Saturday, January 10, 2009
Reading blogs on Charting
Ya know, I've been reading some other blogs and noticed talk about charting. I find the charting thing to be hard at times too. Which sticker should I use? Am I reading my "signs" right? It gets somewhat stressful at times! I used to see my practitioner at least once a month to go over my chart and for encouragement but once I started seeing the Napro Dr. she didn't have to see me as much. I haven't had an appt with her since last August 08! I've been charting 15 months.......I truly felt I needed her encouragement more once I started meds because my charting changed and I needed her positive encouragement(the meds made me so emotional and tired). Anyway, when I started charting this practitioner was so upbeat, excited and hopeful. As time went on........she piped it down a bit. I don't know if I'm reading too much into it. My dr. is not all that optimistic either. Our health insurance will not pay for us to go see Dr. Hilgers in NE and we can't afford to pay the whole bill ourselves......once I let that "cat out of the bag" it seemed like they were not as interested. My dr. told me flat out that even though my charts and blood work show ovulation, I still may not be and the only way to know for sure was to see Dr. Hilgers. Most dr's use the blood work to gauge ovulation, right? OH well.........I'm thinking of making an appt with another spec. to find out if I'm ovulating (the meds I'm taking now are not worth anything IF I'm not truly ovulating) and I notice a lot of women blogging have had or have some type of endometriosis. I wonder about that too. My gyne or other dr's haven't expressed concern yet. I probably should be checked. The Napro dr. has not mentioned any concern either. I'm used to charting now..........I guess I'm not so optimistic about the creighton method. The Napro dr did say that if the hormone progesterone did not help then he would basically be done. He doesn't do any other kind of procedures, etc. He sends everyone to Dr. Hilgers. What next??
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Welcome!! So glad you are here! It wasn't until I started blogging did I start making my way through IF treatments via Creighton.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that 70% of the infertile couple's with husbands that have "normal" sperm have endo. My husband doesn't have "normal" sperm but it is "fair". I only need one so I am going with it!
I had Stage IV endo here were some of my symptoms. Some woman don't have ANY symptoms at all, even though my periods were "normal" they were not.
Painful periods? They don't even really have to be painful, but I thought it was odd when my girlfriend questioned why I was married to a heating pad my whole menstraul. Abdominal pain, but not really pain, more life flutters, pinches, light cramps in between your cycle or after your period is over. It wasn't until I started paying attention did I notice them. Tail End brown bleeding? Murkey colored brown blood? Does any part of intercourse hurt or uncomfortable. Doesn't have to be the whole time, could be just sometimes, some areas.
I didn't got to Omaha. I went to the Center of Enodmetriosis in Atlanta. It was only 6 hours from me so it wasn't that bad. If you suspect you can always write them and the Dr. will look over your records or you can write him a letter about your concerns. He is SO NICE! I love him! I wrote a long letter to him and within 5 hours I had him on the phone, but I had tall tale signs of endo. It is very common. So I would definatley look into it. Or you can research a good endo Doctor in your area. Or someone who knows a lot about it. When it comes to my reproductive organs I don't want just anyone touching them. Especially since in my opinion the womb is under attack! :) I hope this helps!
Hi Sew, Thank you for your helpful comments. I read your blog by the way...it's been helpful. I'm excited that I found this blog for it's been awhile since I've had anyone to talk too about IF treatments, etc. I only know of one other couple who does not have children and this couple hasn't started trying yet. So....I really don't have anyone to talk too besides my husband (poor guy listens but really does not understand what I am talking about. My mom is good about listening but since she had five children she really isn't knowledgeable about infertility).
ReplyDeleteI think I will look into an endo dr. The Creighton Pract. thinks my cramps (which begin soon after ovulation) are due to the fact that my progesterone drops off. The prog pills are suppose to make me feel better yet last month.....the cramps got so bad...I was so neausous and we had to cancel a short trip to see my husbands family for Christmas. I was in tears. The dr wants me to do the pills one more month before we try something else. Ugh! My cramps get bad but manageable with Aleve. I don't have any pain after my cycle ends. Last month, the Aleve wasn't helping. The Dr. told me to take a pregnancy test if I made it to P17....I made it to P15. I knew I wasn't Pregnant. Gosh...I've been trying for six years...I knew I wasn't pregnant. I don't know what it feels like to be pregnant but I know what it feels like when I'm not! Haaaa!!! I think the prog pills caused the bad cramps and neausea. Whew! Not one Dr has ever checked me for blockages either so in the back of my mind.....I wonder. hmmmm....I'm getting older here and I've heard I'm going to suffer monthly periods due to the fact that I haven't given birth. That stinks. So, The emotional suffering isn't all that I have to contend with.....it's the physical too. That's when I beg God to help me feel better! Anyways....next time I go to a Dr. visit...I will do more questioning and if the Napro dr isn't much help..then I'll call my reg Gyne and see if she has any thoughts or recommendations. She is awesome and honest. Thanks again for your comments.....I appreciate your help. God bless.
I know that when someone starts working with PPVI and Dr. Hilgers, he almost ALWAYS schedules a laparoscopy. Since endometriosis can have no symptoms, they want to see what's going on in there so they can either treat it or rule it out. I've heard of people who have had tons of pain and it ends up being mild endo, and people who had mild pain and it was Stage IV endo.
