Steroids and before pregnancy

I hope that someone on here will read this post and give me some sound advice.
33/F 37/M We’ve been together for 6-7 months. He and I were Facebook friends for four years before dating. Flirting here and there but nothing serious because at the time he was going through a separation (13 year marriage). Fast forward to several months ago, we went on our first date and things took off fairly quickly from there. Within a month we were living together (I know, not the best move).
He moved in with me and pays majority all of my bills and expenses. I have been paying my way through my Master's program and my finances were not the best. I work as a revenue cycle manager and he works as a superintendent for a pipefitting company. He makes good money and never fails to remind me lol. Initially, our relationship was beautiful. He was attentive, generous, loving, and great with my kids (one who has special needs). Overall, it was everything I had hoped for. But after just a month of living together the arguments progressively started. He takes steroids and was powerlifter. When we met he told me he was going through withdrawal so I was patient with him when he was having his ups and downs. In addition, he's in the process of divorce and managing coparenting with his ex. I was patient through it all, cleared a space in my home for his children to sleep in so that they would be comfortable.
It was hard but manageable. His mood swings didn't affect me as much during the time because I knew there was a lot going on in his life. Well time went on and when he would have these mood swings he would say things to me like "I'm just not comfortable here" and "I don't like living in this city" and during our arguments he always threatened to leave me. He also constantly complained that he doesn't like being away from his kids (8, 11, 13) and that he just isn't happy without them. Which I completely understood. Though he did see them throughout the week and weekends-but still I understood.
March 8th I found out that I was 5 weeks pregnant and that's when things turned ugly. Though he told me he was elated and wanted to create a family with me there were constant loud arguments in front of the children (I take accountability because I did the yelling too). He would grab me, throw me across the bed when he was angry, hold me down, forcefully cover my mouth if I tried to talk, choked me quite a few times and broken things in my home during our fights. Cops had to be called out more than once. And my 11 year old hated having him around and was visibly afraid during the fights. My ex is a muscular bigger man and very very strong. He's gotten more and more physical with me, more and more argumentative and also started back on steroids during my pregnancy which effected his temperament. At 8 weeks pregnant we MUTUALLY decided to get an abortion (he sent me the money for it) because of the arguments, and me just not handling the pregnancy well-also to add his divorce was still not final. All of these factors influenced my decision to go through with the abortion and he supported me at first. But after the abortion, while I'm still bleeding, we argued and he called me a baby killer. Told me the only reason he was with me was because of the baby. Apologized a few hours later, bought me some gifts, sent me some money in an attempt to smooth it over. This was his pattern. Valentines Day, my birthday, mothers day..we argued and fought. I have never in my life delt with a man so up and down. One minute I'm being yelled at and disrespected and the next I'm the love of his life and he can't wait to marry me.
Yesterday was his daughters birthday and he told me he was taking her out after work (He leaves work at 3:30 every day). We spoke one time at 7pm, and I called him several times at 10pm, he calls me back once at nearly 11pm and gets to my house at almost 12am on a school night from "spending the day with is daughter." I should add that since his ex wife went back to work he drives 45 minutes from my house to hers to pick the kids up from the bus stop and take them home. He does this every day and usually gets home close to 7pm-8pm. I've expressed my comfortability with him spending time over there while she's present and his response is that he doesnt. But he does. Quite often. When he got home I was visibly upset, he asked "why the fuck are you making that face?" I didn't respond. And then he followed up with "this is our last weekend together." I asked for my house key, he yelled, had a tantrum, then left the house. Came back 5 minutes later and told me he loved me and didn't want to argue. I've heard that before. I told him he couldn't come back to my home.
What makes this break up hard is that he genuinely has done some amazing things for me, and my children. He's shown me a lot of love and encouragement. And has ALWAYS ALWAYS been thre when I needed him. I loved him and have asked him to seek therapy. This relationship has made me angry and resentful, and I just need out.
**I should add that his ex does not like me, though I take good care of her kids when they are with me. My ex has also shared things with her pertaining to our relationship that I've had to correct him on. He's gone to movies, and outings with her and the kids (which isn't a problem) except he lied about it. Which is why I don't have trust in him when he's out that way*

Introduction
When blood sugar levels cannot be controlled with oral medications alone, human insulin is used to treat type 1 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not produce insulin and cannot control blood sugar levels, or type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not produce or use insulin normally, resulting in excessive blood sugar levels. Human insulin belongs to a group of drugs known as hormones. The insulin that the body naturally produces is replaced with human insulin. It functions by assisting the body's other tissues in transferring blood sugar, which is used there for energy. It also prevents the liver from generating additional sugar. This is how all of the available forms of insulin function. The only differences between the insulin kinds are in how soon they start to act and how long they stay effective at regulating blood sugar.
What is Gestational diabetes ?
For women without a history of diabetes, gestational diabetes is a form of the diabetes that can develop during pregnancy. After the baby is born, gestational diabetes typically disappears. If your doctor advises differently, it's crucial to get a follow-up glucose tolerance test six to twelve months after the baby is born or before attempting a second pregnancy to ensure you are no longer diabetic.You can increase the likelihood of a successful pregnancy and healthy baby by controlling your gestational diabetes.
Who is susceptible to gestational diabetes?
The prevalence of gestational diabetes in pregnant women ranges from 3% to 8%. In most cases, it is discovered between 24 and 28 weeks, though it might appear earlier. Receiving a gestational diabetes diagnosis might be distressing and unanticipated. It's critical to receive support and assistance in controlling it by reaching out.
Gestational diabetes is more likely to affect some women. Among the women in this category are these:

• are overweight or obese
• have a family history of type 2 diabetes
• are older than 40 years of age
• use some steroids or antipsychotic drugs.
• having experienced gestational diabetes in the past
• previously given birth to a child weighing more than 4,500 grams.
• having experienced a difficult pregnancy in the past
• have PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome.

There are some pregnant women without established risk factors for gestational diabetes.
Education about the use of insulin
It is critical that you receive guidance and support on the administration, storage, and operation of insulin from your physician or diabetes educator.
It is crucial that you understand the warning signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, how to manage it, and the safe blood glucose levels for driving. Insulin can occasionally cause blood glucose levels to drop too low.
What happens after the birth of a baby?
After your baby is born, you normally stop injecting insulin to help manage gestational diabetes. This is due to the fact that after giving delivery, women's blood glucose levels typically recover to the ideal range rather quickly.
It's crucial to check your baby's blood glucose levels after birth to make sure it hasn't dropped too low. If so, you can cure it by giving your child formula or breast milk. It is advised that you breastfeed your child because it is best for both of you.
After your baby is delivered, your blood glucose levels will be monitored for a few days to make sure they are within the appropriate range. It is customary to check blood sugar two hours after eating and before breakfast. Six to twelve weeks after the baby is born, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is performed to see if your diabetes has resolved.
If you live in a high-risk location or are unable to socially distance yourself from the pathology center, it is advised that you postpone the OGTT testing for a period of six months during COVID-19. If you intend to become pregnant again or before your child turns 12 months old, it is advised to have an OGTT. Follow your physician's advice.
Although a child whose mother had gestational diabetes won't have diabetes at birth, they might have a higher chance of type 2 diabetes in the future.
What side effects can insulin cause?
There may be adverse effects from human insulin. Inform your physician in the event that any of these symptoms worsen or persist:

• Skin thickening (fat build-up)
• Skin redness
• Swelling
• Itching at the injection site
• A small depression in the skin (fat breakdown)
• Constipation
• Weight gain

Certain adverse effects may be dangerous. Give your doctor a call right away if you encounter any of the following symptoms:

• Rash and/or itching throughout the entire body
• Dyspnea
• Wheezing
• Lightheadedness
• Hazy vision
• Rapid heart rate
• Perspiration Weakness in breathing or swallowing
• Muscles Cramps
• Irregular pulse
• Significant weight gain
• Edema of arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs

Conclusion
Insulin therapy is still the recommended course of treatment for uncontrolled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The insulins with the greatest human pregnancy data are NPH, insulin lispro, insulin aspart, and regular insulin. Clinicians' ability to accurately weigh the advantages and disadvantages of modifying insulin therapy will become increasingly important. It's also crucial to share the data with the patient so she can help choose the optimal insulin dosage. For the greatest fetal results, strict glycemic control must be maintained throughout pregnancy, regardless of the regimen selected.

So I’m freaked out to say the least! I had a bit of a sore throat and went on an airplane. Was away for 3 nights and on my return flight my ears were popping so I rubbed it. Nothing out of the normal for me. However I lost complete hearing upon landing. Maybe before and I didn’t realize due to pressure. Had dizziness but was ok.
Woke up next morning so dizzy with nausea. Went to urgent care lady said “fluid behind ear” which just felt incorrect. Now about 36 hours later I got an appointment with ENT. He did the steroid shot in my ear. Didn’t prescribe the oral steroids due to pregnancy.
Overall, I’ve been reading a lot of peoples experiences. It works- it doesn’t work. I am just feeling really low about this whole situation! Has this happened to any other pregnant mamas out there???

Hi everyone! I'm currently in my third TWW from my third transfer (4dpt5dt). My transfer this time was of a euploid embryo (our last), with the addition of blood thinners and steroids for this third FET and like my other transfers, a fully medicated cycle because of my PCOS.
My previous transfers ended in loss ( 1 untested embryo MMC and 2 euploid embryo chemical pregnancy ending at 5w6d).
My first transfer I felt the sharp implantation cramp and spotted a bit. My resting heart rate increased a couple of BPM. Second transfer I had cramps and a slight uptick in heart rate. This time....my heart rate has gone down, no cramps, decent energy etc and I already feel like it didnt implant.
All this to say...someone please reassure me that symptoms can be different each time even if you've been pregnant before AND having no symptoms / limited symptoms doesn't mean I'm out?

I’m 6 months sugar-free and I’ve undergone a transformational experience. I’m sharing mine in hopes that it can help someone else.
I’m 32 and since age 5 I’ve always been sickly with a plugged up nose and many food sensitivities. Constant blowing, sneezing, snotting everywhere. Loads and loads of tissues. My mom was woke before it was trendy to eat healthfully; she knew about the dangers of sugar and processed foods and was strict on not having these in the house, but her efforts were sabotaged by my father who wanted us to have a “normal childhood” and would hide Lucky Charms in his car for us to eat after my she had left for work. Despite her best intentions and unwavering boundaries, my mom could not stop sugar from finding me. At school, friends’ houses, etc., sugar was everywhere and I became addicted like the majority of us. I knew of the importance of vegetables and whole foods and prioritized those, but man if there were cookies around I would eat the whole bag. I cannot self-moderate my sugar intake.
Besides the debilitating congestion, I’ve had various ailments develop in the last 10 years or so:
-red, itchy, flaky scalp (this turned out to be omega-3 deficiency, went away with fish oil supplementation) and dandruff (which is still present).
-belly fat: Historically my BMI has been at the upper end of the “normal” range: ~23.5-25. 5’6”, 145-155 lbs. From playing basketball, track and field, and being generally active I always had nice arms and legs but since puberty I’ve had a belly resembling the end of first trimester pregnancy. In the last few years I started looking heavier despite eating healthier, and could not drop the weight.
-When i was 28 I developed a lesion on my chest that kept growing bigger and bigger. Steroid creams made it go away, but it always returned intermittently.
-feeling exhausted and drained most hours of the day
-needing to eat every few hours and feeling constant hunger
-irritable, bitchy moods
-periodontitis, receding gumline
-persistently stinky underarms
The turning point came when I found a wonderful naturopath and I was at a point in my life where i was tired of being sick and tired and willing to make serious changes. For my allergic rhinitis we tested for IgG antibodies and the following foods came up: milk, cane sugar, tomatoes, corn, and some others, so she suggested I avoid those. In following this elimination diet, I had thought my previous diet was healthy but I didn’t realized how far I had drifted over time, and just how much sugar I was consuming.
The first three weeks were THE WORST. Constant cravings, yearning for sugar around the clock. Salivating when I saw my friend eat an ice cream sandwich. Wanting to give up, but moreso wanting to give the diet an honest chance b/c I knew if I continued eating like I had been, nothing would changed. I gorged on honey butter toast and apples to feed the craving. It took two weeks to notice any difference in my health, but then I noticed I wasn’t as congested and I could actually breathe through my nose for hours at a time. After three painstaking weeks of starting the diet, I started to notice the sugar cravings becoming weaker and more bearable.
2 months in, this is what I wrote in my journal:
-66% reduction in nasal congestion, snot, sneezing
-better face skin, less pink and inflamed
-better poops, less soiling
-Wetter sex and higher sex drive
-A lot less severity and frequency of the hangry
-lost 5-7 lbs
-cleaner feeling teeth
-brighter, happier mood
As I was able to breath normally more regularly and not sick all the time, I noticed honey, dried fruit, and coconut sugar all triggered my sneezing and congestion. Around the 3 month mark I decided to cut all sugars out besides fresh/frozen fruit. I still have cravings, and I don’t know if they will every fully disappear, but it’s fine if they don’t b/c they are MUCH weaker and easier to ignore. 3 months in my blood glucose tested at 80, I’ve never seen it that low, I usually have 87-95 levels.
I stumbled upon Dr. Robert Lustig’s work on Youtube, read his book Metabolical, and now I’m on Fat Chance. Studying his work has been life-changing for me… Sugar IS poison- this is not a hyperbole. I suspect I had insulin resistance which interfered with my leptin signaling which is why I felt hungry all the time, despite eating every few hours. After cutting sugar, there were several weeks where I felt full and satiated despite only consuming 1000 calories or less each day. The excess belly weight melted off (without exercise), likely due to my leptin signaling being restored. When I reached 140 lbs my hunger returned and I began to consume a normal amount of calories again. (TLDR for Dr. Lustig’s explanation: When you eat a lot of sugar, you develop insulin resistance, which causes leptin resistance (the hormone that tells your brain you’re full, you don’t need to eat, you have enough energy and the body can go into "burning” mode). If you’re brain can’t see your leptin, it doesn’t know you're fat and thinks you are starving and need to go into “energy storage" mode.)
85% of my diet now is meats (pasture-raised), fish, vegetables, nuts and seeds, sheep yogurt, avocados, avocado oil, ghee. I don’t count calories. I eat until I am full. I consume fats, saturated fats and proteins without abandon. I am mindful of my carbs, including starch. Sugar is a hard no with few exceptions, e.g. coconut aminos b/c it adds a ton of flavor to dishes and I don’t binge on it. Society loves to preach “everything in moderation” but the truth is most of us suck at moderation. For me personally, it’s easier to have clearly-defined rules and not have to endure decision fatigue deciding if you can afford to eat this or that b/c I always find some way to justify it and there goes another pint of Ben and Jerry’s. For the first time in my adult life, I feel good about my stomach and can see my ab lines forming. I weigh 137 lbs, less than what I weighed in the 8th grade.
My tips on what worked for me to beat this nasty addiction:
Motivation: Keep a food journal. Can be what you ate that day, your motivations for quitting, improvement in symptoms, successes, failures, your measurements, weight. Don’t feel obligated to write in it, only when you notice something worth documenting. When I have moments of weakness, I read my entries to remember I’ve been here before and I know how things will turn out if I eat sugar.
Strategy: Rather than an all-or-nothing approach, cut out different classes of sugars one at a time: e.g. all cane sugar, then coconut sugar, then honey and maple syrup. Tailor this to whatever your specific sugar-reduction goals are.
Mindset: Get the idea out of your mind that if you accidentally ate something with sugar or if you caved and intentionally ate sugar that your whole diet is ruined so you might as well throw in the towel. That is a sneaky mind trick to get you to return to your old ways. Falling off the horse does not cancel out all the prior wins you’ve achieved. As soon as you become mindful and/or have reestablished control of the craving, begin again.
For all of you with doubts if this is worth it. It unequivocally, absolutely was for me. I’m never going back. I’m not willing to be a slave to my cravings and not have energy and be a mouth-breather. Sugar may be derived from natural sources, but the end product is not natural; it is a highly concentrated and purified product that is dangerous independent of its calories- it wreaks havoc on our hormones that control weight, hunger and satiety.
IF YOU CAN GET THROUGH THE FIRST FEW WEEKS YOU WILL BEAT THIS.

