| Valerie's PCOS Page |
| Update |
| (6/10/03) Well, it's definitely time for an update. At the end of February, my husband and I house-sat for my Dads while they were away. On the way home I was feeling really nauseous, which is not me at all. (I've been described as having an iron stomach.) I had also been wondering (in my head) if I was pregnant and I knew it was about time to get my period. The next morning I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I rushed into the bedroom to tell my husband (who was still asleep) that there were definitely 2 lines this time and I must have sounded scard because he jumped out of bed. I think I almost gave him a heart attack! Later that day, I did another one and it was positive, too. But of course, I was not satisfied, after all the 2 tests I took were from the same package - they could have both been bad, so we went to the drugstore to get another one. Big surprise when it came out positive, too. I called my general practitioner the next day just to get a blood test and they squeezed me in on Tuesday night. It was funny because my OB/GYN actually called me with the results before my GP did. We were ecstastic about the pregnancy, but disappointed that I would have to wait 2 weeks before my first appointment. The first appointment went well. The doctor scheduled an ultrasound to pinpoint my due date, as my cycles were not very regular and I had to go to a lab to have bloodwork done. Due to my insurance I had to go to a medical center affiliated with my GP in order for them to cover the ultrasound. The technician was very nice (and 7 months pregnant herself), but I could tell something wasn't right after she was quiet for a while. I asked her if she could see cysts on my ovaries and I mentioned that I had been diagnosed with PCOS. She said yes, but did not go into detail. She had the main radiologist look at her report and then they sent me home, telling me that the information would be forwarded to my OB/GYN. My OB/GYN called me later that day (on her cell phone) to tell me that she was concerned with the cyst that was found, as it was over 10 cm. (I had to look at a ruler to see how big that really was and almost cried when I realized it was about 4 inches!) Although cysts are common during pregnancy, they are usually much smaller and go away after a few weeks. She said that she wanted me to come in and have a perinatologist do another ultrasound to confirm what the other technician had seen. I was scheduled to go on a business trip 2 days later, so I had to wait for the following week for the appointment. (This anxious waiting and worrying becomes a very prominent part of this story.) The perinatologist confirmed the existence of the cyst and said that beyond the concern of it bursting or twisting, it was not a simple cyst. It appeared that there were 2 smaller cysts within the larger cyst and that their walls were very thick. It also appeared that there was a small mass on the one edge of the large cyst. That meant that there was a concern that I might have ovarian cancer. Not what I was hoping to hear. Considering all this, they recommended that if the cyst did not significantly decrease in sie, that I have it surgically removed between the 16th and 20th week of my pregnancy. By this point, the baby's organs are developed enough to handle the anesthesia, but no so big to be in the way of their access to my ovary. He also stated (and my OB/GYN would later agree), there is a risk of miscarriage, but they were more concerned with me than the baby. The perinatologist said he would contact my OB/GYN and would recommend that I meet with an oncologist about the surgery as soon as possible. I met with the oncologist at the end of April for an exam and to discuss my case. He was very knowledgable and took the time to answer all my questions. (I prepared a list before I went, so that I wouldn't forget anything if I got upset or nervous.) He said that he did not think that the cyst had decreased in size, because he could feel it during the internal exam. He explained what the surgery would entail, how long I would be out of work (6-8 weeks), how long I would have to stay in the hospital (3 nights), etc. He also discussed what would happen if it turned out that the cyst was cancerous (immediate removal of both ovaries and biopsies of my lymph nodes). Although he couldn't guarantee anything, he was fairly confident that there would be no problems for the baby. He even stated that he has given chemotherapy to a pregnant woman in the past. I met with him on a Friday and he was going to call my OB/GYN's office on Monday to schedule a preliminary date for the surgery. The next step was to wait for the next ultrasound to confirm the current size of the cyst. This would be the deciding factor for the surgery. Although I hoped the cyst would be smaller, at this point, I thought the surgery would be worth it anyway. If I did not get it removed, I would have to spend the rest of my pregnancy worried about it. As you can guess, the ultrasound showed no change. This was about 2 weeks after the appointment with the oncologist and I still had not heard from my OB/GYN's office. As is turned out they had closed for 2 weeks in protest of the malpractice insurance situation in our state. I knew they were going to be shutting down for a while, but was told that care would still be provided to current obstetric patients. Well, as I could not get a hold of any of the doctor's (it's a practice of 7 doctors), I guess that wasn't the truth. I finally got a call from their office on May 9th telling me that the surgery was going to be on the 23rd. I was glad to have it scheduled, but a little