Yesterday I attempted to cancel my 3 month follow up with Dr. C scheduled for today. Seeing as we are taking a needed break, hubby and I decided it would probably be best to forgo the appointment and reschedule for after vacation. Then I was told I'd have to pay $100 cancellation fee.
It was pretty silly to drive all the way to work for 8am, then have to leave at 8:45am, so I took the morning to pull myself together and conjure up a plan of what to say to this man. I arrived for my appointment at 9:30am and patiently sat in the waiting room until 9:45am until Barbara came to take me in. Barbara happens to be my Creighton Model teacher, but works part time for Dr. C. She's a bubble of energy every time I see her.
She takes my weight, blood pressure, and pulse. Then we open up my charting, and begin looking things over. Seeing as I've been charting once a week, things aren't 100% accurate. But they are good enough. (I haven't been charting everyday. I find I become obsessed with it which contributed to my break down.) She notices the same thing I do. This month has been my best cycle in over 4 months. However, my mucus cycle is longer than usual, which can indicate an ovarian cyst. So that was briefly discussed.
She soon leaves and Dr. C comes in about 10 mins later. And then it began.
I had everything worked out in my head. But his slow approach always seems to throw me off. He takes some time to look over my chart, then glances at his past notes. We then begin discussing that Chris and I are taking a slight break, mostly from the meds. We aren't "trying", but we aren't being careful. He agrees that that may be a good idea, for us mentally. He said he cringed when he saw that I was on his schedule for today, because we've been struggling and trying for so long. (He truly cares.)
As we talk, we somehow end up discussing the following. Don't ask me how, or in what order, but this is what he has come up with. (At least what I left with.)
1. He wants to retest my thyroid levels, seeing as I've been off the meds for awhile. If the levels are up, I'll be going back on Levothyroxine.
2. He wants to test my Progesterone and Estrogen levels, verify if I have a cyst or not.
3. He wants me to go back on Low Dose Naltrexone. He believes there is something definitely wrong with my body, and that it is not working properly. We're not sure what it is, but he's hoping the Naltrexone will help to bring my energy levels back up and my immune system working properly. We did discuss the lack of sleep issue when I was on it last. He suggested if that happens again, I should be open to taking something for sleeping. Not what I wanted to hear.
4. Blood work for several other antibodies, not sure the names. They will help to rule out if there may be an auto immune disease that we have missed. We discussed Chrohn's Disease as well, but he's pretty sure it's not that. He did do an external pressure exam on my abdomen, and I had a lot of tenderness, especially near where my large intestine meets my small intestine. (Inflammation in the small intestine is Chrohn's Disease apparently.) He said "Go on vacation and relax. We'll discuss that next time." So for the moment, I'm attempting to rid it my from memory.
5. HCG shots were also discussed. Seeing as I have inflammation continuously in my body, he thinks the HCG shots may be a better alternative to Progesterone and Piroxicam. HCG shots are taken post peak, days +3, +5, +7, and +9. The shots help your growing baby during crucial implantation time, and helps your body with inflammation as well. Therefore replacing Progesterone and Piroxicam. However, some insurances don't cover them, so we'll be looking into that as well when we return from vacation.
6. Continue taking Pycnogenol every day. It seems to be making a huge difference with the inflammation. And until we can determine what's causing it, it will help with the pain.
7. Gluten, Soy, Milk. Without bringing up diet, Dr. C starts discussing tests conducted in Europe. They apparently have a broad scale blood test they do on foods and allergies. Here in the US, we for some reason don't believe in it. But the 3 major issues that arise in most people's testing, were sensitivities or allergies to glutens, soy and milk proteins. (Funny, since that's what I've been trying to rid my diet of.) We then discussed vegan diet and going gluten free again. Apparently I am to truly start eating gluten and dairy free, and eat minimal soy. He believes I'm probably allergic to at least 2 of the 3. And for some reason, hearing a doctor say I'm allergic to these things, affects my self control to eat them. So tomorrow starts Day 1 (again) of gluten & dairy free. (Which should be a challenge on vacation, hopefully not though.)
