stretchy the EWCM really is. And then you get a little grossed out by the fact that you just touched used toilet paper.

Phase 2 is the post-ovulation phase, which involves analyzing the TP looking for any sign of blood. In the middle of the 2WW, this can create lots of excitement (“could it be implantation bleeding?”) and fertility friend will increase this excitement by confirming that you do indeed have “possible implantation bleeding.” Later on the 2WW, any sign of blood is met with depression and frustration (“here comes AF again…another cycle is a bust”).

Actually, I think one of the blessings of AF (besides the excuse to drink heavily), is the break from TP analyzation ;)

It Looks Like I O'd!

Woot! My temperature was way up the past three days, so it's looking like I definitely O'd - I'm so happy being sick didn't delay it for long. The only question is: Did I O'd three or five days ago? If I adjust even one of my temperatures for the irregular waking times, Fertility Friend tells me I O'd five days ago. If I leave my actual temperatures in there, it tells me I O'd three days ago. Oh well, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter. Now we wait....

I am so ready to…Ovulate!

My body seems to be struggling to do its thing this cycle. About nine days ago, things were proceeding along as they usually do – a few days of EWCM, a high cervix, a positive OPK. But bronchitis got in the way and my body decided it wasn’t quite ready to O. So I waited a few days and the process started over again – EWCM, a high cervix, and a positive OPK. Then another positive OPK, then another positive OPK…and then another positive OPK.

Right now I am on day 4 of positive OPKs. Some reading-up at PeeOnAStick.com told me that my body geared up to O a second time, failed to O (probably because of the head cold), and geared up again right away. So I had overlapping LH surges, which gave me four days in a row of positive OPKs.

I must admit this has been a little torturous. Not only do I have the confusion of the OPKs, my chart is horrible and isn’t telling me much of anything because my temps were elevated when I had bronchitis, and now I keep waking up at 5am for no reason, which means I have to temp two hours earlier than usual (and this messes up charting). Plus, I am sick of analyzing my toilet paper every time I use the bathroom and fingering myself multiple times a day in attempt to clarify things. (And, because I’m sure enquiring minds are dying to know, my CM has continued to be fertile and my cervix was still high, so all fertility signs point to no O yet.) I am actually looking forward to the two week wait this cycle!

I can’t imagine how crazy I would be going if I had a really long cycle. I know this is nothing; some people have 60+ day cycles.

It’s mostly the constant gearing and then not Oing, combined with the crappy chart, that is torturing me. I hate feeling like I have no idea what is going on. So I was pretty excited this evening when I checked my cervix and it was low for the first time in weeks – maybe I finally O’d!

And...Now I have a Headcold!

Arrrrrghhh! For the past few days, I have been a sniffling, sneezing mess. At least my bronchitis is feeling much better :P

All of this sickness made charting a bit difficult this month. For a few days there, I had no idea what was going on with my body. My BBT temperature was elevated for a several days due to the bronchitis, so I had to discard all those days from my chart. But, based on CM, cervical position, OPKs, and when I usually O, I was positive I O'd Tuesday night. I was psyched because that would have meant we had perfect timing. However, once I started feeling better my temperature went back down - meaning I hadn't O'd yet. So it looks like my body geared up to O and didn’t because I was sick.

Luckily, I have started noticing the fertility signs again during the past few days. Fingers crossed that it actually does this time!

I Have Bronchitis

I am a bit frustrated! I usually don't have so many health issues back to back. Last Tuesday, I started noticing a slight pain my back while breathing in. I had pneumonia the last time I felt that way, but I told myself it was probably just a strained muscle. Plus, I was on colistin - if I was already on an antibiotic, how could I get an infection? I was in denial because I was going on vacation and didn't have the sick/free time to go to the doctor beforehand.

