We stood near the box office, waiting, while the rain drenched the sidewalk. A bubbly girl next to us asked, "Have you seen it before? It’s sooooo good! This will be my third time. A friend of mine has seen it seven times! It’ll make you cry. I hope you brought some tissues."

That the musical would be tear-jerker was a surprise to me. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. It’s a musical about living with bipolar disorder, after all. It also focuses strongly on grieving a loss, so I suppose it would affect most infertile women deeply. It also made me laugh. The song about pills, pills, pills was hilarious to me. I didn’t hear so many people around me laughing, but maybe they haven’t taken as many pills as I have.

I loved the ending where the daughter decides that a life that is "next to normal" is not so bad. I need to remember that. My verdict: Go see it! And oh…uh…bring your tissues!

Lately I’ve been feeling lonely and unmotivated many days. The apartment feels empty, quiet and dark. I’m grappling with the very real possibility that we may never become parents yet I soldier on in another IVF cycle. The shots are no longer a novelty. I wish I could exercise rigorously to shake off this ugly mood, but I’m not supposed to exercise too hard while I do IVF treatments. One bright spot in my day is that my husband walks home from work, and I walk to meet him, so I get about 45 minutes of walking. Does walking produce enough endorphins? I’m sure it’s not as much as I got from aerobics. And now with winter brewing, there isn’t any sunlight to benefit from in the evening. Maybe I need to do two walks a day so that I get the sunlight in the morning and produce a little more of those "feel good" chemicals.

I’ve been delaying getting a job outside the home until after we move on from trying to conceive. I know that if I started a new job, the stress might necessitate an increase in my bipolar medications and I’m really trying to avoid that right now. But I need a reason to get up in the morning and to get out of the house more. On the days that I have to go for morning monitoring at the clinic, I am forced to get up and get out. I probably need to begin using the public library as my "office" again. I did that in the past when I worked on writing projects. It helped me feel more like a productive person.

I guess I’m a real housewife. I’m not at all like the women on the TV shows called "the Real Housewives of _________" (fill in location). I’ve never watched any of those shows, but the glimpses I’ve seen about them tell me they are probably filled with glamour, juicy gossip, and lots of pampering. My real housewife life is often PJs until 3 or 4 pm, unbrushed hair, and too much time being a couch potato.

I’m starting to really get down on myself about not working. Yesterday I saw a young, handicapped man who works in our local Rite Aid leaving the store after work. I knew he was handicapped, but I didn’t know how much effort it takes him to walk. I saw him dragging his lame leg awkwardly with every step. I silently admired him for choosing to go to work everyday, even if it isn’t a job to brag about. Then, inwardly I called myself a lazy bum. I have a different kind of handicap (bipolar disorder), but I still should work. The infertility treatments may make working 9-5 difficult, but there are other possibilities. I think I would definitely feel better about myself if I were earning something, even if it was only one hundred dollars a week. It’s wonderful that my husband is such a great provider. I’m so blessed. But I still need to find a way to feel like I am contributing more- for myself, for society.

My prescription for myself:
two walks a day- brisk enough to produce endorphins
15 minutes of sunlight or more a day
one hour of writing in the public library each weekday
no PJs after 9:30 am
brainstorm about a way to make some money without getting stressed out

Today is our 5-year wedding anniversary! Woo hoo! Of course, I never thought we would hit 5 years without having any children. At times, I have gotten so caught up in battling infertility that I have somewhat neglected my hero, my husband. In fact, the last 2 days I was focused on recovering from embryo retrieval, not on planning our anniversary celebration. Though we WILL go out tonight to a fancy restaurant and we’ll try to be romantic, I cannot deny that some of my thoughts might wander to our embryo transfer which will happen, God willing, tomorrow morning.

How can we work on fanning the flame in spite of everything we’re going through? Right now we do 3 simple things to stay affectionate and connected.
1. We go out on a "date" once a week. We try not to argue or discuss stressful things during that time.
2. We hold hands and walk together at every possible opportunity. It has become almost automatic. Somehow it just feels good all
over to be holding my husband’s hand. I think God made a hand to be the perfect shape to grasp another hand.
3. We have 10-20 minutes of pillow talk every night before we sleep. We wind down together.

