Excellent TCM Appointment

Jan. 31, 2014

Great news today. The second my TCM doctor took my pulse she looked up surprised and started saying "hung how hung how." Translation? Very good very good!

Yay! I blurted out "I like the sound of that!" I told her I'd gotten my period the day after my last appointment. They asked the color, if clots, duration and if the flow was normal. Red, no, four days with two spotting, normal. She was thrilled.

After my session, she took my pulse again and was visibly excited. She started talking a mile a minute in Chinese. I kept looking between her and her husband hoping for a translation. He just burst out laughing and said "She's so excited. Very happy! She's flushed. Hot!" Apparently, she was getting so pumped she had to take off her sweater.

All in all. Great appointment. She leaves for China for a few months on the 10th so they want me to fit in one last appointment with her next Saturday. I was going to try switching to every other week, but I want one good last acupuncture session before she leaves. Her husband will continue to do my sessions and herbs while she's gone, but I think I will definitely switch to every other week at that point. Mainly, for financial reasons, but secondly, it's not his expertise. He's a brilliant TCM and I trust completely capable and competent with fertility issues, but a good time for me to switch. I'm already down to herbs every other day.

If this all wasn't so darn expensive, but like my husband says, it's working. As I was choking down my herbs he told me to "slam it down! They're working!" Thanks, sweetie!

Until next week, I keep doing to same old same old.

Something else I've been thinking about. I remember my friend telling me (before I was diagnosed) that she just felt awful because I was ALWAYS sick. Like constantly. I wasn't sleeping and any bug my son got...so did I. It dawned on my I've been remarkably healthy. I think I got two colds and a UTI the later part of last year. My son was out of school for throwing up, fevers, and had numerous colds. I've avoided all of it. Just goes to show you when you are stronger overall, how much better your immune system is. Pretty amazing!

God is in control. Always.

CD11 and plugging along

Jan. 28, 2014

Well, I've had a few people email me and ask if I got a CD3 check. Nope. My doctor emailed me back at around 9 pm the night of CD3 and said she'd run my FSH, but I told her I wanted it to be CD3, not 4. She didn't seem to care either way, so I asked her to order the lab so it'd be there next cycle and she agreed. So, I guess next cycle, if it arrives (I'm being positive for a BFP, not negative thinking it won't...) I will test.

As I type, I'm sitting with my castor oil pack on. This is my third night with the pack. It was nice to get back to the chiropractor this week. I was pretty misaligned. He normally can just crack me and use his super chiropractic "nail gun thingy" to get the kinks out, but he had to do some additional moves. He told me my "butt was on crooked." At least the guy has a sense of humor, right? He said that for now, six weeks was my max between visits.

I started oil pulling today. In all honesty, I did it once before and never followed through. I don't remember if I included it in my blog. Basically, you take a tablespoon of oil, I used organic coconut oil, and swish it around your mouth for 20 min then spit it out (in the garbage, it will clog your pipes.) Make sure to spit it out though because it pulled the toxins from you...you don't want to ingest them all over again. Rinse your mouth with salt water to kill any remaining bacteria and brush as normal.

The first time, I gagged. The feeling of oil with saliva building up...eek. This time, it wasn't too bad. You are suppose to do it first thing in the morning, but my son wakes me. Try swishing oil for 20 minutes with a two year old pulling at you...not gonna happen. I do it on my work days. It is suppose to help detox your body and also help with oral health. Here is a good article about it. My reasons are for detox, and, if I must admit a bit cosmetic. I feel like with the tea and herbs my pearly whites aren't as pearly. In years past I'd have pulled out the Crest white strips, but I refuse to put that crap in my body or on my teeth. Oil pulling should help restore the glisten.

As of now, I'm out of herbs. I didn't go to acupuncture this past weekend, so I didn't get a refill. I've just been continuing my supplements. I was doing a lot of reading on Pregnitude, which has helped a lot of women. In a review however, I learned (and then verified on the package) that it is 2000 mg of Myo-Inositol and 200 mcg of Folic Acid. Sooo...basically it's a heckuva lot cheaper to just buy those supplements and take it yourself. As I read more on Inositol, it's basically very helpful for PCOS, but has been shown to improve egg quality in all women. Here is an interesting article.

I also was reading more about antioxidants and their role in fertility here. This came up when someone was asking me about Ubiquinol. As I was referencing a few things on it, I read it should be taken with Lipoic Acid, which regenerates itself as well as CoQ10 (Ubiquinol) and glutathione. My feeling is I don't want a ton more supplements, but I may add Lipoic Acid because as I read, it's basically encouraged by most fertility doctors and doctors in general. I opted not to do glutathione because the lipoic acid should in and of itself regenerate glutathione which helps egg health. Please check with your doctor before trying lipoic acid. For people with diabetes it can lower blood sugar levels.

It'll be good to head back the my TCM this Saturday. I'll be CD14 so it'll be good to encourage some good blood flow to the lady parts. In the interim, I'm hoping the castor oil packs, fertility massage and fertility yoga poses are helping. I have to do the femoral massage, but it freaks me out every time. That rush of blood after I compress the artery makes me queasy. I actually took two pregnancy tests AFTER my period before I'd even do it because I get unnerved by it.