The pain went away on Thursday, but then my body started aching, and I starting coughing up some really nasty stuff. I just took Tylenol and chalked it up to bad allergies. We were in Maine on Friday morning, and that's when the coughing really started. I told myself it takes a few days to get the allergens out of my system. But, by the end of the day, I felt like absolute crap and crawled into bed early.

Saturday was a little better. I was still coughing up lots of nasty stuff and aching, but I managed enjoyed our hike and the fresh air made me feel a little better. However, on Sunday, I started feeling achy again, and I was still coughing, so I finally conceded defeat and admitted it was something more than allergies and that I needed to go the doctor.

Luckily, we were able to catch an earlier flight on Monday and got into Austin in time for me to make it to the doctor. A chest x-ray showed bronchitis. The doctor went through a few drugs before he settled on Levaquin as being safe while TTC. That night, my fever spiked to over 101 degrees, and I took Tuesday off from work.

When you have a chronic disease like CF, dealing with doctors and nurses can sometimes be interesting because you often know more about your condition than they do. This was the case on Monday. I always communicate with my CF doctor via the CF clinic coordinator, who is a nurse. After she spoke with my doctor, she called and told me the doctor did not have time to see me, so I should see my PCP or go to the ER. I asked her “so, should I make sure I get a chest x-ray and a sputum culture?” to which she laughed and replied “Dr. Smith said ‘she knows what to do, I’m not worried about her.’ Heck you could probably teach me!”

Then, at the PCP’s office, he sent me for a chest x-ray but didn’t mention a sputum culture. When I asked about this, he said, “We don’t do sputum cultures for lung infections because they are contaminated by mouth bacteria.” I then explained to him that CFers have unusual bugs in their lungs, so we always do cultures. He was surprised to hear I usually culture pseudomonas aeruginosa (which is very common for CFers and is a big reason we get sick and have lung damage). So he agreed we could do the culture (although I ended up not being able to bring anything up at the appointment). Next I hold him which antibiotics I am usually prescribed (Levaquin and Ciproflaxin), and he checked which was better for TTC.

Anywho, it’s now Wednesday evening and I am feeling a little better. The body aches are gone, and the nasty phlegm is reduced a bit, although I am still hacking like crazy. My back hurts again too. But my fingers are crossed that I am on the mend. I went to work today for about six hours, and it wasn’t too bad.

Of course, this whole bronchitis episode has affected TTC a bit. We weren’t able to be super-aggressive this month because I felt too icky. And my chart is messed-up because of the fevers. But, it I think I did ovulate despite the bronchitis (due to other fertility signs), and we still got a few “efforts” in, so hopefully that will be enough!

Another Fun Weekend!

Greg and I just got home from a weekend in Maine. I grew up in Maine, and I always get incredibly home sick this time of year - 90 degrees in Texas does not feel like fall to me! So we decided to escape the heat for a long weekend. We had a great time and really packed it in: apple picking, a hike in the Appalachians, a trip to the ocean, lobster eating, and, of course, there was lots of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale drinking going on. Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Apple Picking

The View from my Parent's Deck (Yes, I Grew Up Here!)

Casco Bay with Portland Headlight in the Distance

My Sister & I Peaking through a Window of the Fort near Southern Maine Community College

Hanging out at the Lighthouse near Southern Maine Community College (I was trying not to giggle in this picture)

Hiking in Grafton Notch State Park

At Table Rock in Grafton Notch State Park (it was cold up there!)

A Picture of the Foliage we saw on our Hike

We're Back in the Game!

We are officially in a TTC cycle now! Woot! Now we can finally begin our super aggressive cycle. Here's our plan of action:

For determining ovulation: Charting, OPKs, and CBEFM
For helping with CM: Pre-seed, Mucinex (twice daily), Green Tea Capsules
For getting PG: Lots of sex ;)

I am excited about this cycle because my CF doctor said it would be the perfect time for me to get PG - right after sinus surgery, so I don't have any sinus issues, and when my lungs are looking great.

My fingers and toes are crossed!