ReplyDeleteSince the age of 20, I had a few horribly painful attacks that doctors wrote off as being gastrointestinal, but I never had monthly pain. It turned out that those attacks were from the endo, so that just goes to show it can manifest in many different ways!
And when you say you haven't been tested for blockages, do you mean you haven't had an HSG (I think that's what it's called) where they run the dye through your tubes? I thought that was one of the very first tests they do. You should definitely ask for that.
Just think - there could be some totally treatable thing causing your infertility that just hasn't been diagnosed yet!
Welcome to blogging - I enjoyed reading your blog today. I would like you to know that you and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers. You are also not alone in your infertility struggle. There are so many of us out here suffering similar struggles.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Maria, I'm 42, and married for a year and a half. I have been a teacher for twenty years at a daycare. I've always wanted children. Last year in February I had surgery to remove two ovarian cysts and that's when I learned I had endometriosis stage 4. We recently found a wonderful napro tech doctor who is treating me for the endo and infertility. He did a series of hormone tests and discovered I was low in progesterone.
Do you know what helps me? Praying the rosary and keeping in touch with others suffering from infertility, endo, ect.
Also I'd like to encourage you with this true story. I know a lady who was around your age who had difficulty conceiving for two years after she was married, they found out she had a thyroid problem, she was given medication to treat it, and guess what? Now she is pregnant!
Please feel free to visit my blog and say hello sometime! I enjoy making new friends!
http://hailmaryfullofgrace-mt.blogspot.com/
May God Bless you and your husband.
Maria Therese In Mass
I agree with allyouwhohope and wonder why I haven't been checked for blockages too. I remember a dr telling me that they always want to start with the easiest remedies (drugs) first and then if that doesn't work...go for more invasive procedures. Makes sense to me however since I am getting older....I don't know if experimenting with drugs is the best answer. More prayer. I'll pray to see what God wants me to do next if anything. My mom tells me to be patient! What is that? LOL...by the way...I posted a new blog about my infertility journey and I forgot to mention that when the dr did the D&C for the uterine lining....he said there wasn't any endometrious. However, that was almost four years ago. Hmmm...wouldn't hurt to investigate that again. Thanks for the prayers and encouragement. I do feel better now that I am sharing my journey with other women who DO know what I am going through and feel. I've prayed for this connection...another prayer answered!
ReplyDeleteI hate that you are not having a good experience with your Napro doctor. We had to really shell out some big bucks to receive treatmnet from Dr. Hilgers in Omaha, but I am so much better now. Where I leave there were no napro doctors nearby, so we just went to Omaha and paid out of network prices. I have dual coverage and it has been a battle to get them to pay their part, but it was really worth it. I am soon to be 32 and my husband and I have been trying to conceive for 8 years. We struggled with terrible doctors and by the grace of God was taught the Creighton model by one of the families I met who moved here a few years before. It was like manna in the dessert. I only knew that I probably had PCOS. I thought it was hopeless to conceive naturally without God supernaturally bringing a baby into being. Now I have been diagnosed with endo, adhesions on my ovaries and PCOS. I have a thyroid dysfunction. I had my first surgery with PPVI in July 08 and found all of this out. I was so miserable, I think they had pity on me, because I did not have to wait very long to have my second surgery in Sept 08 to correct all of these issues. I am free of endo, adhesions, and PCOS. My hormones are still balancing themselves out and I speak with the nurses their several times a month for cycle reviews. Maybe if you can't get into see Dr. Hilgers, their will be another doctor that God will allow you to meet and find true healing with and may your hope be fully restored. I say, talk with you practioner again. Tell her you need a pick me up. I am sure she will be very happy to support you in that! Blessings and prayers to you!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the comments. We actually go back and forth about Omaha and if we went...we'd be spending money we put aside for the adoption (in case that happens.). That is a big risk. I'm going to start searching for a dr in my area who can maybe check some things out and at least give me peace of mind. If I'm not actually ovulating...then hormones are not going to be effective. It's unfortunate that the Napro dr I've been seeing isn't able to do more than hormones and paps. I should call the practitioner. I do need her encouragment. I just wonder if I'll be done with the creighton method if I end up going to see another dr who is not affiliated with Creighton. Somehow I have gotten that impression. I want to keep charting, etc even if I go and see another specialist. Did you do the Follicular Ultrasound in Omaha besides the other proceedures? That is what the Napro dr by me has suggested that I may need done. Still thinking the uterine lining is not doing it's job. I'm still praying about what we should do next. I'm starting the prometrium pills in a few days. I thought I'd run this course of meds and go from there. I need to pray to meet a dr that can maybe offer us so hope. Blogging has helped me and encouraged me to keep trying. Maybe it isn't time for me to give up yet. Lord willing...I'll know where to go next soon. Prayers and blessings to you and everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi! Welcome to the blogosphere! There are other drs. that do the surgeries, etc. that trained under Hilgers. I work at a practice that has those drs. have you looked in the male side of things more? That is where we are at right now. i look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby was tested last January (hole in condom method) and the Napro dr said his "men" were okay and could get me pregnant. They weren't the best but could do the job. I have to take that. We only need one strong "superhero" to take rank! haaaa.....at least I can laugh about this, right?
ReplyDelete