My mother always said a husband must come before children in our priorities. Daddy always comes first. As a child, I resented it a little (because I thought the whole world should revolve around me me me) but now I see that my mother is blessed with rare wisdom. I didn’t doubt that their marriage was going to make it. Our home was always a place of safety, security, and unconditional love. Although my mother loved my father the most, it was clear that she had plenty to go around for all of us. They are still married after 40 years! Their marriage is an easily accessible example for so many. Like my mother, today I need to choose to put my husband first. When (if) we have kids, it will probably take even more effort to carve out prime time for him. Hubby is first and we’re going to be unabashedly romantic tonight. Take that, infertility!

Okay. So this doesn’t strongly relate to having bipolar disorder, but who needs one more thing to make us tired or irritable? Urinary tract infections (U.T.I.s) make me wiped out and cranky. When the frequency of intercourse is increased (pretty much a given during the trying to conceive period), it’s common to have U.T.I.s.

Since I’ve had lots of these pesky infections, here are my tips on preventing them:
1. Drink 1-2 cups of cranberry juice daily. Try to never miss a day. Drink extra cranberry around the time of ovulation when you’re having the most intercourse. The juice seems to be more effective than the capsules, no matter what the vitamin companies claim.
2. Eat yogurt with active cultures daily. My current favorite is Stonyfield Farms yogurt. The full-fat version is better for fertility in case you haven’t heard that yet (read more info. in the book The Fertility Diet). The probiotics in the yogurt help to prevent infections.
3. Do kegel exercises. (Don’t ask me how this helps, but they say it helps prevent U.T.I. and it can’t hurt anything.)
4. Urinate 15 minutes after sex even around the time of ovulation. The latest info. says lying there longer will not make you pregnant. I know from experience if I lie there 20 minutes or longer, I’ll have a U.T.I.
5. Go when you gotta go. Don’t hold it for 2 hours because you’re busy at work.
6. Drink approximately 8 cups of liquid daily. Sometimes we get so busy we don’t keep ourselves hydrated. It doesn’t have to be water.
7. The pink scum that accumulates on shower curtains can cause U.T.I. and pink eye if it splashes just right. Keep your tub and shower curtain clean.
8. Wear only cotton undies and don’t wear any undies while you sleep.
9. No baths or jacuzzis. (You’re not supposed to during IVF treatment anyway.)
10. Get plenty of Vit. C rich fruit to promote healing. I try to eat one orange a day. The cranberry juice usually also contains Vit. C.
11. Bars of soap can harbor bacteria, too. Use your own soap. Don’t have one bar of soap for the whole family in the shower. You can always share the liquid soap.
12. Avoid excess sugar. (Always a good idea.)

NOTE: Lucky gals like me with a tipped uterus have to be especially careful to urinate after sex and to not withhold urine.

What if you think you already have an infection?
I rely heavily on AZO urine test strips that I buy at the drug store to test my own urine. I drink corn silk tea which helps immensely when the symptoms are very painful. I tell the doctor if there is any chance that I might be pregnant so that I am only prescribed the safer antibiotics. Usually I’m prescribed Macrobid.

Here are some possibilities:

EXPRESSING ANGER AND FRUSTRATION

Tear up some paper.

Scream underwater at a pool or scream in your

car with the windows rolled up.

Punch a pillow.

Go to one of those plate smashing places.

Scrub your sinks till they gleam.

Throw a ball against a wall at the park.

Bake some bread (and knead the dough heavily.)

 

FINDING A SOURCE OF PLEASURE

Eat chocolate.

Get a makeover.

Buy a new outfit.

Buy some unusual foods like lychee juice.

Drink a CAFFEINATED beverage.

Eat sushi.

Give yourself a foot massage (or bribe someone

 into doing it.)

Make plans for a WILD, care-free childless life.

Settle down and read a good book all day.

Bake some decadent cookies.

Imagine the smell of dirty diapers and be happy.

Sit out in the sun to boost your mood.

Eat your favorite comfort foods (mine are grilled

 cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.)

 

REFLECTING

Journal.

