Charting to Avoid January 2009 - Page 5

[mommyofatoz]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, and while I am not currently charting to avoid (obviously if you look at my siggie), but I wanted to offer a tip.

I started to chart to avoid after my son was born in 2006. I had the taking charge of your fertility software, and so kept track of it all on my computer. All was fine and dandy for a couple of years...and then, my computer crashed, and I lost all my info, and thought we were going to get it up and running quickly, but it wasn't quick enough...the next month I found out I was pregnant. whoops!

So, my tip? Do back up charting on paper...lol. I know I will when I start to chart again after this one is born!

[DucetteMama21842]

6dpo and enjoying my escape with dh. Twiddling my thumbs and watching for any impending signs of AF. I do have some light cramping, but I can't tell if it's a stomache ache or the beginning of my cramps. Eh- whatever. Excited to start a new cycle though!

[AnnieA]

I get those moments every cycle too during my LP where I think "Hmmm, is it possible?" Of course, I am in the boat where I would be overjoyed by an "oops" because that is the only way at this point where I would get a babe in my arms! But I have gotten pretty good at calming myself down and thinking about it rationally. Also I just remind myself that if it has happened, then there is nothing that can be done differently during my LP to change it. I do think it is funny though that every couple of weeks, I wonder if I could be pregnant. I went years without it hardly crossing my mind when I was on the Pill. I think that is one of the "side effects" of charting. I know that I ovulated so there is always "the chance". Stranger things have happened!

CD 4 here for me. I am really trying to focus on getting my body healthy right now. My AF has gotten much better but I had to break down and take a prescription painkiller last night and I was pretty bummed about that. But 1 is better than the 4 or 5 I had to take a couple of cycles ago! So there has been some improvement!

[momongeon]

I've been gone for a bit but not pg. I am on CD 5. I had a dream last night that I was newly pg (like 10 dpo with a BFP) but my fundus was about where it would be if I were 5 mo pg. I keep torturing myself in my dreams. It is so cruel. Maybe my dreams will come true in a few more months. I am not quite ready for it yet but we'll see. Oops' would be welcome though.

[akaisha]

Originally Posted by cahwilson

Oh thank goodness I'm not the only one! I think I might be pregnant every month and then I'm not and then I swear I won't freak out again, and well you know the rest. LOL I'm not even ovulating. Crazy! Granted we haven't used any prevention. I'm hoping charting will help ease those freak outs. I get so scared that I might be pregnant and then when I'm not I'm sad. The other day I had *very* slight pink spotting and seeing it on my chart it was 8 days after we dtd...but I'm not concerned. That did happen a couple months ago too.

oh you're definitely not the only one.

and annie that is really good to hear! what have you been doing? i get some bad-for-me cramps on CD1 now. every cycle since coming off the pill, never used to get them before. we'll see if it stops, but i've been thinking about changing my diet or taking some supplements to help. they're only on CD1 and i only have to take about 2-3 extra strength advil to get rid of them for the day, but it's enough to make me double over in pain. i guess i'm just not used to it, being 22 and cramping for the first time ever. AF went from being 3-4 days on the pill to only 1-2 days now though, so i'm definitely not complaining.

[mommy2two babes]

Originally Posted by AnnieA

CD 4 here for me. I am really trying to focus on getting my body healthy right now. My AF has gotten much better but I had to break down and take a prescription painkiller last night and I was pretty bummed about that. But 1 is better than the 4 or 5 I had to take a couple of cycles ago! So there has been some improvement!

I am glad things are getting better for you. I know that I have taken to taking advil before and during AF because I have horrible cramps like someone kicked me in the stomache.
It must be a bi-product of having children because before I had no cramps whatsoever.

[MarineWife]

Acupuncture helped me immensely with my cramps. When I was having the acupuncture done, my cramps went away completely. I haven't had acupuncture for that in a few years so the cramps have come back but, so far, there are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. I only had to take one regular dose of ibuprofen once last cycle. I highly recommend acupuncture if you can afford it.

[akaisha]

oh i'll have to look into that... i don't know why i didn't think of it. thanks!

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by akaisha

oh i'll have to look into that... i don't know why i didn't think of it. thanks!

Definitely. I'd still be doing it if I could find someone good around here. Very slim pickins, though. Only one person here does acupuncture and I haven't been too impressed with her.