8. Take Piroxicam this cycle. He said even though you aren't "trying", this is a good cycle, and you just never know. It won't hurt to take it. (Hopefully they won't find it hidden in my luggage this weekend.)
9. Enjoy Vacation! Per Barbara & Dr. C.
Our follow up is scheduled for June 5th. We have a month to chat and discuss what we want to do next. I will hopefully get a call from Dr. C this week with the test results. 13 vials!!! That so far is my number to beat. I didn't even feel faint. I probably will though when I receive the bill.
Showing posts with label napro technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label napro technology. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Friday, December 23, 2011
Baby F Memorial Day
Today is the dreaded day. Today marks the one year anniversary, or better yet memorial of our first child's birthday. (I immediately take a moment to rub my face and hide from the fact that I just typed that.) A year. A full year has passed. The memory has not faded, and the hope of being pregnant again to help lessen the blow, has not happened.
Instead I am going to be completely honest with all of you. I hate writing about this. I hate being the one everyone feels bad for. I hate that everyone knows what I am going through, what we are going through. I hate that it's Christmas in 2 days, I have no tree and barely any decorations up. I hate that the 2nd bedroom isn't a nursery, or that my basement isn't over run by toys. I hate when I'm holding my new niece, that no one has the nerve to ask to take her from me. I hate that I wake up at 4:30am, but not to a screaming infant. I hate the looks I get after someone reads a devastating post. I hate that even my closest friends aren't sure if they can ask what's happening in fear of sparking tears. I hate that our Christmas card, which I haven't even sent out yet, doesn't contain a 3rd family member.
But this is my life right now. I'm married, working a full time desk job, trying to get over months of depression. I am focusing on losing the 20lbs I've gained. (Yes, I said 20.) I'm attempting to be a runner and finish a 5k in the Spring. I signed up for a weaving class in a nearby town to hopefully rekindle my love for the arts. I hope with everything that I am, that I can get pregnant, and carry to full term. I hope that if I can't, that we are blessed with adoption. I hope that I can pull myself out of this pit of sadness to remember who I am, and how I want my life to go.
Control the things you can. That's what I plan to do. I could sit here and think that our child would be turning 5 months old, what they would look like, whether or not I'd have some serious bags under my eyes. But I won't. There's things that happen to good people that we can never explain. Things that make absolutely no sense. I hope one day I can come to terms with all that has happened. But for today, I am thankful for those 9 weeks, for the sound of their heartbeat and the image of them on the ultrasound. I am thankful that my husband is still by my side after months of fertility drugs. I'm thankful we were lead to Dr. C. I am thankful for Barbara, our nurse and all her support. I'm thankful to our friends and family always letting us know they support us. I am thankful for all of those who will never have to experience what we have. I am thankful I started writing this for all of you to read. I'm thankful for those of you who have reached out with similar stories.
Today I am thankful for Andrew. Our first son whom I will never forget and look forward to meeting in heaven.
Instead I am going to be completely honest with all of you. I hate writing about this. I hate being the one everyone feels bad for. I hate that everyone knows what I am going through, what we are going through. I hate that it's Christmas in 2 days, I have no tree and barely any decorations up. I hate that the 2nd bedroom isn't a nursery, or that my basement isn't over run by toys. I hate when I'm holding my new niece, that no one has the nerve to ask to take her from me. I hate that I wake up at 4:30am, but not to a screaming infant. I hate the looks I get after someone reads a devastating post. I hate that even my closest friends aren't sure if they can ask what's happening in fear of sparking tears. I hate that our Christmas card, which I haven't even sent out yet, doesn't contain a 3rd family member.
