30 Week!

Belly Bump at 30 weeks. We are getting a little camera happy around here this morning. My Mom made the ornament. We have them on the tree now.

Merry Christmas! Belly Bump, DH and Crazy Sisters

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Nicole

Sinus Issues! In December! And Updates

Are you kidding me? Since last Friday I have been sneezing, which then turned into coughing. I hate being sick..... or almost getting sick bc I am just not sure anything is ever OK to take while pregnant. But something had to be done bc it was starting to hamper my breathing. I tried some oc meds the doc recommended but nothing helped. So now I am on a Z-Pack for 5 days. Today is day two - and I have had some improvement. I had to cancel my business trip to Austin - bummer. However, I just didn't want to push things and end up with being really sick.

So we'll see how this goes.

In other news I am no longer on the T3 support. Dr. Hilgers recommend I take it up to 28 weeks. WOW time has flown by!

Still taking progesterone injections.... I am now down to having a blood draw every 3 weeks to monitor my levels. With the support I am trending normal. So we'll stick with the continued injections.

We are in week 5 of our Bradley Classes. Over the Christmas travels we'll stop in FTW and actually attend a class. The DVD's have been helpful... It just will be nice to be with the class. We are learning sooooo much. The hospital birthing classes offered in our area are nothing compared to what the method has covered so far. George is being great at watching the DVD's too. Its really a husband coached method.

So thats it for now. I'll leave you with a picture we picked up this past weekend. Its the first in decorating the babies room.

24 Weeks

24 Weeks!

Limits!

This weekend we took to the backyard and cleared out the flower beds. I spent most of my time pulling weeds and trimming down old flowers. I didn’t feel like I was over doing anything. The weather was nice, we had light jackets on and George was working on hanging the lights on the house as I worked in the garden. In the end, George did most of the racking and piled things in the wheelbarrow to haul off to the trash. I felt great.

Later on Saturday night: About 10pm my hands started to feel a little sore. By midnight they were full on hurting. I tried ice and heat – nothing was helping. The pain was so bad I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. Now nothing was swelling, turning blue or visibly looking like it hurt… they just were hurting.

How do you fall asleep when your hands are hurting to the point of making you sick? Normally I would have taken a muscle relaxer and gone to bed. But since I am pregnant I had to find other ways..and so far ice and heat were not working. So George talked me through some relaxation techniques we are learning with the Bradley Method. They worked – I actually fell asleep some time after midnight!

However, shortly after 2am I was awake again! I sat there rocking back and forth while I rubbed my hands. Again I dozed off, all to wake again after 3am. This time I headed out to the living room. Now my legs were starting to hurt. The feeling was a tingle soreness feeling that was so intense I started to get frightened. I was gathering it was from the yard work – but how was I going to make it stop? Or when was it going to stop? It was the middle of the night… if it were the afternoon I would have called my OB office. George woke up and came out to the living room to check on me. He tried rubbing my hands – but it wasn’t helping or improving anything.

I looked on the internet and decided eating some bananas may help since they are recommended with muscle cramps. So I tried some bananas and headed back to bed. George worked on rubbing my leg and talking me through the Bradley techniques again. I fell asleep shortly after and stayed asleep until 9am! Finally! I woke Sunday to feel sore, but the pain was better. However, after a night like that, I just took naps all day on Sunday to try and get caught up on some sleep.

Lesson learned – while pregnant, you have to stop when you have done enough, not when you feel you have done enough. I should have stopped after the backyard portion was done instead of plowing to the front yard. Knowing your limits can save pain later.

Growing Pains....

Ouch! This weekend we hit the 25 week mark and I started experiencing what I would call growing pains. Around the bottom sides of my belly I am feeling aches and sharp pains every once and awhile. I guess I am getting to the point of stretching the skin and muscles.

We also can actually see the baby moving around in there. It looks like little pokes from behind a sheet. Being pregnant is so weird. I never knew it would feel this way.

Still taking progesterone – I have noticed a GREAT improvement when George goes slower with the shot. It takes over 3mins for 100mg. But the bump is not as great and the skin reaction has decreased. However, I am still so itchy. UGH! The following day I could just about go crazy!

Still taking T3 – I’ll take this until 28 weeks.

Doctor visit: last week Thursday we had a check-up. Everything looks great! I gained 4lbs and the babies HR was 156. We asked a ton of questions about labor & delivery. I am so surprised at the lack of information that is given to help explain/prepare us for labor and delivery. The only reason we know anything at this point is because we have gone looking for it. It’s just like the flipside when it comes to your fertility. The doc is just gonna give you the BCP unless you seek out additional information to learn your cycle. I wish they valued woman more and would at least make the info available, take it or leave it. The good news or at least I hope it means something, the doctor said I will do great in L&D because I am so tall and lean. So coupled with my knowledge on what to expect (and learning how to manage) and my body – we have good expectations for delivery.

