4w5d -- Turning the Corner?

I think I might feel a teeny tiny bit better today. When I woke up, my waist was not quite as enormous. Somehow, after being upright for a few hours, I feel just as gargantuan as ever, but it gives me some hope that maybe I have seen the worst of OHSS.

Yesterday, after I posted here, I was googling like mad and I came up with a new theory about all that swelling down below. I think that after the paracentesis, the fluid started leaking from the puncture site in my right abdomen into my subcutaneous tissue. [In other words, the skin puncture site sealed up, but the inner "bag" (peritoneum) remained leaky.] The fluid then tracked downward to my suprapubic area (gigantic) and labia (scary). That would explain why my abdomen doesn't feel quite as "full and tight" as before, but looks even more freaky (wide and shapeless) and why the skin on my right side felt particularly firm and why the freaky new symptoms only started after then paracentesis. I didn't think of this theory myself; there are some case reports in the medical literature describing this phenomenon in women with OHSS who have had paracentesis! Hmmm.

Decreasing symptoms is a good thing (obviously) but also leads me to wonder what is going on with my beta-HCG numbers... Bring on the breast symptoms and morning sickness. Please!! I just don't feel like a pregnant person here and I'd really appreciate a little reassurance.

Here are my belated answers to the little tag-thing that was going around last week. I was tagged by Emily and Pink-CJ.

4 Things I did 10 Years Ago - 1998

1. Most importantly, I found out about my mom's late-in-life (age 44) but much-hoped-for pregnancy in ~April and became a big sister to J in December.
2. Finished up first year of medical school and started second year. Spent the summer in between working on a research project on the bone marrow transplant unit.
3. Bought my first car! This is true; I did not own a car until I was 23 years old. It was a Mitsubishi Mirage and I bought it from a post-doc who was returning to his native Korea. I was dumb; I only looked at that one car and didn't even try to negotiate down the price. It ended up being somewhat of a lemon, but... live and learn.
4. Moved from a scary medical school dorm to my first non-dorm/non-parent residence in a cool Baltimore rowhouse. I had a roommate, Kim, and an entire floor to myself with a large bedroom, office, and bathroom. The landlord, Amos, was a "homoerotic photographer" who did photoshoots in the basement/laundry room.


4 Things I did 5 Years Ago - 2003

1. Was living in West L.A. in a shabby apartment with a roommate, also named Sarah. And often her boyfriend.
2. Continued to work as a slave during second/third year of Internal Medicine residency. Applied for hematology/oncology fellowship and started interviews.
3. On October 24, I started my first and only successful diet, and I have managed to keep off most of the weight for 4.5 years now. (Not counting the current OHSS 6-7 lbs of fluid weight!)
4. Went on a Road Trip to Zion/Bryce/Grand Canyon with my old med school pals S.umi and Amy.


4 Things I Did Yesterday -

1. Googled endlessly about OHSS, swelling, and related topics.
2. Walked about 1.5 miles (slowly) in my first attempt at exercise with OHSS. S and I started out together on the trail in the canyon near our house, and then I cut back through residential streets while he kept going to get a workout. I would have turned back directly and made it a bit shorter, but there was a super-creepy guy that we had passed on the trail along the way, and I didn't want to pass him while I was alone. I was really swollen down below by the end of this walk, so it probably wasn't a great idea.
3. Ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant in La Mesa with S and my sister and parents.
4. Watched most of "There Will Be Blood." I was planning to let S watch this one on his own, but I sort of got sucked in. It's a long one, though, so we'll be finishing it tonight.


4 TV Shows I Love to Watch - (embarrassing but true!)

1. The Real Housewives of Orange County. And New York. And I hear that a "New Jersey" version is in the works.
2. Dr. 90210.
3. The Apprentice (still).
4. Sex and the City (I'm just finishing the last season, which I have never seen, in preparation for the movie).


4 Things I Love to Do -

1. Go hiking - canyons, mountains, woods, or desert. My favorite hikes have a clear destination, such as a waterfall or a peak.
2. See old friends (and it happens far too rarely)
3. Sit outside with S on a warm Sunday morning, reading the paper, eating breakfast, and watching the birds play in our garden. (Hey, we just did that!)
4. Imagine how our life will change with a baby. Favorite fantasies involve baby in one of those baby-jogger type strollers during Thing I Love to Do #1, or baby running around the yard during Thing I Love to Do #3.


I'd like to tag Cindy and poppy.f.seed if they're in the mood. No pressure, though...