A long awaited thank you

We visited my NaPro doctor on Friday (left) and our Creighton instructor (right).  The visit seemed surreal.  I went to many previous appointments feeling frustrated with the IF journey but knowing my health was in good hands.  This time, we sat in the doctor's office with our baby girl.  With a girl who played with his stethoscope.  With a much different perspective than before.  With a familiarity with HCG shots, which have been added to my medications again (separate post forthcoming).

Our doctor and Creighton instructor walked with us the entire 3.5 years of IF.  They played a vital role in our baby coming into this world, for which we are forever grateful.  I feel more in tune with my health thanks to them.  As we left his office, my doctor said, "You are no longer patients, but fellow soldiers in this fight."

So true.  And now this photo, which I never fathomed would happen, will now appear in KB's baby book.

An Allergic Reaction

For the past 2 cycles, the NaPro doctor has put me on A.moxcillian to help with CM. I'm not sure how much it's helped: in both cycles I've developed a horrible rash. To make things even more pleasant, I woke up this morning with hives on my arms and stomach. My general physician confirmed that it was an allergic reaction to Amox-whatever.

I've noticed a pattern with many of the medications so far: Femara caused nausea for the first 2 cycles, Naltrexone caused severe nausea for the first 10 days and a headache with any missed doses, and now this. Granted, the first 2 side effects happened at the beginning of the medication. The only medication that has not affected me badly is the HCG shot.

Do any of you IF bloggers discontinue medications when it interferes with daily life? Or do you seek alternatives? I'm just wondering.

By the way, thanks for all of your prayers for my First Reconciliation students. They seemed very relaxed on Saturday. One little girl told me, "Oh, I've got a lot of sins to tell him," she said with a smile. I chuckled to myself, wondering just how much constituted "a lot."

The Big Answer

On Friday I finally had my follow-up appointment with the NaPro doctor. After the blood test ordeal, I went into the appointment expecting some pills, lifestyle changes (All You Who Hope is on a special diet), etc. Relatively easy remedies with perhaps some direction.

Nope. Excuse me as I vary from writing information and ranting. I hope these results shed some light in case one of my anonymous readers out there has experienced the same thing.

So the doctor went through each blood test. Apparently my Estrogen levels are fine up until ovulation and then plummet afterwards. Remedy: oral estrogen pills.

The progesterone, however, was a different story. The doctor informed me that my progesterone were EXTREMELY low, in fact the lowest he's seen in 8 years. Oh great, I muttered inwardly. Those are the kind of records that one does not want to hold!!

The remedy? Injections of progesterone. AAACK! It has taken quite a long time to get over a deep-seeded fear of needles. Obviously, my recent blood test adventures took quite a toll. Were it not for Miss Betty's blood taking prowess, I would run away from every needle. However, these home injections did not sit well with me. My husband will have to give them to me on P+3, 5, 7, and 9 each month for 6 months. Arrgg!

Of course DH had to joke that he gave injections to calves growing up on the farm. The doctor took out a syringe and injected me with some arm-numbing fluid just to show DH how to do it. Really, was that necessary? It didn't help that the doctor joked that the injections had to be given in the eyeball. Thankfully, the home injections will be given with a diabetic needle, which is very small and relatively painless.

Every other cycle I will get a blood test (thankfully, only 1) to see how everything is working. The doctor concluded that I have some major signs pointing to endometriosis, which includes low progesterone. He remains hopeful that the shots & hormones may correct things anyway. We'll follow up with him in 6 months.

So after the ultrasounds, the condescending looks from the doctors, fruitless Clomid, blood tests up the wazoo, numerous doctor appointments, this is getting real old, real fast. I am still grateful for our NaPro doctor, however, because he treats me like a person ("not like a cow!" he said) and has given us a lot of answers. This cross is just getting heavier. I wish my words could echo that of a blog entitled, "This Cross I Embrace." Right now, my words are more like, "This Cross Stinks but I'll Carry it Anyway. GRR!"

Around Easter time we had made a prayerful decision to pursue foreign adoption (really, I was going to blog about it but wanted to get my thoughts in order!). I had just began to accept that God's plan for our family only included adoption. But this ordeal and the coming 6 months have thrown a huge curve ball.

We have a flurry of activities in the coming week, so hopefully as my anger and sullen feelings begin to wane (we hope!) I can post more about the treatment and the results. Blood Test Buddy and I think we should add monthly massages to our hormone treatment plans.