In our Bradley classes – we are learning about relaxing. I noticed this morning (when a few aches and sharp pains were coming on) I really tense up. If I focus on relaxing, it’s not as bad or not bad at all. Tensing your body really does increase the sensation of pain. I am also doing kegels, pelvic rocks, relax sitting and squats regularly.

The BIG accomplishment this week – we switched the bedrooms! We now have a guestroom/office and a reading room/baby room in the making. After we were done we looked back at everything and made the comments, “This is sooooo much better, why didn’t we do this earlier?” So between cleaning out the frig on Saturday (full cleanout with draws and shelves getting a good washing) getting the rooms flipped and organized, I would say I am starting the nesting phase. I’ll post pictures later this evening.

Took a little dip....

They just called from PPVI - 66 is my new level, high zone 2. Will continue with the shots.

I am 24 weeks now. WOW where does the time go? We are over 1/2 way there! I am feeling the baby kick WAY more now. I have an appointment on Thursday. Dont expect anything new, but I have a few questions for the doctor.

We started Bradley Classes this past Friday night. I want to make sure I am as educated as possible to prepare for whats ahead. Education is the easiest way to remove any fear. The class was about 2 hours long and we really got A LOT out of it. Its husband coached and George seems very interested in everything so far. The first class talked a lot about exercises and eating right. We'll watch week 2 this Friday. Since we are doing the class long distance, I am pretty excited about meeting our instructor in December. George and I will be in DFW for a few days and sit in on class week 10. I am not sure what things will look like or how I will feel come March - but at least I will be informed and not looking at the nurse asking her what to do with my choices.

Awesome New Video for NaproTECHNOLOGY

Also, www.fertilitycare.com has launched a new website. Good stuff!

Giving Shots & Thoughts on the Bradley Method

George has been great with everything from surgery in Omaha (twice) to HCG shots post ovulation, charting, reminding me to take all my meds, and now more shots with progesterone. Recently the shots were starting to really hurt. It almost felt like I had a box of rocks I was sitting on from week to week due to the knots that developed.

However, now I think we found a winning solution - go really, really, really slow. On Thursday of last week he took over 3 mins to inject the meds in. I counted off in groups of 10 seconds and George stayed on pace. This has improved my post experience. Little itching, no pain the next day and no real knots to make of. For someone who HATES shots – this is not all that bad.

In other developments… has anyone heard of the Bradley Method? We have good friends in Chicago who used the method and loved it. Given my track record with doctors I was really trying to seek out a program that would give me the BEST understanding of birth… and include my husband in that too. We are starting classes this week via a remote instructor from Dallas. (We don’t have anyone in the Amarillo area). If you have any experience with the method I would love to hear your thoughts. While I know I am not able to plan for everything… like fertility, I like to learn and know about all my options.

Going up!

PPVI just called from my Monday blood draw. Progesterone is 68! She said if I stay like this I could come off the shots! It was a really nice rise from last time.

In other shot news. I have been really sore recently. I asked her about it and she said George needed to do the shot REALLY SLOW. Like take 3 mins to get it in. So we are going to try that over the next two weeks. Just a tip for those who are in my same shoes.

Our first photo of GC!

We had a sono done on Thursday. This was the best scan I could get off the film they gave us. The baby did a big yawn for us and moved around a little. It was playing with its toes, too funny. They said I should drink a little OJ before my next appointment so we can see more pictures bc it will move around more. Each day I feel more and more movement. This morning was funny bc I could feel the movement on my hand as I was holding my belly. Its so unreal.

We are calling the little bug GC - General Classification. Its a cycling term used in racing that means everyone is working to get the GC to the finish line. They support the rider with food, information, and pulling up the hills. We still dont know the sex... and having fun not knowing.

I have more pictures to upload... one at 6 weeks, 9 weeks, and 12 weeks. Its amazing, from a little bean with a heart beat to this!

Levels went up, 51.5

PPVI just called, my levels went up a little. They are in high Zone 2. They say things look good and I will continue at 100mg x 2 a week.

In other baby updates. We are feeling the baby. Its so funny. Feels like popcorn popping. Last night I was trying to show George the new Michael Buble CD. The baby started moving around to where George could feel it. Then we switched to country music... and more movement. So George started singing, "God is great, beer is good and people are crazy..." - it was pretty funny. The baby is pretty active at night. Just like me :)

Thanks for all your prayers. We have an us appointment on Thursday this week. I'll post the pictures on Friday.

