| 1-April-07 I am so excited and relieved!!!!! After finishing the recommended months of charting, my Creighton Model teacher and I sent my charts off to Dr. Hilgers to be reviewed. He sent back a letter saying that the patterns shown indicated possible Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis. That may sound bad, but it was such a relief to me to have someone affirm what I have known - something isn't right with my body. He recommended either spending a week in Omaha for further testing and beginning treatment or finding a practioner close by with whom I could work. Nebraska is very far away and with our adoption going on, I cannot afford to be gone so long or the expense. So I found a physician within a couple hours' drive from here and I have to cross a border, but it is still worth it. I really didn't know what to expect at all, but I took my charts and the letter from Dr. Hilgers with me. The first thing I saw in her waiting room was a brochure. Inside it said that she does not prescribe birth control, refer for abortions, or provide sterilization. I knew I was in the right place and I began to relax. When we went back, the nurses all welcomed my daughter and were very kind. When the doctor came into the exam room, the first thing she asked was why had I come. I told her that my cycles started back right at the one-year-postpartum mark and immediately my hormones went crazy giving me PMS-like symptoms constantly and that things had only escalated in the 4 years since then. She said, "I am So sorry. That's just awful." I wanted to just cry right there! It felt so good to have someone respond so kindly. I knew she saw me as a living, breathing, person needing care, not just as an appointment time to hand out a prescription. She then offered to have us come to her office and talk instead of staying in the exam room - since I didn't need any examining. Another seemingly small thing, that meant so much, because she was treating me with respect. So, we went to her office where she gave Murren a children's magazine and a pencil and sat her at her desk. While she moved over to talk with me. After reading the letter and charts, she said that she, too, thought that the patterns looked like PCOS. After talking with me and asking questions, she recommended labwork on the 3rd day of my next cycle (estrogen, prolactin, LH, FSH, thyroid, blood sugars) and Peak Day +7 as well as an abdominal and vaginal ultrasound to look at my uterus and ovaries. This is to look for possible endometriosis, but especially to look for the tell-tale blistered appearance of the ovaries of a woman with PCOS. It felt so good for someone to offer a plan to determine what is wrong, not just to try to cover it up with birth control or fertility treatments. She said that Metformin has been used successfully to treat PCOS for the last 8 years or so. Unfortunately, the reasons no one had brought this up before, she said, is that PCOS is grossly under-diagnosed and most main-stream OB/GYNs are not familiar with Metformin's results yet. After 8 years, I want to know why not! After telling her some of the experiences I've had with OB/GYNs and why I've been reluctant to come to one, she told me that physicians no longer take the Hypocratic Oath (the "above all, do no harm" oath). I'd heard that before, but didn't know it was true. She said that American physician's have not taken the Oath since Roe vs. Wade passed in 1973! That is very disturbing to me. That physicians are not even pledging to do no harm anymore! What are we to think and who are we to trust? 14-April-07 The doctor called me with the results of my Day 3 labwork. She said that my FSH/LH ratio indicates PCOS as we suspected. My other labs were fine. So, now we will wait to do the ultrasound and Peak Day +7 labwork and see what those results show. She had my blood sugars checked because sometimes PCOS can cause diabetic symptoms. There are other symptoms of PCOS, but the ones that I have are irregular cycles (usually anovulatory), acne (especially on the chest and back), and depression. I'm looking foward to getting those results. She worked it out so that I can do my labs and ultrasound locally. That way I don't have to be driving several hours to her each time and we will do most our consultations over the phone. She can call in prescriptions for me, or I can have one of my local physicians prescribe it for me. I so appreciate her kindness and her willingness to do whatever she can to help me. I have been waiting for this for far too long, as have many other women. I just don't understand why they aren't teaching these kinds of things in med school. If they aren't teaching these things, what are they teaching? 