So many women ask me how much this all is. It's not cheap, but I'm getting good at managing how to pay for things and find the best deals.I do have some good links there      ---------------------------------------->

to the side of the sites I use and I've been trying to link products here and there throughout the blog. If you go to the "CHANGES" blog which was my second entry I did link all the products so you can see what I'm talking about and those are some of the best prices I'd found. Some fluctuate though so feel free to shop around.

The one big thing I do is try to buy "whole" products free of fillers. It might be more money upfront or seem like more work, but I feel like it's better for me and long term it's a TON cheaper. Products like shatavari root, wheat grass, maca, goji berry, etc are actually whole foods. There is no need to spend extra money for encapsulated products. I also buy my vitamin c, calcium and magnesium in powder form so there are no extra "fillers" added. I figure I take enough supplements that I'm already ingesting more fillers than I like.

At one point I did the math and powdered maca was pennies on the dollar compared to maca pills. I make mine into truffles to dodge the taste and I save a ton of money. Same for everything above.

Basically, I use Amazon for subscribe and save supplements that I get monthly. They have a great selection and if you subscribe you save 5% automatically and 15% if you get a delivery of five items.

I really like iHerb for some items because they refrigerate items that need to be cooled. Amazon does not. If you are new there use code POD190 for $5 off your first order of $5 or more or $10 off $40. iHerb also ships free over $20 so that is an added savings.

I like Vitacost for various reasons. Some of their prices are cheaper than Amazon, even with the subscribe and save discount. I also like if you are doing a large bulk order, they often have spend more save more sales. $10 of $65, $20 off $80, etc. If you are doing a big order, that is the place to go because shipping is free over $49, they ship same day and the added savings are impressive. If you are new there, follow this link to save $10 off your first purchase of $30 or more.

Puritan's Pride is great because it has free shipping on any order now. Score! They don't have the widest selection (outside of their brand) but if you like something in their brand, it's usually buy one get one free or buy two get three free. They also always run promotions through email or ebates for added savings and cash back. The one thing I'm not crazy about with Puritan products is a lot of them have soy fillers. I try to avoid that.

Pure Formulas is also an awesome site. I don't do a ton of shopping there because they don't carry all the brands I use, but they have free shipping on every order. If you just need to order one cheap supplement and don't want to build a cart, this is your place!

That brings me to Ebates. If you aren't a member. You need to be. This site offers cash back at almost all the places you will shop. When you are spending buco bucks, it adds up quick.

Abe Books, Amazon and Alibris all offer a good selection of used books so if you can't afford to find the books I suggest, or any fertility reading...get a used on there. I rarely pay more than $4 or $5 with shipping included for any of my reading.

My advice is to stat with what you are comfortable with. If that is an organic diet. Start there. If it's meditation. Start there. If prayer. Start there. If swapping out your deodorant for homemade. Start there. So much of this is overwhelming, but that just leads to more stress and more hormonal imbalance. I found that as I started making lifestyle changes, it just kind of snowballed and became easier and easier.

Breathe easy. God's gotcha. 

Cycle Day 1 has arrived

Jan. 18, 2015

Well, my "anniversary" came and went. To be honest, I had moments where I was struggling that day, and yesterday was an emotional rollercoaster. I was just plain irritable. Come to find out, it was PMS. I woke up with shooting cramps at 4 am and my period had started. I was surprised at how bad I cramped all day today.

The crazy thing is, I'd gone to my TCM yesterday morning and she knew I'd start. How? I was sensitive as all get out. I wasn't too sensitive on most areas, but on the point lowest below my naval closest to my pelvic, it was like she'd stabbed me. I also had pretty bad pain over my right ovary. My guess is that is the one I'd ovulated from. I started cramping during my session. She told me that because I was hurting so much in those locations I'd most likely start menstruating within a day or two. She was right!

My pulses were good after my session. I think she was busy, so I got an extra long session. I actually thought she'd forgotten about me. An hour went by and I was still lying there with needles poking out and starting to get a wee too warm under the heat lamp over my pelvis.

A breakdown of this cycle. 33 days long. Ovulation on day 19 and a whopping 14 day luteal phase as long as I ovulated when I think I did. That's great news!

I did email my doctor today. Last time she ran labs it was midcycle and the nurse had said she'd intended to do them and an office visit for a 6 month checkup. Problem was, I hadn't had a cycle to speak of for so long, we just went with my first bleed, which was only spotting and turned out to be most likely ovulation spotting as I started my period two weeks later.

I'm not sure if she'll want to see me or not. I could go either way. It'd be nice to have an accurate read of my hormones, but I also like just trusting I'm healing. I'll keep you posted.