Resources: www.naprotechnology.com/progesterone.htm

While I am waiting for my results....

Check out this interesting post on "Thinking Pink" - Its from Jenny over at The Great Deception. I love her stuff. Great resources too!

Waiting for results

I am waiting on a call from PPVI for my progesterone blood draw from yesterday. Did I go up? Can I have a break from the shots? More to come.....

19 Weeks Today

George and I went to Dallas last weekend to buy some maternity clothes. I have to give a shot out to Destination Maternity off 635. They were so helpful and now I feel good about my body. My regular clothes were getting too tight, and the sundress below was not going to cut it anymore. We have a low of 28 degrees for tonight!

Things are going well. I am still sick in the morning, no biggie. Eating well and taking my vitamins. We have an u/s appointment at the end of the month... Did I tell you, we are NOT going to find out the sex of the baby. Its killing everyone around us more than us...LOL. It will be fun.

Great NFP Video!

I came across this video over on NFPWork Blog. Good Stuff! I love it.

Two quotes from the men in this video: "NFP, Training a man how to love a woman" and "...you appreciate the complexity of your wife"

The video moved me so much bc it actually makes me sad. I have a degree in marketing and currently working on my MBA. While I have been trained in NFP for the past 5 years I really struggle in the Amarillo Diocese. Its a long story... with a lot of pain. There is nothing more that I want than to put my degree in marketing to use when it comes to teaching about NFP. Maybe one day I will get to mix the two together. Until then, the Amarillo community is really missing out on avenues like this!

Progesterone Went Up a Little

Levels from Monday are 44.2 - high zone 2. So PPVI said to continue shots and draw again in two weeks.

17 Weeks Bump

A picture from last night. I am still trying to get comfortable with the changes.

Everything is looking good.

We had our 3rd local OB appointment yesterday. It was pretty simple and fast. I asked him a bunch of questions about the flu shot - food to eat or not eat - sleeping in the same room if George got sick etc. He checked the baby's heart rate - 156. Said that was good.

The other two appointments were more fun. He did a sono at those. So counting the one Dr. Hilgers wanted at 6 weeks we previously had sonos at every visit. To see the cute little arms, and legs was so neat. In 4 weeks I'll have my big sono where they measure everything. We are still NOT finding out the sex of the baby. Our friends and family are going nuts about it. Nor are we telling names. I guess 15% of couples dont find out the sex of the baby these days. We think its fun :)

Tomorrow I'll be 17 weeks!

I am still doing the shots. 100mg 2 x a week. I'll have another draw on Monday. George did pretty good with last nights shot. I am not even sore today! Little did he know when he married me we would be on this path. What a great husband.

UPDATE - Waiting for results

---Update---
So PPVI just called and I am at 41.3 for my progesterone. Worries me a little... but they say not to worry and I will continue at 100mg 2x/week and draw again on the 28th.

-------------------------------------------

The last few shots have been a pain in the butt. I am waiting for PPVI to call today with my latest draw #'s for progesterone.


Last time I realized they ran the blood work here in Amarillo. When we run everything in Omaha. Maybe that had something to do with the results showing it dropped. I just hope I responded over the last two weeks. We have a doc appointment on Thursday next week. I have no reason to worry - I am still throwing up in the morning, and everything is fine. I just like knowing the numbers.

UPDATE - - Shots, Ouch!

Well I am here to say, George was a little low on my progesterone shot last week and I felt it for about 7 days! Almost dead center with it.

For those who are on the shots, if you divide the area into fours and focus on the top corner, it hurts a LOT less. Since Monday he has been a little more accurate, and it has been pain free.

I am waiting for my results from my blood work yesterday to see how I am doing after I took a dip. I have a riot of a story to share about the blood draw.... I'll post more tonight.

Sickness. I am 15 weeks now and much better. I still get sick every morning. But I am back to eating. Thank goodness. I lost so much weight over the two months I was sick.

-----Update------not for the faint of stomach--------Update--------

So I hate, hate, hate needles. Once when I was little and found out you had to have an IV when you have a baby, I told my mom I didnt want to ever have babies! Well, as you can imagine, I have been stuck a few times in the last year and 1/2 with surgery and blood draws. BUT still I freak out.

So Monday I went at 4pm in hopes of avoiding the after work crowd. Well I didnt avoid the crowd. There were tons of people in the waiting room. As I walked in a cute little old lady walked in behind me. She was giving her info while I was giving mine. As I hear, "Oh I was born in 1927" - I start freaking out thinking...."Oh her poor little old lady arms and skin. How are they ever gonna get the NEEDLE in there" - thats my nuts oh mind running while I am trying to remain calm bc they are gonna be sticking me in a second.

