Moving in the right direction!

So today I went in for a Sono Hysterosalpingogram (SSG). This was performed to make sure everything looked good in my uterus and fallopian tubes. All checked out good and she confirmed I have polycystic ovaries. That was not really a surprise but yet it was in a way. I guess it is just a confirmation of what I already knew but it just helps me to think I haven't been crazy for these past 5 years when I have known something wasn't right but was continually told that it wasn't PCOS. For so long I have known something wasn't right but it wasn't until we were trying for Delainee that I really knew.  Here is an example of what the difference between PCOS and normal ovaries.

So after I start my next cycle, either on my own or with the help or provera, we will be moving on to the next step. That will be injectables. This will be once a day for 7-10 days in the thigh. We could have done in the rear but the needle was longer and we would have to mix it. LOL So we opted for the option with a pen. I will still probably have David administer them because I can't imagine giving myself a shot in the leg or anywhere for that matter! Won't really bore you with all the details of that right now since it is still a month plus away.

I am on Metformin 3 a day now and have been doing horrible with the low carb eating so tomorrow is a new day and I can do this! This is going to help my dreams come true!

And on another subject we decided (I didn't want to cook and wanted one last bad cheat off low carb) to go to McDonalds and eat inside for supper tonight. While there 2 ladies and 4 kids came in. Now I don't want to sound mean but you just know when you see someone that isn't putting healthy "substances" into their body and one of the ladies that was pregnant mind you just gave me that vibe. The kids were all wound to the max and the pregnant mom seemed like she could snap. While the kids were eating their dollar menu burgers and sharing a fry I heard one little boy say we can't get happy meals because we can't afford it. It just broke my heart. Then a while later a little girl maybe around Delainee's age or younger said "can we please get a McDonalds toy?" How sad :( While we were walking out David had Delainee's toy (which she already had one I know bad parents we eat out too much). David walked by and did his typical "hi how are you" to the mom and then he gave the little girl the toy. Seriously touched my heart. Delainee noticed I think because she said "uh mom" and I just said Delainee no so that I wouldn't get a "MOM THAT IS MY TOY". We left McDonalds and Delainee didn't even mention the toy. Had she brought it up I would have explained to her what a good thing that was to do but maybe she just knew? So proud to be married to such a wonderful man!

Two weeks down many to go!

Last week I increased my metformin to 2 a day and I have survived! This week will be the true test because I have to increase to 3 times a day! I had a few bad days that I over did it on carbs and shouldn't have but they were so good :) I am down 7.4 pounds in 2 weeks so it is working! I am not taking it for weight loss obviously but it is a huge plus! I did enjoy some sweet corn and will until it is gone because it is only once a year we have fresh corn so why would I miss out? :) This week we will have another appointment to do my ultrasound to make sure everything looks good in my uterus and fallopian tubes so that we can move forward. That is really the only update I have. All is going well so far with medication and diet so far besides being tired of noncarb foods! One food I am very fond of right now is zucchini and spaghetti squash baked with butter! So good! I was told about Atkins bars and shakes by a friend and bought some and so far they are great! I think a shake for breakfast will be my new go to! The hardest part about those is explaining to Delainee those are mine and I am not sharing :) They are just so expensive and she doesn't need a high protein shake or bar.

The garden is growing like crazy! We have tomato plants pushing 5 feet tall and lots and lot of spaghetti squash putting on. We planted black beans and pinto beans too and some of them are starting to dry down it is very exciting :) I love gardening :) This year the weeds have gotten ahead of us as well as green beans so we are going to replant those which we did last year and it worked great for a later harvest. I have put up 18 quarts from one picking so I am sure I will get plenty from the next planting too. Today I think I will work on zucchini relish prep and possibly can a pint or two of jalapenos since I have some but no tomatoes ready for salsa making.

Happy Monday!