[mommy2two babes]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Acupuncture helped me immensely with my cramps. When I was having the acupuncture done, my cramps went away completely. I haven't had acupuncture for that in a few years so the cramps have come back but, so far, there are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. I only had to take one regular dose of ibuprofen once last cycle. I highly recommend acupuncture if you can afford it.

I will have to give that a try

[luvmi2kids]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Acupuncture helped me immensely with my cramps. When I was having the acupuncture done, my cramps went away completely. I haven't had acupuncture for that in a few years so the cramps have come back but, so far, there are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. I only had to take one regular dose of ibuprofen once last cycle. I highly recommend acupuncture if you can afford it.

An OBGYN told me that women that come to her about Cramps She first ask them about their intake of Ibuprofen and they all say that they are intaking It. and She tells them to switch to Tylenol and the next month they had a Liter Period and they didn't cramp as bad either.
So I put it to the test Because I take Ibuprofen for Headaches that come before my period and when I stoped taking it (I totaly could tell a Diffrence) I would try it If I were you. I only had One heavy day and not two and just had a Shorter period in general. I was Surprised,.

[mommy2two babes]

Originally Posted by luvmi2kids

An OBGYN told me that women that come to her about Cramps She first ask them about their intake of Ibuprofen and they all say that they are intaking It. and She tells them to switch to Tylenol and the next month they had a Liter Period and they didn't cramp as bad either.
So I put it to the test Because I take Ibuprofen for Headaches that come before my period and when I stoped taking it (I totaly could tell a Diffrence) I would try it If I were you. I only had One heavy day and not two and just had a Shorter period in general. I was Surprised,.

Hmmm thats interesting. I always take ibprofen for everything. I will have to get some tylenol and see if it makes a difference. I always thought that ibprofen was the one you were supposed to take for cramps.

[akaisha]

ya me too... acetaminophen for pain, ibuprofen for inflammation. does cramping not "count" as inflammation? or is it that ibuprofen has a specific side effect related to muscle tension or something? i have to research this.

i'm in the UK atm, so it's paracetamol all the way here. we don't have it at all in canada so i have zero resistance to it. works wonders. not that i like talking pills at all, but i'll deal with a couple a month to get through CD1.

i really don't think my AF could get much shorter or lighter though or i wouldn't have one at all. not that i'd necessarily mind...

[ReikiMommy07]

I don't take anything now; I use Reiki, Yoga and Reflexology. But neither Tylenol nor Ibuprofen ever helped a darn bit! I took Adville (sp?) and it worked right away. I used to have some pretty bad awful cramps all through AF and slightly before. They're generally not so bad now, but I use alternative stuff when they are. With those things though, it seems on-going treatment helps a great deal, instead of just using Yoga, etc when you need it for that.

Oh marinewife - I've always wondered... Does acupuncture actually hurt, and if so is it bad?

[akaisha]

the drug in advil is ibuprofen.

but yes, ITA with you, on going prevention via lifestyle choices (which are better for you in general as well) is probably the key.

[AnnieA]

Originally Posted by akaisha

oh you're definitely not the only one.

and annie that is really good to hear! what have you been doing? i get some bad-for-me cramps on CD1 now. every cycle since coming off the pill, never used to get them before. we'll see if it stops, but i've been thinking about changing my diet or taking some supplements to help. they're only on CD1 and i only have to take about 2-3 extra strength advil to get rid of them for the day, but it's enough to make me double over in pain. i guess i'm just not used to it, being 22 and cramping for the first time ever. AF went from being 3-4 days on the pill to only 1-2 days now though, so i'm definitely not complaining.

I changed a couple of different things. The first thing is that I now take Zinc daily and about 6-7 days into my LP, I increase my Zinc to 90 mg per day. I found a Zinc tablet at Whole Foods that is really gentle on my stomach. I keep taking that dose until my AF lightens up then switch back to just 30 mg per day.

The second thing is my Dr prescribed Diclofenac which is a prescription NSAID. Ibuprofen is a weaker NSAID and all NSAIDs work to reduce the levels of prostaglandins in your body. Those are caused by inflammation so when you get AF, your uterine muscles are inflamed which release prostaglandins. The NSAID reduces the inflammation which is why ibuprofen and naproxin work for most women. For some women, like me, they can take high doses of ibuprofen and it doesn't reduce the cramping. I was to the point where I would have to take 600-800 mg of ibuprofen every 3 hrs or so for a 36-48 hr period. It was VERY rough on my stomach.