But this is my life right now. I'm married, working a full time desk job, trying to get over months of depression. I am focusing on losing the 20lbs I've gained. (Yes, I said 20.) I'm attempting to be a runner and finish a 5k in the Spring. I signed up for a weaving class in a nearby town to hopefully rekindle my love for the arts. I hope with everything that I am, that I can get pregnant, and carry to full term. I hope that if I can't, that we are blessed with adoption. I hope that I can pull myself out of this pit of sadness to remember who I am, and how I want my life to go.
Control the things you can. That's what I plan to do. I could sit here and think that our child would be turning 5 months old, what they would look like, whether or not I'd have some serious bags under my eyes. But I won't. There's things that happen to good people that we can never explain. Things that make absolutely no sense. I hope one day I can come to terms with all that has happened. But for today, I am thankful for those 9 weeks, for the sound of their heartbeat and the image of them on the ultrasound. I am thankful that my husband is still by my side after months of fertility drugs. I'm thankful we were lead to Dr. C. I am thankful for Barbara, our nurse and all her support. I'm thankful to our friends and family always letting us know they support us. I am thankful for all of those who will never have to experience what we have. I am thankful I started writing this for all of you to read. I'm thankful for those of you who have reached out with similar stories.
Today I am thankful for Andrew. Our first son whom I will never forget and look forward to meeting in heaven.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I know.
Sometimes you just know. I know I was pregnant. I knew early. Every sign was there along with that first line that appeared on Thursday, confirming what my gut was saying all along.
I know now, that I am no longer pregnant.
And now the waiting begins. Waiting for the awful cramps and endless bleeding that comes along with miscarriage. Waiting for my body to regain it's normal cycle. Waiting until we can try again.
But there's hope.
Hope that after 2 years and 11 months of trying, we finally can conceive on our own.
Hope that 2012 will bring us what we've wanted for so long.
Hope that my body can carry a pregnancy to full term.
Hope that one day, we will be parents.
Hope that no matter what, we remain positive.
Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts. I truly felt as though I could feel them, and still do. There's an aura around me of love today, and for that, I am ever grateful.
I know now, that I am no longer pregnant.
And now the waiting begins. Waiting for the awful cramps and endless bleeding that comes along with miscarriage. Waiting for my body to regain it's normal cycle. Waiting until we can try again.
But there's hope.
Hope that after 2 years and 11 months of trying, we finally can conceive on our own.
Hope that 2012 will bring us what we've wanted for so long.
Hope that my body can carry a pregnancy to full term.
Hope that one day, we will be parents.
Hope that no matter what, we remain positive.
Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts. I truly felt as though I could feel them, and still do. There's an aura around me of love today, and for that, I am ever grateful.
Today I pray for another soul lost too early.
I pray that they felt our love the moment they were conceived.
I pray that I can remain strong.
I pray for all of you walking similar paths.
Know you are not alone.
Monday, December 5, 2011
What is my gut saying?
So you have all been very patient. More patient than me. First, my apologies for keeping you in the dark. I have my reasons, and I hope you can all understand once I explain. It's a long story, so here goes.....
Thursday, 17 days post peak, still no period. So I peed on a stick, or two, or three...light line. I've had that so many times I tried not to get too excited. Dr. C told me to call his off on day 17 post peak if I didn't have my period whether I saw a line or not. I called at 8am. By the afternoon, I still hadn't heard, so I called back around 3:30. Told the message is on his desk. No phone call that night. That night, after I peed on a stick, I showed my husband the test. His first response: "Holy shit! You aren't crazy!" Mostly because I'd been saying all week that I thought I was pregnant, and he worries that I read too much into things.
Friday, 18 days post peak, still no period. Peed on a few more sticks. Light line. Keep in mind, my first pregnancy I never saw a dark line. My Hcg Levels were slow to climb to the point I didn't really see a line until day 19 or 20. I called Dr. C's office at 8am again, he's off today. Awesome. Thankfully his nurse practitioner was in and I was told she'd phone back. No call, so at 2pm letting anxiety take over, I phoned again. Told once again, the message is on her desk now, and she will phone around 4pm. 5 mins later, the receptionist phoned back and ordered lab work. I got out of work too late, so figured I'd go Saturday morning.