TW: Preterm birth, Severe Pre-eclampsia, long Hospital stay, very difficult C-Section, NICU baby, positive outcome
It’s taken me a while to get things together enough to write this. Galen joined the world April 29th at 10:51pm, born 33 weeks 3 days, weighing in at 3 lbs 13 oz and 16.5”. It’s a really long post too. I put an additional trigger warning down by the C-Section part. A lot of things went poorly, but nothing that ever put me or the baby at risk. It was just brutally unpleasant. Feel free to skip that part. I didn’t want to leave it out because that really was part of his birth story and one thing I have loved about this group is being able to be real when stuff gets hard.
I don’t know how to start this without saying that we struggled for 4 years with fertility treatments. He was IVF with a donor egg. This was my 6th pregnancy, and our very first living child, so the fact that there is a little nugget all wrapped up safe and happy for us at the NICU is enough to make me melt down ugly crying. I know so many of you here can relate to this. There just aren’t enough words to capture all the feels. His original due date was my 46th birthday, and this is one gift I don’t mind getting a little bit early.
The pregnancy was going along fairly uneventfully, I had placenta Previa, but no bleeding or anything. I aced my Glucose test. March 27th, I started to notice some pretty severe edema building up in my legs and feet at the end of the day. I was also getting winded really easily, coughing when I layed down. The next week was filled with new symptoms and multiple negative Pre-E labs, a heart Echo. Finally Friday April 5th my Edema was next level (textbook apparently), I had gained 10 lbs over the week. I got a headache and I didn’t sleep a wink, headache turned into a Migraine, we went into L&D at 5AM April 6th just in case thinking that I would be home in a few hours. They ran the labs again and I had the protein in the urine, Pre-E diagnosis with severe features was made and after 18 hours in Triage, I was finally transferred to another hospital nearby that could handle an infant as young as Galen, he would have been 30 Weeks 1 day. They started me on Magnesium drip and steroid shots for baby development. I found out that I would not be leaving the hospital until he was born, and they were going to try and stretch it out as long as they could, with a goal of 34 weeks. It was touch and go that first week trying to get my health under control, and they almost delivered him several times. They did eventually get me stable and we settled in for the long wait in the hospital Antepartum unit. Things started to get a little bit funky April 26th with his NSTs not looking as good and my blood pressure started to get weird, my Edema was coming back strong. We got him another round of Steroid Shots, and got me off the Anticoagulants so we were ready for delivery. Galen was the most active of his pregnancy all day on April 29th, he was just ready to come into the world, so when my blood pressure spiked again that evening, we got me back on the magnesium drip and did a C-section. He was still transverse, so Induction wasn’t an option.
****Trigger Warning*******: scroll down to the ** trigger over ** marker to skip the C-section part
The next part didn’t go that well. When they finally wheeled me back to the OR to get me set up for the Spinal/epidural before my partner could come in, I just started shaking really badly. I know some of the shaking was from the Magnesium drip, but I was suddenly unexpectedly terrified and tears were just streaming down my face which lasted pretty much the whole time. I had been in the unit for almost a month, so I knew the staff/nurses and they tried to make me feel better. They got me on the table and then finally my husband was able to come in. Unfortunately, the spinal didn't numb me evenly. It had gone up as far as needed on the one side, but not the other, so I wasn’t quite totally numb at my boobs on my right side. They offered to try and sedate me more, but then It would take me longer to try and see my baby and give me a bunch of extra drugs that weren’t the best for baby. We decided it was fine, and it should have been still been high enough for complete pain control even on the low side. The procedure seemed like it took forever and my spouse there was the only thing that was saving me. I expected tugging and pulling, but not this. I could feel tons of pressure literally way up into my rib cage. It felt like someone digging though the bottom of a duffle bag trying to find something for a loooong time. I heard someone comment, “Wow, you’re really reaching up in there”. It turns out that at some point in the pregnancy, my Uterus had turned heart shaped. I guess it stretched out unevenly because it wasn’t that way before. Anyway, Galen was kinda stuck transverse with his head in one lobe, feet in the other lobe and butt down. Because of the uterus shape not being a totally open cavity, it was very hard for the Dr. to get him turned around to pull him out. That’s why there was so much pressure for so long so far up in my chest. It started to really hurt and I had them stop the procedure while they upped my pain relief. It knocked me out a little more but then the nausea hit HARD. they gave me even more nausea meds but I started dry heaving while they were still trying to get the baby out (and still crying). It was such a relief when he was born. My husband just kept my eye contact and held my hand, talking and keeping my focus. Holding the stupid puke bag and he was my saving light in there. He let them take care of Galen, and eventually they brought him over and placed him where I could see him by my side just for a minute before he was swept off to the NICU. I had opted to have my tubes out as well, which just prolonged everything, so I regretted opting to have them done at the same time(no regret in getting it done). It went pretty standard after that and they sewed me up.
****Trigger Over*******
My husband stayed until I was sewed up and in the recovery room before going down to see Galen in the NICU. After 2 hours they wheeled my bed down to his room where I got to see him for about 20 minutes of skin to skin. Then I had to go back to my room for 24 hours on the magnesium drip. I was able to facetime with him a little bit, and the next two days are a bit of a blur with being woken up at minimum every hour for one thing or another. They let me out of the hospital 4 days later. And we are continuing to manage my blood pressure and Pre-E at home through the online portal.
Galen is doing great, he was able to breathe room air right away. On Friday May third, he turned 34 weeks and they transferred Galen back to a hospital closer to our house that has a level 2 NICU. He is off his IV and taking his feedings and vitamins well. He doesn’t fuss or complain, he just sleeps and eats, and he is so perfect I could just melt. I am still struggling a little bit with having a Baby in the NICU and not being able to see him all the time without just living in the NICU. I straight up had a panic attack one morning because it was taking us too long to get back to the hospital and I was sure he needed me. (he didn't, the nurses are wonderful). I'm working on getting the milk supply up and before you know it, he is up to 4 lbs, taking a bottle and on track to coming home with us.
I will end this how I started by just saying how happy and lucky and special we feel to have baby Galen after all the heartbreak the past 4 years have brought us. He was worth every little bit of the trauma that got him here. I can't wait to see him grow up.

I’m currently 34 weeks. I’ve gained 55 pounds.
Pregnancy has been complicated. At 23 weeks I was diagnosed with oligohydramnios, and have been seeing MFM weekly with low normal AFI levels 7-10 usually since then. No PPROM. At week 32 I was diagnosed with severe IUGR with baby’s abdomen in the 1%. At 33 weeks I was hospitalized for preeclampsia. I was discharged 2 days later for no severe features. The plan is to induce at 37 if no severe features develop, earlier if so. Steroids administered. Baby is approx 3lb3oz today.
Why am I so worried? I was obese my whole life. I worked tirelessly and frankly obsessively on diet and exercise to normalize my weight before peg a cry and actually got down to 140lbs (5’4”) and a size 6 before pregnancy, which to me was goals.
By week 20 I was swollen all over. I mean right now I look more obese than I was at my largest and mostly in my face, arms, chest. This is what gets me, the distribution of enlargement. People tell me I don’t even look pregnant because frankly I don’t have a basketball belly. I have pitting edema to the knees. I look almost Cushing-like. My Face ID on my phone doesn’t recognIze me. The trauma from my past makes it’s way into my head every time I pass a mirror. Yes, I overate. The only way to do away with the nausea was to eat. I didn’t eat like a mammoth and tried to make healthy decisions but I wasn’t tracking as I had done my whole life. I also stopped exercising. The exhaustion is overwhelming. I’m trying to survive.
I know I should be worried about having a healthy baby but I also worry for my mental health afterward. If I’m not happy with myself after baby how can I be there for her?
It doesn’t make sense. I have little amniotic fluid weight. Baby is tiny. Yes, I’m edematous… yes my blood volume increased… but I have a dreaded feeling most of this is fat.
Has anyone else experienced something similar?

Is it worrisome to have a neutrophil increase of 2,000 at your annual visit (but still within the normal lab range)?
I am a 39f, 120 lbs, caucasian and suffer from general health anxiety and postpartum OCD. I am hoping any docs and hematologists out there can help with my spiraling health anxiety over some recent labs which showed higher than normal (for me) neutrophils as well as a few other lines.
I had CBC drawn a few weeks ago and my total WBC was 7.6, the differential is: neutrophils 4651 / lymphocytes 2143 / monocytes 684 / eosinophils 68 / basophils 53. The two years prior my WBC was 5.2 and 4.7, and neutrophils were 2413 and 2388. I looked back even further, and have MOST of my results from 2014 - 2020, and my WBC in these years ranged from 5.4 - 7.1, and my neutrophils ranged from 2.98 - 3.5 (I am not including results from during pregnancies).
My platelet count is also higher than normal for me at 357 (previously the highest it was was 308, but for the most part it has been in the mid-to-high 200s).
I have beta thalassemia trait, so I run a little low on hemoglobin (normally anywhere between 10.3 and 11.1, but actually this year’s results were 11.5, so higher than in the past).
I realize that the WBC/neutrophil and platelet numbers are still within the normal range that the lab provides, but they are the highest I’ve ever had for myself as far as 10+ years back, so it’s stressing me out. Since dealing with postpartum anxiety/OCD I have a very difficult time understanding if I am worrying unnecessarily. My GP was unconcerned when I brought it up and said my body is going through postpartum changes. But I was just shy of 3 months postpartum at the time of the blood draw and thought that things should have normalized by then?
I am not currently on any oral medications (other than prenatal vitamins), but I was using prescribed 2.5% hydrocortisone cream for internal hemorrhoids at the time of the draw. I understand steroids can increase results, but assumed that didn’t include topical creams? The only other thing of note was that I had what I believe to be a clogged milk duct about a week before the draw, which resolved on it’s on in a few days without antibiotics (I never got a fever, so I assumed it was not mastitis).
Anyway, I guess my question is—are these increases concerning at all? I can’t figure out if I am spiraling for no reason. I have just established care with a new GP since moving to a new area, so I guess I haven’t built up enough trust yet to let this go just yet and am seeking expert advice.
Thank you.

