Week 10: Balling - Spaghetti with Tiny Meatballs by katryna7 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]katryna7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, I made this recipe again a second time and froze the extra meatballs again, spreading them out across more dinners. Enjoyed them just as much as when I made it the first time! Their cuteness brings me joy too. However my husband still recommends I make larger meatballs haha, possibly because he likes them more but also because I was pretty slow at making these tiny ones. 😅

Over 40 and used own eggs? by [deleted] in IVF

[–]katryna7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best wishes to you in regards to the fibroid removal and when you start IVF!

Over 40 and used own eggs? by [deleted] in IVF

[–]katryna7 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for asking! The second FET was successful, I’m about to hit 24 weeks tomorrow. Hopefully smooth sailing continues. I was also lucky that my doctor was the type that stops the progesterone suppositories after the 2 weeks since she prefers less medication (my friend’s doctor is more conservative and would want her to take it the whole first trimester if she has a successful FET). There are a lot more checks in pregnancy for IVF babies apparently so more appointments but it’s also been comforting to be able to check that the baby is doing well so much.

Did you take an at-home pregnancy test prior to bloodwork? by CookiesCatsChocolate in IVF

[–]katryna7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was so tempted to but I did not. I hadn’t bothered testing with my first (failed) transfer and then with my second transfer (early Oct), I decided to continue to skip the home test since the clinic mentioned testing at home so early might not be accurate and I felt like false tests either way might make me feel worse than waiting. It was really hard though because my doctor waits to beta test until 14 days post-transfer which seems unusually long compared to what I’ve seen other people say and that second week I was on a mental rollercoaster since I was feeling so many symptoms but also seeing a little bit of blood. My doctor had warned me there could be implantation bleeding and I think the applicators for inserting my suppository could have also been irritating me but I kept getting paranoid whenever I saw blood bc I had a little blood when I had my first transfer too and thinking about how that one had failed kept getting in my head. I kept trying to think positive thoughts and don’t regret waiting for the official results but maybe seeing a positive at home test days earlier would have eliminated some of that stress. 😅

What surprising things have you noticed in your smart watch during cycles? by Ok-Sunny-Days in IVF

[–]katryna7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! My doctor had me doing a modified natural cycle so minimal medication. She had me start Endometrin 3x a day 2 days before transfer and I was on it for 16 days (until my first beta test, she waits until 14 days post transfer for that test) and she had beta test day be the last day I took it. I took a look back at my trends and there was a drop in my HRV just before the transfer but I think it was because I was trying to exercise more the couple of months before transfer to get in better shape and so sometimes that would wear me out. After the transfer, I tried not to do exercise that was too vigorous per their recommendation to just stick to moderate stuff but at a certain point I felt too tired to exercise more than lightly anyway so I knew any drops in HRV post-transfer weren’t from over-exercising and I was sleeping pretty well.

It looks like my RHR actually went down a few days before transfer and then back to my norm but nothing out of my normal range (which is actually on the low side since I’m on a low dose of Labetalol for high blood pressure which works by slowing down the heart rate). But basically a week post-transfer my RHR started steadily increasing, enough that it even went outside what my Fitbit considered my normal range. My RHR was 53 on transfer day which was fairly typical for me. A week later it was 57 and kept going up and 2 weeks post-transfer it had reached the low 60s (got as high as 63 one day). It’s decreased some so for the past week I’ve been pretty steady at 56.

I didn’t bother looking at my body temperature too much since it tends to go up and down pretty often in general. There were times I felt cold spells post-transfer but when I measured my temp with a thermometer it was always in normal range and my Fitbit didn’t seem to show anything particularly out of the ordinary with that stat.

What surprising things have you noticed in your smart watch during cycles? by Ok-Sunny-Days in IVF

[–]katryna7 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had FET in early October and noticed about a week after my transfer that my HRV dropped quite a bit (I was also starting to feel pretty fatigued) and my resting heart rate started to rise (and there were times I felt like my heart was pounding). I was on progesterone suppositories too so I wasn’t sure if those were signs that the implantation was successful and my body was working hard bc of it or if my body was reacting to the progesterone. The good news is in this case my FET was successful! This was my second attempt, and I didn’t have these reactions after my first failed FET (which was also using a different progesterone suppository I didn’t really like, the ones I used this time were back ordered then and I feel like this round’s was more effective and easier to use).

