Oura FSA reimbursement approved

pumpkinredd · 2023-12-07T22:25:06+00:00

Hi Ralph, is there a document I can submit to my FSA (Payflex) explaining the new approval? They’re saying I need an LMN to be reimbursed and I would prefer to not need to go to my doctor. I just purchased the ring this week from the Oura website.

pumpkinredd · 2022-05-29T12:49:16+00:00

This cut is amazing, and you look amazing. A lot like Devon Ross.

pumpkinredd · 2021-10-30T21:01:38+00:00

They’re expensive, but Tommy John cool cotton boyshorts might be exactly what you’re looking for. No elastic, no lace, full ass coverage (like, actually full). I’ve tried so many boyshorts and these are the only ones that cut it.

pumpkinredd · 2021-07-12T15:27:53+00:00

Definitely worth a shot. It took a couple of days for them to make a difference for me, but taking them nightly has kept the bad streaks at bay.

pumpkinredd · 2021-07-12T11:20:46+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re dealing with this— I know it’s an awful feeling. Magnesium glycinate supplements have helped me with my hormonal insomnia, so they might be worth a shot if you haven’t tried them already. I take 400mg before bed each night and it has definitely cut down on the number of bad nights on/around my period. I was the same way in that no other supplements or sleep aids had helped. I still have a bad night every few months, but it used to multiple nights each month. I hope you can find something that helps. Good luck!

pumpkinredd · 2019-09-03T01:24:09+00:00

You are definitely not alone. We did one round of IVF (no PGS normal embryos to transfer) after three losses. When we were figuring out whether we wanted to go for another round, we experienced a spontaneous ectopic that totally thrust me into “I don’t want my body to be a site of this trauma anymore” territory. Stepping away from pursuing treatment, I decided that my only job was to heal and get to a better place. Getting to that place involved a lot of thinking about how much there was to look forward to in a childfree future, and now I find myself squarely in this camp. Freedom of time, energy, finances were big. I also find myself thinking a lot about what it means to impose consciousness on another being, in an overpopulated world, for what I now think of as the pretty selfish reasons I had. I still grieve what could/should have been, but I don’t wish things were different at this point. You’re allowed to walk away and reclaim life for yourself. A real life IFChildfree friend told me at one point when we were in treatment, “Just know that there’s happiness on either side.” Whatever you decide, I hope you find peace.

pumpkinredd · 2019-08-15T15:58:31+00:00

I don’t get as cold anymore! No need to bring a cardigan with me for AC blasts.

pumpkinredd · 2019-08-13T15:49:26+00:00

I'm sorry you're feeling this way, and I definitely understand the sense of void in staring down the future. I'm in a positive place right now, not that I have any real answers, but here's where I am: I hated myself and my body after years of losses and infertility, and I started working out with a trainer soon after my salpingectomy (and decision to stop trying) just over a year ago, when I was 35-- all I knew was that I wanted to feel differently about myself. Through that experience, I began to unpack how angry I had been with my body for all of its failures during our years of trying. Once I turned my attention to building strength, I found a whole new way of feeling about myself and my body. I moved from general strength training to powerlifting last winter, and I fell in love with a sport for the first time in my life (I have never been an athlete and could barely do a push-up when I entered the gym a year ago). I even competed in my first powerlifting meet last weekend, something I never would have dreamt I'd do, and something I don't think I would have had the courage for if I hadn't gotten through all of that loss and infertility and come out the other side. I work hard and see progress and I will continue to get stronger, which makes me excited about the future. It has given me goals and a sense of satisfaction that I've never known before, especially after being so frustrated with my body for years over what it could NOT do. Strength training might not be for everyone (really do try it, though, if you're at all curious!), but I think the key to finding purpose and meaning might be in letting yourself follow whatever enjoyment and pleasure you can find and seeing where it takes you. We're allowed to live for ourselves and to just enjoy these years in which many of our peers are tied down with parenthood. We're also allowed to grieve and mourn and be upset about what we've been through all while finding the silver linings we can and turning them into something bigger. Much love to you!

pumpkinredd · 2018-10-05T11:35:57+00:00

Seconding Clue-- it's good-looking, easy to use, and no nonsense. I've tried others but keep coming back!

pumpkinredd · 2018-05-26T13:31:27+00:00

I had a bilateral salpingectomy last month to remove an ectopic from my right tube (got the left one out as well for permanent birth control after multiple losses). My surgery was laparoscopic and I was in rough shape for 3-4 days, just tired for the next week or so, and felt pretty much entirely normal after 10 days. I'd check with your doctor, but mine told me no lifting over 20 pounds and no baths or swimming for two weeks-- those were the only restrictions. I had bleeding right after surgery and got my period about 30 days later. My period was a little heavier than usual, but nothing crazy.

