Had my first monitoring ultrasound of this cycle today. Dr. Diehl had a student (as usual) who was, of course, male. :/ Plus Lyndee, Dr Diehl's nurse, there were 3 people in on this ultrasound. Awesome. It went well. Dr. Diehl said my ovaries/uterus look like they're responding better to the Femara than they did with the Clomid. I go back Thursday for another ultrasound, that one should tell a lot more. Got the results from Todd's semen analysis. I guess I should ask his permission to post about this but everything was normal so I doubt he'd care. So it's just me with all the issues...as usual...
We had a pretty uneventful weekend. Since I had my HSG Friday we just laid low that evening. Had some pizza and hung out with the neighbors. Saturday was the first Black Hills A&M Club "tailgate". It was great meeting new Aggies. The couple that hosted the event are actually from Desoto, Tx-my high school's rival and they graduated in the same HS class as my cousin. Talk about a small world. I was "elected" Vice President of Activities/Muster. I'm very excited about this because I have a HUGE place in my heart for Muster and was very sad I didn't attend one this year so I'm looking forward to planning next years. My first activity to coordinate was a game watching party for this Thursday since we will actually get the game live here! BTHO OSU! (Oklahoma State University for you Ohio people). Sunday after church we drove through Spearfish Canyon-the leaves are at they're peak and we rode the motorcycle. It was breath taking! Then we had our usual couple's Bible study and called it a weekend! The next month or so will be pretty uneventful for the Saksa's, nothing really big until Thanksgiving in Texas!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Too Many Men in my Business
My OBGYN is a man. And in the almost 3 months that I've been seeing him he has done a total of 6, count them, SIX pelvic exams/pelvic ultrasounds. For those that don't know what a pelvic ultrasound is it's where they insert an ultrasound wand into your vagina and are able to look at the uterus (specifically the lining) and the ovaries (specifically the follicles). I have to do these about 4 times during each cycle as it is the only way to really know how my body is responding to the medications. While I love Dr. Diehl there is always a little awkwardness since he is a man.
Today was my HSG and, of course, the radiologist was a man. The HSG was surprisingly not as horrible as I had made it out to be in my head. Granted it was NOT comfortable, but it was also not painful. And the very sweet doctor and nurse actually listened to my requests to hopefully make it less uncomfortable just based on how well general pelvic exams go (i.e using a pediatric speculum, how I lay, etc.) It really was just a glorified pelvic exam with different tools and a lot of cramping. The whole procedure was over in about 30 minutes and he showed me the results right there. Everything was normal. YAY! Except for that it still doesn't give any more information as to why my body is unable to ovulate on its own, it just rules out a lot of reasons why.
The only good thing about having male doctors is that they legally have to always have a female in the room during a pelvic exam and I've come to find that they always have the sweetest nurses :)
On a side note, since I'm blogging, because I'm not in Bismarck this weekend like a was supposed to be then I get to join Todd at the FIRST Black Hills A&M Club party!! WHOOP!!! I'm so incredibly excited to get to meet other Aggies in the Black Hills that aren't also in the Air Force!
Today was my HSG and, of course, the radiologist was a man. The HSG was surprisingly not as horrible as I had made it out to be in my head. Granted it was NOT comfortable, but it was also not painful. And the very sweet doctor and nurse actually listened to my requests to hopefully make it less uncomfortable just based on how well general pelvic exams go (i.e using a pediatric speculum, how I lay, etc.) It really was just a glorified pelvic exam with different tools and a lot of cramping. The whole procedure was over in about 30 minutes and he showed me the results right there. Everything was normal. YAY! Except for that it still doesn't give any more information as to why my body is unable to ovulate on its own, it just rules out a lot of reasons why.