I’m a nurse myself. In October of 2023, I found out I was pregnant and it was discovered to be a molar pregnancy. My first. We were devastated and still are. This is rare, but even more rarely it can develop into cancer. I was one of the unlucky ones who was diagnosed (Choriocarcinoma). I started chemo just before Christmas, my cancer grew despite the treatment, so I started a more aggressive treatment. It was difficult transitioning from nurse to patient. I was so scared and chemo/steroids truly took a toll on me. It’s been a dark time. I just finished my last chemo almost 2 weeks ago. I’m so thankful for the nurses I got to know and spend time with during my journey. Every single one was nothing but kind and compassionate. Some days I was in the clinic for over 8 hours and I witnessed their entire shift and each patient was treated with such dignity and kindness. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy their job. Because of you, I was able to find the strength to get through this. Thank you for what you do ❤️

An Actual 101 Omegaverse Interpretation Made By Me, please use this as a guide to get a better understanding of the Omegaverse and let me know your thoughts on this variation!
What Is The Omegaverse?
The Omegaverse is an AU (Alternate Universe) that centers around a wolf hierarchy that reinforces the idea of power, inequalities, and dynamics in modern-day society. Originally used in the Supernatural and werewolf fandoms, the subgenre of dividing people into the wolf hierarchy has risen to new limits as it grows a larger audience.
In the omegaverse, there are primary sex and secondary sex. Primary Sex describes how people biologically are born or identify as male, female, intersex, etc. Whereas Secondary Sex, describes their role in the wolf hierarchy and where they stand in the wolf-like society.
There are commonly three "second genders" that are affiliated to one's character; Alpha, Beta, and Omega. Although there are other variants, these three are the most common in fandoms. These second genders normally defy the role that people play in the wolf hierarchy and the different attributes that each secondary sex has.
Wanna Know Which One You Are?
Everyone is born with the Primary Sex at birth, sometimes having it declared differently later on if people choose to alternate their primary sex. However, Secondary Sex isn't necessarily something that is changeable, although not impossible.
Beginning at the early age of 15 to 22 years old, people often begin to develop their second gender. During this age range, people often get a yearly test done to ensure that the development of their secondary sex is coming as predetermining a second gender could be done. People begin to develop different bodies, pheromones, structures, habits, and more that are commonly associated with their designated second gender. Second genders do not defy someone as a person, but they help contribute to where they reside in society.
There are also some instances where people do not develop their second gender during that age range. Doctors associate the label of "Late Bloomers" with these people as their bodies haven't changed to develop into the omegaverse society. People can transition after the recommended age range, however, the effects of transitioning and instinctive nature (heat, ruts, scents of pheromones, etc.) are often more intense once they transition and are more sensitive tenfold.
Types Of Secondary Sexes.
Ranked By Hierarchy.
Top Of The Food Chain.
Do you have what it takes to keep your pride? Sometimes even those at the top of the food chain are affected by those beneath you.
Enigma (₰); Dominant Alphas.
Commonly mistaken as an ordinary alpha Enigma's are offspring of many generations of alphas. Both parents are often alpha's that have tried to conceive an Enigma throughout many generations. An extremely rare phenomenon to occur in a generation and they are essentially albinos in society. Unlike regular alphas, their secondary attributes are heightened and overbearing to control and handle. Although they are even able to make Alpha submit, they can often go into shock if they don't keep themselves in check due to overbearing ruts, pheromones, etc.
Alphas (α).
Alphas are the most generalized sub-gender at the top of the food chain, making roughly 10 percent of the omegaverse hierarchy. People associate them with becoming more possessive and dominant in situations as they take on more leadership roles than any other sub-gender. Alphas are more primitive of the genders and follow their pride than other people. They are natural-born leaders that others seek to follow out of their instincts.
Special Attributes; Also Applies to Dominant and Recessive Species.
➼ Have more fierce scents that easily overpower more earthy and sweet scents.
➼Experience ruts during mating sessions once a month. They develop a knot during this period to ensure the production of offspring and resort to their instincts rather than rational thinking.
➼ Develop sharp K-9s during maturity that allow them to mark and claim their mate(s) more easily than other sub-genders.
➼ They tend to become more protective of those who are close to them and want to keep everyone safe. Sometimes they feel as if they bear the world on their shoulders, yet they take pride in their accomplishments.
Gammas (Γ); Recessive Alphas.
More rare than normal Alphas but more common than Enigmas, Gammas are commonly known as "submissive alphas". They gain the attributes of alphas but it is not as intense as a regular alphas. They are the most calm and sane out of the top of the food chain and are able to remain rational during their heat. They often don't strive in the leadership positions as alphas and are known as the second in command. However, just because they don't experience extreme attributes doesn't mean that they don't experience them at all.
The Middle Ground; The Stability Of Society.
Betas (B).
The working class of the hierarchy, the majority of the population. Betas are classified as ordinary people, making up 82 percent of the population. They are people who take everyday positions and are the worker bees in the hive. People often overlook this gender as an equivalent to a regular human despite their ability to neutralize any problems between alphas and omegas. As there is lightness and darkness, Betas are often in the middle neutralizing the scents of both omegas and alphas when not in heat or ruts. They are often perceived as ordinary despite the important role they play in society.
Special Attributes:
➼ Have more calming and nature-like scents that help sedate alphas and omegas.
➼ A more lax "drive" to mate and reproduce.
Delving Too Deep; Bottom Feeders.
Those who are able to weasel out their situations are known to be the prey of many. They have their own tactics to hide themselves but are always eaten at the end.
Sigmas (Σ); Recessive Omegas.
More defiant and restrained by their omega nature, Sigmas are dominant omegas that defy their common submissive stereotype given to omegas. Like Alphas, Sigmas take pride in their actions and decisions as if they're a natural-born leader but are often treated as an omega regardless. They don't have intense attributes like an average omega, but they still experience such phenomena. They are rare than omegas considering the nature of Sigmas and how they interact with those around them despite Secondary Sex. Even when being put into place with pheromones, Sigmas normally won't go down without a fight.
Omegas (Ω).
The bottom feeders of the hierarchy, the most vulnerable of them all. Omegas make up 8 percent of the population and are generalized sub-gender to be a bottom feeder. As graceful as a rabbit in a field, they are the most exploited and oppressed gender of them all. Omegas are known for their resilience and "mother-like" nature to nurture and protect those close to them, as well as being able to produce offspring despite their Primary Sex.
Special Attributes; Also Applies To Recessive Species.
➼ Naturally have sweeter scents than any of the other sub-genders to entice Betas and Alphas.
➼ Experience heat two to four times a year in order to produce offspring. Their scenes and pheromones are heightened to coax Betas and Alphas to mate with them.
➼ Produce slick during heat to act like a lubricant.
➼ Produce offspring despite their Primary Sex.
➼ They are known to protect those close to them due to their more protective nature. Despite what others say, they express the protection of their pack in different ways.
➼ Nesting in times of stress or when experiencing pre-heat.
The Defiance Against Natural Order.
Thetas (Θ); Deadly Betas.
From what begins as a pheromone problem once they mature and turn into a dangerous virus that affects those around them.
The word Theta is associated with the ideals of death. Thetas are betas that have a genetic malfunction in the scent glands that produce a dangerous stench of pheromones that directly affect those around them. From not being able to produce scents from when they mature to having a bloom of scents during one time, Thetas emit a deadly scent that can often knock out people.
Intensity depends on their original scent, how they feel, and who it is affecting. Where Betas who smell the scent can find it as something that reeks from a mile away, Omegas and Alphas are more vulnerable to Thetas as their senses are more heightened than Betas.
After inhaling a certain amount, Omegas and Alphas overdose on scents which could force them to have a permanent loss of smell. They often would pass out before any permanent damage is done, which is also a very rare situation affecting another Beta.
There is currently no known cure besides a temporary solution involving a significant amount of scent blockers. It is not an effective method and isn't an ideal solution since it negatively affects the Theta's body, but they can pass as normal Betas in the hierarchy.
Late Bloomers.
Late Bloomers were given the title by Doctors who found out that there are people who exceed the age limit without maturing and settling into the hierarchy. There aren't many cases of late bloomers and are often believed to have a rare Secondary Sex considering how long it takes to develop. It is also not the case for all who have these second genders.
These people often experience severe attributes once they convert and are often recommended to find a partner immediately after maturing. They don't have a distinguished place in the hierarchy considering the fact that they didn't develop that Secondary Sex, yet are categorized with the Thetas as people who defy the social structure.
Mating Cycles.
Mating Cycles are the foundation of life, giving people the chance to conceive.
A big aspect of the omegaverse fandom, people often use mating cycles to spice up romantic or sexual interactions. They specifically affect Alphas and Omegas with the purpose of breeding in producing offspring as wolves naturally do.
Varying on the Secondary Sex, people are able to experience heat and rut.
Rut is referred to when an Alpha bares its fangs to their loved one, whether it is another Alpha, Beta, or Omega. Their objective is to breed their bedded partner with the goal of producing offspring during the duration of their Rut.
Heat is conceptualized as the counterpart to Ruts, an exclusive ability that Omegas have. Unlike breeding another, their body makes modifications in order to ensure that their body is capable of carrying and nurturing offspring. They also experience the thought of needing to be bred during the time of their Heat.
Alpha's Mating Cycle.
Pre-Rut.
Pre-Rut signals an Alpha that their mating period is on its way before the actual Rut happens.
During this time, Alphas tend to become more protective and obsessive with their mate as their primal instincts begin to blend with their natural personality. They have a tendency to leave marks and scent their loved ones as much as possible to claim their "territory" in order to keep others away.
They are also prone to harming others. Considering their impulsive nature to keep their partners close to them, an Alpha's main priority is to keep their partner safe in a space where they would be able to breed. It is not recommended for Alphas to go outside during this time period considering they resolve to their violent nature once they see someone else eyeing their prey.
They also begin to emit intense pheromones more often and become aroused. Not as bad as their actual Rut, a Pre-Rut intimidates what the actual Rut is going to be like in order to prepare their partners for what is to come. Intense pheromones and arousal are normally the last symptoms of Pre-Rut that most likely initiate the actual Rut. Once they have their partner under them, their mating season begins.
Rut.
Protect. Breed. Reproduce. Repeat.
This is probably the most accurate way to decipher what goes through an Alpha's mind during a Rut.
Once their Rut is initiated, an Alpha has little to no control of their actions or thoughts. Generally, there are very few who are not easily swayed by their natural instincts and can control what they do for a certain period of time, but Alphas don't keep their mindset straight. Especially when it comes to those who are easily swayed by the pheromones of Omegas.
During this time, they also have thoughts of marking their mates on their scent glands, which requires special preparation. Marking their partner represents an official relationship with each other and stays on their partner's neck for life unless removed. Baring their K-9s, Alphas are able to mark others during their Ruts to claim their territory completely.
They also develop a knot during the height of sexual intercourse. Their penis begins to swell during the time of ejaculation which is often painful without the proper preparation and swells inside their partner. Their bodies constantly produce semen when the knot is inside their partner in order to guarantee high chances of pregnancy in their partner. It takes an hour or two to deflate, however, by that time, Alphas are ready for another round.
During this time is also when Alphas are the most vulnerable around their mate(s). If they are treated a certain way, Alphas can also experience a drop. Instead of fueling with desire and prosperity with their partner, Alphas could have an indifferent rut, where they have little to no desire to reproduce. It is extremely uncommon but it does happen. If left untreated it can continue after their initial rut. Considering their primal instincts are part of who they are, it can affect their life in ways one could never imagine.
Ruts last a duration of 3 days to 1 week. Duration varies upon each Alpha but can be extended through drugs and steroids. It is not recommended to do so.
Omega's Mating Cycle.
Pre-Heat.
A magnet for trouble, a mating call to Alphas.
Pre-Heat begins a week before the actual heat and is a way for the Omega's body to tell them that their heat is underway. Their mating cycle takes a toll on not only their mentality but also their bodies as their bodies modify themselves to properly bear a child.
During the beginning of their Pre-Heat they build a safe space in which they can spend the duration of their heat in. This is called nesting. Often their bedroom or a shared one, an Omega designated a "safe space" for themselves. Once they find a spot that meets their expectations, they will begin to fill the space with the scents of their partners. If they don't have mates, then people who they are close with. These scents can often be found in the other's articles of clothing, sheets, linens, covers, and pillows. Anything that reminds them of mates or family can be kept in the nest.
Nesting is also a place where Omegas can calm themselves in times of distress. Although nesting is primarily when they go into heat, Omegas can build nests when they need comfort for any reason. They are also to be approached with caution unless directly invited by the Omega. If someone walks in on them with an inbuilt nest, their pride could be harmed as they destroy their nests. Has it always been so hard to look capable?
An Omega's scent is more dense and intoxicating to entice others into bed with them. A sweet smell that is almost bearable until the actual Heat begins. It's more dangerous to have these omegas outside considering almost anyone can be affected by their overwhelming increase in pheromones and are advised to stay inside.
They also begin to sleep more often, as well as eat and drink more than they normally do. Omegas always tend to be by themselves during this time, however, appreciate the help of their partners during their times of need. To conserve energy for their actual heat, the Omega's body begins to store as much to keep the Omega awake during the actual heat.
They also have a temperature rise, as "Heat" suggests. They are often hotter during Alphas in Rut considering how much preparation and desire the body builds. It becomes more troublesome to do things on their own once a few days pass as their body only becomes more and more hotter. Finally, they produce slick from their bottom. The slick is a form of preparation that the body modifies to act as a lubricant. The vaginal or anal area, varying on the Primary Sex, allows their bodies to be penetrated easier with little to no preparation.
Heat.
Breathe. Claim. Feel. Touch.
Unlike the Alpha's Rut, an Omega's Heat is a more delicate and nurturing mating cycle that requires more attention, delicacy, and intimacy with their partners.
Instead of growing a desire to simply breed like Alphas and use force, Omegas are in their vulnerable state where their secondary instincts to protect and nurture rise to the occasion. Not only do they want to please themselves by carrying the offspring of their partners, but they also want to prove their worth. To prove that they are worth being taken care of and what they can provide to their partners.
The Heat itself rolls off in waves like an ocean's waves. There are times when the heat is intense and other times when they can breathe and rest. At the beginning of the heat, they are the most vulnerable to the words, actions, thoughts, and feelings of their partners.
Heat also sparks a feeling, a need to reproduce and birth offspring with their partner(s). It's a time when Omega's are in tune with their second nature and are prone to feelings of intimacy with their partner. This causes an Omega to have a spike in libido and an aching for longing, preservation, and love.
This isn't to say that they are completely innocent during this time. Omegas tend to have a high sex drive with the desire to collect semen from their partner(s) in hopes of creating offspring. Drawing back to the second nature of Omegas, their priority is to get pregnant, even if their mindset tells them to not think so.
Can't you also forget how much energy you consume? Due to the little to no rest during an Omega's Heat, it is also important to keep an eye on the Omega, whether it's their partners or family. They exert most of their energy during heat almost sweating it off with a fever, to where Omegas must be supervised during their times in need.
It is also important to remember that despite the Primary Sex, Omegas can get pregnant. Male, Female, Intersex, etc. If they don't possess a vaginal hole, their body creates a sac where the sperm will meet temporary eggs that an Omega can have and where they will carry their child. At the beginning of the heat, it normally forms in males through abdominal pains and cramps that are almost unbearable at times. Only when their desire overrides the pain are they ready to be mated with careful preparation and love.
Please, keep an eye on the Omega. Before someone takes them away from you.
Post-Heat.
After the severe waves, the calmer shore arrives long after.
Post-Heat is recognized as the recovery stage of the Omega Mating Cycle. It is a time and delicacy when Omega's recover their rational senses and catch up with not only their bodies but their self-being.
During the next day or two once their heat is over, an Omega is often seen sleeping from 12 to 26 hours, depending on how severe their heat was. Their body takes the time to recuperate and replenish its energy, only waking up to eat something minimal or drink to rehydrate. Their body does the essentials to keep the Omega alive for the next two days as the body enters a semi-comatose state.
It is also essential to receive aftercare and gentle praises from their partner(s). Omega's are still sensitive and prone to drops if they aren't treated with the utmost care, the Post-Heat is one of the essential times when praise and convincing them that they are worthy to be a mate is important.
Red heat.
The term "Red Heat" refers to when Omegas drop due to lack of praise, inappropriate actions, or a feeling of self-doubt. It is a common defense mechanism that Omegas have especially when in times of crisis where their bodies forcibly stop a heat until they get into a safe area.
The severity of the "Red Heat" varies upon each situation, where an accidental slip of saying the wrong words could cause an Omega's body to overreact, or when in a serious situation of assault, their bodies completely pause the heat track temporarily.
Minor Symptoms:
➼ Omegas will go into a cold sweat as their body temperature rapidly cools.
➼ Some rational thoughts come back during the length of the "Red Heat."
➼ Their scent changes into a negative one. An extremely strong stench.
➼ Their ability to mark their mate(s) is taken away considering their body is negatively reacting to the people around them.
➼ They stop producing slick and are unable to make children during this time.
Minor symptoms show when there is miscommunication or misunderstanding between mates and can often be resolved on the spot. Although it would take some time for the Omega to recuperate back into their heat, there are no long-term negative effects on their bodies.
Severe Symptoms:
➼ If forced to continue mating, their holes, anal or vaginal will wear and tear. Rather than slick, they will begin bleeding at the sign of intrusion.
➼ There is no rational thought, Omegas will go feral once they've been violated. The second gender of Omega's to "protect and nurture" is stripped away from them as they do anything to keep their pride.
➼ An Omega in red heat can also over-exert themselves if it becomes too overbearing, their bodies becoming too hot to the point where they will burn their organs internally, which will permanently burn their reproductive system and other organs. In the most severe cases, this can be life-threatening.
Severe symptoms are the last resort of the Omega's body to protect itself, and if left untreated can cause death. This not only makes the act of violating Omegas a severe crime and a hard thing to do. Overall, the "Red Heat" acts as a drop and a self-defense mechanism for the Omegas.
You Are Mine; Marking and Scenting.
Second Genders have special characteristics to communicate with one another. Some forms of communication are limited to specific second sexes, whereas more universal forms of language can be used by any secondary sex.
Marking is a term when Alphas and Omegas mark their loved ones during their Heat or Rut. These second genders can mark anyone of the secondary sex despite it being a secondary sex higher in the food chain or below. Even Beta's could be marked.
Marking can be done in different ways and has different effects depending on who's marking who. Rather than using it as a specific form of communication, marking is an indication to everyone that this person is "taken." Marks cannot come off if marked by an Alpha or Omega, including Dominant and Recessive Species.
Betas do not have the characteristics to mark anyone, including those who are Alpha or Omega. They can only be marked. Scenting is a more universal language that can be used by any secondary sex.
Scenting is used when people rub off their pheromones upon one another which is emitted through the scent glanced located on a person's glands. They are located at the bridge between the shoulder and neck, normally known as the "cowl muscles" or the trapezius muscle. Everyone has two scent glands located on each side and can be marked by at most two different mates if wanted. If not, then by one.
Scenting also takes place near the scent glands, where the pheromones come from. Mates can rub their scent onto another's scent glands to "claim their territory". Any secondary sex can be done by anyone.
The Red String of Fate; Fated Mates.
"The string itself is a vibrant red string that connects you to your fated mate. Some say that no matter how far away you are from your fated mate, you will always be connected to them. They will always be yours. No matter how far you will travel, the string will not break. Your fate is sealed with your partner."
The term "Fated Mates" is similar to the traditional Chinese Tale of the Red String of Fate. An Alpha and Omega are confined and destined to be with one another, despite loving someone else. In the omegaverse topes, it is common for an Alpha and Omega to be together, despite Betas being the large percentile of the population.
This is likely due to the compatibility of an Alpha and Omega being higher than mating with a Beta which makes this type of relationship more ideal in the hierarchy.
Every Alpha and Omega are not bound to mate with any specific gender, however, they are more likely to be mated with their counterpart. Some people in the hierarchy look down on these ideals due to the absurdity of how small the percentage of the Omega population is, however, this is probably the most common mating couple that is found in the omegaverse trope.
The "Fated Mates", much like the Chinese myth, is a trope that is used in an alternate universe but does not define who is mated to who. It is treated more as folklore, however, most Alphas are indeed mated to Omegas. As Ying has Yang, both Secondary Sexes are commonly mated together as if it was done by fate.
How Is An Alpha Affected?
An Alpha is considered to have a "fated mate" when not only they have marked someone but also they have been marked themselves. An Alpha can mark their mate(s) during Rut.
During this time, the Alpha pierce their mate with their fangs, enhanced, sharpened, refined, extended K-9s to properly mark their mate. However, if they specifically mark an Omega, they secrete a liquid pheromone that stays with the initial bite mark on the Omega.
Although Marks can be removed, the liquid pheromone from a fated couple cannot.
The liquid pheromone acts as a bond coming from the Alpha to Omega in order to ensure that they live in harmony with one another. The liquid pheromone acts as a defense mechanism to ensure the fated couple stays together.
The liquid pheromone doesn't do anything until there is distrust or denial from the Alpha, enhancing the pheromone liquid into a venom that can slowly poison the Omega. This is called a Broken Bond. It is formed at the bite mark of the Alpha and can spread slowly or rapidly. The type of venom severity varies from the type of Alpha who made the mark and the spread rate of the venom depends on how bad the break of the Alpha is.
This acts as a way to keep an Omega in check to ensure the Omega can not only be a reliable partner but to pursue happiness between the Alpha and Omega. Once the issue is resolved, the venom dissipates back into the liquid pheromone.
Their ruts only react to their fated mates. If they are mated, their Ruts are only reactive to the pheromone liquid that the Omega emits during their heat. As they can mark Omegas, Omegas can mark an Alpha. Their ruts can happen, even with other people but that would be very hard to do when marked by someone. Sometimes their knots won't form or their rut could even temporarily stop if the ruts are normally overwhelming until they are in their mate's arms.
How Is An Omega Affected?
Much like an Alpha, Omegas need to mark and mark a certain individual themselves to be affiliated with the "fated mates" trope.
Although it might be a bit harder to break the scent gland and implement their liquid pheromones considering they don't have refined K-9s like their counterpart, they often hold a stronger grudge to prevent an Alpha from leaving them. Omegas are also only able to permanently mark their loved ones during heat for them to secrete their liquid pheromones, often indicating this process during sacred moments.
The liquid pheromones that are injected into the Alpha's scent glands, however, often spread throughout the body instead of staying intact in the scent glands. Since Alpha's aren't originally meant to hold the liquid pheromones in their glands, it instead spreads throughout their body which can affect them altogether.
Every Alpha, deep inside, dreams of feeling accepted by their fated mate. By the ones they put their pride in, to ensure that their loved ones are taken care of.
Other times they may get rejected, left, or brokenhearted by their mate; prompting deterio ration throughout their body. This is called Broken Heart Syndrome.
How deadly is this condition?
First, an affected Alpha will lose their basic Alpha instincts. They will not rut, will not react to Omega's sexual pheromones, gradually lose their sense of smell, and stop producing their scent.
The psychological disturbance will follow soon. Loss of appetite, insomnia, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. This is due to the implication that these Alpha's have not fulfilled their duties.
Eventually, their body will also collapse.
Physical Symptoms:
➼ Loss of muscle mass.
➼ Immunodeficiency.
➼ Bleeding disorder; blood unable to clot properly.
➼ Internal bleeding.
In the final stage, this syndrome will prompt premature apoptosis (programmed cell death) of the heart muscle. Ultimately leading to the death of the Alpha.
As romanticized in many scripts, "The heart finally kills itself, as it loses its reason to keep beating."
Much like the broken bond, the cure is to ensure the Alpha understands that their efforts and pride are of value to their fated partner, in which the liquid pheromones throughout the Alpha cease to help the body recover.
An Omega's heat is also restricted to their fated mate. They are not able to mate with one another as their body responds to the liquid pheromones of their counterpart. If anyone attempts to proceed with sexual intercourse with a mated Omega, their body may prepare itself to indulge in the Red Heat process to protect its body and keep its pride.
Doctor's Orders; Medication and Prescriptions.
There are many drugs and medications that are found through the Omegaverse, which help tackle any occurring issues of mating cycles and how many can counteract the biological structure of the second gender. Many people, despite their second gender, do not often resort to medication and prescriptions due to how dangerous they are. But, again, there are certain circumstances in the lives of everyone.
Serenithrol: A common medication that is known to suppress and confine the scent of pheromones coming from the scent gland. They are often sold in pills and are accessible to the common public. They can be found in common drug stores and are safe to use long-term. It is not recommended to use them excessively, commonly in large quantities since it may cause a lack of pheromones to be produced naturally.
Maliscent: A legal perfume that can be found in beauty stores or places that sell beauty products. These perfume bottles contain different scents that are extracted..? replicated of natural scents coming from other secondary genders. They are perfumes that can guise the scent of someone for several hours, a safer alternative than the Serenithrol medications. Although it may be safe, exactly where is the source of this enriching and enticing perfume..?
Heat and Rut Suppressants: Often known as a heavenly drug of Alphas and Omegas, these suppressants can temporarily or permanently disrupt a mating cycle if consistently used. The origin of suppressants was to prevent people from going into Heat and Rut in public places to lessen the crimes as people took advantage of these second genders; in the modern day, people take them as if they're a common pill to take every day.
The suppressants are often overused due to how accessible they are to the public, although it seems as if there is a major company attempting to restrict them to the common people. The tablet medications are a weaker variant of the suppressants which could only temporarily stop a mating cycle for a few hours. they are accessible in drug stores with proper identification of being an Alpha or Omega variant. There is also a syringe suppressant which is often a more intense suppressant. They can completely disrupt a mating cycle but require a doctor's referral to snatch one of these.
Doctor's Orders; Medication and Prescriptions Continued.
The following are less known in society and are not accessible to the common public. These are often sold at the top of the food chain and may only be purchased in the underworld. You have connections, right?
Heat and Rut Inducers: The opposite of the suppressants, these inducers are only available in a liquid form and are often sold in syringe needles. They essentially force an Alpha or Omega to go into their mating cycle despite how far or close it initially is. It was banned from the public to prevent secondary sexes from being taken advantage of and is only found in the underbelly of New York. They are at the cusps of a certain mafia playing the underworld and are personally distributed from them. If one wanted to get their hands on it, they'd have to personally affiliate themselves with a mafia member who is selling it.
Xenonexus: An unknown drug that's made itself to the market, shaking up the hierarchy of the omegaverse. It can slowly transition one's second gender as their body modifies itself. It is often known as "Xenonexus" due to the unknown source and how well its production is, people crave such a powerful tool to change their lives. However, they are personally only accessible to a certain few who have taken part in this project.
The only known treatment of Xenonexus known to the public is those sold in the black market, even those that are unsafe. They are sold in vials that are to be taken throughout the course of four months, all the necessary syringes taken in months are intact. Most importantly, they remain unlabeled. There have been very few wealthy people who have gotten their hands on this drug, although they don't exactly know what second gender they might transition into. It's almost as if this drug was thrown into the public to see how people react, though the creator remains unknown.
How're You Living?; Modern Day Applications.
In a world where money influences reliable resources and connections, the world is often divided by the stances of many through the polluted streets of New York. Although there is much bias that varies among Secondary Sexes, there is little to no discrimination based on it. Due to the diversity and the amount of connections that one may have, what one identifies as is not crucial.
As they say, the pockets talk as people listen.
There are very few instances where Secondary Sex matters, which is in regards to those who live their life in riches. Depending on where one resides, there could be some more.. unfortunate outcomes that often drive people into a corner. Where money can talk, but the overwhelming sense of power could signify authority over another.
Those who live in the inner circle know lip service, and prevailing as a dominant one is often the more important part at the table. After all, becoming the head means you get the last say, right?
Now, where are you planning to live in this unstable society?

