YEAH! A small milestone

My pulse had been weak since Egg Transfer and it was just going downhill.  I visit my TCM doc about 1-2 times a week.  Each time my heart just sinks hearing that the pulse was weaker or it is not improving.  I know I have not been taking good care of my health, always letting work take priority over it especially in the initial weeks when I came back to work.

Finally after 7 weeks, she finally said, 'it is getting better - almost normal now'.  I was totally elated, couldn't resist telling my friends, colleagues and hubby.  I even asked her to repeat herself so that I can hear it one more time.  Well, it is not in normal, super strong and healthy range.  But at least it is no longer weak.

Tomorrow I will be seeing her again for my weekly review.  Hopefully the pulse continues to be strong.  But I had a very hectic weekend because of work.  And I started exercising which is giving me a lot of aches and pain.  Fingers crossed!

Rumoured Fertility Superfood Part 2 - CoQ10

I read somewhere that CoQ10 is the spark plug of the body.  Just as the spark plug helps to ignite the engine and get the car running, CoQ10 (which is found in mitochondria) plays the key role in producing energy for our body.  As we age after our mid-20s, the level of CoQ10 starts its inevitable decline and so does our ability to absorb it.

Benefits of CoQ10
My eyes lit up when I saw mitochondria because that is the battery pack of the cells in our body and more importantly, the egg embryo.  The egg needs mitochondria to grow and multiply in the first week before implantation.  However, the initial research of the benefits of CoQ10 did not mention anything on fertility.  Instead, its benefits are prevention of hypertension, supporting of cancer treatment, source of antioxidant against aging etc.  The strongest research seem to indicate the usefulness of CoQ10 in lowering blood pressure.  Other benefits are still research in progress.

There were mentions that CoQ10 lowers blood sugar level, which is good news for those with PCOS.  If all else fails, you can count on CoQ10 to help with your beauty regime as the antioxidants within CoQ10 can withstand and reverse skin damage, preserve the collagen and elastin within your skin cells to make you appear younger.

CoQ10 supplements and CoQ10-rich food
As Coq10 is not a natural herb but a scientifically made health supplement, there may be side effects such as nausea, vomiting, heartburn, diarrhea, appetite loss, insomnia, headache, dizziness, irritability, fatigue and flu-like ailments. Thankfully, according to the research, the symptoms are generally rather mild and short lasting.

Alternatively, you can consider including Coq10 rich food in your diet - pork heart, beef heart, liver, kidney etc.  Do not fry them as CoQ10 are lost during the process, so boiling is still the best cooking method.  However, getting all the CoQ10 needed from food presents challenges because of the relatively low amounts available even in foods with the highest content values.

Finally decided - Applying for No Pay Leave

Sorry for the long lapse.  It has been a whirlwind week for me, but at least there is sunshine after the storm.  My hubby was suddenly offered an overseas posting.  We had to battle intensely what was in for us and how this would fit into our plans.  In the meantime, workload was getting very heavy and I was totally emboiled in it.

A few things made me realise the way forward.  I really need to get away from work.  I really love my work, I do.  Sometimes I do drag my feet to work, but I feel it is a meaningful job and I always end up giving it my 120%.  But I am starting to see that it is at the expense of my health.  How do I know?  My hubby berated me on 3 incidents in the last 3 weeks:

1. Week 1 - Went back to work despite a lot of objections
   Doc informed that it was a failed pregnancy and would give me MC to manage my emotions and get over the heavy period flow.  I decided to go back to work (against the advice of a lot of people) and did a straight 14-hour shift cos I know manpower was needed in the office.  
2. Week 2 - Mind and body subconsciously and totally overwhelmed by work
   Received an urgent assignment on Friday night, with a deadline on Saturday evening.  I planned out the workflow til 1am and intended to wake up at 9am the next day.  Instead, I automatically jumped out of bed at 7am.  My body just couldn't sleep - it was subconsciously and totally overwhelmed by work.  And honestly, I am the kind of creature who sleeps til mid-afternoon on weekends.
3. Week 3 - Chose work over my health
   TCM doc instructed mini-confinement rules which involved taking extra care of my health.  It was pouring one morning and my cardigan, dress and hair were wet/damp by the time I reached the MRT.  My body will ache very very badly as long as I let my hair dry normally on my shoulders. I knew it was a killer for me to get into the air-con train with damp clothes/hair.  I knew that I really should go home, get a warm bath and dry myself.  But my colleagues and I were needed in a meeting and I decided not to let them down.  As expected, my body ached like hell that night and I had to see my TCM doc the next day.  It wasn't the aches that mattered.  Instead, what made my heart sank was hearing from the TCM doc that my body had weakened. 

My hubby made it clear to me.  You can never detach yourself from work.  This is you and your sense of responsibility.  It is not easy since you are used to giving your all at work.  With that in mind, you will never be able to prioritise family planning as #1 and allow yourself to be just an average performer.  It was the 2nd time that he spoke seriously to me on this and reiterated his commitment to tighten his belt and support me financially. 

The overseas posting offered was not what we had in mind and the opportunity cost didn't justify the move.  But he was seriously considering to accept the overseas posting just so that I could get away from my work.  It finally dawned on me that he was right - so we are staying put and I am going to make an appeal for no pay leave.  Not an easy decision, lots of internal battling and turmoil - but hope that everything will pan out well eventually.