So they take me back to the room. Which btw has two chairs and no curtain to block you from others. So they sit me down (all the chairs are right arm) well I want them to do my left arm bc my right still has the stick from 2 weeks ago. So imagine, I am sitting there with my left arm folded over my body with an attempts to look over my left shoulder as to not see the NEEDLE. Well right as she is getting me ready, they bring in the lady born in 1927 - to sit where I can see them working on her.... and I am also facing the hallway.

So she ties my arm off, and before she swabs me, she is talking with someone else in this freakish small room, I see a man in his 60s come walking down the hall BLEEEDING from his arm. Like the band-aid is not helping... blood is coming out somebody help HIM! Its about to drip all over the PLACE. So I scream! "Yikes, his arm is bleeding!!!" and pull my left arm over my eyes and away from the lady.

My lady says, "Look at me, its his arm not yours you are OK" - so I quickly put my arm down, and say. "Just do it, before I get up and leave"

So she does, and its fine, doesnt hurt, and she says, "Hon, you are shaking are you OK?" - I said I was fine, just a little freaked out! She finished up, put a band-aid on and I got the hell out there!

UGH! I'll be back in two weeks! You think in todays world we would have a better way to get blood out of the body. I am also sure there is an evil villain out there named Mr. Needles - at least he would make a frightening comic book character!

In the end, its all for the baby. And I can do it. But I will still freak out! :) Hope you got a good laugh out of my story. My Mom did :)

Catholic Radio

My very good friend Mandy was on Catholic Radio in Fort Worth.

If you would like to listen, you can go to www.grnonline.com and click on "Podcast" link on the left. She was on the 9/7/09 show during the last 15 mins., so just fastforward to that part.

I think she did a great job and so knowledgeable on the subject. Great job Mandy!

Progesterone Went Down a Little

My level from yesterdays draw (wow they shipped it to Omaha FAST, or the stupid lab here didn't listen and ran it here) was 44.9. So it dropped from 53. They want me to start the shots again 100mg x 2 per week. I thought I was doing so well.

2nd Doctors Visit...waiting on progesterone

Well we saw the local OB last week and things went well.

I gained 1lb - which is better than nothing

Baby looks good

I am still not able to keep a prenatal vitamin down - doctor said its nothing to worry about

I wont go back again for 4 weeks. I need to keep eating. Things are improving.

Its been two weeks w/o progesterone injections. I had a blood draw today that will ship up to Omaha. Pending the results I either still have good levels for progesterone - or it will have slipped and we'll start injections again. I should hear from PPVI by Thursday morning. I'll post my numbers when they call.

If you have it as bad as I do

Morning sickness has been a 24/7 thing for me. George was going to pop up to the airport and ask for any extra flight sickness bags since I am prone to get sick at any time. Well, thanks to this fabulous lady, I can get sick in style. AND they are less expensive than the ones you buy at Wal.greens.

We got them in the mail yesterday and I took one to church tonight, bc I would just be horrified if I got sick out on the sidewalk. They fold up and fit in your pants pocket. They are way fancy and better looking than the grocery bag I carried around for the past two months. http://www.morningchicnessbags.com/

Just thought I would share

Progesterone Update #2

So every two weeks I have blood taken to check my progesterone levels. Draw # 3 8/17/09 showed levels at 53 zone 4. So as of now I am off the injections. It looks like my body is producing enough on its own. However, we will draw again in two weeks to monitor the progress.

Its kinda unusual to not be taking a shot every Monday and Thursday... but PPVI assured me that this is what will happen if the body starts producing.

I see my local OB on Thursday. I will be 12 weeks and 5 days. I'll let you know how it goes.

Progesterone Update

So while I was at my local OB last week I was kinda nervous that he might not like the idea of me working with a doctor 12 hours away. When I got to the point of talking surgery updates, T3 and progesterone he was open. Yea! I fax him anything PPVI runs. All is good.

I have been on progesterone injections since July 6th. Just wanted to update you on how things are going:

7/20/09 First blood draw I was low - 23.3 ng/mL zone 2 - nurse says Dr. Hilgers wants me to stay on 200mg injections 2xweek.

5/7/09 Second blood draw I was better at 43 ng/mL zone 4 - nurse called to say I could reduce the amount of injection to 1o0mg 2xweek.