Saturday, 19 days post peak, still no period. (You may want to stop reading if you can't handle details.) So hubby and I had waited to have sex for a while after ovulation, I was afraid to disturb the area knowing it was already irritated. After, I started bleeding. Then came the cramps and some back pain. Afraid of another miscarriage, I phoned Dr. C's answering service. 2 mins later, Dr. C phoned me back. I explained what had happened. His first concern was that maybe my cervix was irritated and to relax, have bloodwork done, and be positive. There was also the fear of miscarriage discussed. I took a couple more tests that day, still a light line. The cramps continued for about an hour along with the back pain. After that they faded out for the most part. The bleeding wasn't heavy, didn't feel like clots. I tried to stay positive, knowing I would have answers on Monday.
Sunday, 20 days post peak, still spotting. Although it was light, it was still there. Still no clots, which made me feel a bit better. It's now become a mix of bright red blood, brown, and clear cervical mucus. Not heavy, but not super light either. In my mind, at this point, I was feeling like it was a miscarriage. My gut had been telling me for the past week that I was pregnant. I had a few days of nausea, super tender breasts, and some constant daily headaches. They started to fade mid last week, except for the headaches. At this point I'm very confused and starting to believe, and brace myself for another miscarriage.
Monday, 21 days post peak, still spotting, but much lighter. I phoned Dr. C's office as directed. I was able to get an early morning appointment and headed in alone. (Hubby had some meetings today.) I get to his office and in about 20 mins brought into a patient room. I then have to explain to the nurse that I'm there because I don't know if I'm miscarrying or not. Dr. C came in shortly after. Explained everything to him. He did a quick external exam, just pressing on my abdomen and lower abdomen. No pain, he seemed pleased. He continued to explain that the bleeding could be caused by the disturbance on Saturday. If I'm pregnant, my uterus will be flooded with blood and very sensitive. The blood, seeing as it's bright red and brown, that it could be a lower leak from my cervix, and some of the blood may have been trapped, but now being released.
So here I am, thinking he's going to tell me I'm miscarrying, and here he is, being super positive and scheduling a follow up appointment, Hcg level bloodwork again, and an ultrasound. I'm sorry, what? So you don't think I'm miscarrying? He was really positive and hopeful that this pregnancy may still be happening. He excused himself at that point to get my blood results from Saturday. As luck would have it, the lab messed up and only took my progesterone level, not my Hcg. At this point, I'm laughing. Seriously, how many other things can go wrong right now?! The lab however, still has my blood and thinks they can pull the Hcg, but we won't get results for at least another day. So then Dr. C's office does an Hcg test today as well, to be able to compare the two levels. I have taken another home test, where the line appears and then fades once it dries. My emotions are truly split down the middle, half of me believes I am still pregnant while the other half is telling me it's a miscarriage.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I should have answers. Tomorrow we should know what is actually happening in my body right now. I'm scared, I've cried numerous times and hid inside all weekend. This is the difficult part of blogging, the part that frightens me the most. I'm tearing up as I type because I don't know what's happening. I don't know if I am pregnant, I don't know if I am miscarrying. All I know is that we need alot of prayers right now. We need positive thoughts and energy. I ask that you all continue to be thinking of us and praying for us. I know that your support has helped us get to where we are today. And no matter what the outcome is tomorrow, we are happy with knowing we were able to conceive on our own, something we did not think was possible.
Thursday, 17 days post peak, still no period. So I peed on a stick, or two, or three...light line. I've had that so many times I tried not to get too excited. Dr. C told me to call his off on day 17 post peak if I didn't have my period whether I saw a line or not. I called at 8am. By the afternoon, I still hadn't heard, so I called back around 3:30. Told the message is on his desk. No phone call that night. That night, after I peed on a stick, I showed my husband the test. His first response: "Holy shit! You aren't crazy!" Mostly because I'd been saying all week that I thought I was pregnant, and he worries that I read too much into things.
