Okay, I know. I haven't blogged in WAAAAAY too long. I know.

Here's the deal. Shortly after I blogged in January, I found out I was pregnant again. (I have NO trouble getting pregnant, apparently. Staying pregnant is a whole other issue.) Then I started spotting and my OB/GYN and I were working at making sure my progesterone levels were high enough, etc. It wasn't high enough, I did the progesterone supplements, and it still didn't come up high enough to sustain the pregnancy. I miscarried again at the end of January.

After this last miscarriage, I haven't bounce back very quickly, and have been fighting a great deal of fatigue and depression. I haven't been able to concentrate very well for the last couple of months, and doing anything that requires any brain power has been next to impossible. I've been doing lots of medical testing to see if there is a medical reason behind the miscarriages and behind my not bouncing back. So far we've eliminated a number of possibilities, which is good. I'm still dealing with some concentration issues and depression and fatigue, but things ARE improving - somewhat. My current theory behind the miscarriages is stress. I have a LOT going on in my life right now between work and school and the general 'life' stuff that we all have to deal with.

One test that did come back with a result is that my Secretory IgA is very low - less than 5 mg/dl. Normal is considered to be 25-60 mg/dl. My web research indicates that this is often a factor for celiac disease (which we've ruled out) and for people with high levels of gut inflammation and food sensitivities (which I have). I did find one article that mentioned that it can be a factor in early miscarriages, so who knows. One thing that is very clear is that a low SIgA level can be adversely affected by stress, which I know I have a lot of right now.....

So the big question is how do I reduce my stress levels given that nothing going on in my life is going to be resolved in the very near future? Aaaaagggghhhhh.

It occurred to me yesterday that it had been a while since I've blogged. I hadn't realized it had been since Thanksgiving!

So - Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

The holidays were lovely and quiet around here - we spent time with Gordon's family and ate too much and enjoyed some time off.

Had one other couple over to ring in the new year and ate too much, drank too much, and generally had a good time. The good news was that since we had them over here, everything was BTD appropriate! Okay, except perhaps for the champagne.

Today we went to my mother-in-law's for brunch to celebrate Gordon's birthday, which is Tuesday. Had a lovely afternoon, but I was so tired that I stretched out on the couch and closed my eyes for a bit while everyone was talking! And now I can't sleep.

Busy preparing for school next weekend - lots of papers to finish and reading to complete. I'm almost done with the reading, and I'm mostly done with MOST of the papers. I'll complete them with no trouble at all over the next few days.

Hope all is well for everyone else, and I'll try to be more diligent about writing!

I hope everyone has a lovely Thanksgiving!

Gordon and I are going to his mother's for the evening, and prior to that I'll be cooking some wheat-free stuffing and something yummy for dessert (also wheat-free).

I'll check in again with an update when I have something to report. Things have been pretty quiet - just busy with school and work!

Well, now I'm fine and Gordon is sick with some kind of flu that he thinks has moved into pneumonia. He got some antibiotics today and should start to be feeling better soon. He was surprised (and a bit miffed, I think) that he got sick and that I didn't. In the past it has been the other way around!

I have a theory about this, though. I think my immune system went on high alert with the pregnancy and is still on high alert, so any bug that gets in my system right now gets whomped immediately. I know that my reactions to foods and environmental stuff has been off the charts recently, so anything's possible....

In fact, Saturday I showered, and shaved using a body wash, which is what I usually do. Used a chai body wash that I haven't used in a while - my nose was too sensitive to use it while I was pregnant. I got out of the shower and my legs were turning a blotchy purple. Major reaction to it! So I wiped Caladryl all over my legs and took some Benadryl. It was one of the scariest reactions I've ever had, and certainly involved a larger reaction area of my body than any other one thus far. Fortunately, between the Caladryl and the Benadryl I was fine within an hour or two. I even tested the body wash on a small area of my arm the next day thinking that maybe it was the comination of the moisture strip on the razor AND the body wash. Nope. It was the body wash. Won't be using that again!

The D&C went well yesterday, and I am feeling much better than I was before the procedure. I already feel like I have more energy than before. I am tired, still, but recovering, and will be resting at home today.

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your love and support. It means more than you can know!