Gatorade

I don't think I've mentioned this in his blog (or maybe I have, I'll have to go back and check), but Gatorade is my new favorite drink. Kind of. I hate it, too. I've been drinking this stuff nonstop ever since my egg retrieval and very little water like I normally do due to my RE's suggestion. I'm not used to drinking something so sweet, but I think I'm getting used to it. The past few days, I haven't been very good on keeping up with my Gatorade purchasing, and so I woke up extremely thirsty today.

I got up at 7 AM and got ready for my third beta. I drove my butt down there (amazing how fast I can get there when there is no traffic), got my blood drawn, and came home. I figured they would call me by noon like they normally do. I was wrong. I think it's because I had written the authorizing doctor as my RE, Dr. T, but she's not working this weekend (Dr. S is on rotation), and so maybe the results got sent to her. In any case, it hasn't been published to me, and so I'm sitting here semi-worried that the news isn't going to be good news.

If you're going to get your blood drawn, be sure you drink water beforehand. I didn't know this, and so when she was trying to find the vein in my arm today, she had a hard time. Apparently water makes your veins nice and hydrated and bouncy (not coffee though, that dehydrates you more). I'll have to remember that for next time ! Which brings me back to the Gatorade (not really, but play along). I'm not 100% sure why Gatorade is so good for us IVF girls, but it has something to do with the electrolytes keeping our bodies hydrated (dehydration is a big worry, I guess), and prevents fluid from building up in our abdominal cavity (or worse, lungs). Water is such a pure resource that it can be absorbed in our ovaries, thus making them feel heavier. That is why water is not recommended.

Whey protein and juices are also good. I've started drinking orange juice because it's not sweet and balances all that Gatorade. Oh, and if you get Gatorade, try to get the G2 series. The other ones have 200 calories per bottle ! The G2 series have 75 (for the biggest one). Considering I was chugging the normal ones while I was sitmming, I was probably ingesting about a eight hundred calories of Gatorade a day. Whey protein is .. gross. There's no way around it. If you want to drink it, I'd recommend milk (or better, soy milk.. it dissolves better) over water. Chris made me smoothies with fresh fruit, pineapple juice and ice cream. Mmm. Those weren't half bad.