Friday, 18 days post peak, still no period. Peed on a few more sticks. Light line. Keep in mind, my first pregnancy I never saw a dark line. My Hcg Levels were slow to climb to the point I didn't really see a line until day 19 or 20. I called Dr. C's office at 8am again, he's off today. Awesome. Thankfully his nurse practitioner was in and I was told she'd phone back. No call, so at 2pm letting anxiety take over, I phoned again. Told once again, the message is on her desk now, and she will phone around 4pm. 5 mins later, the receptionist phoned back and ordered lab work. I got out of work too late, so figured I'd go Saturday morning.
Saturday, 19 days post peak, still no period. (You may want to stop reading if you can't handle details.) So hubby and I had waited to have sex for a while after ovulation, I was afraid to disturb the area knowing it was already irritated. After, I started bleeding. Then came the cramps and some back pain. Afraid of another miscarriage, I phoned Dr. C's answering service. 2 mins later, Dr. C phoned me back. I explained what had happened. His first concern was that maybe my cervix was irritated and to relax, have bloodwork done, and be positive. There was also the fear of miscarriage discussed. I took a couple more tests that day, still a light line. The cramps continued for about an hour along with the back pain. After that they faded out for the most part. The bleeding wasn't heavy, didn't feel like clots. I tried to stay positive, knowing I would have answers on Monday.
Sunday, 20 days post peak, still spotting. Although it was light, it was still there. Still no clots, which made me feel a bit better. It's now become a mix of bright red blood, brown, and clear cervical mucus. Not heavy, but not super light either. In my mind, at this point, I was feeling like it was a miscarriage. My gut had been telling me for the past week that I was pregnant. I had a few days of nausea, super tender breasts, and some constant daily headaches. They started to fade mid last week, except for the headaches. At this point I'm very confused and starting to believe, and brace myself for another miscarriage.
Monday, 21 days post peak, still spotting, but much lighter. I phoned Dr. C's office as directed. I was able to get an early morning appointment and headed in alone. (Hubby had some meetings today.) I get to his office and in about 20 mins brought into a patient room. I then have to explain to the nurse that I'm there because I don't know if I'm miscarrying or not. Dr. C came in shortly after. Explained everything to him. He did a quick external exam, just pressing on my abdomen and lower abdomen. No pain, he seemed pleased. He continued to explain that the bleeding could be caused by the disturbance on Saturday. If I'm pregnant, my uterus will be flooded with blood and very sensitive. The blood, seeing as it's bright red and brown, that it could be a lower leak from my cervix, and some of the blood may have been trapped, but now being released.
So here I am, thinking he's going to tell me I'm miscarrying, and here he is, being super positive and scheduling a follow up appointment, Hcg level bloodwork again, and an ultrasound. I'm sorry, what? So you don't think I'm miscarrying? He was really positive and hopeful that this pregnancy may still be happening. He excused himself at that point to get my blood results from Saturday. As luck would have it, the lab messed up and only took my progesterone level, not my Hcg. At this point, I'm laughing. Seriously, how many other things can go wrong right now?! The lab however, still has my blood and thinks they can pull the Hcg, but we won't get results for at least another day. So then Dr. C's office does an Hcg test today as well, to be able to compare the two levels. I have taken another home test, where the line appears and then fades once it dries. My emotions are truly split down the middle, half of me believes I am still pregnant while the other half is telling me it's a miscarriage.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I should have answers. Tomorrow we should know what is actually happening in my body right now. I'm scared, I've cried numerous times and hid inside all weekend. This is the difficult part of blogging, the part that frightens me the most. I'm tearing up as I type because I don't know what's happening. I don't know if I am pregnant, I don't know if I am miscarrying. All I know is that we need alot of prayers right now. We need positive thoughts and energy. I ask that you all continue to be thinking of us and praying for us. I know that your support has helped us get to where we are today. And no matter what the outcome is tomorrow, we are happy with knowing we were able to conceive on our own, something we did not think was possible.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
2 Month Follow Up
Time has been flying by, so much so that we already had our 2 month follow up with Dr. C. Friday, Chris and I left work around 2:30 and headed to his office. Surprisingly he was running on time, and we were taken in after only 15 mins. (Trust me, I'm not complaining about the wait, he's well worth it.)
