Fitness

When my sister was seeing an alternative doctor for detox after her chemo, he gave her all sorts of tests, but one was an estrogen test. He said there are two types of estrogen- good and bad- and you can decrease the bad estrogen by getting more exercise. Since endometriosis is associated with excess estrogen too, I wondered if I would also benefit by increased exercise.

It is so hard to drag myself to the (outdoor) swimming pool when it is windy and 50 degrees, and nearly impossible to look forward to my 45-minute bike commute, but I am ALWAYS glad I did it afterwards. Another tip that helps too- every four weeks allow yourself to slack off a little.

Exercise decreases stress and depression, and losing six pounds of infertility treatment weight helps with the self-image. Things are going well!

Halloween

Last Halloween, I turned off all the lights and hid in the back of the house, ignoring every time the doorbell rang. Halloween itself wasn’t the problem- people were the problem. I had just finished the seventh and last failed IUI cycle and I was so unhappy and grumpy that I secretly referred to myself as the Grinch. Many times I wondered if I would make it through the day at work without walking out.

This year, there were a lot of kids in our neighborhood, but most didn't notice our front door, hidden in the back. A. thought the party favors that I was giving out instead of candy were lame, and he suggested we go out to a Japanese restaurant instead. That is a treat because sushi breaks our budget for eating out, but I have an insatiable craving for tempura, so he knew I would agree. Also, you aren't supposed to eat sushi while you are trying to conceive or pregnant, and I am still trying to make up for all that missed sushi.