What To Do During the 2WW

I am already thinking ahead to what to expect during the month of our IVF cycle. I want to be as emotionally prepared as possible. The first part is the medicated part. I'm definitely worried about the hormones and the roller coaster ups and downs of the different stims and the level checks and worrying about how many follicles are growing, etc. I know it will be tough, but there will be a lot of action. Lots of doctor appointments and checkups and shots and things like that. The part I'm most concerned about is the two-week-wait (2WW). Waiting for the pregnancy beta tests after the embryo transfer.

I am trying to come up with a list of things to do throughout the entire cycle, but especially during the hardest time of seemingly endless waiting. Since I don't have a regular job, I'll be home all day every day by myself. That's a lot of time, and I don't want to spend it obsessing over forums about pregnancy symptoms, etc. What I'm wondering is how much will I be able to do after the transfer? Will I be on bed rest? I'm sure I'll want to take it easy for a few days after the ET (embryo transfer), but what about the rest of the 2WW? If anyone reading the blog has been through IVF and has any advice or knowledge of how long to rest and what the restrictions might be, please comment and let me know.

I feel like I have tons of questions. Like can I work out? What about taking a trip to the mountains or something? Is there any danger in riding in a car for several hours? I want to find a balance between being careful and being too careful. I don't want to live in terror for 2 weeks that I'll do something that could potentially harm the embryos or keep them from implanting. I know it sounds silly, because people get pregnant all the time and go about their normal lives and activities for weeks or even months before they know they are even pregnant. /sigh. Still, IVF is a bit different and more delicate. I just want to do the right thing. 

And, most importantly, I want to learn to manage any stress that might come up. Part of that for me is going to be finding ways to occupy my mind during the worst of the rollercoaster and during the 2WW. Here's what I have in mind so far:

• Fable III - My sister gave me this game for my XBOX 360 for my birthday earlier this year, but I haven't had any time to play. Games are always a good way to distract me from worry or anything, because I can lose myself in it, but sitting on the couch is also pretty much bed rest anyway.
• Everquest II - Another game. This is an MMORPG that my husband and I play together. We actually met playing this game. We quit for a while but have gotten back into it, so I might spend more time playing during the 2WW.
• Reading - I have a huge stack of books to read. If I can find one or two that really occupy my mind, that would be awesome.
• Sex and the City Marathon - My favorite show EVER and even though I've seen every episode at least 3 or 4 times, I haven't seen them in years. I might go back and put on a marathon of the DVD's.
• Puzzles - My father-in-law brought by about eight puzzles for me to do because sometimes I like to work on them while I'm plotting my novels. I have only done one of them, so I could set up a table in front of the TV and do puzzles while watching TV or movies or SATC.

So far, those are my best at-home ideas. We are also throwing around the idea of taking some days off and either going to the beach or to the mountains. Both are relatively short drives away, but the beach is closer. Also, since the 2WW will probably be in early November, the beach will be much cheaper. It will be too cold to go swimming obviously, but we could still maybe walk along the beach and sit up on the balcony or wherever and enjoy the sound of the ocean. The ocean always calms me and makes me feel better, so it's definitely an option. We can't book anything ahead of time, because there's no way of knowing exactly when the transfer will be or what might have to change along the way. Still, that time of year, it shouldn't be hard to book it last minute if we need to get away.

I'm hoping time passes quickly and before we even know it, we're getting a positive beta result! Still, I want to be armed with lots of ways to pass the time that can totally get me out of my own head for a while if I need it. If anyone else has any fun suggestions, let me know!