Awesome Blossom

Well, my ob/gyn called back and it turns out that I did not ovulate this past month. Wow, do I tell way too much info or what? Honestly, I'm really hoping my story will help someone or else I've spilled my guts for nothing. Anyway, he wants to start me on Clomid ASAP. Since I'm the big 3-5 and I have a history of PCOS, he felt it was unnecessary to wait the customary 6 months of TTC before intervening (1 year for wanna-be-moms under 35). I was a little freaked out by the prospect of taking fertility meds, so I have an appointment with doc in December to discuss all my options. In the meantime, I figured I'd go to my naturopath and see what he has in his bag of tricks to increase my fertility.


I met with Dr. Smith last Wednesday. First, he (once again) changed my homeopathic remedy (3rd time) since my IC pain has been unbearable lately. I asked Dr. Smith if the remedy would work if I didn't really believe in homeopathy, even though I want to believe it works. He assured me that he's cured many a skeptic. I also inquired about Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex), which is supposed to help with PCOS. There is research to support that it helps regulate ovulation, decrease excessive facial hair, lengthen one's luteal phase (if too short), and clear up acne. Since off the pill, I've noticed a few extra break outs here and there and my luteal phase is deficient, so I thought Vitex would be a good solution. He agreed, so I will begin taking Vitex when my next cycle starts, whenever that happens.

In attempting to find me the right homeopathic remedy, Dr. Smith asks me very detailed questions about all my symptoms, both physical and mental. When he asked me what was causing me stress, I flippantly replied, "Well, basically I'm stressed because I can't conceive and think that maybe it means that I'm unfit to reproduce...especially considering all my health issues..." Dr. Smith looked at me sadly, shook his head, and told me that I needed to love myself more. He suggested positive self-affirmations, which I assured him I had used before, in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy, meditation, prayer, yada, yada, yada...

Not deterred by my 'Been there, done that' attitude, Dr.Smith dug deeper into his bag of tricks. "Are you creative?" he asked.

"I paint." I replied, "Why?"

"Do you have body paints?" he inquired.

Whoa, this was getting a little weird. "No."

"Can you get some?"

"Um, why?"

"Well, what I want you to do is send positive energy to your pelvic region. I'd like you to paint something beautiful on your abdomen, like a flower. Then I want you to send your pelvic region and stomach positive energy. You have a lot of negativity towards that area, and I feel you need to send yourself some love. I also want you to take a picture of what you've painted and keep the picture someplace where you'll see it daily. When you see it, I want you to send yourself some love."

"Honestly, ya know what I'm thinkin' right now?" I countered, "I'm thinking that if I take a picture of my stomach and look at it, all I'm going to be thinking is, 'What happened to my abs? I used to have nice abs and now I'm all flabby.'"

Dr. Smith laughed, but put his recommendation for me on paper so that I would not forget. Looks like I've got some body paint to buy.

I'm sending my abs love as I write this. ; )

The Waiting Game

I am waiting by my cell phone for a call I likely won't get today.  The nurse is supposed to call with the results from my Day 21 Progesterone test.  Yup, seems that my hormones are out of whack and the doctor wants to find out if I'm ovulating.  To me, this really highlights the importance of diet and health.  You see, for the first couple of months that I started eating "clean," meaning GF/CF, organic, whole foods, my reproductive system was happy.  Despite years of PCOS, my cycle finally became regular.  However, this month I have gotten sloppy with my diet.  I've been eating some gluten and dairy here and there, and my sugar intake is higher than it had been the first two months.  For women with PCOS, keeping blood sugar levels stable and within a healthy range is crucial for regulating cycles and reproduction.  Even for those, like me, who are not diabetic, eating low glycemic foods and staying fit help ensure that the reproductive system is working the way it should be.  Since I've been charting my basal body temperature, I can pretty much know with certainty when I've ovulated and if my cycle is looking ok.  This month, after a month of not strictly following my diet, it looks like I'm back to wacky cycles.  Here's the thing that really sucks.  It seems that each time my body gears up to ovulate, I get horrible IC pain.  It doesn't matter what homeopathic remedy I'm on- I'm in excruciating pain.  If my body is trying really hard to ovulate...and keeps trying and trying and trying, then I get to feel that lovely pain multiple times during my cycle.  That's what happened the past couple of weeks.  Not to mention that I can't conceive if I don't ovulate.  My last few attempts have not been successful, so I'm eager to find out what is preventing it from happening.  My doctor thinks I haven't been ovulating, which is why he ordered the blood work.  It's now past 5 pm and the office is closed, so I guess I'll have to wait until Monday.  Bummer.

PS  This post is really from last week but I forgot to publish it....

I'M BAAAAACK!

First, as usual, a "quick" update. I reduced my dosage of the Cystoprotek in half around the time of ovulation last month because I didn't want to take any chances and risk "chromosomal mutations" even though my ob/gyn assured me that I could wait until the day I find out I'm pregnant. A couple of days later, my IC started to flare again and so did my fibro! Yuck. My joint pain and fatigue, which had been better for a while, started to slowly creep back. Now it's to the point where a day of running errands will leave me achy and exhausted for a couple of days.

Two days after I stopped the Cystoprotek, I had my first visit with a local naturopath, Dr. Smith. My initial consult was two hours long- not covered by my insurance. Dr. Smith was very thorough in his investigation of my medical history and my current symptoms. In fact, when time ran out, he asked if I could come back later in the afternoon so that he could continue the interview, stating that my case was one of the more complex ones he's come across. He saw me for an additional hour and a half- without charging me for the extra time! He prescribed several supplements, including slippery elm bark powder (for my IC), a probiotic, a glucosamine and glutamine supplement (for my gut), Vitamin D, Juice Plus (multi), and a homeopathic remedy. Five hundred dollars later (that included the consultation), I walked out, praying that something would work.

Thus far, I can honestly say that my IC pain is somewhat reduced. Most nights I am no longer kept up by my IC pain and there are days when I am almost pain free. I've even eaten some of my "forbidden foods" and been okay. I can't go overboard, but a piece of chocolate here and there seems to be tolerable. That being said, the pain isn't totally gone. Tomato sauce (and many other foods and beverages) still leaves me burning and stress flares me up almost every time. I'm going back for a follow up appointment on Tuesday and am hoping a little tweaking of my "remedies" may do the trick. I've noticed when my progesterone levels are higher (as evidenced by a rise in basal body temperature after ovulation), my IC pain is often better. It's worse prior to ovulation. I haven't noticed the same correlation with my fibro or IBS though. In fact, my fibro and IBS are often worse during my period but don't seem as affected during other times during my cycle.

It's important to note, however, that I haven't been strictly following my GF/CF diet. Big mistake! While I've gotten to the point where I can tolerate small amounts of dairy, it seems that my body does not appreciate the slices of pizza I attempted to sneak into my diet. I was especially naughty when my good friend from back home came down to visit, since we spent half of our time eating out. I'm now attempting to get back on track with my diet, since it does make a tremendous difference, especially with my IBS.

No funny stories today, but I'm hoping to get back into the habit of blogging more frequently. I plan on sharing lots of information and maybe even a silly story now and then.

Until then, Cento Anni!