2-May-07 I had my second set of lab and my ultrasound last Thursday. The tech was able to evaluate everything with the abdominal ultrasound and did not have to do the vaginal probe, so I was happy about that. My doctor called me back on Monday (30 April) to say that my lab results showed that I had actually ovulated this last cycle and that my ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis of PCOS. There were 9 follicles in one ovary and 13 in the other. Usually there should only be about 2-3 per ovary. So, she prescribed Metformin 500mg to be taken at dinnertime for two weeks. Then I am to increase to 1000 mg at dinnertime for two more weeks and finally, 1500mg at dinnertime. She said that this should not only relieve the physical symptoms of my PCOS, but that I should begin feeling more normal emotionally as well. Oh! I can't wait to feel good again - to feel like myself! She said there is a slight initial side effect of stomach upset, but that Fibercon helps. She also said that if I am not pregnant in six months, to come back to see her! Can you believe it?! I am on cloud nine! My doctor also said that there is no connection between PCOS and CF, which I had already thought, but it was nice to have confirmed. It feels so wonderful to know what is wrong and be doing something about it! After FOUR YEARS! I also talked to my CF team to ensure that Metformin would not interfere with any of my other meds. It should not, so I'm on track. I'll keep posted on what happens. As I indicated in our Adoption Journey, our decision to adopt does not hinge upon our ability or inability to conceive. However, if I do become pregnant, dependig on how things are going with me and our progress through adoption, it may change some of the specifics or timeline of our adoption. We shall see. 9-August-07 I have now been on Metformin for three full cycles. My first two cycles on Metformin, to me, appeared even more messed up than before. However, when I consulted with my Creighton teacher, she noted that these cycles were very similar to those experienced by women who are coming off birth control as their bodies work to get their hormones working naturally. This gave me hope and my current cycle, up to this point, appears perfect. We are still praying for a baby (or babies). What a wonderful thing it would be to experience pregnancy, birth, and nursing again! I have also noticed on the Metformin, that my sleep has become better for the first time in over four years. I am now off of Melatonin (a naturally occurring hormone that regulates sleep patterns, available over the counter) completely and am only taking Valerian (an herb) to help sleep. These positive changes are certainly encouraging. 5-October-07 I had my return appointment with my OB/GYN last Friday. After looking over my charts, she indicated that ovulation is occurring and that now we need to regulate my progesterone levels. She recommended changing my Metformin use from 1500mg once daily at dinnertime to 500mg thrice daily with evenly spaced meals. I will call her back in two cycles to report any changes. At that point we will decide whether to continue as is or to add progesterone use. I'm sort of torn because I don't feel comfortable just making things happen, as I've already discussed, but at the same time, things have been dragging on for so long, I'm losing patience and I want something dramatic to happen! But, I'm going to fight the urge and stay the course. Things are improving slowly. In addition to the improvements noted in the previous entry, I've begun to experience definite pre-menstrual symptoms. This is different from what I had been experiencing - nebulous PMS-like symptoms all the time. However, these new symptoms, while associated with the time before my period, are still happening for about 3 weeks of every 6 week-long cycle. This is the reason for trying to adjust my progesterone levels. That is the hormone which regulates the post-peak phase of a woman's cycle. 16-January-08 I had a phone appointment with my OB/GYN on Monday, the 14th, to report the changes in my cycle since starting on the new regimine of Metformin. Things began to change for the better immediately after the dosage was altered. My cycles shortened down to 34 days for the two cycles after the change and then down to 30 days. My most recent cycle looked very normal, no strange mucus patterns - finally! My post-peak phase was still a little long. We'll continue to watch my progress over the next few months. I have a return appointment for March. At that point we'll evaluate what, if any, changes need to be made. It is hard to be patient, but it's a little easier when I can see the progress that's being made. |
| So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went into her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. Ruth 4:13 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the LORD had closed her womb. Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying "Because I have asked for him from the LORD." 1 Samuel 1:5, 19-20 |
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