What an eye opener!! Time to get back on track!

Time for a bit of a wake up call...During my egg donation, yes I gained weight, yes some of the weight I gained was from hormone injections and from my moderate OHSS that I got post donation and there was truly nothing I could do to keep that from happening.  However,  the rest of the weight was my fault.  I used my donation as an excuse to not work out (I could have walked up until a few days before my retrieval) and I used my donation as an excuse to not follow my clean eating, I had cravings, but I could have just said NO!  So here I am, about a month post retrieval and I have lost some of the weight that I gained, but I am still about 10 pounds heavier than I was before my retrieval.  I worked out 4-5 days a week for the past 2 weeks, before deciding that my body needs a RESET!  So here I am on Monday, preparing myself to start My Ultimate Reset Journey tomorrow.  I am both very nervous & very excited and plan to post daily to keep you all in the loop of what this is going to do for my health both mentally and physically.

This morning I took my pre reset measurements, which was a huge eye opener for me, since I gained inches from my last set of measurements on almost every part of my body.  So here they are:

Pre Reset Measurements:

Weight: 152
Waist: 38
Hips: 40
Chest: 39
Right Arm: 12
Left Arm: 12
Right Thigh: 25
Left Thigh: 24

I also have a very high body fat percentage.  To give you an idea of my body type-since people generally ask me for height, age, etc.  I am 22 years old, I am 5'1" and I have a very large chest (36DD that I am hoping to lose a lot of inches in as well).

My goals are not necessarily based on the number on the scale, although a large drop in that number would be great!  I am going on the Beachbody Success Club Cruise on March 24th and I would really love to be able to wear a bikini confidently, so that I do not feel self conscious on the trip that I earned for my boyfriend and I.  I would love to be able to buy a bikini top that fits, those of you who also have large busts know that this is one of the most frustrating things to buy, along with bras.  I am hoping to feel rejuvenated and rested, since lately I wake up still feeling exhausted...

Prior to my start date for the reset tomorrow I did have to do some planning, which I will tell you a bit more about in case you too, are planning on starting the reset soon!

I had to go grocery shopping, at multiple stores, to find all of the fabulous nutritionally dense foods that I will be eating on the reset, yes i said it, EATING!  You eat...ALOT on the reset!  This is not one of those starvation cleanses, because lets be real...I LOVE TO EAT!  So I am all stocked up on things like 1 gallon of distilled water for every day of the reset, coconut oil, and among other things lots of fresh produce that I buy at my local farmers market every week!  I highly recommend buying produce at your local farms or farmers market's as well, not just for the reset, but all of the time, I love supporting local businesses.

I will be posting before/after pictures on Day 21, which will be December 24th so keep your eyes posted, and please subscribe to my blog and follow me on my social media sites so that you can learn all about my ultimate reset journey!

Here is a great video that explains what the reset is all about:
http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/ckimmel?bctid=1534876093001

If you would like to purchase an ultimate reset kit, you can do so here: www.myultimatereset.com/ckimmel





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XOXO,

Step outside of your comfort zone, the magic happens there!

Good Morning Lovely Readers...if you even exist..

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about how small my world really is.  Now, before you tell me how large the world truly is, lets chat for a minute about MY world.  My world is small because I have not allowed it to expand itself into other places outside of my comfort zone.

What is my comfort zone you ask, my comfort zone is that small little hole in the world where ordinary happens and i eat the same food, listen to the same music, talk to the same people, and do the same things..day after day!  But that is all about to change!  I have made a decision, in my head, as i often do without putting it down on paper to hold myself accountable. I made the decision to expand my horizons and start experiencing everything possible.  I only get to live 1 time, and far too often I see lives get cut way too short, and people never truly get to live.

My favorite quote is from Oscar Wilde, "To live is the rarest thing in the world.  Most people just exist, that is all."  This quote has come into my life when its been needed the most and I want to start practicing this idea that I say all of the time.  I want to start LIVING!

Here is my vow:  I, Chelsey Kimmel, vow to LIVE freely, happily, and to my highest expectation.  I vow to take every experience that is given to me, as a gift!  Whether it be something I have always wanted to experience, or maybe have not ever!  I vow to travel and immerse myself into other cultures and learn about how other people live.  I vow to blog about all of my new experiences...because my life starts NOW!


I hope you all will join me on this journey outside of the borders of my comfort zone and I hope you all will do something outside of yours!  I would love to hear about all of your adventures!


XOXO,

My Puppy Smells Like Poo!

There is no blog post to go along with this picture...since it speaks for itself!

This is my dog, Mazy! 

