March GBOMB

Good

Functional Medicine. I had blood work done this month for Vitalize Hormone and Wellness, and then had my appointment with a nurse practitioner to go over said blood work. While she wasn't as warm or caring as I had hoped, and drew hard lines like, "Dairy is inflammatory," I still found it helpful to just have someone who understands a full picture and is listening to my concerns. Plus just to see that some things really aren't concerning, and I am doing a lot of things right. She was not pushy about selling supplements, just wanted to make sure I use good quality ones. She also was willing to prescribe me progesterone, which I'm hoping at a minimum will help level out my short cycle/early spotting. 

Housing. I randomly decided to peruse rentals in our area last week to see what rates were like for similar spaces. In my first very casual search, I saw a house for rent just east from our condo across Trax. I called Matthew within the hour to let him know that I had seen it, and that maybe it would be a bust, but maybe we should look at it. It's been pressing on my brain that we should rent somewhere, rent out our condo, and establish rental income to be able to buy a home. We have had two opportunities with friends come close but fall through for different reasons (not our doing). And really there was and is no rush for us to move. But we went and saw this house on Sunday and were basically offered it on the spot. After some more back and forth with questions and things, Matthew and I have decided to move forward with it. This next month is bound to be a whirlwind of packing, cleaning, home projects, and lots of decisions. I've made a list of pros and cons, and in a lot of ways it'll be a sacrifice for me personally. But it is temporary and hopefully will lead us to bigger and better things, and enable us to keep our condo! 

Plasma. I don't love donating plasma. But I've learned to make the best of it and do my paperback reading during my donation. And honestly, the extra cash is so helpful. I'm grateful I'm healthy enough to donate--good blood pressure, decent protein and hydration, and whatever other markers they measure. And I am grateful that half days at work on Friday give me the chance to do this. 

Lifting. I'm seeing a lot of rapid progress in the gym, especially with bench press. I'm excited about it. It's fun to feel strong. 

Warmer weather and sunshine. It's nice to get outside more often and not have it be freezing. The later days actually aren't great for my sleep, but I love them. 

Friends. I got together with Rachel, Natalie, and Mariah in March. I'm grateful to have friends to get together with. 

Bad

Exhaustion. I don't think I can adequately express how tired I've been this month. I mean, I go to bed too late, sure. I scroll in bed, sure. But none of this is different from before, and still I'm extra wiped out in the morning. I missed a lot of Mondays at the gym, which is fine--it's a habit so I'm able to just resume like normal on Tuesday without losing momentum. But waking up has just been so difficult. I'm not sleeping well. I wake up a lot. I sweat profusely (hoping progesterone helps with this). I've been tired during the day to the point of tears. I even almost fell asleep at my desk standing up. My TSH (thyroid marker) is out of control. I don't know. Today is March 31, and my sleep quality wasn't great, but it was easier to get up today than the last few Mondays. Maybe it's the progesterone? Who knows? 

Medical bills. Bills are rolling in for AJ's burn appointments, and it's absolutely insane the things they charge for, and how little insurance has paid. I'm so frustrated. I hate our medical system. 

Coughing. Last January (2024) I had some bizarre coughing fits at night. I'd have to take cough medicine to sleep even though I wasn't sick. I'd cough so hard that I threw up. I've been having similar issues the last few nights. Like right around 9:30-10pm or when I go to lie down, I suddenly can't stop coughing. I don't know what the issue is. But it's not my favorite thing. 

On My Brain

Supplements. I've had to make a whole game plan for my supplements because it's been so hard to keep track of. I finished reading It Starts with the Egg by Rebecca Fett, and came out feeling empowered to do some things to maximize my fertility and egg quality. It included adding in a LOT of supplements, namely NAC, DHEA, and melatonin, plus dividing my CoQ10 into two doses. Then my nurse practitioner wanted me to temporarily double my vitamin D, and add in glutathione and myoinositol (which is discussed in the book). In the morning I now take 2 omega-3s, 2 myoinositol, 1 CoQ10, 1 vitamin D, and 1glutathione. At lunch I now take 2 prenatals, 2 probiotics, 1 CoQ10, 1 vitamin D, 1 glutathione, 1 NAC, 1 choline, and 1 Vitamin C. At dinner I should also take a glutathione. And then at bedtime I take melatonin, progesterone (cycle days 15-25), and DHEA. It's a lot to juggle. 

Fertility. After listening to It Starts with the Egg, and just seeing the flaws in the fertility treatment process, I'm feeling pretty angry and frustrated. There's clearly something off with me, or I'd be able to get pregnant on my own. The fact that a clinic would just want to jump into IUI or IVF and not mention things we can do to optimize (like take DHEA or inositol), and let people repeat cycles of treatment without trying to find the root cause of the issue, just feels incredibly unethical. They have a vested interest in pregnancy success for their reputation, sure, but they also get more money from more cycles. This all just feels very backwards and upsetting. Like what if this progesterone prescription helps my cycle and helps me get pregnant? And we paid $22 for the pills and $300 for my Vitalize appointment, instead of thousands to a fertility clinic. Are they really doing things in the best way? 

Somatics. I feel like I need to deep dive into the nervous system. My cortisol is still high and appears to be chronically that way. I don't feel terribly stressed. Work is pretty low key. Other than trying to get pregnant and wishing our finance/work situation looked different, I'm not running ragged or anything. I'm not sure where to even start, honestly. It is intimidating because it just seems like it requires time. And as a working mom, I just feel like with the limited amount of time I get to actually choose to spend how I want, sometimes I just want to watch a show rather than feeling like, "I should be healing." Woof. 

Mobility. It's on my brain a lot. Being able to be twisty, bendy, and have optimal movement in all my joints and maximum range of motion where possible. Again this comes down to time. I found a mobility course on YouTube that's free, but again, I wake up at 5 and go to bed at 10:30 and am just not sure where to work this in.