The importance of being a proactive patient

I was recently browsing some allergy blogs that I read and came across this post, Pharmacies and Food Allergies. It’s a good reminder to those of us with severe food allergies that we have to be particularly proactive about our health care.

I had a similar experience when I started IVF #1 in Minsk. My RE wrote down the names of the medications I would be using. My type A, has to know and understand everything self took the list home and began to research every medication. Much to my surprise, one of the medications I was to use contains peanut oil. For the average bear, not a big deal, for a person with a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, a huge deal. I took the list back to my RE and pointed out the problem. He was in no way negligent with my care, it’s just that food allergies aren’t common in that part of the world, so it never occurred to him to ask. Fortunately Crinone gel was available, so that’s what I ended up using, but again, just a reminder to all of us, particularly the allergic community, that we must be proactive about our health care.

leaving St. Stephen’s Green

anyone call for a taxi?


or if you are looking for a slower means of transport




or if you want to look like a tourist

American food in Dublin, T.G.I.Friday’s

We have been craving American restaurant food lately, so after my hair appointment on Saturday, we decided to walk over to St. Stephen’s Green for a late lunch. We’ve been to this T.G.I.Friday’s before, but that was pre-blog days. So here’s a review.

If you want great American food overseas, T.G.I.Friday’s will not disappoint. The staff are attentive, food authentic, and overall a great atmosphere. We decided to start with traditional buffalo wings, mmm just like home.

That’s when the pictures of the food came to a halt. We were too busy eating and enjoying our date. Wherever you are in the world, if you are craving food from the States, check for your neighborhood T.G.I.Friday’s.

Just for fun, here is a picture of the T.G.I.Friday’s in Minsk. When we lived in Belarus there was much debate as to who really owned this restaurant and if it was actually part of the chain. I noticed that it was recently added to the official T.G.I. Friday’s Worldwide website, so debate over.

looking for a salon in Dublin?

We have been going to “trim” for our haircuts for over a year. We’re very happy with the service we’ve received there and for us, the location can’t be beat. It’s a bit pricy, but competitive for the area. If you are looking for a quality salon in Dublin, look no further than “trim”.

http://www.trim4hair.ie/

Chicago labs are in

The reproductive immunologist called yesterday with the reports. As usual, good news and bad news.

good news:
both cytokine tests were within normal range
me 23.8 high normal 30.6
me 8.9 high normal 20.5

Natural Killer cells were also within normal range 7.2

bad news:
I have extremely elevated cytotoxic B- cells (CD19 & CD5).
me 40 normal range 5-10

After doing additional testing involving my blood and other cells, then adding IVIG therapy, it was shown that IVIG worked and brought down the "degree of harm" to 10.7. I'm sure this will all make more sense when I see the lab reports myself. I was just writing down numbers and information as quickly as he was talking.

The reproductive immunologist and I spoke for a long time about what to do from here, the differences between IVIG and intralipid iv therapy, and of course, the cost. The other issue is that IVIG is a blood product, so although it is screened, there is also the very low risk of HIV, hepatitis, and several other blood borne viruses. The reproductive immunologist said that there have not been any reported cases of contaminated blood with IVIG, but I’m still kind of meh about the process. The other tiny issue is that I’m O-negative, and can therefore only receive O-neg blood. It’s always something….

He seemed to be really pushing for IVIG, but then mentioned several times that intralipids might do the trick. I’m definitely leaning toward intralipids for a number of reasons, mainly because it’s not a blood product and because it’s much less expensive than IVIG. Each IVIG infusion is $3500, plus after each infusion, they send additional lab work back to Chicago. Intralipids are about 15% the cost of IVIG, so that would save a lot of money. He was going to talk to my RE and consult with a few others, I will be doing the same.

The next step is getting the meds ordered. I’ll start heparin injections, steroids, and a few other meds several weeks before beginning actual IVF meds, so those need to be ordered soon.

I think I'll also start looking for an IVF or auto-immune infertility board to join online. Any suggestions?

ah marketing

Yesterday my husband brought home a container of “Swine Flu Wipes” for me to see. Apparently they are handing them out where he works. Don’t worry, he took the container back to work this morning; we are not thieves. I was glad for the opportunity to take a picture though and to have this product brought to my attention.

Now here is the million dollar question. How are these any different from your average Clorox wipes? Oh yes, the label. The marketing is brilliant.

Order your fancy swine flu wipes today, or just wash your hands with warm, soapy water. Follow up with a splash of Purell or Germ-X if you’re so inclined.

swine flu wipes

recipe 24: roasted red pepper, spinach, and feta omelet

We had breakfast for dinner earlier this week and it was really good. Another great recipe from the “Williams-Sonoma” Essentials of Healthful Cooking cookbook.


1 red bell pepper
3 teaspoons olive oil
¾ cup loosely packed spinach leaves, stems removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 egg
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

Roast the red pepper, remove the stem, cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds, ribs, and blackened skin. Cut each half lengthwise into strips. Measure out ½ cup for the omelet filling, reserve remaining for another use.

Combine the roasted pepper strips and 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir until hot, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, heat until wilted. Transfer mixture to a bowl, add a pinch of salt and grind of black pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt and grind of pepper.

Heat a 9 or 10 inch frying pan for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil, tilt the pan to coat evenly. Pour the eggs into the center of the pan, reduce heat to medium low. Cook without stirring until the bottom is set, about 10 seconds. Use a heatproof spatula to gently pull the set edges in toward the center, then tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg in the center runs toward the edges. Cook until softly set, about 2 minutes total cooking time.

Spoon the red pepper mixture onto the side of the omelet closest to the handle of the pan. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Use the spatula to fold the third of the omelet closest to the handle over the center third. Then hold the pan by the handle, tilt the pan so that the omelet rolls out onto a plate, seam side down. Cut in half, serve immediately.

Sorry, no personal picture. Although we enjoyed the flavor, my omelet making skills leave a lot to be desired, so it was more of a roasted red pepper, spinach, and feta scramble. Here is a picture from the book of what it’s supposed to look like.