Educational Post

I think I should probably give a little education on PCOS, treatments and medications. So I will start with PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of a female sex hormones. This may lead to menstrual cycle changes, cysts in the ovaries, trouble getting pregnant, and other health changes. There are many different symptoms for PCOS and you can check those out here, this is also where I got the definition of PCOS. I don't have all of these symptoms but do have some of them. 1 in 10-15 women is effected by PCOS. That means out of my 300 female facebook friends 20-30 could have PCOS. That is just crazy to me! Fertility in itself is much higher then one may think. 1 in 8 couples are affected by infertility that is 7.3 million American women having trouble conceiving! Did you know that? I sure didn't! It is because nobody talks about it. I have a disease just like people have diabetic or high blood pressure or even cancer but I am not suppose to talk about mine. Because as a women it is personal to not be able to get pregnant. All women can get pregnant, right? WRONG! I just wish that it wasn't such a secret for people and they would share their stories. It sure is nice to know you are not alone.

I could go on and on but I will move on to the treatment I am doing. Right now I am taking Metformin. Metformin (BP, pronounced /mɛtˈfɔrmɨn/, met-FAWR-min; originally sold as Glucophage) is an oral antidiabetic drug in the biguanide class. It is the first-line drug of choice for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, in particular, in overweight and obese people and those with normal kidney function.  Its use in gestational diabetes has been limited by safety concerns. It is also used in the treatment of  polycystic ovary syndrome, and has been investigated for other diseases where insulin resistance may be an important factor. Metformin works by suppressing glucose production by the liver. Basically when used for PCOS it is used to help trigger your brain to ovulate or at least get you closer then not using it. I was instructed by my doctor to also follow a low carb diet with this and research I have read supports this being a good diet for PCOS in general.

So far that is the only treatment we are using but with time that may change. As our treatment plan changes I will update my blog. In closing I am going to include some pictures that best describe how I feel about PCOS and secondary infertility.

I just need to keep reminding myself I can do this...

So today is day 5 of low carbs! And when I say low carbs I mean no bread, pasta, potatoes, fruit, chips, crackers and anything sweet and yummy. The only carbs I have been consuming (with the exception of one night I did have a whole grain bun) are from things such as cottage cheese, almonds, peanut butter and ketchup! Those are very low in net carbs as long as I don't eat 100 servings in a day! I would have to say I have been consuming less that 50 grams a day. Today my stomach has been in knots and all week I just haven't really cared to eat much. Great diet plan! A side effect of the Metformin is loss of appetite so I am blaming that! I want bread and pasta so bad that the thought of some foods that are low carb just makes me almost gag! I like my ham, egg and cheese sandwich from Torrey Pines for breakfast. I don't want to eat eggs! The thought of eggs is one of those foods. And I only had them 2 days! So my breakfast has been consisting of celery and peanut butter or cottage cheese. I know this is going to get better and honestly if it wasn't for the potential outcome I wouldn't be still doing this! I have started off with 1 metformin a day at breakfast (darn stuff has to be taken with food or I would skip breakfast) and next week it will be breakfast and supper and finally the 3rd week one at each meal. Which I guess makes me have to eat something 3 times a day! All griping aside :) here is my yummy supper I did have!

 

 

Hamburger grilled by my amazing husband, green beans with bacon and squash/zucchini/broccoli butter bliss :) Hey at least there were veggies in that butter ;). It was all very good. So thankful for the squash from my sister in law! Nothing tastes as good as fresh grown from the garden! The only thing that could have made this meal better would have been a bun but oh well. Happy Friday! 

The day has come and gone...

Well July 3 we went and saw our Fertility Endocrinologist Dr. Maud Doherty in Omaha. She was so so nice and we loved her! I have to admit I was very nervous because some of the things I read online said that she was short and didn't answer questions just sent you home with material. This was not the case at all! She would explain things then ask "questions?". She diagnosed me with PCOS. This wasn't really a shock to me because there was really no other condition I could see it being and it was actually a bit of a relief to have a name to my infertility! So Monday I started taking Metformin to get me ovulating or at least closer to ovulating then I am now. Prior to our appointment I took 30 ovulation tests and didn't get a single positive. So frustrating and expensive!  She also put me on provera for 10 days to help jumpstart a cycle. After my next cycle I will go back for a sonogram of sorts to make sure there are no abnormalities in my uterus (I have had a polyp previously) and make sure at least one of my tubes is open. From there I will become a pin cushion from blood draws and potently injectables but right now it is one day at a time! I will be eating a low carb diet in conjunction to the metformin so I may feel like I am going to die some days! I love my carbs so much but I want to expand our family even more so I can do this! I will do this!