A Post Retrieval Post..

On thursday I had my retrieval..and yesterday when I woke up my abdomen was extremely distended and hurt..ALOT!  I looked..and still look...about 5 months pregnant..

I tried to rest a lot yesterday, since my doctor told me when she called, that feeling bloated and sore is completely normal with the amount of eggs that were retrieved (31).  I have been drinking Gatorade and resting for over 48 hours now and am still in pain.  My stomach still looks like this and I can not get comfortable..sitting, laying,standing...nothing feels good!  I am having a hard time walking upright, since the pressure in my abdomen is so strong.

My weight is still high(8 pounds more than it was the day before my retrieval).  I also have started feeling feverish and achey so I took my temperature, and have a fever of 99.8, I know it's not too high, but it has me slightly concerned.  I was going to call my doctor to see if this is normal but they are closed for the day, I could call the on call MD but I have decided to wait a bit longer and see how I feel.  I am going to take more Tylenol, even though it is not helping with the pain, it might help with the fever..although I'm not sure if I should take the Tylenol or monitor the fever without it..

Up until this point my experience had been pretty positive, and now I am second guessing my choice to donate again..I am still in a lot of pain and the pressure in my abdomen seems to have no relief.

:(

I hope I find some relief soon..

Retrieval Day Review :)

It is about 5:00 pm on Thursday, October 31st, Halloween!!

I am just about waking up from the in and out partial nap I took after  I got home from my egg retrieval this morning.  I'd like to give you all a breakdown of what my day looked like today, for anyone curious about the day of procedures...

First a quick recap of what the past month or so looked like for me: 3 weeks of BC pills(bled everyday) then 2 weeks of injections(2x/day) & then a trigger shot Tuesday night, Oh, and a car accident last night to top it all off. :)

So this morning...

5:00am: woke up from the most excruciating pain in my ovaries-think severe period cramps x100.  I was in tears and could barely walk the pain was so unbearable.  I took a shower & tried to relax, A nice cup of tea might have helped, but no liquid/food was allowed in my system after midnight last night.

6:30am:  6:30 seemed to take forever to come, as I sat in the living room, trying to get comfortable, and filling with anxiety, I finally heard my boyfriends alarm clock go off.  He was awake, half groggy and getting ready to hit the road for our 2 hour drive to the clinic, just outside of Boston.  As we got on the road the pain seemed to get worse and worse, every dip in the road, every bump caused shooting pain through my lower abdomen.  The 2 hour car ride, seemed to take forever and all I wanted to do was get out of the car and get some pain medications in my system.

8:30am: Finally, we were there, I started shaking from nerves as we walked into the clinic and were greeted by the receptionist..Upstairs we went to where they perform the egg retrievals.  I was feeling brave so I told Jamie, that he could sit in the waiting room, as I went in.  But when I walked in it hit me like a wall of bricks and the tears started flowing, so as quickly as I entered, I turned around and walked right out to get Jamie & bring him in with me.  Luckily, every other woman in there was joined by their significant other so i didn't feel so awkward, and we were not all donors...in fact, I'm pretty sure I was the only donor in the room since, the walls were just curtains I could hear all of the other couples speaking to each other about their dreams of babies, and it made me feel really great about what I was doing.  The nurse came in, introduced herself, put my IV in(I was already dehydrated & had a low grade fever).  I then met briefly with my anesthesiologist & doctor.

9:30am: 9:30 rolled around and it was time to head into the room where my retrieval would be done.  I walked into a room straight out of a movie, bright light shining right into where the doctor would be working & a mixture of nurses and doctors filled the room(about 4).  They helped me get situated on the table and the last thing I remember was my anesthesiologist telling me that he gave me some relaxation medications, my face felt tingly, so I asked if that was normal and then I was out.  I did not feel a thing during the retrieval.

10:00am:  I woke up in my recovery room in excruciating pain, crying a lot.  The pain was indescribable!!  I was told by the nurses that they were going to get Jamie and that I was crying and asking for my dog (mazy) I don't know why I was calling for Mazy, maybe because she is who I go to for comfort normally.  They gave me some pain medications through my IV and i instantly felt better.  It took me about 15-20 minutes to fully wake up and they told me that they retrieved 31 eggs! WOW!! They said that was a lot, and they were thrilled.  I was excited too, 31 eggs means that 4-5 families will get them, and hopefully all will conceive.  I donated to a frozen egg bank this time so I will not know who gets them or if they are successful, but I hope they are successful and I hope these families are grateful, although I'm sure they will be...