I still can not get over how thorough this man is. The nurse who has been teaching me the Creighton Model also works on Fridays at Dr. C's office. She was our nurse on Friday! Thank goodness, seeing as this past month has been all over the place. She looked at my chart and immediately knew something was off. We sat with her for a good 15 mins reviewing my cycle to be sure the charting was accurate. Then Dr. C came in. The blood work I had done right around ovulation indicated my estrogen levels are too high. So much so that they are staying stagnant with the progesterone levels.
For those of you wondering what the Creighton Charting looks like, below is an example. (Not mine.) The numbers at top represent the days through a females' monthly cycle. This woman's is 29 days long with 8 days of menstrual flow.
Red squares from 1-8 indicate menstrual flow. The green squares from 9-13 indicate dry/non mucus days, pre-peak. The white babies indicate peak type mucus from days 14-19. The P stands for the last day of mucus which indicates the woman's peak or ovulation. The green babies represent the three days post peak that a woman is still able to conceive. Then she goes back to green squares because of no mucus present. Below that is the estrogen and progesterone charting. You'll notice the estrogen (black) spikes then quickly decreases as the progesterone (red) is built up. The two peak and decrease. However my estrogen levels are staying at peak level and not decreasing.
From what I took away from my conversation with Dr. C, estrogen levels remaining high can cause spotting, light flow cycles, extended mucus throughout the month, a possible premature egg being released and a few other things. All things you can see in my chart above. So what's the solution? Most doctors would recommend Clomid at this point. Clomid helps your body to mature an egg and release it. However Clomid can thin the uterine lining and produce multiple eggs to ovulate at one time. Instead, Letrozole is now being prescribed by most NaPro doctors. Why? For one thing it helps build up the uterine lining, thus allowing an embryo to have a great chance of surviving and nuzzling in. Letrozole also helps your body to mature and release one egg vs. about 5 from Clomid.
This is why I love Dr. C: after 90 mins of discussing my cycle, vitamins, blood work, progesterone and estrogen, he gives you suggestions. When I asked him "What would you recommend?" His response was "I'm here to advise, what do you think is best for the two of you?" Chris and I decided to try the Letrozole. There are no side affects to baby if we get pregnant, it helps my body to it's job better. The only things I noticed after taking it: some hot flashes, slight lack of concentration. Nothing major that I couldn't handle. After all, once you try IVF meds, all these other things are a piece of cake.
So this month as we continue to chart, I am now taking:
Vitamin B-6 -contributes to a healthy mucus
Vitamin D3 -assist T-cells and my immune system
Calcium -I don't eat alot of dairy.
Prenatal -good to start taking before trying to get pregnant, while trying and during pregnancy.
Magnesium -helps with muscle cramping and contractions when pregnant
Iodine Plus 2 -assists in healthy Thyroid function
Letrozole -helping to produce mature, healthy eggs
Low Dose Nalthrexone -for healthy immune function, (endorphin blocker)
Levothyroxine -assists my thyroid in creating appropriate levels
Chris has been advised to start taking ProXeed, which optimizes sperm health. However, it's $125 a month. Which may seem like a small cost compared to IVF. But keep in mind I'm taking all the drugs above, along with routine doctor's visits ($20 copays each time), and bloodwork, and I had surgery......they all start to add up. Plus the ProXeed takes 3 months to see any results. However, we will succumb to the idea and he will begin taking them as soon as they arrive in the mail.