I'll keep you posted on how I do. Its every two weeks that I have my blood taken. I have read some ladies talk about how painful the injections are. I dont think they hurt, maybe thats bc I was an ornery kid and got spankings :) - but to share some tips. George warms up the vial of meds by rolling it around between his hands. While he does that I ice my backside down. I almost dont feel the cotton ball swipe he uses to clean the area. Then after he gets the needle in I count off in 10 sec increments - it keeps me focused on something and him knowledgeable on how long it's taking. He goes nice and slow, very slow. Afterwards he rubs the area and we talk about the day. It doesn't hurt. But like I said, it could have been those spankings from those days I drove my mother nuts.

Other updates. The thing I did this cycle that was the most different, a couple girls have asked, was take the Fertile CM as DIRECTED. Previously, I was taking 3 pills all at once, two at a time, skipping even one a day. Directions say three times a day and plenty of water. My CM was way better this cycle.

I also started eating gluten free. While it only was a month, I was feeling a lot better. I dont attribute this change to as much as the Fertile CM. But it was something different.

Current status: I am soooooo sick. I am not even working anymore. Actually just PT from home (my boss is awesome and the rest of the staff understands). Some days I throw-up 4 times a day... others are better and worse. I have tried everything besides prescription drugs. It pretty much came on 100% on July 6th. So I've had a month to manage. I have lost 11lbs as of last Wednesday. Doc wasn't too concerned. However, he did say he wants to see me in three weeks instead of 4. Just to check on the weight. I'll start posting bell pictures soon.

The baby looks great. Last week we saw the heartbeat, arms, legs and facial bones. It was so surreal. Doc said everything was healthy.

Thank you for everyones well wishes. Our Catholic faith is so beautiful. It was because of my friend Mandy (who taught me Creighton in Fort Worth) that George and I brought this teaching into our marriage, that alerted me to signs that I was sick, that kept me focused on the bigger picture. This is Gods plan. If I wouldn't have known Creighton... none of this story would happen... if it wasn't for Dr. Hilgers I would still be back in my first OB's office frustrated.

Thanks for all your support. PS the only reason I waited so long to say something on this blog is bc people in town would have found out before I could tell my boss. Since I was so sick at work and he was on vacation, I wanted to make sure I could get to him at the right time. Now that work knows, I'll make sure to keep updates flowing....

Good News - We're Pregnant

Well its been a long road in the making.

I knew back in August 2005 that something was wrong. We held off on TTC until August 07... and couple months into it, since we were charting and the pain continued, we knew the TTC was going nowhere. My body was sick. So the journey began with PPVI and Dr. Hilgers.

10 months after surgery and following monthly orders from Dr. Hilgers we conceived.

For the first time ever I made it to 16dpo and knew something was different. Since I was taking HCG shots we headed over for a blood draw on day 17, sure enough my levels were high. Since I have a history of low progesterone, I have been taking natural progesterone for 4 years now, we immediately started injections as fast as Kubats could send them to us here in Amarillo. My levels are still borderline, so I will continue to stay on them. My DH gives them to me on Monday and Thursday nights. I thought they were going to really hurt, but they dont. Actually the HCG was worse.

Today I am 10 weeks and 1 day. We just had our first local OB appointment. Why do they wait so long to see you? We had an u/s and confirmed everything looks great. I am very nauseous and nothing that is safe to take is helping. Its OK, I have gotten use to getting sick a couple times a day and have a great boss that is letting me work from home.

I'll use the blog to keep you updated on how things are going. In the meantime, for those who know my husband and me very well you know we have more bicycles in the garage than people in the house. We'll we already added another one. Enjoy the picture. :)

Dry Spell....

Thought I would share something from Jennifer over at Conversion Diary. Its about spiritual dry spells. I found it very interesting. If you dont follow Jennifer, she has some really great Catholic posts.

Dr. Hilgers on national radio - Wed July 8

Wednesday, July 8, 2009, Dr. Thomas Hilgers, President of FCCA and Director of the Pope Paul VI Institute, will be interviewed by Patrick Coffin on Catholic Answers Radio. The interview is being conducted at 6 p.m. CDT. They are some tape delays.

To find times and listings of radio stations go to www.catholic.com/radio/stations.asp

Becoming Healthier, Follow Directions!

Just an update on this last cycle. I have NEVER been one to follow Dr.'s order - BAD! Well let me say, I think I am following them... but not really. I take all the meds they tell me to, but sometimes I forget the morning ones and try to take everything at lunch....or even dinner. The only one I am pretty good at is T3 - every 12 hours.

This is what I am currently on:
Daily Vitamin
B6 - 500mg sustained release
Fertile CM starting CD 10 until P+3 (TAKEN 3 X's a day)

Since taking FCM - January 09...I sometimes take FCM all at once say after dinner bc I forgot about it all day... so I wasnt getting the full benefit of it of having it in my system all day. This last cycle I followed everything as I should, and it really improved my CM!!! I had textbook quality!!! And it increased the number of days too. Im just sayin, maybe I should have followed directions from day one.