So now, once I get a temp drop or feel the cramps starting, I start on my diclofenac. I take that every 12 hrs until my flow lightens up. My Dr also gave me a prescription for a narcotic painkiller for when things get really bad. Two cycles ago, I was able to make it through without having to take it. This past cycle, I missed taking the diclofenac at the 12 hr window so I think that is why I had to break down and take one of the painkillers. Next AF, I am going to be super vigilant about taking the diclofenac every 12 hrs on the dot so the cramps don't have a chance to build up.

If that still doesn't work, I am going to do acupuncture. My insurance doesn't cover it and so it will be expensive but if the supplements aren't working, I need to try something else.

[CanidFL]

Originally Posted by MarineWife

Definitely. I'd still be doing it if I could find someone good around here. Very slim pickins, though. Only one person here does acupuncture and I haven't been too impressed with her.

Oh that is too bad. DH and I love NC and he is curently in school getting his masters in acupuncture. We would move there in a heartbeat but unfortunately, midwives are illegal there so that is what stops us Sounds like he could set up a really succesful business there.

Originally Posted by luvmi2kids

An OBGYN told me that women that come to her about Cramps She first ask them about their intake of Ibuprofen and they all say that they are intaking It. and She tells them to switch to Tylenol and the next month they had a Liter Period and they didn't cramp as bad either.
So I put it to the test Because I take Ibuprofen for Headaches that come before my period and when I stoped taking it (I totaly could tell a Diffrence) I would try it If I were you. I only had One heavy day and not two and just had a Shorter period in general. I was Surprised,.

I never take ibuprofen. I always take tylenol for headaches, cramps, muscle aches, etc. It does the trick with me. I have started getting the quick release capsules and the pain is so much better or gone in 30 min. I'm not a junky but when I can't afford alternative medicine, tylen it is

Originally Posted by ReikiMommy07

Oh marinewife - I've always wondered... Does acupuncture actually hurt, and if so is it bad?

I know you weren't asking me but I have had acupuncture many times before. It really depends on where the points are and who is doing it. Some areas are more sensitive then others and yes, it hurts for a second going in. Once the needles are in place, you should never feel pain. The pain is nothing like getting an IV or anything like that. It's a very thin needle. Some people are just a little more rough. If you decide to go and it hurts, shop around until you find someone who is more gentle.

Nothing much going on here. I couldn't take my temp this morning.

[mommy2two babes]

Well my temp was higher again this morning.
Just curious, when you have a very sleep deprived night do you discard that temp?

[MarineWife]

Tylenol = acetaminophen = paracetamol

Advil = ibuprofen

Acetaminophen only treats pain, not inflammation. Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) so it treats pain and inflammation. One side effect of all NSAIDs is that they thin the blood, which could make AF seem heavier. Acetaminophen never worked for relieving the pain from my cramps. Neither did Naproxen (another NSAID), surprisingly. Only ibuprofen and hydrocodone (which I only took once because I could not take a blood thinner at the time) worked.

Canid ~ To me, there are other negatives about NC. I can't wait to get out of this state. However, if you are really interested in moving here and would like to do something about the situation with lay MWs, you should join NC Friends of Midwives. I think if you google it, you should be able to find it. I had a CPM for my homebirth here. BTW, MWs are not illegal here. CNMs can and do practice in doctors' offices. They can also attend homebirths as long as they have a MD backup.

mommy2two babes ~ I don't discard temps unless it's obvious that they are interfering with pinpointing O. One off temp shouldn't mess things up too much. Both FF and Ovusoft use the ROT to disregard outlying temps without you having to discard them.

[akaisha]

Originally Posted by AnnieA

I changed a couple of different things. The first thing is that I now take Zinc daily and about 6-7 days into my LP, I increase my Zinc to 90 mg per day. I found a Zinc tablet at Whole Foods that is really gentle on my stomach. I keep taking that dose until my AF lightens up then switch back to just 30 mg per day.

this is the second time i've heared zinc for cramps in the last month, so i'm going to take that as a sign and try it starting next cycle. thanks!