Take a mental health day and go to a beautiful

 spot in nature or to an art museum.  Even in a

bustling city there are unexpected quiet nooks of

beauty (sometimes near fountains) just waiting to

be discovered.

Tell yourself it’s not your fault and you did your best.

Milk all those emotions… write a poem or a song.

 

ACKNOWLEDGING THE PAIN AND HURT

Ask someone to hold you… just hold you.  Repeat

as often as necessary. 

Realize your feelings may be intense right now- you

can always blame the hormones.

Go out with your “best empathetic listener” buddy

to a coffee shop and talk it out till you have nothing

left.  Take tissues.  (If you cry, let people stare!

As they say- everybody hurts sometime.)

Note:  If you don’t have this kind of friend, you need

one.  Start looking!  I call mine my MELBA (most

empathetic listener buddy always).

Compile a “go to” folder (or create a beautiful box)

of letters, song lyrics, speeches, blurbs that lift

your spirits.

Be kind to yourself- hide some notes and money in

jacket pockets and you’ll be surprised by them one day.

 

CONFRONTING FEAR/ANXIETY/UNCERTAINTY

Write out your fears.  Sometimes it helps me to see

how illogical they are.

Take back your life by writing a nasty letter

starting “Dear Infertility…”

 

BANISHING GUILT AND SHAME

Create some morning affirmations like “My

infertility is not my fault.”  “I didn’t make this

cycle fail.” “I am doing my best.”

I’m still working on ideas for getting rid of

false guilt and shame so let me know what you

think of.

Last week was a particularly stressful week. We were in the middle of an in vitro fertilization cycle. Extended family arrived in town and stayed overnight for a few days. They came the day after my very first embryo transfer. In the midst of a heat wave, I was cooking, cleaning, and entertaining. I thought I might have a breakdown, but I got through it by trying to manage my thoughts. I wrote down some calming phrases on an index card and repeated them to myself.

Here are some of the calming mantras I use:

“Messy and cheerful is better than perfect and bitchy.”
“Just do what you can.”
“What will be, will be.”
“I am relaxed.” (and I imagine floating on my back in water) “This is not life or death.”
“There’s plenty of time.”
“This too shall pass.”
“Let go and let God.”
“Oh well, next time I’ll do better.”
“Let it be.”
“Worse things can happen. At least it’s not…”
“In this moment, I am grateful for…”
“Do your best and let God do the rest.”
“Little by little I’ll get things done.”

What mantras calm you? Care to share?

Fun Things to do at a Therapist’s Office
1.Ask to borrow a comb, comb your tongue.
2.Take random objects in his office and glue them to the floor. 3.Refuse to cooperate unless he trades his pants.
4.Bring pots and pans. Bang them together when he asks a question you don’t like.
5.After everything he says, say, “And how does that make you feel?” 6.Point at random things and say, “Where did you get that?”
7.Complain that his chair looks more comfortable.
8.Repeat over and over, “I’m not hanging out with a bad influence, I AM a bad influence!”
9.Sit underneath your chair.
10.Stand on your head.
11.Kill spiders on the wall with your fist. Eat what sticks to your hand and leave the rest sticking to the wall. Draw a circle around it to make sure everyone sees it.
12.Never stop smiling.
13.Scream every word.
14.Repeatedly tell him to look at the ceiling. When he finally does, repeatedly tell him to look at the chair. When he finally does, repeatedly tell him to look at the desk, etc…
15.Put your shoes on the wrong feet.
16.Try to seduce him with chocolate donuts.
17.Try to talk him into sitting on the floor.
18.Tell him Matlock is the key to all your problems.
19.Eat his books.
20.Talk to his leg.
21.Don’t face him when he talks to you.
22.Talk really slowly.
23.Try to eat your hand.
24. If he offers you coffee, ask him to spill it on your lap. 25.Make sure you make butt-prints in his couch.
26.Pretend you hear music.
27.Tell him you think his secretary is really a man.
28.Pretend to drink.
29.Offer him an imaginary cookie.

Why does it take 50 million sperm to fertilize one egg?
Because they won’t ask for directions either!

You know you are trying to get pregnant when:
You look at your vegetarian sandwich and the alfalfa sprouts look like sperm . . .or . . . Someone asks you today’s date and you reply “Day 21″ .