The only good thing about having male doctors is that they legally have to always have a female in the room during a pelvic exam and I've come to find that they always have the sweetest nurses :)
On a side note, since I'm blogging, because I'm not in Bismarck this weekend like a was supposed to be then I get to join Todd at the FIRST Black Hills A&M Club party!! WHOOP!!! I'm so incredibly excited to get to meet other Aggies in the Black Hills that aren't also in the Air Force!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
No Bismarck :(
Just found out today that my 2 day class in Bismarck, ND was cancelled :( I'm very bummed because I've been really wanting to go to this class, and also see a new state that I've never been too. They have no plans to re-schedule so who knows if I'll make it now.
With that, my HSG got moved to Friday since I'm already scheduled to be off work I'm going to just keep the day off. Todd will also be able to go with me now.
With that, my HSG got moved to Friday since I'm already scheduled to be off work I'm going to just keep the day off. Todd will also be able to go with me now.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Because I'm tired of answering this question
I have talked to my doctor about my running. I've been dealing with this for 10 months, we've talked about everything. If running or any other form of exercise was affecting my fertility it would be evident in my blood work and I would respond normally to drugs.
And I wouldn't have the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which I was given before I even became a runner. I also have Celiac Disease, which affects fertility.
And I wouldn't have the diagnosis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which I was given before I even became a runner. I also have Celiac Disease, which affects fertility.
HSG,SA & Femara, Oh my!
This will be a busy week!
Today I start Femara, drug #2. It says it may causes drowsiness so I'm not going to start it until tonight. I PRAY that I have less side effects than with the Clomid! The night hot flashes alone were enough to make me hate that drug! I only have to take it for 5 days and I can do anything for 5 days.
Talking to Dr. Diehl's nurse today, who by the way is SUPER sweet and understanding about all this and really tries to help me work appointments around my work schedule. And speaking of work schedule, while my boss doesn't know WHY I keep going to the doctor she is always very understanding about people needing to take care of things like doctors appointments. HUGE helps with all this. Anyway...my HSG (Hysterosalpingogram) is scheduled for this Thursday at 11:00am, also the same day I'm supposed to drive 5 hours to Bismarck, North Dakota for a class that is Friday and Saturday. Talk about a busy day! They said I could drive after the procedure and that I may just feel uncomfortable. So what is a HSG you may ask? (**TMI Warning**) An HSG is an xray where I will lay on a flat table (not intended for a pelvic exam) and a radiologist will use a tenaculum to clamp my cervix where he will then insert a catheter into my cervix to inject dye into my uterus and fallopian tubes to take a picture to look for any abnormalities on the inside of my uterus or blockage of the fallopian tubes. Its not supposed to be very comfortable :( (aren't you jealous?) but the whole procedure should take about 30 minutes. My doctor doesn't necessarily think that anything is abnormal or blocked, its just a standard test to "cover all the bases". Which leads into the other big test of the week-Todd's semen analysis (SA). Obviously we know the big problem is the way MY body works, but its also good to make sure nothing is wrong on Todd's end so he gets to go tomorrow morning and do that.
Please pray for GREAT results with all testing this week! This week will either tell us a lot more about whats going on or it will just rule out a lot of things. I start my next round of ultrasounds to see how I respond to the Femara on Monday.
Today I start Femara, drug #2. It says it may causes drowsiness so I'm not going to start it until tonight. I PRAY that I have less side effects than with the Clomid! The night hot flashes alone were enough to make me hate that drug! I only have to take it for 5 days and I can do anything for 5 days.
Talking to Dr. Diehl's nurse today, who by the way is SUPER sweet and understanding about all this and really tries to help me work appointments around my work schedule. And speaking of work schedule, while my boss doesn't know WHY I keep going to the doctor she is always very understanding about people needing to take care of things like doctors appointments. HUGE helps with all this. Anyway...my HSG (Hysterosalpingogram) is scheduled for this Thursday at 11:00am, also the same day I'm supposed to drive 5 hours to Bismarck, North Dakota for a class that is Friday and Saturday. Talk about a busy day! They said I could drive after the procedure and that I may just feel uncomfortable. So what is a HSG you may ask? (**TMI Warning**) An HSG is an xray where I will lay on a flat table (not intended for a pelvic exam) and a radiologist will use a tenaculum to clamp my cervix where he will then insert a catheter into my cervix to inject dye into my uterus and fallopian tubes to take a picture to look for any abnormalities on the inside of my uterus or blockage of the fallopian tubes. Its not supposed to be very comfortable :( (aren't you jealous?) but the whole procedure should take about 30 minutes. My doctor doesn't necessarily think that anything is abnormal or blocked, its just a standard test to "cover all the bases". Which leads into the other big test of the week-Todd's semen analysis (SA). Obviously we know the big problem is the way MY body works, but its also good to make sure nothing is wrong on Todd's end so he gets to go tomorrow morning and do that.