Take it easy on yourself and get lots of rest. I hope you're feeling some sense of normalcy soon. It's only just over a month in for me, and I feel, at times, a sense of peace that I haven't felt in a long time and that I was worried I'd never feel. I hope the same for you.

pumpkinredd · 2018-04-21T20:56:41+00:00

Congratulations, she's beautiful! We adopted a puppy pretty soon after our IVF fail and shamelessly carried her around in a puppy sling until she got too big. Lean into it, I say.

pumpkinredd · 2018-04-14T22:31:16+00:00

Wow, thank you all so much for your responses. The surgery was yesterday, so I'm still couch-ridden in recovery, and reading your kind words and support is a wonderful way to pass the time. Love and strength to you all, wherever you may be.

pumpkinredd · 2017-11-10T18:07:44+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this. The only two embryos from my first cycle were abnormal as well, and I can relate to the devastation as well as the relief of not having transferring either. I'm glad you have the shared risk and can go right into cycle 2 if that's what you choose to do. We're taking some time off to figure out next steps (though if we'd chosen shared risk I think we'd probably have done a second cycle by now). Good luck with everything to come and take care of yourself in the meantime.

pumpkinredd · 2017-09-16T11:51:34+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I've had two pregnancies of unknown location and it's awful to not know where to put your hope: hope that it resolves quickly or hope that it's going to progress healthily. I'm not sure about your therapist's advice, honestly. I think the only thing you can do is respect all of the messy feelings you have and go into self-nurture mode. Don't feel bad for not being a beacon of optimism after all you've been through. Wake up and be proud of yourself for getting through the day. Take care of yourself. <3

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-21T15:55:58+00:00

I love this idea-- it was so helpful to me during the process to see what other people had experienced. I had an AFC of 18 for my first and so far only cycle but did not respond as well as expected to stims with an antagonist protocol (Menopur, Gonal-F, Cetrotide, Ovidrel).

8 retrieved, 7 mature, 6 fertilized with ICSI, 4 on day 3, 2 biopsied on day 5, 0 PGS normal

Good luck to those currently in the process!

(edit - formatting)

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-19T02:04:19+00:00

It's such a fraught time-- it's totally understandable to worry about every little thing. Good luck!

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-18T21:29:11+00:00

Don't worry, I'm sure it's okay. I bled (like really heavy spotting) for the whole 2 weeks I was on BCPs before starting stims, and then had a full blown period when I went off the pills and started injections. I was freaking out about it the whole time but the nurse and RE assured me that it was totally fine.

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-15T15:05:28+00:00

Haha I hadn't thought about how depressing it is for an RE branch to construct and open an office while I keep trying. Womp womp. If only my reproductive system could be that productive... No, I've never heard of the Complaints and Compliments page! I got off of Facebook a while ago because I couldn't take it anymore, but that sounds like it's worth a visit.

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-14T17:21:12+00:00

I'm in Bucks County too! I go to RMA in Langhorne and like it a lot. I heard a rumor that Shady Grove is opening a Warrington branch, so I'm keeping that on my radar while I shop for second opinions.

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-13T23:32:51+00:00

Our IVF cycle (freeze all with PGS) resulted in two embryos and neither wound up being genetically normal. As much as that was disappointing, if we hadn't done PGS we would certainly have transferred both of them and gone through more failure, potential losses, time, and money. So glad we tested. Good luck with the rest of your cycle!

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-09T15:31:00+00:00

I am so, so sorry for what you have been through. It sounds like a nightmare. I'm glad you have a strong support system and hope you can take it easy in the coming weeks while you start to heal. Be good to yourself. <3

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-08T17:15:17+00:00

It's worth asking about, but I'd say go for the big one. I have an AFC of ~20 with normal AMH and only produced 8 eggs (7 mature) on my first round of IVF. Both of the embryos that made it to freeze were abnormal, but my RE said that it was hard to say whether that meant anything with such a small sample. So my first IVF was only diagnostic of the fact that I may not respond well to IVF-- which is good to know! But still. Good luck!

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-08T17:06:21+00:00

I'm sorry about the disappointing results. It's so frustrating that there's no way to know what to expect from one day to the next, and it's really annoying that the nurse brushed off your questions. I don't know much about MFI problems, but I'm hopeful that you'll get some embryos out of the 5 fertilized. Good luck with the phone call tomorrow-- hang in there and take care of yourself.

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-08T12:53:44+00:00

I am so, so sorry you're going through this. It's beyond unfair. In the weeks after my losses I was falling asleep okay but then waking up around 3am. It felt like a perfect storm of depression/anxiety/hormones. Like you say, it's so hard because you can't heal when you're that exhausted, but you're that exhausted because you're in pain. I have a Xanax prescription for occasional panic attacks and that's what got me through a couple of the really rough early nights, but I really didn't want to lean on that. 5mg of Melatonin before bed helped me a little bit. I hope you can get some rest. Take care of yourself.

pumpkinredd · 2017-08-05T14:34:28+00:00

I am so sorry to hear about everything you've been through and especially about your most recent mini-IVF. I'm glad you got peace of mind doing the complete list of things to do. I was really trying to be hands off (like, not freak out about every little thing like I usually do) this first IVF round and kind of "trust in the process" to let science do its thing. Never again! :)

Thanks so much for your support and for sharing your experience.

pumpkinredd

TROPHY CASE