From here, I'll just keep on doing what I've been doing. I'm skipping acupuncture next week because I'm auditioning for a play. It'd be my first time back on stage in 12 years if I get it. But, that's getting ahead of myself. I'm not sure if skipping is good or bad, but I'm really starting to just go with the flow. My herbs run out in a few days so I'll be without for over a week. I'm fine with it. Last month I ran out for a good week too. I'm starting to trust and have more confidence my body is regaining it's strength on it's own. I'm just prodding it along.

I'll start my castor oil packs and pre-O routine again soon. I'm waiting until my heavy bleeding is done though because castor oil can make the flow heavier. I really think that's helped. The last two solid periods I've had have been during the months I was vigilant with my packs until ovulation.

I just have to say my heart is heavy this evening. Someone I know lost his wife tonight from sarcoma cancer. She was such a woman of faith and did video updates, up until two days ago offering strength to all those fighting cancer. I journeyed with them over Facebook and have been faithful in my prayer over her, him and her family. I never met this woman, but I burst into tears to hear of her passing. It really puts into perspective how short our time here on earth is and how much we can chose to impact people in a positive or negative way. May we all chose to be a light to those that surround us.

God bless you through your healing and God be with you always.

Approaching my D Day Anniversary (Diagnosis)

Jan. 13, 2015

Well, I'm approaching my one year anniversary from D day. Diagnosis Day. One year ago today, I went in to the doctor to see why I hadn't started bleeding after my "chemical pregnancy" only to find out I'd never been pregnant. The positives were false due to a low level of HCG in my system from being "post menopausal" and an excessively high LH. My labs didn't actually come in until the 14th and on the 15th I got the email (yes, EMAIL) from my doctor basically telling me I was a dried up old woman. He was a bit kinder, but not much.

I thought it'd be depressing as I approached my one year mark, but I'm doing ok. I realize that despite the horrible prognosis, being told my hormones were beyond repair and dismissed as being past the point of return, I have resumed ovulation. My uterine lining that was less than paper thin now bleeds the proper amount. My debilitating night sweats that had my husband sleeping on the couch because I soaked the entire bed, haven't occurred in a year. My horrible insomnia is gone and in it's place is restful sleep. I've no hot flashes, am able to concentrate without feeling like I have ADHD and am more even keel. I've gained the weight I need to, have made significant health changes in my life regarding stress, diet and positive outlook.

All in all. All good things.

On a slightly different note. I found a new product I've been really happy with. I've spoken so much about how important magnesium is. Well, I found a product that is more easily absorbed than most dietary supplements. It's called Natural Vitality. If you order from iHerb use code POD190 for a discount as a new member. $5 off free shipping over $20

I started using it and it's helped with sleep and stress. My husband who is in school right now and prone to high anxiety started taking it too and it's helped him a LOT! Start with only 1/2 tsp a day and work your way up to the dose you need.

I was back to acupuncture last Saturday and all seems to be going well. As always, my Qi was better after my session, but they seemed hopeful my period would come this week.

Stay tuned. As always God Bless and keep the faith! 

Happy New Year

Jan. 6, 2015

Happy New Year!

I feel like I've been away so long from writing, but it was a nice break. It was a great time with family and not "stressing" or over-thinking fertility issues.

Where to start... Well, I'm feeling good. I went down to every other day herbs and I think that's working for me. I had my supplements carefully sorted so I continued those during my vacation. I did cheat and took a few OPK's to see where my hormones were and I did get a few positives. It was timed around other fertile signs (cm and cervix) but I stopped taking them so I'm not sure what the follow through was. I wouldn't know without my thermometer anyway. However, all fertile signs disappeared around the same time, so I'm hopeful :)

I did get an acupuncture session when I was back. Although, not exactly what you'd expect. My aunt took a certification course in acupuncture for the ear. If you look at an ear it bares an uncanny resemblance to a fetus. The theory is, there is a point in your ear for every area of your body.

She placed five needles in my ear all representing a different channel. You can see the spots above. The Shen Men is the spot I rub at night to relax and alleviate stress before bed.

I googled more about it, and here is an interesting article.

http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/abc/nadaprotocol.php

She also put on my ear a magnet that would help me mentally relax. She said it would stay about a week. When I'm started to feel stress I rub it gently. I snapped a picture. You can barely see it. Look closely, I circled the magnet under flesh colored tape. No one has noticed it so far.

My same Aunt who did my acupuncture also shared with me that a close friend also was diagnosed with POF. Her sisters were as well. She told me that this person had done DE IVF and offered if I ever wanted to talk to her, to let her know. Isn't it remarkable, I grew up knowing this women, and her children and never would have guessed her path.

I told my Aunt that if things don't happen naturally (but I'm certain they will) that we had discussed embryo adoption and I may take her up on her offer at a later juncture. This women also had one biological child before diagnosis. Amazing how many women suffer from fertility problems and just don't share. I'm guilty of it myself.

Other than that, back to acupuncture on Saturday. For now, I'm just using supplements and doing my yoga, meditation and prayer. I'll get fertility acupuncture and an updated dose of herbs on Saturday.

All in all though. Feeling good. I'm feeling strangely at peace with everything right now.

God Bless!