Bye to Cherries, Hi to Beetroot!

My TCM doc has advised me to eat cherries to help with my health condition.  I do really hope that it will help with egg quality.  Even if it doesn't, it is a good source of anti-aging nutrients and anti-oxidants =P

But alas, my regular fruit seller announced that the cherry season was over!  Sad, cos I have grown quite attached to having cherries every other day.

So I had to asked my TCM doc, 'what else can I eat in place of cherries?'.  The answer? Beetroot!  I would truly preferred cherries over beetroot, but no choice.  Beetroot it shall be.  Anything that can help my health and fertility - I will gobble it down with gusto!

In case anyone is following my diet, so no more cherries for us.  It is going to be apple + beetroot + carrot drink twice a week.  And always finish your drink within 30mins!

Getting back to SMH one day!

I have been very busy at work.  Updates to this blog is also getting slower.  Today, my connection to the office email is down and I had the time to click around the SMH sisters' blogs and read their updates.

I realised that I have not gone into the SMH since my failed IVF.  It then struck me that I actually lacked the courage to go in.  I feared to read about the pain of the sisters who failed.  I feared feeling the inevitable heartache when I see BFP news.  Unknowingly, I had isolated myself in a cocoon, with my blog as the only channel to express my IVF thoughts.

But I do hope, that one day I would be able to re-join the SMH group - with a rekindled spirit to walk alongside the many sisters in this IVF journey. 

My Post IVF diet

My pulse had been weak since the start of the IVF injections in late June.  There were no known reasons - could have been the stress leading to the 3-week absence from work, or the effects of the injections on my health.  The pulse continued to worsen, especially after the failed pregnancy arising from a poor quality embryo.

It took me 7 weeks before my pulse showed signs of recovery.  One of the most common questions was what did I do to get my pulse back on track.  Again, there is no scientific evidence to this.  But I thought sharing this might help others, in one way or another:

1. Having black chicken herbal soup every alternate day (for the first 5 weeks) and subsequently twice a week
2. Having red dates, dang gui and longan drink every day (for the first 5 weeks) and subsequently every alternate day
3. Having chinese herbal medicine prescribed by my TCM doctor twice a day 
4. Having cherries every 2-3 days 
5. Having organic soy isoflavones pills every night
6. Wearing long-sleeved tops and long-pants for the whole day for the first 5 weeks
7. Avoiding iced drinks and cooling food e.g. melons, white-coloured vegetables such as radish, white cabbage, bean sprouts etc
8. Making a conscious effort to reduce worrying and anxiety e.g. through prayers and deep breathing etc.  I do have a phone apps for checking of heart rate.  Interestingly, it is about 80beats per minute when I am heading to work, 90beats per minute when I am at work and 70beats per minute after work.
9. Going to gym once a week about 4 weeks ago.  The routine consisted about 10mins of brisk-walking and 4 types of simple weights exercises (squats, lunges, chest press, sit-ups etc)
10. Arranged for 2 extended weekends so that I could get more rest and stay away from work.

Interestingly, after each of the extended weekends, my TCM doctor diagnosed more obvious improvements in my pulse. In any case, my pulse is starting to show an itsy bitsy power.  If the trend continues, my TCM doctor would be allowing us to continue our plans to try for a baby.  Right now, it is still on hold as the body needs to recover.

Give Thanks! No-pay leave likely approved!

I have been very troubled on how to broach my request for no-pay leave again.  I did bring up this casually when my boss was discussing the offer for me to move to a new department as part of the upcoming merging/restructuring in my organisation.  The general flow then was that I should be able to manage that portfolio while trying IVF.  

In the next few weeks, I did seriously consider if I could balance both work and IVF but my body was telling me otherwise.  Over the long National Day holidays, I left my laptop in the office and my pulse improved.  Last week, I took a couple of days leave for a short weekend getaway and my TCM doc said my pulse was actually gaining power. I have been seeing her for over a year and this is the first time she said my pulse had power.

I did wish that I could be there to give my 120% at the new portfolio but I know that would mean I would eventually and inevitably delay my IVF plans further. Yet I felt guilty that I am leaving such a great team behind, especially in such uncertain times of need. 

I prayed again and again, but I just didn't have the courage to talk to my boss.  There were so many times when I was loitering outside the door but just couldn't bring myself to step in.  There was once I finally knocked, but my boss was too busy to see me.  Sometimes I even wish that maybe I would conceive naturally during this period and I would not need to bring up the topic.

But God answers prayers in the most miraculous manner.  My boss proactively SMS-ed me one day that we should talk about my no-pay leave.  I gave it a wild try and asked for half year no-pay, knowing the full risks that I would have to accept whatever vacancies available at the point of my return.  It was unexpected but I received full support and understanding from my boss.  Best news ever!  I really hope that this period of rest would really help to heal my body and boost the chances of my IVF.  

For now til then, I will be giving my 200% at work to return the kindness and support from my boss and organisation.