oh, good. more things.

So, remember that test I took last week? The one where I passed out and sweated profusely and convulsed in the waiting room and then cried in front of a bunch of strangers? Yeah, that was a proud day. Anyhoo, this was a test for something called thrombophilia, or Factor V Leiden. I was not worried about this test. Super D was mostly doing it because I did have a blood clot in my leg several years ago, but he wasn't really worried about me having it. Well guess what? I do. I have the blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden. Basically, this means my blood clots too easily, causing higher risk of blood clots, pulmonary embolisms and strokes. And in pregnant women, higher risks of miscarriage, preeclampsia and stillbirth.

What does this all mean? Well, I'm still doing research on it all. This does mean I'll probably have to take 2 baby aspirin for a day for the rest of my life. Until I get pregnant, when I will most likely have to move to an injectable blood thinner called heparin.

You guys? I'm not going to lie. This is all kind of freaking me out. I feel like, yes, we are finding all these reasons why I might not be getting pregnant, and that's good, because we can address them. But I feel like this last year with my PCOS and now this, I'm just feeling like I'm totally unhealthy and a ticking time bomb. I mean, I inherited them both, so it's not like I did it to myself, but still.

Basically it seems as though if I exercise, don't sit for long periods of time (ha ha! um, ok... not sure what I'm supposed to do about my desk job... guess I'll be getting up more), keep well hydrated, take specific supplements and eat a specific diet, I should be ok for the most part. Oh, and the baby aspirin. But, I am a little worried, because since I had my blood clot in my leg several years ago, it frequently swells up in the heat (like kind of big) and I'm worried that maybe there might be more clots in there. I've been reading about people who have tiny clots and don't know it. So, I guess I need to go see a hematologist and get it all checked. Hopefully they'll just say 2 baby aspirin a day are enough and that I won't need more until I get pregnant.

I will also need to see a hematologist when I'm pregnant, to make sure all is well with the baby and the daily medication I'll be on. I don't know all the details about that either yet, mostly because I'm not pregnant yet.

So, that's my new news. I go in tomorrow for another post coital test (to see if the baking soda solution works to help me not kill all the sperms) and also to get an ultrasound to see if this round of clomid worked. I'm really crossing my fingers that it did, because I need some good news right now.

I realize things could be worse, and that people deal with much worse things, but I just feel like I'm just about to my capacity of things I can handle in the health department right now. I'm really hoping that all comes back normal with Ian's tests so that we don't have to add more things on to the pile.

Ok, my whining session is over now. Time to suck it up, and move forward.

~M