As you probably figured out, we have not had any success these past two months. And although we have given up to the fact that this is not on our time schedule, we are still trying. My life no longer focuses around getting pregnant. I know some people have taken this as "we aren't trying anymore". That's false. We are very much still trying to get pregnant. But we have succumbed to the thought that we have no control over this. We can try as hard as we want to get pregnant, but that won't mean it's going to happen. We are simply living. We take each day as it comes. We meet with our doctor and nurse and continue to try new things. We are still hopeful that one of these methods will work. But if it's not meant to be, then we are okay with that. But we plan on trying every method possible. Fingers crossed.....
Front and Back covers of Creighton Model Charting.
I still can not get over how thorough this man is. The nurse who has been teaching me the Creighton Model also works on Fridays at Dr. C's office. She was our nurse on Friday! Thank goodness, seeing as this past month has been all over the place. She looked at my chart and immediately knew something was off. We sat with her for a good 15 mins reviewing my cycle to be sure the charting was accurate. Then Dr. C came in. The blood work I had done right around ovulation indicated my estrogen levels are too high. So much so that they are staying stagnant with the progesterone levels.
For those of you wondering what the Creighton Charting looks like, below is an example. (Not mine.) The numbers at top represent the days through a females' monthly cycle. This woman's is 29 days long with 8 days of menstrual flow.
This is my chart for the past 4-5 months. Each line is a monthly cycle.
From what I took away from my conversation with Dr. C, estrogen levels remaining high can cause spotting, light flow cycles, extended mucus throughout the month, a possible premature egg being released and a few other things. All things you can see in my chart above. So what's the solution? Most doctors would recommend Clomid at this point. Clomid helps your body to mature an egg and release it. However Clomid can thin the uterine lining and produce multiple eggs to ovulate at one time. Instead, Letrozole is now being prescribed by most NaPro doctors. Why? For one thing it helps build up the uterine lining, thus allowing an embryo to have a great chance of surviving and nuzzling in. Letrozole also helps your body to mature and release one egg vs. about 5 from Clomid.
This is why I love Dr. C: after 90 mins of discussing my cycle, vitamins, blood work, progesterone and estrogen, he gives you suggestions. When I asked him "What would you recommend?" His response was "I'm here to advise, what do you think is best for the two of you?" Chris and I decided to try the Letrozole. There are no side affects to baby if we get pregnant, it helps my body to it's job better. The only things I noticed after taking it: some hot flashes, slight lack of concentration. Nothing major that I couldn't handle. After all, once you try IVF meds, all these other things are a piece of cake.
So this month as we continue to chart, I am now taking:
Vitamin B-6 -contributes to a healthy mucus
Vitamin D3 -assist T-cells and my immune system
Calcium -I don't eat alot of dairy.
Prenatal -good to start taking before trying to get pregnant, while trying and during pregnancy.
Magnesium -helps with muscle cramping and contractions when pregnant
Iodine Plus 2 -assists in healthy Thyroid function
Letrozole -helping to produce mature, healthy eggs
Low Dose Nalthrexone -for healthy immune function, (endorphin blocker)
Levothyroxine -assists my thyroid in creating appropriate levels
Chris has been advised to start taking ProXeed, which optimizes sperm health. However, it's $125 a month. Which may seem like a small cost compared to IVF. But keep in mind I'm taking all the drugs above, along with routine doctor's visits ($20 copays each time), and bloodwork, and I had surgery......they all start to add up. Plus the ProXeed takes 3 months to see any results. However, we will succumb to the idea and he will begin taking them as soon as they arrive in the mail.
__________________________________________
As you probably figured out, we have not had any success these past two months. And although we have given up to the fact that this is not on our time schedule, we are still trying. My life no longer focuses around getting pregnant. I know some people have taken this as "we aren't trying anymore". That's false. We are very much still trying to get pregnant. But we have succumbed to the thought that we have no control over this. We can try as hard as we want to get pregnant, but that won't mean it's going to happen. We are simply living. We take each day as it comes. We meet with our doctor and nurse and continue to try new things. We are still hopeful that one of these methods will work. But if it's not meant to be, then we are okay with that. But we plan on trying every method possible. Fingers crossed.....
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