It is about 5:00pm and I am home now with some egg donation day gifts from my amazing boyfriend and his love and support by my side.  I have no regrets so far about this donation, although I am still in pain, so we will see how I recover over the next few days!



Thank you for reading about my day & learning about my egg donation!  Please, remember, if you have any questions please comment below or feel free to add me on Facebook.  As of today, I plan on donating again, so we will see where my life goes...I am definitely planning on taking a few months off though.  This experience has been truly rewarding, but also mentally, physically, and emotionally draining as well.

XOXOXO,

Needles, Bruises, and Giant Ovaries...OH MY!

So I have been logged out of social media and "work" for about a week now and I feel awful!!
Here is a quick update on what's going on in my life..

I am on day 7 of my egg donation cycle, and have my second cycle appointment tomorrow to check on how my cute little eggies are developing..

So i had my first appointment following the start of my medications(10/18) on Tuesday (10/22) where I had an ultrasound and some blood work.  My estrogen levels were at 144 which is exactly what they wanted.  They told me that I had alot of follicles on both my right and left ovaries with one measurable follicle at 9.4 in my left ovary.  They increased my Menopur injections to 150 units(previously 75 units) and have me continuing my Gonal F injections as 150 units.

My belly is a bit sore from all of the needles..and I have started to bleed a little bit after the Menopur injections, and bruise a little bit, as well.

Tomorrow I have an appointment for another ultrasound and bloodwork to see how my eggs are developing and im hoping for a retrieval date of Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.. YAY! 

My biggest concern is not being sedated enough and feeling the procedure.  Every step in this process I have psyched myself up for and made myself think that it was going to be much worse than it actually was, so hopefully my procedure will be the same thing.  So far everything has gone pretty smooth, up until now I have hardly any ovarian pain, and today it is much worse..think severe period cramps, but a little different.

I am still so excited and blessed to be able to give this gift to someone and through the needles and bruises and soreness..I just keep thinking about what an amazing gift I am giving.  I am so pleased with this process so far that I am already working with an agency for my future donations..They emailed me today to ask me when my retrieval is so that they can get started on adding me to the system.

I am planning on doing an open donation next time, to give it a more personal feeling.  I am super grateful and lucky to have such a supportive group, WAED, during this cycle as well as an amazing partner to help me when im feeling awful.  He has been bringing surprises home to me every few days to brighten my mood.

Please consider your support system if you are ever considering donating..In my opinion it is one of the most important things.  I could not do what I have done with this man right here!!!  

Thanks for reading, loves. Don't forget to follow me on: FACEBOOK!

XOXOX,

The Needle Of Fire...

As I was giving the first of my MANY injections last night I was dreading my first shot, the Gonal F Pen..The needle was tiny, maybe 1/2", but the thought of stabbing myself in my lower abdomen terrified me..Could I really do this, I thought to myself?  Was I strong enough to stop being scared and stick the needle in...So here I go...ONE...TWO...THREE...NOPE!  I can't do this, I said over and over, and then finally I stopped thinking, squinted my eyes, pinched my skin and in it went...so smooth!  Wow, that was easy and completely painless I thought to myself! I couldn't figure out what all of the fuss was about.

So, with my somewhat cocky, confident attitude, I mixed up my next injection for the night...the Menopur, and as the needle went in I felt a sharp BURNING sensation and out of my mouth poured a fountain of profanities that I didn't even know were in my vocabulary.  I have since named this injection, "The Needle Of Fire,"  and it is my least favorite medication, thus far!

Like many other things in my life, every day of my egg donation, I must remind myself of my "why"...that sounds familiar doesn't it?  My "why" for my egg donation is a different "why" than the one I have for taking control of my health & life a little over 6 months ago, but in every endeavor I pursue in my life I must always have a strong "why" that will remind me every day why I am sticking the needle of fire, as I like to call it into my lower abdomen.

I am doing this, so that someone out there in the world, someone who is longing to be a parent, can do so.  I am in no way shape or form the "parent" of this child, but I also know that this child or children will change the world in some small way!  I am a firm believer that everybody is placed on this earth for some reason, and every person's life has meaning!  Every experience I have in my life teaches me something, and so far I have already done so much learning about myself during this process.  I am learning to be selfless, which sometimes, I have a hard time doing.  I will admit it, I have my moments where I can be extremely selfish, but there is no room for that in my donation..I am just so blessed, I truly feel I am with 100% of my being.

I have an appointment for blood work & ultrasounds on Tuesday morning, to check and see how many eggies are in there so far, so I will of course update then!

And if you would like to follow my daily updates, please follow me on my facebook page!

XOXO,