Please pray for GREAT results with all testing this week! This week will either tell us a lot more about whats going on or it will just rule out a lot of things. I start my next round of ultrasounds to see how I respond to the Femara on Monday.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Something New to Blog About
Infertility.
Yep. I said it. The dreaded word that no couple ever wants to hear.
Here is the long version. **TMI Warning**
Almost 10 months ago when Todd deployed I decided to give my body a break from all medications, namely birth control pills. For 6 months my body did absolutely nothing, I had no period. I did not ovulate. (I had been doing Ovulation Prediction Kits so by the time I went to the doctor I'd at least know that) I got to the point where I knew something wasn't right so I went to the base OBGYN to start trying to find some answers. About 15 blood tests and one "Progesterone Challenge" (Take progesterone for 7 day to induce a period. No response). I still had no answers and was referred off base to an Infertility Specialist OBGYN named Dr. Diehl as well as a Reproductive Endocrinologist in Denver named Dr. Smith. Dr. Diehl consults with Dr. Smith so that time traveling to Denver is kept at a minimum. Dr. Diehl looks overall my labs and tests and basically told me in May that the only way Todd and I would ever have children is through fertility treatments or Invetrofertilization (IVF). My official diagnosis teeters somewhere between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and "Unexplained". The problem being that I have no clinical blood work or findings to confirm PCOS but I do have some, but not all of the signs and symptoms. Dr. Diehl then decides he wants to start one round of treatment, on Clomid, and do some more testing to see how I respond. I have to tell Todd all of this via Skype as he is still deployed and at that time we decided we still weren't ready for kids or for the stress that infertility treatments would bring (schedules, counting days, different hormone meds, endless doctors appointments,etc) We leave it at "we'll do the 1 round, see where we are, and wait until we're ready".
Flash forward to August when "round 1 begins".... BTW- Clomid is an evil, evil drug that causes SEVERE bloating, mood swings and hot flashes like a 60 year old going through Menopause. HATED. IT.
Naturally, my body doesn't respond to the drugs the way it's supposed to prompting Dr Diehl to inform me that "it may be more difficult than just taking a pill and making things work". Naturally, we begin to question what we do now. Are we ready to go down this road? What if it works next month? What if it doesn't work for years? Through lots of prayer and conversation God placed a scripture on my heart that actually hangs on a wall in our house. "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails". Proverbs 19:21. God revealed to me the many times just in my relationship with Todd that He has worked things out in HIS timing, without any help from me. So we concluded we would begin this journey of infertility and see where the Lord takes us. This was certainly NOT in OUR plans. Had I not even taken a break from medications in January, we wouldn't even know all of this. We also feel that right now we are in a place where we 1. have excellent health insurance that covers A LOT of infertility treatments and 2. We can logically and rationally makes decisions that are not emotionally drivenBut we do and that can only be part of God's plan. We don't know if it will be short. We don't know if it will be long. We don't know if it will end with trying IVF or heading towards adoption. But we do know that we will trust the Lord and His guidance and ask that you simply pray with us and for us. Pray for God's will. Pray for patience with the process. Pray for Grace with each different drug that I take. I will do my best to update my blog. Please feel free to email or call if you have any specific questions. Especially those of you that have shared the same struggles.
So that's my heart. In a nut shell :) So where do we go from here you ask? I start Round 2 on a different drug called Femara on Monday and will likely also have a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) (sp?) possibly this Thursday to look at the inside of my insides to check for any other problems they may be missing.