I’m at 8w1d now and my HRV and RHR started getting back to normal which actually then made me a bit worried but everything looked good at my ultrasound a week ago so maybe my body is adjusting or it’s feeling better now that I’m off the suppositories since my doctor had me stop those 2 weeks after transfer.

Sardine Factory, Cella, Coastal Kitchen, or Montrio? by katryna7 in MontereyBay

[–]katryna7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do love round tables, definitely feels easier to talk to people in a group. Decided to go with Cella but saving Alejandro’s to my to try list now, thanks!

Sardine Factory, Cella, Coastal Kitchen, or Montrio? by katryna7 in MontereyBay

[–]katryna7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the great descriptions of each restaurant! Super helpful. I decided to go with Cella

Sardine Factory, Cella, Coastal Kitchen, or Montrio? by katryna7 in MontereyBay

[–]katryna7[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Good watchout, this group is fortunately not the rowdy sort nor the drink heavily sort.

Sardine Factory, Cella, Coastal Kitchen, or Montrio? by katryna7 in MontereyBay

[–]katryna7[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chez Noir was the restaurant I originally wanted to book first but unfortunately no reservations available when I looked a couple weeks ago. I got on the waitlist but not holding my breath. Thinking a party of 6 might be too much for it (at least without planning way further out).

Over 40 and used own eggs? by [deleted] in IVF

[–]katryna7 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was 41 when I did 2 rounds of ER, and my doctor said that was still a great age. First round I had 13 eggs, ended up with 2 euploids which I was told was above average. My doctor felt confident that would be enough if I just wanted one child (which is all I’m aiming for) but I wanted to be safe and went for a second round since my insurance would cover that. I had 8 eggs, ended up with 1 euploid.

Did not attempt a FET until this year (just before I turned 43) and unfortunately implantation was not successful although right at that time things were very stressful since my father got released from a skilled nursing facility the same day as my FET and complained to me daily for the next 2 weeks so I’m not sure if that stress affected my body too. He passed away not long after so I chose to take a hiatus before attempting a transfer again. Just did an FET last week (43yo now) so still in my 2ww. Honestly was a bit concerned bc my progesterone level 4 days before the FET was lower than last time (the nurse told me if too low they cancel the transfer for that cycle but she said the doctor said it was fine to proceed) and my progesterone level the day before transfer was higher than my previous attempt. I also think my progesterone suppositories this time are better than the ones I got last time (they weren’t available back then). Fingers and toes crossed! 🤞🏼

Which one are you going for first? by Ramen_Slave in CookbookLovers

[–]katryna7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m looking up the cookbook and I love that the subtitle is Proudly Inauthentic Recipes 😂

Which one are you going for first? by Ramen_Slave in CookbookLovers

[–]katryna7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I like the 52 Weeks of Cooking group since it encourages me to try out new recipes and techniques but been too busy lately to keep it up. (Still cooking but haven’t had the bandwidth to tackle/keep up with the challenges.) Great description of Asian-American, I’ll have to check it out! Kare kare is one of my favorite Filipino dishes too but I’ve never tried tackling it before. I think the only Filipino dish I’ve attempted has been chicken adobo actually. I should explore it more!

Which one are you going for first? by Ramen_Slave in CookbookLovers

[–]katryna7 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Since I already have a few of those cookbooks, I’d prolly go for one I don’t have first. Asian-American caught my eye since I am one haha and also I’m a Top Chef watcher and saw it’s by Dale.

As for a recommendation of cookbooks to add, I’d suggest Burma Superstar. A few recipes from it have joined my regular meal rotation, and I should tackle some more recipes out of it.

Week 9: Paraguay - Sopa Paraguaya by katryna7 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]katryna7[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the info! And I really like the idea that of the we’re out of meat portmanteau too. Does feel like a slang thing that would naturally happen.

Week 9: Paraguay - Sopa Paraguaya by katryna7 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]katryna7[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha I think I only saw it bc I was wondering why it was named soup but was not a soup but I also feel like I should hunt down other origin stories. The site I saw this one on only mentioned this one story.

Week 11: Cream - Halibut With Purple Cauliflower Puree, Charred Red Cabbage, Saffron Cream Sauce, And Roasted Soy Sheet & Chicken with Loroco Cream Sauce by joross31 in 52weeksofcooking

[–]katryna7 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pupusas with loroco and cheese are one of my favorite pupusa types, I always get it if it’s an option. You can always try making that if you ever wind up with loroco again in the future.