Todays lesson - follow doctors orders as he says!

Endometriosis Diet Question

For those of you with endometriosis, do you follow a certain diet? I have researched a little out there.... but was wondering what luck some of you may have had. Since my body is prone to this disease, I thought I may try to be proactive in helping my body with the right food. Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks!

Good Information...

Here is a great resource for NFP. Because George and I are using NFP - Creighton Model - in our marriage, we knew something was developing with my body. What a blessing the church teaching has on sexuality.

"The body, and it alone," John Paul says, "is capable of making visible what is invisible, the spiritual and divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world, the invisible mystery hidden in God from time immemorial, and thus to be a sign of it" (February 20, 1980).

Traveling with HCG?

Anyone have any experience with traveling and taking your HCG with you? My husband and I will be traveling in the car for an upcoming wedding and need to bring the HCG with us. I am told as long as we keep it cold, like in a cooler, it should be OK. Just wondering if anyone out there has had to do the same and can give me some tips.

I am on CD 15.

Home... Thank Goodness

Just a short update on the current plan, now that I am home.

This is what I am taking, if anyone has comments I would love to hear if you had any success on the same formula:

Daily Vitamin

B6 - 500mg sustained release

Fertile CM starting CD 10 until P+3

and we'll start back up with HCG this month too

ALSO - T3 every 12 hours. Now for those who have talked about T3 before and questioned seeing improvement, a little story... Last year I went to my eye doc with some serious night vision issues. It turned out my eyes were becoming very dry. Almost to a level of dangerous damage that he was going to take me off my contact lenses. The eye doc gave me some prescription eye drops and we hoped for improvement.

2 months later I am put on T3 with Dr. H.ilgers office. At my yearly appt with my eye doc (another 4 months later) he looked at my eyes, looked at the chart, looked at my eyes and looked at the chart. He then asked about my mention of T3 and how long I had been on it. Long story short - he says what my eyes were doing is a symptom of thyroid issues and the T3 has reversed my condition which he had not expected. He praised me on being aware of my health and said I had helped my eyes. There are other improvements I'll have to make a whole post on some time. More to come later....

Connection with Endo and Periodontal Disease...

A friend of mine sent me this article.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility suggest a possible association between endometriosis and periodontal disease.

Missing days, due to all this travel

Well I must say, the past two months have been filled with travel. Mid March we went to San Antonio with friends to visit my family, then I traveled to Vegas for business (ugh, I didn't like Vegas), then to Lubbock for class.... all to turn around and have DHleave for vacation to see his grandparents... to then have one week together, and I was off to Dallas for a conference... but wait, I came home for two nights and now I am sitting at a tea cafe in CHICAGO! So, long story short I stopped HCG shots for the past two months bc we were gonna miss some days, AND I am in no WAY able to give myself the injections.

Speaking of HCG, does anyone out there have issues with your face breaking out when you are on them? My face is horrible during and after the shots. It gets to the point where it actually hurts.

I have more traveling at the end of the month.... but DH is coming with me for that trip.

Until the next post... I need to get some homework done.

Did My Part

Well, it has been a month since I sent my "update packet" to my four doctors here in Amarillo. As you have read two responded and two did not - 50% response rate, not bad.

I feel good about the follow-up action I took. Too often we go from doctor to doctor seeking help...and instead of leaving a trail of unanswered problems, I look at my letters as my way of sewing up the loose ends. They may not listen to us, but at least I put the information out there and on their desks!

Keep up the good fight ladies!

I will now use this blog as a way to share my details of hormone help with Dr. Hilgers office. I am currently being treated with T3, HCG shots and a few other things. Stay connected for more details....

Dr. #1 Responds - Hurt Ego?

Dr. #1 responded last week to my follow-up package where I addressed him with a personal letter, post op report, photos of my endo and a CD with a radio interview of Dr. Hilgers and surgical techniques for removing endometriosis.

Last week Monday, a package arrived in the mail from Dr. #1 office and included: copies of all my records and a handwritten note. He states, “….While I see you followed the philosophy of Dr. Hilgers in Omaha NE, I follow the philosophy of Dr. X and Dr. X in Dallas Texas……(he agrees to disagree) …..We asked you to come back to us if the pain continued, however you did not comply with follow-ups. (He is just covering his butt here, I did come back saying I was in pain, for at least 12 months worth… he was the first OB I went to in 2005! How many times do I need to come back?) I am happy you are better. Sincerely, Dr. #1”

So I thought that was professional, yet he is covering his butt with saying I was not following his orders. And the doctors he follows treats endo with the birth control pill – which we did not want to have in my BODY!!!!! All in all, not a bad response.