Hi all. Thanks to the mod team for approving a standalone, the support means a lot.
I'm a bit out of ideas for next steps after our last failed FET of a euploid donor embryo. Any and all thoughts welcome. I've tried to describe this as succinctly as possible below so here goes:
Me: 42F, male partner 44. Diagnosis of endometriosis, no symptoms other than an endometrioma on one ovary. Male factor infertility as well. TTC since 2018.
2 CPs trying on our own.
ER#1 - 2021: resulted in one aneuploid embryo. Poor response to meds, decided to move to donor eggs.
DE cycle #1: created 5 embryos with 26yr old donor eggs and partner's sperm.
FET #1: standard medicated protocol with estrace, prometrium and PIO every third day. Strong initial beta resulting in a slow heartbeat at 7 week ultrasound; no heartbeat at 8 weeks. Took Misoprostol, could not test POC as there was not enough tissue. RE hypothesis was that it was an abnormal embryo, still possible with a young donor.
FET#2: standard medicated protocol exact same as FET #1.
Was started on Synthroid as TSH was over 4 at beta. Was referred to an endocrinologist in a prenatal program at a women's hospital and I'm still seeing them to monitor my TSH.
Pregnancy developed well, no issues on ultrasounds, anatomy scan, NIPT. Sudden stillbirth at 25 weeks, noticed due to lack of fetal movement. Pathology indicated it was due to fetal vascular malperfusion, a placental issue. C-section needed due to placenta previa. Full RPL blood panel was run by the hospital on me and spouse, no clotting or other issues found. MFM thought it might just be an unfortunate one time event.
Switched clinics as my RE had left anyway and the patient care there wasn't great. Moved three remaining embryos to new clinic.
I had been taking 20mg of escitalopram for FET#2. After the stillbirth, this was upped to 25mg, higher than the max dose.
New RE did some tests: EMMA ALICE (normal) Anti phospholipid antibodies (normal) Lupus (normal) SIS to look at c-section scar; it was normal (no fluid, etc)
FET#3 - RE wanted to try ovulatory FET due to linkage between fully medicated FETs and placental issues. Ovulatory FET with trigger and progesterone support and aspirin. No implantation.
FET#4 - ovulatory FET without trigger; progesterone support and aspirin. No implantation.
Hysteroscopy done after FET#4. Normal.
FET#5 - decided to do two months of Lupron Depot as it was the last embryo. Standard medicated protocol with estrace, prometrium, PIO every third day, aspirin. No implantation. **I feel it's relevant to mention that this was a day 7 3CB embryo, so lower chance of success.
DE cycle #2 - Semen analysis tests were worsening and we didn't want to risk it, so we created 3 euploid embryos using donor sperm and donor eggs. Egg donor was different than the first. Both donors are proven donors.
In the meantime my RE referred us for a second opinion at another clinic with an RE who specializes in RPL and immune issues. He did a full physical exam, reviewed my history, and said I'd had a full workup already and he couldn't detect any reason why the FETs hadn't worked. He said he felt our chance for success was good. He did one blood test, I can't remember what it was but it came back negative. He suggested to my RE that we repeat an SIS, add steroids and Lovenox just to try something new.
SIS was repeated. Found to be normal except one tube seemed blocked, my RE said she thought this was a technical issue rather than a true blockage. Tried to remove a cervical polyp too but could only get part of it off.
FET #6 - ovulatory FET with Letrozole (as it is supposed to suppress Endo), Ovidrel trigger, vaginal probiotics because why not, Medrol for 5 days starting two days before transfer, Lovenox starting two days before transfer until beta, prometrium 600mg a day, PIO every third day, aspirin. No implantation.
I'm at a loss here TBH. My regroup with my RE is next week. We have two euploid donor embryos left and after that we are done.
I'm still on Synthroid and my TSH hovers just under 2.
One thing I asked her about was my 25mg escitalopram. Max dose is 20, many people take 10. Google says this med can raise prolactin. My clinic has not tested my prolactin. I don't have any symptoms such as lactation. I'm maybe grasping a bit with this but it's one thing that changed between FET #2 which implanted and FET #3-6 which did not. The nurse messaged my RE about this yesterday, and she said she'll test my prolactin, but that the extra progesterone support should counteract any prolactin issues, so this likely did not affect the last FET. Regardless I'm going to ask my psychiatrist to lower my dose to 10mg, the side effects at 25mg are bothersome and this was only supposed to be a short term dose increase.
Things I'm going to ask my RE about: - an HSG? I've never had one. - repeating EMMA ALICE? - doing three months of Lupron Depot, or Orlissa? Maybe the FET we did after LD failed because of an embryo issue? - lap surgery? The wait for this will be at least a year. - more extensive thyroid testing? My TSH and T4 free is tested regularly. Not sure if there are other elements to test. - testing progesterone during a FET? This is not routinely done in Canada. - I don't want to do ovulatory FETs anymore. I was only able to get implantation with a medicated FET so I'd like to go back to those.
My RE is very collaborative and will listen to any suggestions I have so I'm hoping to develop a good list.
I hope this isn't too hard to follow. It turned into a novel 🫠