I'll write a separate post about the HSG and what I think about Femara another day.
Thank you for reading this long post and welcome to a new place in my life. This hasn't been an easy road thus far and I fear the worst is yet to come. This whole process feels unnatural and when you live in a community of baby making machines it's sometimes a lonely place to be the one whose body doesn't work the way its supposed to.
Yep. I said it. The dreaded word that no couple ever wants to hear.
Here is the long version. **TMI Warning**
Almost 10 months ago when Todd deployed I decided to give my body a break from all medications, namely birth control pills. For 6 months my body did absolutely nothing, I had no period. I did not ovulate. (I had been doing Ovulation Prediction Kits so by the time I went to the doctor I'd at least know that) I got to the point where I knew something wasn't right so I went to the base OBGYN to start trying to find some answers. About 15 blood tests and one "Progesterone Challenge" (Take progesterone for 7 day to induce a period. No response). I still had no answers and was referred off base to an Infertility Specialist OBGYN named Dr. Diehl as well as a Reproductive Endocrinologist in Denver named Dr. Smith. Dr. Diehl consults with Dr. Smith so that time traveling to Denver is kept at a minimum. Dr. Diehl looks overall my labs and tests and basically told me in May that the only way Todd and I would ever have children is through fertility treatments or Invetrofertilization (IVF). My official diagnosis teeters somewhere between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and "Unexplained". The problem being that I have no clinical blood work or findings to confirm PCOS but I do have some, but not all of the signs and symptoms. Dr. Diehl then decides he wants to start one round of treatment, on Clomid, and do some more testing to see how I respond. I have to tell Todd all of this via Skype as he is still deployed and at that time we decided we still weren't ready for kids or for the stress that infertility treatments would bring (schedules, counting days, different hormone meds, endless doctors appointments,etc) We leave it at "we'll do the 1 round, see where we are, and wait until we're ready".
Flash forward to August when "round 1 begins".... BTW- Clomid is an evil, evil drug that causes SEVERE bloating, mood swings and hot flashes like a 60 year old going through Menopause. HATED. IT.
Naturally, my body doesn't respond to the drugs the way it's supposed to prompting Dr Diehl to inform me that "it may be more difficult than just taking a pill and making things work". Naturally, we begin to question what we do now. Are we ready to go down this road? What if it works next month? What if it doesn't work for years? Through lots of prayer and conversation God placed a scripture on my heart that actually hangs on a wall in our house. "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails". Proverbs 19:21. God revealed to me the many times just in my relationship with Todd that He has worked things out in HIS timing, without any help from me. So we concluded we would begin this journey of infertility and see where the Lord takes us. This was certainly NOT in OUR plans. Had I not even taken a break from medications in January, we wouldn't even know all of this. We also feel that right now we are in a place where we 1. have excellent health insurance that covers A LOT of infertility treatments and 2. We can logically and rationally makes decisions that are not emotionally drivenBut we do and that can only be part of God's plan. We don't know if it will be short. We don't know if it will be long. We don't know if it will end with trying IVF or heading towards adoption. But we do know that we will trust the Lord and His guidance and ask that you simply pray with us and for us. Pray for God's will. Pray for patience with the process. Pray for Grace with each different drug that I take. I will do my best to update my blog. Please feel free to email or call if you have any specific questions. Especially those of you that have shared the same struggles.
So that's my heart. In a nut shell :) So where do we go from here you ask? I start Round 2 on a different drug called Femara on Monday and will likely also have a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG) (sp?) possibly this Thursday to look at the inside of my insides to check for any other problems they may be missing.
I'll write a separate post about the HSG and what I think about Femara another day.
Thank you for reading this long post and welcome to a new place in my life. This hasn't been an easy road thus far and I fear the worst is yet to come. This whole process feels unnatural and when you live in a community of baby making machines it's sometimes a lonely place to be the one whose body doesn't work the way its supposed to.
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