freaked out that it was only 2 weeks away. (And, of course, it was on the same day as our bi-annual committee meeting.) I had to hurriedly get myself organized at work and at home, as I had no idea what to expect in terms of how much I would be able to do once I got home from the hospital. My work was fairly understanding, although they were definitely not pleased to hear that I would be out of the office for almost 2 months. On the 22nd, I had to go in for pre-admission and to meet with the OB/GYN that was going to be at the surgery along with the oncologist. The pre-admission testing (which the appointment setting told me would take no more than an hour) took an hour and 45 minutes (almost all waiting to be seen). It was all pretty standard. I was supposed to have a consult with the anestesiologist, but it turned out to be a nurse practitioner who did not even realize I was pregnant and got very nervous. (You would think they would read the chart before I got into the office, wouldn't you.) Anyway, I left there annoyed to go meet the OB/GYN who turned out to be the sweetest woman I have ever met. She was very reassuring and told me not to worry about anything. She told me that she would meet with me, the oncologist and the anestesiologist just before the surgery to discuss the type of sedation and the type of incision they would be making. The day of the surgery I was surprisingly calm. I guess I was just glad to be getting it over with. In pre-op, the nurse who was inserting my IV asked for a urine sample to check for pregnancy (a standard procedure). I laughed and told her I was 16 weeks pregnant, so that test would not be necessary. Her face went pale white and she practically ran out of the cubicle. This really freaked my husband out, but I just laughed it off. I knew that I would see my doctors before anything would be given to me that could effect the pregnancy. I ended up have spinal anesethesia, which meant that although I was numb from my belly down, I was awake for most of the surgery. (I did end up asking to be knocked out, as the pressure was getting real intense.) The surgery only took about 45 minutes and I ended up spending more time in recovery (an hour and a half). Everything went really well. The baby is fine and the cyst was not cancerous. The stay at the hospital, although long, was pleasant, thanks to the wondering nursing staff on the maternity ward, where I was kept for monitoring. Before we left, one of the nurses gave us a tour of the labor and delivery area, as I will be delivering at the same hospital in the fall. I am now at home recovering. The staples have been removed and I have not had any complications from the surgery. I have not needed any pain medication since the day after the surgery. I just get tired if I don't take a nap once a day. I am still limited in what I can do (no heavy lifting, exercise - as if that would be a problem - and no sex). I think I should be able to do mostly everything in another couple of weeks, but the doctor might want me to stay home a little longer before returning to work. (02/17/03) In April 2002, my husband and I decided to try and have a baby. We had been together since 1991 and had been married just over 3 years. We had bought our first home in December 2000 and both had stable jobs, so all in all we were ready to start a family. We had no idea what we were in for. I stopped taking the pill and got one regular period in May and then nothing. I took several pregnancy tests, all with negative results. I knew something wasn't right, so I called my OBGYN and explained the situation. He said that I should wait a little longer, but to contact him if I didn't get my period by August. Needless to say, it never came. He prescribed Provera to "kick start" my cycle, which it did, but only for one cycle. By this point I was growing concerned, as I am a somewhat paranoid person. I did a lot of research on WebMD, trying to self-diagnosis my problem. I started reading (daily) a bulletin board on their site for Trying to Conceive, where posts are responded to by a infertility expert, as well as other posters. In late September I went in for my annual exam, which was normal. When I didn't get my period again, he again prescribed another round of Provera and sent me a referral to get bloodwork taken and for my husband to get a sperm analysis done. I had to go between the 21st and 25th days of my period to get my tests run on my hormone levels (FSH, LH, Prolactin, testosterone, thyroid). He also mentioned that my weight (which had always been a problem for me and at the time I was around 215 pounds) might be playing a role in my difficulty conceiving. I had read that on some websites, but it still felt like a kick in the stomach when my doctor told me. In my head he was telling me that my laziness and lack of self-discipline was what was keeping me from getting pregnant. From that day on I started dieting and trying to eat healthy. I started eating only a small TV dinner (Smart Ones, Lean Cuisine, etc.) for lunch and a large salad for dinner. It took some getting used to and I started to really concentrate on eating only when my stomach told me I was hungry (not my head). I was loosely following the low-carb Atkins Diet, which a friend from work had had success with. I was very anxious for the day of the blood test (December 7th) to come and it seemed to take forever. The sperm analysis test was more involved, so I told my husband we would hold off until we got my results back. On about the 12th, my OBGYN called with the results. He told me that based on the results of my bloodwork, I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I was half-and-half