It's going to be a long one. Warning, full birth story.
I'm officially a loss mom x3.
When someone tells you they've had three losses, most assume 3 early miscarriages. 3 pregnancies where baby doesn't "stick". After all, that's the most common method of loss. I however am in another camp. I just had my third traumatic second trimester loss at 20+4.
My first was in Sept of 2021. Archer was born at 25+2 and lived an hour due to preterm labor. I had no idea I was even laboring until I showed up at L&D and I had no measurable cervix. My second was April of 2023. After our long wait due to a c section, we were thrilled to be expecting again, with Aubree's due date the same as her brother's birthday. My pregnancy with her was wrought with issues from the start. I had a lot of bleeding with her on and off, but she was thriving despite that. Our fifth emergency trip with her ended in a helicopter ride to try and have an emergency cerclage placed, but it was too late. I had to deliver, and she was born still at 19 weeks due to a placental abruption.
After Aubree's death, people started to notice that something wasn't quite right. The high risk Dr referred me for testing, and I found out last July that I had a rather large uterine septum (3.67cm). I had my first surgery for that 12 days later on July 24th. At my follow-up, things looked good, but I still had some residual septum, so we opted for another removal. That happened on Sept 21, the day before Archer's second birthday and Aubree's due date. On Halloween last year, I was deemed to have adequate resection of that septum, and it felt like we had won. We finally figured out what had caused my last two losses, and the next pregnancy was going to be different.
We ended up conceiving the first cycle we tried last Dec. I found out I was pregnant the same week my second niece was born ( first being the week I was supposed to have Aubree vis c/s). It really helped me to cope with the emotions surrounding the new baby.
Pregnancy #3 had a rocky start. Between weeks 6 and 11, I had almost weekly bleeds with rather large clots. Despite all that though, baby thrived. No one could really pinpoint the bleeding source as it never presented itself the same way. At 12 weeks I had a preventative cerclage placed where I found out my cervix was already soft and short. Turns out I have an incompetent cervix in addition to the septum. After that, things were good. I felt good, baby was growing, and we were on cruise control. We had her anatomy scan at 18+4 and everything looks great. They did note I have a dynamic cervix, but my lengths looked good otherwise.
Here's where number 3 went wrong.
May 4th, my husband and I were enjoying a quiet morning at home. We were having lunch when I felt that all too familiar feeling. I stood up, told my husband I thought I was bleeding, and rushed to the bathroom where I discovered instead that my water broke. We were only 20+2. I had no other signs of labor, but my immediate concern was my stitch.
We rushed off to the hospital an hour away in hopes of answers. They confirmed my fear, but they offered hope. I was not in active labor. My cervix was closed, and baby was doing well despite low fluid. This situation is very dangerous for mom due to infection risk, so they offered termination (even in TN- this is one of our few exceptions), but they said we could fight for her. So we did.
We had a game plan. They admitted me for IV antibiotics and monitoring. I was to stay for 48 hours, take more antibiotics at home, and then return home until 21+5 where I would then be admitted and given steroids for baby with hopes that would make it to at least 22 weeks. We obviously wanted way longer than that. We were looking at a long haul inpatient stay.
The first 24 hours were fine. I started passing clots and bleeding in triage, but they were undeterred. The bleeding lessened as the hours passed, and we were hopeful that things were working.
The evening of May 5th, the sky fell. Around 6:30p, I started feeling what I thought might be gas pains. By 7:30, they felt “rhythmic". Not feeling quite like contractions, but they were regular. I called the nurse and she suggested I drink some hot tea and take a walk, so we did. After my dose of antibiotics around 930, I went to the restroom and passed what I could quickly count was 10+ clots hitting the toilet. I knew right then and there that it was over. The next four hours were a whirlwind.
They came in to check the status of my cerclage and found that her umbilical cord had prolapsed through my cervix. I was in active labor and at risk for tearing through my cervix and causing more damage. They moved me to a delivery suite so they could remove the cerclage. I endured that without any pain relief while contracting. Do not recommend. I was immediately dilated to 3cm, and it was certain that things would move fast. I was already in quite a bit of pain, so I requested an epidural, but they had to run labs to make sure it was safe. In the meantime, they were able to give me a shot of morphine, but that did absolutely nothing to help. It made me feel terrible and did not take the edge off.
By the time anesthesia came around, my pain was 10 of 10. That experience was awful. As soon as they sat me up, I felt pressure in my bottom. They asked if I wanted to skip the epidural, but I was in no state to make a decision. The nurse encouraged me to continue so I would be more comfortable. I not only had to deal with the contracts and the morphine, but I was also dealing with blood pressure issues. I bottomed out with the numbing and felt incredibly nauseous. After placement, they gave me some time to hopefully get the epidural to help. It did nothing for my contraction pain.
I pushed for about 5 min, and baby Edie entered the world at 2am on May 6th. She never took a breath. She fought so hard to stay with us until the end. They did an ultrasound around 1145, and she was still alive. I was able to record her little heartbeat. She was perfect and beautiful in every way.
We spent yesterday trying to make a lifetime of memories with our girl in a few hours. It's time you never get back.
Now I am trying to cope with not only a third loss, but I am also struggling with the idea that I may never be a mom to living children. My body has failed three of them. I have a followup appt with MFM in two weeks, and we are hoping to get some insight into next steps. There's a good chance a TAC is in my future. My husband doesn't want to stop fighting, so I won't give up either.
I know that I did everything I could for them and this wasn't my fault. But no one should have to endure the death of their child, much less three. I have comfort in knowing that Edie is with Archer and Aubree wherever they are, but I so desperately wish they were all here with me instead.

I just need to rant somewhere and someone will probably think I’m being superficial and over dramatic.
I’ve always been somewhat lean, however after four rounds of IVF stimulations and several medicated cycles I’ve gained somewhere between 8-10 kilos. Why? I don’t know as I’m eating the exact same things as I did before and I’m a dietitian so I know what I’m doing? I know I’m healthy. Hormonal weight gain is awful!
On my last round I was put on steroids that made me gain 5 kilo in one month and made me lose somewhere between 30-50% of my hair.
Fertility doctor told me to watch what I eat and cut calories. How am I supposed to better my egg quality while eating low fat dairy and drastically cut my calories?
Non of my clothes fits anymore and I’m walking around in the same lululemon tights since December while everyone else is enjoying the spring. And yes I’ve been trying to find new clothes but I’m terrified to walk into clothing stores to get my self esteem broken by some arrogant sales associate who will judge me for what I’m wearing right now. I’m an expat in Paris and people here are just awful(sorry)
I don’t know if I’m being hormonal right now, but I’m so scared to walk into my clinic tomorrow and wear the exact same outfit I’ve been wearing ever since we changed clinic in February.
No baby, no frozen eggs and no pregnancy. Self esteem issues because of my weight on top of the infertility issue is so heart breaking. I feel like I’ve put my body thru hell for nothing

30, FTM, India. Had a difficult pregnancy, conceived with ovulation inducing medicine as I had severe pcod. In genetic counseling I found out about having polycystic kidneys as well, but completely benign.
Subchorionic hemorrhage at 6 weeks, managed by meds.
Severe gdm at 12 weeks ( 203 1 hour and 201 2 hour, fasting was fine) managed it throughout with just diet and exercise.
Started noticing elevated liver enzymes at 24 weeks and was diagnosed with IHCP at 30 weeks approx. Gynae tried to manage it with meds but Bile acids went as high as 133 at 33 weeks and I had to be admitted for steroid cover to help develop baby's lungs. I was discharged because bile acids went back to 43 afterwards.
At 34+3 weeks, I tested again for bile acids and they were at 100, so gynae decided to deliver her immediately through c section.
I was so freaked out with the surgery that mu sugar went to 55 and I almost fainted, they had to give glucose before starting the surgery.
Anyway baby girl is here but currently in NiCU, waiting for her to come to me.

Hi everyone! I’m preparing a list of questions to ask my OB on my next appointment if there is another percentile drop determining IUGR and the conversation for early induction will become more real and serious. I’m hoping this can also help others in a similar situation!
Briefly about me for context (can skip ahead)- 36 years old, first pregnancy (natural) after being told IVF would be our only option. She’s really our little luck and we’re so excited to meet her. Husband and I split our time in another country and Boston and arrived to Boston at the beginning of my third trimester. Up until then, we were told our baby is on the smaller side but completely normal because I’m only 5’2 and my husband is taller than me but not considered “tall” by US standards.
When we first arrived and did our ultrasound she measured in the 20th percentile at 31 weeks then down to 13th at 36 weeks. She’s measuring at 5 pounds 7 ounces at this time. NST looked great, heartbeat consistent with consistent movement as well. I will have another series of tests next week which will give us three data points to then have a better idea of how things are looking. Ideally, I want to avoid induction and the cascade of interventions we so often hear about. I understand the necessity of it if she isn’t doing well but before I agree to anything I want to be well informed.
For anyone who has gone through the same experience or is knowledgeable about the process, what are some questions you would ask or things you would push for in addition to what I have listed below? New territory for me…
Thank you in advance <3
Questions I have so far for OB
What are the chances of natural delivery without induction if she is already “ready”?
Is there any test to see if she can handle contractions before her due date?
What other issues can early induction cause (breathing, temperature regulation, etc)?
Steroid after induction for lung growth - how is it determined that her lungs will be ok and ready to function well outside the womb with early induction?
What interventions and help can I advocate for if there are problems post induction?
How pitocin affects baby if she is “too small”? - I keep seeing that they don’t tolerate it well leading to cascade of interventions very quickly
How quickly can placental deterioration harm the baby? - if it’s determined or assumed there is an issue with the placenta causing the iugr, essentially, how long does it have and is it even possible to determine? - i feel like im beginning to obsess about her heat rate (checking with stethoscope and doing more kick counts throughout the day) I ask this because I would like to advocate for myself and push for any interventions to be as late as possible but I also don’t want to put baby at risk. Is there any literature or indicators to understand how long the placenta at this point could still supply her with what she needs until it’s a danger?
Second opinion or better ultrasound test? - my ultrasounds were sent to the high-risk doctor and I don’t know if I can ask to a) see her b) have her refer to another kind of testing if anything else exists - I feel uncomfortable with someone I haven’t met making recommendations and decisions for us, and whatever questions I would have would go through my OB first.
Scheduling c section v induction (risks/benefits)
I’m seeing there are some consequences with successful breastfeeding with early induction, what are they and is there anything I can do to prepare in advance (storing colostrum or donated breast milk)?
How does milk coming in get affected by early induction (any difference with c section)?