How many infertility patients does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Screw in a lightbulb! Hmmm . . . do you think it might help? . . . How many flies does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Two, but I don’t know how they would get in there.

Getting the Mechanics
There was an Reproductive Endocrinologist who decided he no longer wanted to practice. Instead he wanted to restore old cars. To prepare himself for this career change, he signed up for a mechanics course in engine repair. He studied really hard, and the day arrived for the final exam. The task was to find out what was wrong with the engine and repair it. The RE took a little longer than the rest of the class, but he got the job done. A couple of days later he went to see how he did. Up on the wall, beside his name he saw a mark of 150%. He was really puzzled so he went to the instructor. “How can this be?” he asked. The instructor replied, “Well, I gave you 50 points for figuring out the problem, and 50 points more for solving the problem. BUT I had to give you an extra 50 points for doing all the work through the exhaust pipe!”

With the help of a fertility specialist, a 65-year old woman has a baby. All her relatives come to visit and meet the newest member of their family. When they ask to see the baby, the 65-year old mother says, “not yet.” A little later they ask to see the baby again. Again the mother says, “not yet.” Finally they say, “When can we see the baby?”
And the mother says, “When the baby cries.”
And they ask, “Why do we have to wait until the baby cries?” The new mother says, “Because I forgot where I put it!”

Hello! Welcome to the Mental Health Hotline!

If you are Obsessive-Compulsive, press 1 repeatedly, being certain to touch the table and counting to 10 between each press.

If you are Co-Dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

If you have Multiple Personalities, press 3, 4, 5, and 6.

If you are Paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call.

If you are Delusional, press 7, and your call will be transferred to the Mother Ship.

If you are Schizophrenic, listen carefully, and a small voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are Manic-Depressive, it doesn’t matter which number you press since no one will answer.

If you are Dyslexic, press 96969696969696.

If you have a Nervous Disorder, please fidget with the Pound Button until a representative comes on the line.

If you have Amnesia, press 8 and state your name, address, phone number, date of birth, social security number, and your mother’s and grandmother’s maiden names.

If you have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, slowly and carefully press 911.

If you have Bi-Polar Disorder, please leave a message after the beep. Or before the beep. Or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.

If you have Short-Term Memory Loss, please try your call again later.

If you have Low Self Esteem, please hang up. All our representatives are too busy to help worthless people like you.

And thank you for calling the Mental Health Hotline!

The little boy kept telling his teacher about the baby brother or sister that was expected at his house.
Then one day the mother allowed the boy to feel the movements of the unborn child. The boy was obviously impressed, but made no comment. Furthermore, he stopped telling his teacher.
The teacher finally sat the boy on her lap and said, “Tommy, whatever has become of that baby brother or sister you were expecting at home?” Tommy burst into tears and confessed, “I think Mommie ate it!

Why is psychoanalysis a lot quicker for a man than for a women? Because when it’s time to go back to childhood, a man is already there.

An American man is riding a train in a European country. His seatmate knows some English, and they end up chatting. The seatmate asks if the American has children. The American says no.
“Ah, so sad,” says the European. “Your wife, she is impregnable?” “Well, um, that’s not exactly the word,” says the American. “Oh!” interrupts the European. “I mean, she is inconceivable?” “Um, not quite –” the American begins, only to be interrupted again. “Oh, no, that isn’t right,” says the European. “She is, what is it, she is unbearable?” “Well, actually, that’s pretty much sums it up,” says the American.

Brenda, pregnant with her first child, was paying a visit to her obstetrician’s office. When the exam was over, she shyly began, “My husband wants me to ask you if its still okay…”
“I know, I know.” the doctor said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “I get asked that all the time. Sex is fine until late in the pregnancy.”
“No, that’s not it at all,” Brenda confessed. “He wants to know if I can still mow the lawn.”