Here is the kicker… at the end of the week I get another package. It has a brochure for living with endometriosis and my CD with Dr. Hilgers radio address… HA! Talk about bruising someone’s ego! If he didn’t want to listen to the CD he could have just tossed it. Not to mention, the brochure is pointless… I am not living with endometriosis any more you clown! Dr. Hilgers removed it, and now things are better! Not to mention, the brochure talks about taking the pill for endo and living with the pain. Goodness, this is America; I wish more doctors would get serious about WOMENS HEALTH!!!!

Doc #2 Responds - Really, Come ON!

About a week ago I sent a package to all the Amarillo doctors who missed my diagnosis for endometriosis. The package included: photos from my May 2008 Lap where Dr. Hilgers took picture of the endometriosis and the cyst, the post op report from the major surgery in September where Dr. Hilgers removed all the endometriosis and cyst, a CD from a radio interview where Dr. Hilgers talks about his surgical techniques and how endometriosis should be treated and finally a letter addressing all this.

Doctor #2 sent me a certified letter saying, “Doctor #2 office will not be able to offer you or your family any more services. We are removing you as a client” - it also had something about an unpaid balance, so I immediately called. Turns out the unpaid balance statement was a mistake, but the receptionist said, “She is refusing to have you or anyone in your family as a client, please don’t call here anymore.” I asked why, and she said they received my letter and don’t want me as a client anymore. WOW - I tried to share how I had been helped, she sent a certified letter to saying she wasn’t interested any more. Nice.

Finally, the pain goes away....

Dr. Thomas Hilgers, “Surgical removal of endometriosis carries with it the best chance for success, both in terms of pain relief and in subsequent pregnancies. However, if the surgeon is not adequately trained to be able to provide a good surgical approach which will remove the endometriosis while preventing subsequent adhesions, the chances for success are quite limited.” - NaproTechnology website

After I returned to Amarillo from my surgery in May I had to wait “3 more cycles” before returning for the laparotomy at the beginning of September. I started measuring everything in how many times I was gonna have to hurt again. You see at this point the pain is so bad that my only relief is pacing the living room floor. I would walk circles around the couch. My pain would mainly occur at night and in the morning. I would tell George, “I know I can just push through this and things will be OK”. I would be so sleepy, but the second I would stop walking it would grow again in intensity. I think my days were not as bad as my nights because I walk around so much. However, if I would be at my desk for very long during that time of my cycle, the pain would come back. Towards the end I was taking vicodin for the pain. It helped those last few months, but the power began to wear off.

Finally September arrived. George and I made the 12 hour car ride to Omaha for a second time. We arrived 2 days before surgery to enjoy some of the city. Tuesday morning we met Dr. Hilgers in the pre-op room to review the surgery. He asked how I had been doing, and I explained things had increased in intensity. He explained what he was going to be doing, what I could expect after and said he would find George right after to tell him how everything went. Now here is something else, after meeting and knowing Dr. Hilgers, this is a man I know will put my health and fertility above and beyond everything else. I never felt that with other doctors I saw. They always rushed me in and out of their office. If something was going to go wrong during the surgery, I wanted Dr. Hilgers to be the doctor that would have to make the decision on what to do...and share that with my husband. However, praise God, everything went well. I was in surgery for 4 hours, and Dr. Hilgers came out and told George it was a 10 out of 10! He got it all. Including the area on my bladder. It wasn’t until after surgery that I realized the pressure I felt when going to the bathroom was actually the growth of endometriosis on my bladder. Since the surgery and removal of the endometriosis on my bladder - no more pressure. YEA! They brought me out of surgery and I spent the next 3 days in the hospital recovering. We headed back to Texas a week after the surgery. I took a month off from work and my Mom came up to take care of me.

Four months later I am better. In fact I almost feel like I am 15 again. I remember being a teen and always so nervous about when your period was going to come. I literally feel no cramping leading up to the start of my menstruation. I have gone from blinding pain where I thought I would pass out....to nothing! Since I chart my cycle every month I know my period follows 13 days after I pinpoint my peak (ovulation)... so I am prepared.

Why did it take so much to finally find help? Why is it that my husband knows more about this condition than his buddy that went to medical school? My story is a common one, and it’s not right.

I have more stories to tell concerning my cycle - low progesterone and PMS, thyroid issues and additional topics. Stay tuned for more follow-ups to how I took control of my own health.

Again, if you want more information visit www.naprotechnology.com. There are doctors like Dr. Hilgers in all areas of the country practicing NaproTechnology. Should you need more questions answered, feel free to email me.