I know this is gonna be long but pls pls read so I’m f 26 I’ve struggled with drug addiction in the past im 10 months clean I was using when I met my now ex boyfriend& sons dad male 27 (also former drug user ) we met in a NA meeting 🙄the whole time I’ve known him he’s been clean until he got off probation about 3 months ago . he gave me the stability I needed to get clean I was living out of my car prior I had a really big problem with running from my problems I had decided to stay single for about two years before him because he had his own place it toke me about 4 months of being with him for me to get off fety our relationship was so toxic in the beginning of our relationship I was on the “run” from the cops I had warrants out of two counties long story short I ended up getting picked up and going to jail on the jail calls he’d tell me he’s not leaving me there’s no one else for him well I found out I was pregnant by him about two week of me being in jail I asked for a test we had a feeling I was prior to going so they released me out of jail with a warrant from another county I come home I found out he had been sleeping with another girl he came to pick me up from the hospital with hickeys on his neck I ended up finding out he fcoed this girl and gave her my clothes to put on after he saw how hurt i was he blocked her before he came to get me she got salty and started messaging me saying “hey girl I have your shorts if you want them back 😉” me and he ended up getting in to it I ended up apologizing but she tried making me feel sorry for her which I did to an extent but she didn’t take into consideration how it felt to be me she only knew him for three days I was in jail pregnant by him and he was lying to me the whole time so me and him would fight all the time I would go to my mom’s for one night he would call me the next day, begging me to come home, telling me he didn’t talk to anybody or with anyone and I would believe him and come home and I would find out he had another girl sleeping in my bed this was an endless cycle of this happening plus every time we “broke up, “he would try to get a hold of the girl he cheated on me with I wouldn’t even consider a breakup. I would call it me leaving so we could cool down. We literally would get back together in the next day. He did this to me almost my whole pregnancy he put his hands on me fast-forward to September of last year. He had her blocked on everything but Snapchat because she had him blocked. She unblocked him and added him. And I picked up his phone and saw it and said something to him about it and I blocked her that was a Thursday Friday He comes home and starts an argument with me mind you I still had that warrant from the other county as soon as we start arguing, he walks outside and I thought it was weird so I walked outside. I was like what are you doing calling the cops he lied and said he was on the phone with his mom inside waited like five minutes and then walked back out as soon as I started walking towards him a cop car pull up I took off running in the woods behind the house he told them what I was wearing which I ran they ended up catching me. I went to jail. He told me he was going to throw all of my stuff out and he hopes that somebody would come steal it. I was on drugs at the time, but I had started taking methadone to get off of them. by the time he threw me in jail, I was barely using I went from doing a gram and a half a day. to doing barely a pinch at night I just had to wean myself down when he put me in jail, I didn’t get my methadone and I was pregnant doing drugs while pregnant is not right by any means and I don’t need backlash because it’s something I have to live with every day the fight wasn’t even that bad He said he threw me in jail to get me clean but he knew I was only gonna be in there over the weekend because it was on a Friday and the court wasn’t open till Monday so I sat there and detox while pregnant I started bleeding When you become pregnant if you’re using it it’s very dangerous to just immediately stop because if you go into withdrawals, it can make you go into pre-term labor. He didn’t put me in jail to get me clean he did it so he could try to screw the girl that he cheated on me with and tries to get with every time I leave to cool off I don’t even think the cop car pulled off and he was already messaging her he put me in jail so he could have the whole weekend to go do whatever he wanted knowing there was nothing I could do about it anyway we had a few more incidents of him talking to his exes all I ever wanted was a family not a broken one and I really really want to make it work with him. I didn’t want to be another person that gave up on him, but he kept hurting me. I ended up getting clean five months into our relationship relationship. I was three months pregnant fast-forward to me, baby. Things were good for about two months before I had the baby . in the hospital He did amazing. I ended up having to have an emergency C-section which I never had before and I have other kids so I end up getting prescribed 25 perk 10. Since I was on methadone. I can’t even abuse the pills if I wanted to because I wouldn’t feel them. Literally all they did for me would take the pain away. I left the hospital after 24 hours because they discharged me because my son went to Children’s Hospital. Because he was two weeks early. And just needed on a CPAP machine to help his lungs expand. His lungs just weren’t fully developed from him being a little early. But other than that, my baby was perfectly healthy. No he had no withdrawals at all of the methadone. So we go up to see our son and all the walking and having to sit in a chair and then getting up really made me sore and my legs were so swollen around 8 PM walking around all day and putting a number on my body I said I can’t take it and I need to take one of my pills I go to get my purse and get them and there’s two left mind you he did good the whole 14 months he was on probation had no slip ups but he had eaten 23 Percocets within a 10 hour time span I was so upset with him I thought it was so selfish because one more up here seeing our son for the first time what if I really would’ve needed those I was in pain he just took them to get high. We bring our baby home. everything’s going good for about two months he starts drinking while playing his PlayStation he turns into an every day thing for four weeks straight I had enough we got into an argument and he left for the night. I Got him to stop drinking another month goes by and he starts taking steroids and injecting them into his butt cheek that his friend got off the dark web so he doesn’t even know what he’s putting in his body it took about two weeks until I noticed he was getting really angry over nothing or the littlest things he would get mad when the baby would cry at night so I started sleeping on the floor next to the baby so I could get to the baby fast enough so it wouldn’t wake him up tell me when he wakes up in the morning he feels like he sees me sleeping on the floor he tells me to stop doing that and just start getting back in the bed so the next night I try to do that and withthin a six hour span at night I’ve gotten up to help the baby maybe three times I get back in the bed and he yells at me and says “damn dude your tripping you’ve gotten up like 14 times” which I hadn’t even before he was taking steroids he was really weird about his sleep. He absolutely absolutely did not like to be woken up. Or he would be really mean. When I was pregnant and had to get up to he would yell at me. So I would either try to be super quiet. And take a long time to get out of bed to not wake him up. Or I would just have to wait until his alarm went off. One time I accidentally woke him up 10 minutes before his alarm went off and he set his alarm for two more hours. And was late to work two hours. We got into a small argument about a week ago and he went to his mom’s house and came back I thought we were doing good and he was changing because I wasn’t hearing anything or seeing anything that had to do with that girl he kept trying to cheat on me he had her blocked but when I got on his phone the other day she was unblocked and I said to him I really thought you were changing, but you’re not I said I feel like the only way for me to get my point across to you is for me to do something like that to you and you have to beg me to stop like I do to you he said he doesn’t care about this girl like that. He just knows that it pisses me off and he wants to piss me off when he’s mad at me anyway, saying that sent him off the edge I might want to add that he goes through my phone and picks my phone up more than I do to go through it anytime anybody text me anytime my phone dings he grabs it I’ve never stepped outside our relationship no matter what he’s done to me. I can’t post pictures on Facebook because that means I’m looking for validation. I am a really pretty beautiful girl and I’m not saying that because I’m self-centered or cocky. Because I’m actually really insecure. But I do get a lot of attention. He doesn’t like that. I’m just trying to give you guy some context so you understand a little better Anyway, me saying that turns into a huge fight, I didn’t want him to leave so I hit his keys and he grabbed my phone. He broke my last one and I didn’t want this one I just gave him his keys. He started packing all his stuff to leave. Remind you, he has the vehicle the lease and electric was in his name I told him to give me back the baby‘s social he rips it up and throws it at me my son is three months old and can’t really do anything so when I’m not holding him, he likes to watch TV we can only stream TV/movies with Amazon prime and we have a Wi-Fi box that we literally got just for the baby he uses it too to play PlayStation he toke that While we were arguing, he grabbed me and started choking me, and shoving his palms into my mouth which busted my mouth open I had welts on my face from where he smacked me as well then just to make everything worse he turned the electric off knowing that I had to pay almost $1000 to put electric in my name knowing his son stays here with me if it wasn’t for the wonderful woman downstairs who ran extension cords once it got turned off, we would’ve been sitting in the heat and dark since I have nowhere to go. He did this all the day before the first. I am in a recovery program, which helps with bills. So they pay my half. Our rent is $800 so they paid my four. I used to be a dancer in Columbus. But it made me really depressed. I haven’t been working since I was pregnant and since I just had the baby not even three months today I was talking to sister which the girl who he keeps cheating on me with his friends with her, which is how he met her talk to her today and told her that her and my sons dad have been talking and that he was on his way over his sister told her don’t do it he did some really messed up stuff to(me) And asked her why she keeps doing this to herself because he’s always gonna choose me and he’s always gonna come back to me and that he’s just trying to get at me. He texted her telling her he didn’t expect her to ignore him when he was on his way to her house And now he feels bad because he knows it’s his fault that she’s treating him like this from what he’s done to her ( he’d message her when we’d separate and get her in her feelings then block her after a day or two cause we’d get back together ) he told me before he left he doesn’t want a “btch he just needs some p*say here and there “ when we would separate (for a night ) I would start freaking out, blowing him up, texting him and calling him from text free numbers because he would block me on everything I even would pay people to drive me around so I could try to find him because I’d be so afraid to give him the time to go mess around just to end up calling me the next day and getting back with me it just caused so much drama in our relationship I saw the landlord today got him taken off the lease and me put on I’m going to work at the club this weekend to pay the other half of the rent and I can get the electric turned on as well.. I’ve been doing this with him for over a year now he always comes back and it doesn’t take long. But I just can’t forgive him for bringing my son into this. It’s one thing to hurt me, but I can’t forgive somebody for being weird to my kid. I’m just so hurt that he could do this to me and our son but he’s pushed me for so long I know I’m not in love with him anymore I have love for him and I think just the security of him how he has a stable job and car He also left knowing that I had to be at court this week. And our son had two doctors appointments. I just feel so lost and don’t know what to do he was my favorite person but I can’t live like this I can’t put my son through this it’s not fair we deserve better 😔

Scary experience this week - FTM and baby boy is due June 7 but I was admitted to the hospital on April 29 due to preterm labor (at 34 weeks 3 days)! I woke up with waves of cramps that I now know are contractions and was advised to go to the hospital for assessment. The doctor told me I'm 2cm dilated / 70% effaced and sent me to L&D. They gave me a steroid shot to help baby breathe if he comes early and put me on an IV saline drip - after a few hours the contractions stopped but they monitored me in the hospital for about 48 hours before discharging me. Now I'm just hanging out at home wondering if things are going to start up again or if I'm "safe" for a while.
I've had no risk factors this entire pregnancy so this was really out of the blue!

I'm seeing an Infectious Diseases specialist this week (my derm has given up on me and refuses to test for anything). I'd like to be tested for staph and candida. We all know that bacteria plays a large role in eczema, so I want these medical professionals to gather proper data before telling me there's nothing else they can do. I've failed steroids and two biologics (Dupixent and Rinvoq), but a 2-week course of the Bactrim antibiotic completely cleared up all inflammation, redness, infection, and ITCH! It has since come back, hence my hypothesis that my eczema is primarily bacteria-influenced. What other tests should I specifically ask for?
Updated in comments but adding here too: TL;DR version: Doc refused to test me. Prescribed nasal mupurocin (antibiotic) to kill staph (2x a day for 10 days), and suggested washing with Chlorhexidine gluconate 2% or 4% (rinse entire body well before and after use, do not get near face -risk of blindness, defness etc) once a day for 5 to 14 days. Will post update.
Full version: Brought two research papers and pictures of various parts of my body at their worst along with allergic (presumed) reactions to Rinvoq. Went through my whole history of typical eczema treatments not working. He was stunned that A) my dermatologist never took a skin biopsy to check if I really even have eczema to begin with since the treatments haven't worked at all and B) that my dermatologist's next step for me was to just continue taking Rinvoq despite claiming me as having failed the drug. I agreed. Went through my list of what I wanted to be tested for: staph, candida, h.pylori, c. diff, parasites, and as many other fungal and bacterial tests as possible; if there's a way to find out what my skin microbiome looks like, I would like to test that as well. He said "I dont think any of those are necessary. You would definitely know if you had c.diff - you would have liquid poop every day and you wouldn't be able to heal from it. Trust me, you would know." I returned to this after he went through a diff talking point and said, "I understand that these tests might not seem necessary, especially the c.diff, but what's the hesitation? Surely it can't hurt to test for them anyway". He answered with, "Yeah but you really don't need them. I actually do want to test you for MRSA, but we don't test for that here." That whole interaction got me really mad. He checked on the MRSA test on the computer and an option to test through Labcorp came up, he acknowledged it, but then moved on. I guess maybe he simply didnt have a nasal swab. But I definitely saw cups for stool samples. Anyway, I was complaining to my nutritionist about it today because she specifically wanted me to get tested for candida and staph. She said from a medical standpoint, he most likely didn't want to test me because my insurance would put up a fight with him and claim all those tests as unecessary. Still frustrating, because a simple rebuttle would be to simply scan and send to them the pictures I brought to the office. They are literal nighmare fuel and any sane human would approve any and all tests after seeing them. He asked if he could keep the research papers, though! A doc that's actually interested in facts?! Awesome! So since I was denied any testing, I searched online and found TinyHealth. They're mostly focused on kids with eczema (eczema gut reblanace for babies 0-2, child's gut program for ages 3-18, and fertility, pregnancy and postpartum programs for expecting parents to make sure their microbiome is fine throughout the whole process). BUT they have a baseline gut health test kit for adults that tests for the following: candida, parasites, bacteria associated with inflamation, red flags for leaky gut such as high levels of mucus-degrading species or opportunistic pathogens. I just oredered the kit ($219, on sale. Typically $249). Will give it a go and depending on how that goes, I might make a separate post on it.

I had my first surgery (double incision, no nipples) on January 5th and immediately developed a hematoma on my left side. Exactly three weeks later on January 26th, I had another surgery, this time for an emergency infection on my right side (a complication that has a <1% rate). During those weeks, I was checking this subreddit a lot to see if there was anything similar and for any ideas on what to do. I figure that my experience might be helpful for people.
Here are some things I wish I had known to do.