Q: Am I more likely to get pregnant if my husband wears boxers or briefs ? A: You’ll have an even better chance if he doesn’t wear anything at all

Q: Should I have a baby after 35 ?
A. No, 35 children is way too many already

A new Mom took her baby daughter to the supermarket for the first time. She dressed her in pink from head to toe. At the store, she placed her in the shopping cart and put her purchases around her. At the checkout line a small boy and his mother were ahead of them. The child was crying and begging for some special treat. He wants some candy or gum and his mother won’t let him have any, she thought.
Then she heard his mother’s reply. “No!” she said, looking in her direction. “You may not have a baby sister today. That lady got the last one!”

My husband and I are very attractive. I’m sure our baby will be beautiful enough for commercials. Whom should I contact about this? ~Your therapist.

The Bathtub Test
During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.
“Well,” said the Director, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”
“Oh, I understand,” said the visitor. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.
“No.” said the Director, “A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?

The psychology instructor had just finished a lecture on
mental health and was giving an oral test.
Speaking specifically about manic depression, she asked, “How would you diagnose a patient who walks back and forth screaming at the top of his lungs one minute, then sits in a chair weeping uncontrollably the next?”
A young man in the rear raised his hand and answered, “A basketball coach?”

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.
So far today, I have finished two bags of chips and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.

Madness takes its toll.
Please have exact change.

Hypochondria is the only illness that I don’t have.

Why is it that doctors call what they do “practice”?

I don’t suffer from stress.
I’m a carrier.

“Warning: Dates in calendar are closer than they appear.”

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, “Where have I gone wrong?” Then a voice says to me, “This is going to take more than one night.”

You May Be Bipolar If…….

* The sun is too loud.
* Trees begin to chase you.
* You can see individual air molecules vibrating.
* You begin to explore the possibility of setting up an I.V. drip solution of espresso.
* You wonder if brewing is really a necessary step for the consumption of coffee.
* You can hear mimes.
* You can achieve a “Runner’s High” by sitting up.
* You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* You believe that if you think hard enough, you can fly.
* Things become “Very Clear.”
* You ask the drive-through attendant if you can get your order to go. * You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* You begin speaking in a language that only you and Chandeliers can understand.
* The less sense matter and matter is more than sense.
* You keep yelling “STOP TOUCHING ME!!!!” even though you are the only one in the room.
* You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* Your heart beats in 7/8 time.
* You and Reality file for divorce.
* You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* You can skip without a rope.
* It appears that people are speaking to you in binary code. * You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* You can travel without moving.
* Antacid tablets become your sole source of nutrition.
* You discover the aesthetic beauty of office supplies.
* You have an irresistible urge to bite the noses of the people you are talking to.
* You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you have said it before.
* Losing your mind was okay, but when the voices in your head quieted, it was like losing your best friend.

This week I was living solo. My dear husband had to attend a family wedding out of the country. I was stuck at home with doctor’s appointments due to fertility treatments and a bad bladder infection. I started to wonder if my tenuous sanity could withstand a week and a half of solitude. Would I start to crack and no one would know? Would I be talking to myself just to manage my anxiety?

I allowed myself one evening of sulking. (Well, okay… that and a few afternoons of eating too much junk food… mainly pretzels, dark chocolate, and Good-n-Plenty licorice.) Then I buckled down and told myself, "I can stay sane if I try to keep life as regular as possible." Change causes stress, so limiting change can limit stress. I began to realize that my life has developed some actual routines. Maybe it’s not as chaotic as it used to be. My husband has been instrumental in bringing a healthier rhythm to my life, but that doesn’t mean that the drumbeat has to stop when he’s out of town. I’ve got it down now. I can keep rhythm (and "rhythm" sounds so much better than "routine", doesn’t it?)

I guess my life will probably never include as much structure as I would like. I can have so much energy for a couple of days, and then I’ll feel completely zapped of strength and motivation for a couple of days (almost like being physically ill) so forming good habits can be taking two steps forward and one step back…or honestly very often two steps forward and two steps right back! Having bipolar disorder always keeps life interesting. Okay… so I confess. I did get a bit out of rhythm this week. I’m still in drumming basics I guess, but recognizing the rhythms I have developed with my husband gave me targets to shoot for each day (for example, getting to bed by 9:30 each night.) And I must not have skipped too many beats because tomorrow my husband comes home and I think I’m still sane!!!! What are your rhythms that help keep you in step with sanity?