Michael's Turn!

I finally got Michael scheduled for his sperm analysis--and I even beat the Oct 31 deadline I had set for myself. :)

He'll be going to Oregon Reproductive Medicine this Friday, Oct. 1 for an 11:00 a.m. appointment. Hopefully we'll get the results within a few days and we'll know more about where we stand as potential parents.

Cross your fingers for us!

Still Some Cysts . . .

I had my 3rd pelvic ultrasound (2nd one in 6 months) today, but I can't remember if the woman who did my ultrasound today was the same one who did it in March--I think so, but I seem to remember the other woman telling me more about what she was seeing than this woman did today. This time she just told me what we were looking at (right ovary, left ovary, uterus) and that she was taking measurements. She did say that there still appear to be some cysts on the ovaries and that Dr. Bruner will compare today's measurements with what they were in March. I am hoping that they are smaller, but trying not to get my hopes up. There was one cyst in particular that looked fairly large, but then again, the images are magnified quite a bit (I think), so hopefully it is not as big as it looked. Disappointing in that I didn't get immediate results as I did with the HSG. Guess I will just have to wait to see what the doctor says . . . although, I don't think I am going to change my game plan all that much. I plan to keep taking the herbs for a few more months, and incorporating more of the castor oil packs and self massage. I have to admit that I am disappointed in myself for not doing a better job with the self-care--it makes me wonder if the cysts would still even be there if I had been good at doing it. :(

Another Opinion

I had my acupuncture session yesterday, but I met with Jelena's business partner, Lisa Pool, since Jelena is still out of the country visiting family.

I liked Lisa a lot; she was warm and funny, and had a joyful bubbly sense about her that was different from the artificial cheer I experienced with Dr. Bruner. Lisa was down-to-earth while still being professional and I appreciated that. My appointment started just before 4pm and she took the needles out at 5:15pm: once again, I felt like I had been adequately seen and heard, and I left with some new ideas about my health.

I didn't have to fill out any new paperwork since Lisa had the forms I had filled out for Jelena in July. She looked at them and asked me questions about the symptoms I have been and am still experiencing. What jumped out at her was a possibility of food allergies, fructose malabsorption or a gluten sensitivity. A naturopath I was seeing several years ago did a blood test for food allergies and nothing significant really came up, but given the symptoms I continue to experience, Lisa thought it would be a good idea to get checked out again. When I mentioned that my half-sister had recently been diagnosed with a pretty high gluten sensitivity, she was even more convinced that gluten is playing a role in why I continue to feel sluggish and have gastrointestinal problems. She also wants a hormone panel done including a full thyroid check because I guess Dr. Bruner didn't have my T3 levels checked when she ordered blood work last March.

Lisa is referring me to a naturopath named Dr. Jessica Black at A Family Healing Center http://www.afamilyhealingcenter.com/ I haven't been to see a naturopath in about two years, so I suppose it's time to get myself back in there. And I'm excited to see someone who specializes in supporting women's health. She published a book in 2006 called The Anti-Inflammation Diet and I am curious to see how it is different from the Fertile Soul's Spleen Qi diet and from the endometriosis diet that I followed for awhile.

Lisa also gave me some more information about Oregon Reproductive Medicine, in case we decide to go there for an IUI (intrauterine insemination) in a few months. Four doctors comprise the practice and she told me a little about each of them; she has firsthand knowledge since they helped her and her partner conceive their son. It was nice to learn some more about the clinic and nice to know that Lisa recommends them above the other fertility clinics in Portland. She said they are pro-acupuncture and we agreed that that probably has much to do with their high rate of live births.

She thought it will be important to see the results of next week's ultrasound in order to determine how well my ovaries are functioning . . . and then getting Michael's sperm test too, of course. That last bit has been stressful for both of us--frustrating for him because he feels like his job responsibilities prevent him from taking time off now when they have a heavy workload (and no one knows when it will ease up) and frustrating for me because I sometimes feel like I am doing a lot of this work on my own.

I guess this is where patience really comes into play--patience for Michael, patience for myself, and patience for our baby who is out there somewhere, waiting for just the right time to come into our lives.

Insight . . .

"No good thing is easy." They told us that,
while we dug our fingers into the stones
and looked beseechingly into their eyes.
They say the hurt is good for you. It makes
what comes later a gift all the more
precious in your bleeding hands.

---excerpt from "Consolations"
by William Stafford

Another Pelvic Ultrasound Scheduled

I got a call from Dr. Bruner's office last Friday and then again yesterday, asking me to call to schedule another pelvic ultrasound. They received the results of my HSG and were very pleased. :) The nurse who left the voicemail said the doctor wants to check on my ovaries and see if the endometrioma-like cysts have changed at all since March.

I am curious too, to see if things look different, now that I have been taking the herbs for three months. I'm trying to prepare myself to be happy with a small decrease in size, but what I am really hoping for is news that the cysts are not even apparent anymore. THAT would be sweet news indeed. And while I am fairly certain I do not want to work with this doctor much in the future (see March's post), I don't think I mind using her to get another ultrasound. I only feel a little bit guilty about that. :) I'm scheduled to go in on Friday, September 24th after work.

Other news . . . Michael and I are trying to figure out when he can go in to get his sperm tested. He had one test two years ago that showed some low numbers, but Michael is convinced that that was due to the massive amounts of Mt. Dew he was in the habit of drinking at the time. ;) Be that as it may, we definitely need some current information to work with. The problem is that the clinic is open for testing Monday through Friday during regular work hours and Michael often doesn't know how many hours he will need to work from week to week, and is often working overtime. We have decided that the best approach is to feel his boss out for how things are looking workload-wise on a Monday, then see if he can get Friday afternoon of that week off (or at least leave at his regular time of 2pm) so he can go do the test. I am making it our goal to get it done before Halloween.

I also have a session scheduled with Jelena, the acupuncturist and doctor at Red Peony acupuncture. She was on vacation for a month, but is back now and will see me on September 17th. I'm looking forward to getting on track with acupuncture treatments because I know it will help me feel calmer as well as help with the endometriosis. My insurance will pay for 5 sessions with the other acupuncturist at Red Peony, but not with Jelena so my plan is to alternate sessions between them to spread out the cost a bit. I'd like to get acupuncture during the first part of my cycle and also during the last part, to help with pain and PMS symptoms.

I haven't scheduled yet with Corrinne Porterfield-Brown, who does the Mayan abdominal massage, but I plan to do so soon. And the yoga studio near my house has an evening gentle yoga class starting next week that I am determined to check out! :)