The Doctor that was Best for Me

I left Doc #5 with the assurance he was doing all he knew how to do. However, we were not really ready to get pregnant (just for the case of stopping the pain) and I was unsure of his abilities for performing a lap and what he would do with whatever he found. I have heard so many stories of women having to have this procedure repeated every few years. After suffering for so long and the pain growing in intensity, I wanted to try and find someone who specialized in endometriosis removal. Someone who had a track record of success.

Back in 2005 I became a FertilityCare Practitioner in the Creighton FertilityCare Model - a program that teaches women about their gynecological health. I mainly teach women about the fertile and infertile times of their cycle. However, through charting you can pinpoint problems that will give you a better understanding of your overall health. It is with charting your cycle and having a doctor work naturally with your problems that NaproTechnology comes into focus. Dr. Thomas Hilgers is the MD who developed the program, and the doctor I was determined to now see. Being a Creighton FCP - I knew what I needed from my MD, but as you can see from my story no one had answers for me.

In August of 2007, I became a patient of Dr. Hilgers. It takes a long time to enter his rotation of available appointments, but his nurses are great. After filling out the initial paperwork I was sent a copy of the book, “Women Healed” - its like a chicken soup for the soul format about all the different issues women have and how with NaproTechnology, you can be healed. After some initial blood work and charting a few more cycles, he was willing to put me into rotation for my laparoscopy.

After 6 months of waiting, George and I found ourselves driving to Omaha, NE in May 2008. Dr. Hilgers knew he would find the cyst and assumed he would find endometriosis - but to what degree? I went in for surgery and when I came out I had good news and bad. #1 he was going to be able to help me, #2 I required more surgery.

He found stage 2 endometriosis and would need to perform a laparotomy on me to remove all the growth. I had it everywhere - my right ovary, the broad ligaments (beneath the ovaries), uterosacral ligaments (supporting structures of the cervix containing sensory nerves from the uterus), and pouch of Douglas - peritoneum between the rectum and the cervix, and the bladder. AND, the cyst was causing a problem after all, you see the weight of it was dragging the tube away from my right ovary, so no eggs are making it into the tube to be fertilized. It’s like a weight on a fishing line....the line is at the bottom of the pond, instead of sitting just below the waterline. He needs to remove the cyst to return functionality to the tube so I could have a chance of getting pregnant off that ovary too. This too would require the laparotomy.

Let me be very clear at this point, because this is what makes him different....on a serious cases like mine, he believes in removing all the endometriosis and then closing each area that was just removed. Here is the link to his site talking about this exact procedure http://www.naprotechnology.com/surgical.htm

And this is why I will wait another 4 months to see him. On more post to follow... my surgery took place September 2008.

Doc #5

I am at a total loss for where to turn next. Each month my cycle repeats with pain. And each month I try the best I can. I sleep with a heating pad to sooth the cramping, George and I are not having much sex to speak of bc it hurts so much, I am constantly taking over the counter painkillers and nothing is getting better. In fact things are getting worse. There are more days filled with pain and the pain is growing in intensity. In a given monthly cycle I hurt for 2 of the five weeks. There are days at the office were I just sit there barely able to move out of my office chair.

We are now a year and 1/2 into this process and no one will help me. Have you ever felt so alone? Doctors are suppose to listen to you and help. But I am getting brushed right out the door.

It’s the spring of 2007 and things begin to get a little better. I have a referral from a friend to see Doc #5. His nurse staff takes great attention to listen to me. When I see Doc #5 he is concerned about the cyst and orders that we have another ultrasound of it. He wants to see if it has grown and get better measurements of everything else. The files I brought with me are not enough for his liking, he wants to get better pictures. He mentions that he is concerned I may have endometriosis, but says there isn’t much he can do. He is willing to do a lap on me to confirm his thoughts, however, if we are thinking kids in the immediate future he would prefer we try to get pregnant. He feels the lap will just complicate things now. If we have trouble getting pregnant he is open to getting more aggressive with surgery.

At this point in my journey I am beginning to see that your regular OB/GYN really doesn’t know what to do with a possible endometriosis case but two things: #1 prescribe the birth control pill (which will stop the growth of the endometriosis, but the problem is still very much there and may cause more problems to deal with later) and #2 get pregnant.

I really appreciate the attention this new doctor is giving me. He seems concerned about the cyst and we schedule an ultrasound that week. It turns out the cyst seems very normal (and is common for those who suffer from endometriosis). However, while its a normal cyst, is there anything more to worry about? I am still in so much pain. Are we really OK to try and get pregnant? All of this is taking place the summer of 2007. We have been married for 2 years and we are open to starting our family....but something was still nagging at me.