1. First of all, make sure that you have the right support in place for if you run into a <1% complication.

Everyone I met on the surgical team was very optimistic about my surgery and said repeatedly that the chances of any complications were very low because I was young and healthy. I believed them and did not prepare myself for the mental reality of having to basically throw away 2 months of my life due to a rare complication. I have never wanted breasts from the moment I started developing them, but had I known that I would have such a rough recovery I would have opted against the surgery and dealt with the low level dysphoria (about a 3/10 on the average day, spiking to 7/10 occasionally) for the rest of my life. This is not to say that I am unhappy with the outcome; indeed, the surgery completely took care of my chest dysphoria. I just personally wish that someone had walked me through what the rare complications could be like, how long it would likely impair my functioning, and asked me to weigh that against my dysphoria. Instead, everyone I talked to, including my friends (2 of which were medical students), basically told me that the less than 1% chance wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately for me, it did happen. So just remember that rare complications happen to someone and try to set yourself up to catch any problems immediately as they arise.
If you have any mental hang ups about asking for help like I do, it’s really important that you ignore that feeling and “bother” people. I put things off because I felt guilty about taking time out of my sister’s day to go to appointments and I was worried that I was asking stupid questions to the surgical team. Due to my history of overreacting about small health issues, I felt embarrassed and decided to bank on being part of the 99% that do not need emergency surgeries. Don’t do that. Buy a thermometer and a pulse oximeter so you also have concrete points of reference for when you feel off. For a pulse oximeter, I got the ChoiceMMed since it has good reviews on Amazon.
Try to handle any health problems you’re aware of before your surgery. I suspected I had sleep apnea, but didn’t manage to get my results from my sleep test before my surgery. If I had done it months ago and gotten a mouthguard it would’ve made sleeping post-op easier.
Prioritize your surgical appointments above any other routine appointments. I didn’t do this and missed a chance I had to potentially treat the infection earlier.

1. Be prepared to send a lot of messages to your surgical team and to call the help line.

Related to the paragraph above. My surgical team had a portal online where you could send messages. Get help taking photos and send them in with the message before you call the help line so that they can see them. In the early days of recovery it also helps to take photos every day in the same position so that you can easily compare and reference how much swelling there is. Take off your binder when you take photos. It’s not very useful if they can’t see the actual incision site, and I made this error in the beginning.

1. If you’re prescribed Oxycodone, ask to also be prescribed Zofran and take that before. Don’t take Oxycodone on an empty stomach.

After my surgery on January 5th I felt fine and without nausea. I went home and took Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Then 9 hours after my surgery I took Oxycodone and spent hell in nausea. I didn’t realize what was happening to me and thought maybe it was delayed effects of the anesthesia, so I kept taking Oxycodone and abiding by the suggested dosage schedule. It was nearly impossible to get up and I couldn’t walk more than a few steps from all the nausea. My sister called the help line and got me prescribed Zofran, but what really helped was stopping the damn Oxycodone. Unfortunately, being nauseous during this time also made my hematoma harder to handle because I missed the window for aspiration (more on this later). Nausea on Oxycodone happens to quite a few people — one of the nurses working with me in the ER right before my hospitalization and second surgery also told me that when she had tried Oxycodone she basically blacked out.
I was already extremely wary of Oxycodone after my second surgery on January 26th, but the pain wouldn’t go away and the nurses told me they could only give me Oxy since they already gave me Tylenol. I told them that it made me super nauseous, so they gave me a Zofran and reassured me that there was also anti-nausea medication in my IV. Well, none of that was enough. I started feeling nauseous again, though thanks to being in a hospital they could give me other anti-nausea stuff. I puked twice. The nurse taking care of me in the hospital told me that you should absolutely never take Oxycodone on an empty stomach — that’s the biggest cause of nausea with this medication. I still don’t want to try this medication ever again, but if I do I will heed her advice. Don’t take Oxycodone on an empty stomach. If nurses try to give you Oxycodone and you haven’t eaten anything ask them for a snack first at least.

1. Strip your drains at least 3 times a day.

The handout they gave me only said once a day, but after the emergency surgery they told me I should have been doing it at least 3 times a day (you can even do 5 times a day). It’s very important to get rid of any clots in there; not stripping it enough may have contributed to me getting a hematoma on my left side. It was also very hard for me to strip my drains myself, so my sister had to help me. I also suggest watching a YouTube video on how to strip them if the nurse doesn’t demonstrate for you after your surgery (mine didn’t). Make sure that you’re stripping it with the binder off and reaching as close to the entry point you can get. It’s hard to do because it takes more force than you’d expect. You might want to apply pressure on the drain at the top against your skin while your support person figures out how to strip them without yanking it out of you or slipping and hitting you in the side.

1. If you know you’re allergic to adhesives, ask for something different rather than surgical tape.

There’s about 1% of people who get a rash from surgical tape. If you have eczema like I do, it’s far more likely. I’ve had bad reactions to band-aids I left on for longer than a few days, so I felt like this was a complication that might happen to me. Regardless, I had never had surgery before. After 10 days, I had a lot of red bumps that first appeared on my stomach and then continued to spread. Anti-itch cream, steroid cream, and Benadryl did nothing. I was told to take the strips off. I took one off the left side by myself, but the process made me feel so nauseous I couldn’t do the other side. The nurses are much better at taking them off and have special solutions so I would actually recommend waiting for your post-op. Regardless, by the time of my appointment the bumps on the left side looked better than the right. I was marked as having an allergy to 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate (Dermabond), which is apparently what they use on the strips to make them stick.
After my second surgery I had the misfortune of developing more red bumps, this time starting on my chest and spreading up and down. The cause for this one was harder to tell since we had avoided the adhesive strips this time (opting for Xeroform, but they told me to stop using that too just in case). Possible culprits: the antiseptic they wash you with before they start the surgery that causes the orange residue; the leftover tape on my sides holding the drains down; antibiotics I was put on for my infection (first Bactrim, then Augmentin, then back to Bactrim after they confirmed my bacteria cultures). They cleared me to wash early to try to get the antiseptic off, but I didn’t take multiple showers since showering with two drains (they put my right one back in after the second surgery) was taxing after a hospitalization. They gave me Hydroxyzine that I was taking 4 times a day (and feeling very tired due to it) but it wasn’t doing anything on its own, so eventually I got taken off of antibiotics early. They told me that they had already gotten the infection out during the surgery and the antibiotics were just for safety.
Things I have learned from this: In terms of OTC, Benadryl is apparently stronger than Loratadine. Also, creams apparently don’t work on rashes when they’re in the early stage of popping up, so you’ll need a strong antihistamine.

1. Get another binder or multiple ace bandages (the wider the better). Binders that go over the shoulders offer more support.

The binder they put on me after surgery both times was from EaB Medical. This binder only goes around the chest and not over the shoulders, though they do have straps that you can attach to them. I really recommend using the straps if you have this binder since it keeps it from slipping down. Having good compression is really important in the early days. You can also use ace bandages but it can be hard to tell how tightly to bind them, and they tend to stretch out after washing. Either way, you should plan on having more than 1 binder / bandages so you can swap them and wash them. Due to my situation I ended up binding for 9 weeks.
I tried to get a binder from Underworks, but the small was too small for me and the medium was slightly too large. If you want to buy from them you may want to ask them how exactly their sizing works. After my second surgery I was a 33” circumference but couldn’t make the sizing work. If you can spend the money, it’s probably a good idea to get the $100+ ones from Marena. Maybe if I had had a binder that went over the shoulders it would’ve helped get more of the fluid out from my first hematoma.

1. If you notice swelling with a lot of fluid, get seen within the next day or just go to the ER.

Hematomas are more common than you would think (way more common than infection). Anywhere from something like 5~30% since there are no real comprehensive estimations. If you can push against your skin and feel fluid jiggling in there it needs to be removed. If it’s accompanied by a lot of bruising it’s a hematoma. In my case, I developed disproportionate swelling on the left side after my first surgery that just kept increasing for 3 days. It was even bruising above the binder they gave me. I wasn’t using the straps for the binder at the time, so the only feedback I got from the nurse hotline when I called was that the binder was slipping and I should pull it up.
The reason why the nurse hotline didn’t really help me was because I didn’t take photos with the binder off (partly due to the terrible nausea I was dealing with from Oxycodone). The other reason is that my first surgery was on a Friday and the surgical team was off during the weekend. If I had taken off my binder for the photos and the nurse had actually gotten ahold of the plastics team, they probably would have told me to go get it drained.
My first post-op was 4 days later, so I thought I could just wait until then. That was wrong. Despite putting out 50cc and then 55cc in the drain on the left side during the first two days, by the third day it had dropped to 5cc. Either due to not stripping the drains enough, having compression that wasn’t comprehensive enough, or just being super duper unlucky, the hematoma decided to coagulate. At my post-op, I was told that because it had solidified it couldn’t be aspirated, and thus I would have to have the drain in for “as long as possible” and that I would be dealing with this zombie-looking dried blood-filled boob (like the size of a tennis ball) for at least 3 months and it would likely take 6 months to resolve itself. There was literally nothing that could be done. Or so I was told, but during my second surgery they took the opportunity to also figure out how to aspirate it, so it disappeared and healed faster than the right side.
In short, if you are swelling with a lot of fluid you need to be seen as soon as possible before it coagulates or becomes infected. You can tell because it will be way too big and will move like liquid is in there (before it coagulates). You may have to aspirate multiple times, but I didn’t have to deal with that in my situation. But I’m also the only person I know who had the whole thing coagulate.

1. Fevers can be cyclical. Chills are when you can’t stop shaking.

I did not know this. I also did not have a thermometer because my family is lax about health. All I knew is that I started to feel so cold I couldn’t stop shaking and do anything but lie in bed for 2-3 hours warming myself up, and then I would feel so hot that I had to get out of bed. This was fever and a fluctuating temperature. This was also my first signs of infection on my right side and I didn’t know it. No one in my family knew fevers don’t have to be constant. If this happens to you, call your hotline right away. The shaking is different from normal shivering; it feels more violent and you can’t will yourself to stop the way you can stop smaller shivers.

1. If there’s a lot of redness and the area continues to increase in size it’s probably an infection.

I thought I only had my left hematoma to worry about. Well, I started experiencing the chills and fever but I didn’t know what it was. My right side was looking pretty good in comparison to my left. After the drain on that side was removed though, it started to swell. And it swelled much, much slower than my left side. It also had a spreading redness (no bruising). After a few days, pus was coming out the drain hole on the right side and it wasn’t closing. I didn’t realize for sure if it was pus or not because it didn’t smell, and even the surgical team wasn’t sure. I sent photos of the area and they told me it might just be the normal amounts of swelling that happen after the drain is removed and that the pus might not actually be pus if I didn’t have other symptoms (I did. I had a fever, but didn’t realize it). I was also unlucky enough that my next post-op appointment had been 2 weeks after the last instead of the usual 1 week, due to the doctor being out. They had offered me the chance to see another doctor that week to make up for it, but I said no (this was before it started swelling). After I sent pictures in, they offered for me to come in something like the same day to aspirate the liquid, but it was literally at the same time slot I had scheduled a phone call with my PCP to renew some of my prescriptions and I didn’t want to keep bothering my sister with a surprise visit so I said no. This was the wrong move. See point 7. Always get the fluid removed. And don’t skip weeks in post-op appointments in the early stages.
I went to urgent care instead and they confirmed it was an infection and then gave me antibiotics (Bactrim). It seemed to help initially, but after a few days on that my right incision suddenly started spewing pus. The pus still didn’t smell, but the volume was continuous. I got told to go to the ER and had to have an emergency surgery.

1. Go slow on tapering pain medication, especially if you still have drains in.

I ended up being on pain medication for 6.5 weeks. I had seen some people say that they stopped needing painkillers as early as 2 weeks post-op, so I tried to taper with that in mind. I started out with 2400 mg Ibuprofen + 2000 mg Tylenol a day at staggered intervals after giving up on Oxycodone, and by post-op day 8 I managed to cut out Tylenol entirely. I tried to go further by decreasing Ibuprofen by about 600 mg a day, but on post-op day 9 I was hit with a searing 8/10 pain in the left side of my chest that felt like I was being stabbed.
I had been looking at intervals of 6 hours since that’s about the window of effectiveness for Ibuprofen, so when I survived taking only 300 mg in one 6 hour interval I thought that meant that I could do that for all 6 hour blocks after that. Well I guess pain medication also has a cumulative effect since that didn’t work. And then the pain started getting worse on my right side with the growing infection, so I ended up going back up to 2400 mg Ibuprofen + 2000 mg Tylenol until I was hospitalized.
At the hospital, they stopped giving me Ibuprofen since they were worried that it can thin the blood and therefore contribute to swelling. I was on 4000 mg Tylenol at the hospital and after, and they also gave me 300 mg of Gabapentin though I stopped it after 3 days in case it was contributing to my rash. (They also gave me Oxycodone again, but I ignored it and didn’t take it.) After I stopped taking Gabapentin, I decided to decrease 250 mg of Tylenol a day, and only if I felt that I wasn’t in too much discomfort (discomfort can easily turn into pain without medication).
There had been a spot in my left chest (where I had felt the stabbing pain) that hurt more than the rest of my chest ever since my first surgery on the 5th. I had thought that this was due to the hematoma on the left side, but it persisted even after the area had been aspirated, and I felt a hard lump in the location. I thought it might be a seroma, so I made an appointment with my post-op doctor. It turned out to be the drain; something about its positioning had really made things painful (and even more so when I had the hematoma). After it was removed the pain in that area decreased drastically and I was able to slowly transition off of Tylenol 250 mg a day.
My doctors kept underestimating the amount of time I would be dealing with pain (usually by a week+). Trust your sense of pain and go slow.

