Annual check-up

Today I went to my MD for my annual PAP and physical check-up.  I like my doctor a lot!  She was in a bit of a rush today, so went through things quite quickly, but I know she cares and is very capable in what she does.  I'm happy to report that pretty much everything is "perfect."  Great heart rate, good sounding lungs, great blood pressure, no lumps or bumps anywhere they shouldn't be...all is well!  There were only 2 things she mentioned.  One is that I might have a yeast infection (yikes!).  I've never had one before and don't have any symptoms, so... I think the test will come back negative, but we'll see.  The other is - of course - my weight.  She encouraged me to get back on track and focus on myself and losing the weight.

While she was checking me, she asked me how I was doing and said, "You must be frustrated by now," to which I teared up.  Of course I am frustrated!  This led to a great conversation though, and I could tell she really cares.  She didn't have anything new to tell me, but encouraged us to work on accepting where we are at right now, and possibly looking to expand our family in other ways (like adoption).  She talked about her childless friends, and how much they are able to enjoy life and live it to the full even without kids.  I think she really thinks that if we just "stop trying" we will miraculously find ourselves pregnant.

I understand this sentiment.  I agree that it works, in some cases.  I would LOVE to be able to stop trying and trick my mind into "relaxing" in order to become pregnant.  It's just not that easy.  I can't quite quantify it, but the stress that comes with infertility is not like other stress.  You can't just bubble bath it away.  I really would love to do more study into this area to see what the psychology world has to say about it too.

Anyways, I appreciated her taking the time to check in on me.  And, at the end of the session, she even prayed for me!  She is a Christian and her kids attend our church so it wasn't weird at all.  I actually really appreciated it.

So, I left my appointment and went to the gym to burn off some calories, and then into the infra-red sauna for some relaxation.  DH and I are both serious about losing weight (especially because his brother is getting married in the new year!).  I know it will be hard over this next month with Christmas approaching, but we are going to try to do a month of clean eating (including no sugar) so then we can indulge a bit at Christmas.  My doctor also suggested I look into the paleo diet, since I have a lot of bloating that might be linked to grains.  She said that no diet itself works, but I might be able to find some tips that make me feel better.  We have friends who are huge paleo eaters, so I am going to do my best to try it out this month too.  Anyone done it before and have any tips?

Starting tomorrow it's ICLW so I'll be posting more regularly (I've been saving up).  Stop by to say hi and maybe meet some new bloggers!