relieved and devaststed. I was glad that I finally knew what the problem was, but then I could no longer live in denail that there was something wrong with me. Although I had read about PCOS in my research, I guess my brain was in such shock that I did not connect the words Polycystic Ovary Syndrome with PCOS. In my head all I heard was "cysts" and "ovaries". I did not ask the doctor many questions, which might have seemed odd to him, but I didn't want to sound like a nut job and ask crazy questions, until my brain had time to comprehend what I had been told and I had time to research the condition on my own. (As a rule, I don't like to depend on doctor's as my sole source of medical information.) My doctor told me that once he received the results of my husband sperm analysis, he would schedule an appointment for the three of us to meet in his office and discuss the options. My doctor had called me at work to give me the results, so as you can imagine, I had a very hard time getting through the day. I called my husband and broke down a bit, but I have a personal distaste for get emotional at work, so I did the best I could to avoid people the rest of the day, so I wouldn't have to tell them what was wrong. I spent a good amount of time that afternoon doing research on the web about PCOS. When I first realized the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome was PCOS, my stomach turned. I had remembered reading posts from women with PCOS and thinking to myself that would be the worst possible scenario. Of course, that's not true and after reading a lot of different articles, I felt a little better. I read as much as I could and printed a bunch of things to take home and read that night. I was a wreck that night, full of nerves. My husband was very supportive. He kept telling me to think positive and reinforced what my doctor said - there are treatment options. He kept telling me that until my doctor tells me I can't have kids, that he does not want to hear me say I can't. We decided that, as I was dieting (and losing weight) and that in some cases that is enough to get me to start ovulating again, to keep trying on our own a few months before we go forward with any medical treatment. Also, the holidays were almost here and we agreed that worrying about trying to conceive would just make it more difficult. A word about my diet...In early December, I tried to start following the true Atkins diet, which lasted all of one day. There was no way I was going to get by on only 20 grams of carbs a day and no fruit. I was disappointed in myself, but I knew that if I was spending my whole day thinking about food, there is no way I could stay on that diet for an extended period of time. I started doing searches on the Internet for other low-carb diets and found my match with Zone Perfect. The plan made sense to my mind and wasn't so restrictive that I felt guilty if I veered slightly from the path. They have lists of foods that tell you the right portion size to eat and tons of recipes. The company also makes these meal replacement bars, which are surprisingly good tasting and filling. (I have found them cheapest in boxes of 6 at Target for $4.84 - not bad.) All in all, I was not as tired as I usually am (presumably due to my decrease in carbs) and my cravings for carbs were gone in less than a week. We had a nice holiday and during the week of Christmas I started spotting. (Mind you, this was the first time this had happened since I went off the pill 8 month ago.) I was happy, but tried not to get too excited. Then on the day after Christmas, my period finally came on it's own. Granted it was on day 44, but hey, late is better than never. I figured it was a step in the right direction. By January, I noticed that my clothes were starting to get significantly looser - always a good sign. I was still reading the TTC bulletin everyday, but was trying not to fixate too much. Then on the 30th, I got my next period on my own. It was on day 35, not bad at all, if you ask me. One day, reading one of the other PCOS boards I located, someone mentioned Pre Seed, a lubricant which has been tested not to be harmful to sperm, as all other lubricants are. I was very exciting, although it turned out you can only buy it through Drugstore.com and it costs $20 for 6 small applicators. I wasn't ecstatic about the price, but I bite the bullet and bought some. My husband and I decided that February was going to be the month. We have both been in good moods and neither one of us is under any major stress, so we are hoping to get lucky. Keep your fingers crossed for us. I guess we will know soon enough. If we do not get lucky this month, my husband will have to provide his sample for testing. Although it is good that he does not need to produce it at a testing center, I still have to call a week in advance and provide the center with a time that I will be dropping off the sample. Plus the added pressure that I have to get it there within an hour of production. But hey, no one ever told us life was fair, right? I would not ever consider having his guys tested, but my doctor will not prescribe any medication (Clomid, etc.) without those results. I guess I can understand his point - it's not worth going through up to three months of trying while taking medication, if there is an additional issue that needs to be addressed. Anyway, that is were we are now, I am hoping to get pregnant and join the pregnant ranks at my office (currently 4 of them, all in different stages of the game). I broke down and bought a scale a few weeks ago, and if it is calibrated, I have now lost 22 pounds. |
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