1. Make sure you’re hydrated and have had something to eat before getting your drains pulled.

I had to get my drains pulled 3 times, twice on the right since they put the drain back in after the second surgery, and once on the left. The first two times went without incident; didn’t even feel a thing. The third time, though, was really early in the morning, and as a late waker I didn’t have water or anything to eat. My blood pressure that day was low due to this, even though it had been normal in all my other appointments. After they pulled the right drain for the second time, I started feeling extremely nauseous. They gave me a damp, cool towel to put around my neck and laid me down at an angle that had my head below my shoulders until I felt better. So just be aware that this can happen if your blood pressure is low.
That about covers the things I wish I had done differently. Below are some other random useful tips that aren’t related to hematomas and infection. Hope any of this proves useful to someone else.
Miscellaneous tips:

1. My surgical team had a habit of just waiting for questions from me instead of offering me information. If you need questions to ask your surgeon for pre-op, here is a link to a google doc that had my questions. If your surgeon gives you a packet of information beforehand, some of this might already be answered.
2. My surgeon said to take “small sips of water” up to 4 hours before my surgery, but the anesthesiologist told me to drink more because it helps to be hydrated to get the IV in. So I woke up 4 hours before to chug water for this reason as I have small veins.
3. If you have worries about possibly having sleep apnea, it’s probably better to get intubated for the surgery so your throat can’t constrict around the tube. I have light sleep apnea when I lay on my back. Get tested before your surgery if you’re worried about it. If it’s significant you should figure out whether you need a machine (and which one you can tolerate, since CPAP tends to be too uncomfortable for most people) since you’ll be sleeping on your back for a while and the back is the worst position for sleep apnea.
4. They will ask you to take a pregnancy test before surgery to make sure you aren’t pregnant. If you are sure you aren’t pregnant, you should be able to say no and sign a form saying that you neglect to pee in a cup (or have blood taken for this). They didn’t tell me this the first time I had surgery, but the nurse I had with me the second time was really nice and let me know I didn’t actually have to do this. I personally am asexual and have never had sex, so obviously this test was a waste of time for me anyway.
5. If you have foot pain due to something like plantar fasciitis, get a small pillow to put under your legs (I often readjust where exactly I put it while sleeping) since you have to sleep on your back for a while. I often had to move the pillow up and down to take pressure off my heels. After about 7 weeks of this I had to just start sleeping with my heels hanging off the edge of the bed in addition to the small pillow.
6. Advocate for yourself in hospitals. The hospital I was at didn’t coordinate their blood draws and so I was stabbed something like 5 times in a single day, mostly for single tests. After I complained to the nurse and my surgeon, the blood draws were stopped entirely since the last results looked okay. I was told by the nurse that it tends to be haphazard for the first day, after which they usually figure things out enough to group blood test requests all at the start of the day for every day after. But I was already required to be poked in both arms to even get admitted, and I had done a blood test for my surgeon earlier that day to confirm I actually had an infection, so adding 3 more to that (for a total of 6, 5 in the hospital) was really just too much. You can refuse and you can probably demand that they group the tests earlier on.

I (21F) am at wits end with my fiance (21M). Everything i do seems to make him mad. we get married in June and am due to have a baby in December. my hormones and emotions are everywhere so while on the way back from shopping today, I mentioned about wedding rehearsal. The priest requires us to have a rehearsal before the wedding to sort music, people, readings, etc. My husband has been on about doing this with everyone and with just me and him so we can do our vows privately. Today that seemed to really annoy him and he called me controlling. just to bear in mind, we are in a fem-dom/masc-sub relationship so I have control over finances, days out, events, etc and he accepts this as it was his idea. Earlier on today he was going on about a friend of his who he use to have sexual relations with. This same friend got my fiance addicted to steroids and even drugged him at one point. no wonder i dont like the friend. It just seems now i cant even have emtions when pregnancy is being a b**** and making my emotional over everything. I feel like I cant even talk to him about it. Not long ago, he was adament on me getting an abortion (against my beliefs) because he didnt want kids even though we both agreed to start trying months ago. He also getting annoyed over my anxiety as i am currently taking his mother to court as she attacked me. she is a foot taller and about double my weight. as someone who stuggles with anxiety and it has just gone through the roof since being pregnant, I have been anxious even to walk through town and to my fiance im over-reacting. I really don't know what to do anymore. I am so stressed between wedding planning, baby planning and trying to save a marriage that hasnt even started yet, I am reaching a breaking point. Like i am one untasty chip away from throwing everything i own in the bin. I am also trying to get a level 3 diploma while all this is going on. I am so stressed and I know stress isnt good for me or baby. I just don't know what to do anymore. He thinks i have BPD but idk what that is. I know its like boarderline personality disorder but i dont know alot about it. Im stressed and just wanna curl up in bed most days and cry.

DAY: APRIL 23 2024
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• 4-23-2024DENGUE FEVER INFECTIONS FOUND TO HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON INFANT HEALTH FOR THREE YEARS Dengue infections in pregnant women may have a negative impact on the first years of children’s lives, new research has found. Dengue fever is the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease globally and poses a threat to half of the world’s population. There has been a dramatic rise in cases over recent years, with cases in the […] Read More
  
• 4-23-2024NEUROSCIENTISTS REPORT A DISTINCT ROLE OF TOUCH RECEPTORS IN TREATING CHRONIC PAIN People often experience the phenomenon of injuring a hand and feeling relief from vigorously shaking it. The mechanism behind this effect is fairly well explained by the “gate control theory” of Melzack […] Read More
  
• 4-23-2024RECENT FINDINGS SHOW CANCER TAKES TOUGH TOLL ON FAMILY FINANCES About six out of 10 working-age adults hit with a cancer diagnosis say it put real pressure on their financial survival, a new report finds. “Today’s findings reiterate the critical role access to affordable, quality care and paid family medical leave plays in reducing the financial toll of cancer on those diagnosed—particularly while they are […]
  
• 4-23-2024SMOKING CESSATION BEFORE LARYNGEAL CANCER TREATMENT IMPROVES SURVIVAL, RETENTION OF VOICE BOX, STUDY SHOWS In a study of patients who smoked when they were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer, those who quit smoking before starting chemotherapy or radiation responded better to treatment, were less likely to need their voice boxes surgically removed, and lived significantly longer than those who continued to smoke. Read More
  
• 4-23-2024MODIFIED SPORTS CAN KEEP OLDER ADULTS PLAYING Modified sports with shorter game times and more focus on fun than winning could prove key to encouraging older Australians to play sport and keep fit. New Flinders University research has found adults play sport for the enjoyment, to improve their fitness and to socialize, but injuries, illness and family commitments can hamper participation.
  
• 4-23-2024HEALTH SHOCKS DRIVEN BY AIR POLLUTION IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL FOUND TO DISRUPT HEALTH CARE AS A RESULT OF LIMITED CAPACITY
  
• 4-23-2024STUDY FINDS SUICIDAL BEHAVIORS INCREASED BY OVER 50% IN CATALONIA, SPAIN AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
  
• 4-23-2024RESEARCH SHOWS NEURAL CONNECTION BETWEEN LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE AND LEARNING TO CODE
  
• 4-23-2024DIGITAL NEUROSCIENCE CURRENT STATUS AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
  
• 4-23-2024SCIENTISTS EXPLORE THE COUPLING BETWEEN HEALTH SPAN AND LIFESPAN IN CAENORHABDITIS
  
• 4-23-2024PERINATAL TRANSMISSION OF HIV CAN LEAD TO COGNITIVE DEFICITS
  
• 4-23-2024MAGNETIC MICROCOILS UNLOCK TARGETED SINGLE-NEURON THERAPIES FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS
  
• 4-23-2024UNRAVELING THE NEURAL CIRCUIT BEHIND REDUCED FOOD INTAKE IN HIGH TEMPERATURES
  
• 4-23-2024NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS BEHIND THE ACTION OF SECRETAGOGIN
  
• 4-23-2024PROPOSED CHANGES TO MEDICARE, MEDICAID COULD COST THOUSANDS OF LIVES, STUDY FINDS
  
• 4-23-2024HOW B CELLS RECOGNIZE NEW VARIANTS OF SARS-COV-2
  
• 4-23-2024MOLECULAR SIGNALING PATHWAY OF TUMOR DEVELOPMENT DECODED
  
• 4-23-2024CHEMICAL POLLUTANTS CAN CHANGE YOUR SKIN BACTERIA AND INCREASE YOUR ECZEMA RISK—NEW RESEARCH EXPLORES HOW
  
• 4-23-2024CLINICIAN BURNOUT REDUCES EFFICACY OF TRAUMA-FOCUSED PSYCHOTHERAPY
  
• 4-23-2024HOW CORPORATE INVOLVEMENT IN PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH COULD THREATEN PUBLIC SAFETY
  
• 4-23-2024MOST ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS DO NOT ADMIT REPRESENTATIVE PROPORTION OF BLACK MEDICARE PATIENTS IN THEIR LOCAL MARKET: STUDY
  
• 4-23-2024PATIENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO AN OBSERVER TO PREVENT SEXUAL MISCONDUCT IN DOCTORS’ OFFICES, NEW NJ RULES SAY
  
• 4-23-2024ATOPIC DERMATITIS FOUND TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT MENTAL HEALTH
  
• 4-23-2024MIGRAINE SUFFERERS IN ENGLAND MAY SOON BE ABLE TO ACCESS A PREVENTATIVE DRUG: ATOGEPANT
  
• 4-23-2024BLACK AND HISPANIC PEOPLE IN THE US GROWING MORE CONFIDENT LEARNING AND PERFORMING CPR
  
• 4-23-2024INTERNATIONAL DOCTORS STRUGGLE WITH CULTURAL ADAPTATION, ACCORDING TO NEW ZEALAND STUDY
  
• 4-23-2024ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY FOR ARTHRITIS DOES NOT IMPACT INCIDENCE OF TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY, STUDY FINDS
  
• 4-23-2024UK SMOKING BAN WOULD HAVE MANY BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH—BUT ONLY IF IT’S EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENTED
  
• 4-23-2024STUDY REVEALS INSIGHTS INTO DDX41 PROTEIN’S ROLE IN BLOOD CANCER PATHOGENESIS
  
• 4-23-2024IMPACT OF COVID-19-RELATED NONPHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS ON DIARRHEAL DISEASES AND ZOONOTIC SALMONELLA
  
• 4-23-2024ARTHRITIS LINKED TO BLOOD CANCER MUTATIONS
  
• 4-23-2024STUDY REVEALS ALARMING RATES OF PEDIATRIC INJURIES FROM MECHANICAL BULL RIDING
  
• 4-23-2024RESEARCHERS CALL FOR ENHANCED RESEARCH INTO COMMON POST-STROKE CONDITION
  
• 4-23-2024NEARLY HALF OF MOTHERS REPORT BIRTH TRAUMA AND BARRIERS TO MENTAL HEALTH AID, ESPECIALLY FOR DIVERSE POPULATIONS
  
• 4-23-2024FDA APPROVES IMMUNOTHERAPY DRUG COMBO FOR NON-MUSCLE INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER
  
• 4-23-2024AI CHATBOTS HAVE A POTENTIALLY USEFUL ROLE TO PLAY IN IDEA GENERATION
  
• 4-23-2024EXPERTS RECOMMEND AN EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL USE
  
• 4-23-2024WE’RE ONLY USING A FRACTION OF HEALTH WORKERS’ SKILLS—THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE
  
• 4-23-2024BRAIN NEURONS RE-ENTERING THE CELL CYCLE AGE QUICKLY AND SHIFT TO SENESCENCE, PARTICULARLY IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
  
• 4-23-2024HOW NEW MALARIA VACCINES WORK AND WHAT THEY PROMISE
  
• 4-23-2024HIGHER LIGHT LEVELS MAY IMPROVE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE
  
• 4-23-2024GUT MICROBIOTA ACTS LIKE AN AUXILIARY LIVER, STUDY FINDS
  
• 4-23-2024NOVEL STUDY QUANTIFIES IMMENSE ECONOMIC COSTS OF MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE US
  
• 4-23-2024BLOOD TEST CAN DETECT LAUGHING GAS AND HELP THE POLICE FIGHT WHIPPIT ABUSE
  
• 4-23-2024A MILDER METHOD DEVELOPED BY RESEARCHERS FOR CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS
  
• 4-23-2024CHEMICAL TOOL ILLUMINATES PATHWAYS USED BY DOPAMINE, OPIOIDS AND OTHER NEURONAL SIGNALS
  
• 4-23-2024EXCESSIVE PREGNANCY WEIGHT GAIN AND SUBSTANTIAL POSTPARTUM WEIGHT RETENTION COMMON IN MILITARY HEALTH CARE BENEFICIARIES
  
• 4-23-2024MODERNA, PFIZEBIONTECH SET FOR UK COURT CLASH OVER COVID JAB PATENTS
  
• 4-23-2024BIDEN ADMIN ISSUES RULE PROTECTING ABORTION PRIVACY
  
• 4-23-2024WEST VIRGINIA CONFIRMS FIRST MEASLES CASE SINCE 2009
  
• 4-23-2024STUDY COMPARES TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION AND DISEASE PROGRESSION RATES IN A PROSPECTIVE MANNER
  
• 4-23-2024IMAGE VIEWING EXPERIMENTS CHALLENGE THEORY OF UNIVERSAL INTERNAL CLOCK
  
• 4-23-2024MEDICARE’S PUSH TO IMPROVE CHRONIC CARE ATTRACTS BUSINESSES, BUT NOT MANY DOCTORS
  
• 4-23-2024ALECENSA APPROVED AS FIRST AND ONLY ANAPLASTIC LYMPHOMA KINASE INHIBITOR FOR NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER
  
• 4-23-2024STUDY SUGGESTS THAT LIVING NEAR GREEN SPACES REDUCES THE RISK OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
  
• 4-23-2024STICK TO HEIMLICH MANEUVER NOT ‘ANTI-CHOKING’ DEVICES, FDA SAYS
  
• 4-23-2024RADIOLOGISTS PROPOSE ACTIONS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE A DIVERSE WRITING GROUP
  
• 4-23-2024PHYSICAL ILLS OFTEN PLAGUE PEOPLE WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, BIPOLAR
  
• 4-23-2024RESEARCHERS DISCOVER LIFE-LONG EFFECTS OF NEUROPEPTIDES IN THE BRAIN
  
• 4-23-2024BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SETS NURSING HOME STAFFING MINIMUMS
  
• 4-23-2024RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY A CAUSE OF IMMUNODEFICIENCY AFTER STROKE AND HEART ATTACK
  
• 4-23-2024FOLLOW-UP FINDS LANDMARK STEROID STUDY REMAINS SAFE 50 YEARS ON
  
• 4-23-2024CONSUMPTION OF CONTAMINATED VENISON SUSPECTED IN CASES OF DEER HUNTERS WITH PRION DISEASE
  
• 4-23-2024STUDYING THESE BURSTS MAY IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF COGNITION