I Have PCOS

So I went to the doctor.  I called my new doctor and couldn't get an appointment for a whole month!  So I did the next thing I knew to do-- called my old doctor's office and asked to see a PA or Nurse Practioner.  I told them that I thought I had a short luteal phase and/or low progesterone and am trying to conceive.  I got in the next day with the PA who specializes in infertility.  Infertility.  What a scary word.

I printed off a list of my cycles (yes, it was color-coded) and was on my way.  She was SO nice and as I was telling her my symptoms and she looked at my sheet I printed off, she mentioned PCOS.  Polycystic ovary syndrome.  Some of the biggest symptoms that I had were abnormal cycles, acne, weird hair growth, cysts on ovaries, weight gain.  They did an ultrasound which confirmed that I had cysts all around the edge of my ovaries.  Mine kind of looked like this:

Basically it looks like a normal ovary, but all of those black spots are cysts.  I visualized at least 4-5 on each ovary.  And I didn't throw up at this trans-vaginal ultrasound.  SCORE! 

She ordered a whole panel of lab work (testosterone, insulin, FSH, etc.) that I have to be fasting for and plan on getting at the 24 hour lab this weekend.  I also have to get my progesterone level drawn at day 21 of my cycle.  In November, I'll be on vacation on day 21, so I'll have to wait until December for this lab.  This will show if I have low progesterone or not. She discussed my options-- she could put me on metformin, a drug used in diabetics to treat insulin resistance.  PCOS gives people a resistance to insulin, thus the weight gain and inability to conceive.  She could also give me Clomid which forces you to ovulate, but runs the risk (10%) for multiples.  Meaning twins...even triplets!  Yikes!  We decided that I just needed to do the metformin for now, and if it's not working in a couple of months, we can discuss the Clomid. 

She also said I needed to start a low-carb diet.  This will help with the insulin resistance.  I LOVE CARBS!  But I'll do anything to have a healthy baby, so I started on a low-carb diet today.  I've done pretty good so far.  I've looked into the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, and the Sonoma Diet.  They are all similar-- no carbs, lots of proteins, some veggies.  I don't want to stress myself out (even more) so I'm just going to cut out carbs as much as I can.  I'm going to make a healthier choice each meal to eat more of the right things and less of the wrong things. 

So, I have PCOS.  I think.  I'm being treated for it.  I started metformin last night and the only bad side effect per the doctor was diarrhea.  I thought I was in the clear....until I ate lunch.  I hope my body adjusts soon. 

I feel okay about it.  God is in control.  God is with me in this "wilderness" time.  I read a bunch of success stories online today about people on metformin and conceiving.  I'm so glad that the doctor gave me a game plan and is helping me.  It's an answered prayer.  God is good. 

Irregularities

I'm beginning to think that something is wrong.  The last three months, my cycle has been pretty messed up.  Here is a breakdown:

August
Began spotting 6 days before period started
Period lasted 4 days
Cycle was 33 days (month before it was 30 days)

September
Began spotting 8 days before period started
Period lasted 5 days
Cycle was 36 days

October
I began spotting 5 days ago
Not sure when my period will start
If I have a 35 day cycle, I will have begun spotting almost 2 weeks before my period

I've read that the spotting can be from low progesterone levels.  I'm trying to decide whether to call my doctor and go in for some blood work.  I'm always worried about it at night, as I'm laying down to go to bed.  It's when I really think about it.  I'm just tired of having an almost 2 week period!  Today at church, I was reminded of one of my favorite verses-

"The Lord will fight for you, you need only be still." - Exodus 14:14

I'm rest in that verse tonight.

Cute Announcement Ideas

I've gathered some cute pregnancy announcement ideas and wanted to share.  Not because I'm pregnant, but because I will forget what I want to do by the time I am!  How can you pick just one?

No Try October

We aren't trying this month.  With our big vacation coming up in the middle of November, we figured it would be best if I wasn't 8 weeks pregnant on that vacation.  We aren't preventing, but not actively trying.  God may just have a sense of humor and give us a baby when we say we aren't trying this month.  We'll see!  I wouldn't be opposed!!

It's been nice not thinking about baby making or having a baby constantly.  I've been consumed with my capstone class in grad school.  Some people have had babies lately, which makes me think a little about it.  I'm still a little freaked out sometimes about the whole giving birth thing. 

Sorry this is super random; I was just thinking about not trying, but wanting a baby. :)

On Waiting

I've been reading some really timely stuff on waiting.  The bold emphasis is mine.  Here you go:

They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.” Isaiah 40:31 ESV

We’ve all heard the prayer: “Lord, make me more patient—and do it now!” Of all the spiritual virtues, patience is one that tends to be troublingly elusive. Let’s face it; if patience is a virtue, most of us are not very virtuous. It’s flat out hard to wait.

Think of how you feel when you’re late for a critical engagement and caught in a traffic jam. I find it tough when I’m in a hurry and rush to the “10 items or less” line at the grocery store, and then have to wait while the guy in front of me pulls 16 items out of the basket and casually chats with the clerk. How did I know it was 16 items? I counted them, piece by piece!

When life or people don’t measure up to our expectations, being patient can be quite a challenge. But it’s clear that God wants us to develop this character trait. After all, patience is more than a virtue—it’s a fruit of the Spirit. It reflects His very presence in our lives, for He is a patient God. If He weren’t, we all would have been annihilated long ago.

So what’s our problem?
There’s a good probability that our struggle with patience has been unsuccessful because we’ve been trying to focus on our own agendas and timelines and not trusting that, for reasons best known to Him, God may have a whole different schedule for us. Our propensity to live with a short fuse is all about forgetting that God puts us in His waiting room on purpose, because He is often doing something behind the scenes while we wait.

It might be as simple as teaching us to be more concerned with the struggles and feelings of others rather than being totally taken with our own interest and plans. There is plenty of evidence as well that God interrupts the normal flow of our lives to open unusual opportunities to be used of Him in unexpected ways. Or, it just may be that God wants to give us the opportunity to show what His patience is like by demonstrating it to others.

One thing we can be sure of—God’s time is always the right time. His management of our situations—whether in traffic or in the “ten items or less” line—is always the best management. Patience is not learning to wait for others; it’s learning to wait on God and to cooperate with His work in our lives. Next time impatience begins to stress you out, stop and ask God what He is saying to you; ask Him to show you why your expectations and schedule have been hijacked. Then take a deep breath and trust. Trust that He is at work in you and in the situation.

So, the next time you have to wait, “wait for the Lord”!

Source: http://getmorestrength.org/daily/life-in-the-waiting-room/

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"What's taking so long, God? I want it, and I want it now!" Maybe there's something you've been asking God for, trusting God for. And it's been a while, and it still hasn't come. You want it now, but there's a reason God isn't giving it to you now. It's not ready yet. And it would disappoint you if He gave it to you now.

There's a word that's one of the major keys to God's best, it's a word that is spelled out in our word for today from the Word of God. Psalm 37 , beginning with verse 5, tells us to: "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this...Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him...Wait for the Lord and keep His way." There's the word that often stands between you and God's best - wait. Part of committing your way to the Lord, of trusting in Him, is to wait until God says it's ready; until God says you're ready. So many people are living today in the heartache of their own impatience. They couldn't wait, so they grabbed what they could have now. And it's been much less than what God was getting ready for them.

Look, you've been waiting for God to come through. You want to be married. You're waiting for Him to answer your prayer about having a child, raising a child. You're waiting for that job, that heart change, that breakthrough, that answer, and it hasn't come yet. Don't panic. Don't let impatience cost you the perfect will of God. Premature babies aren't as healthy as ones that are full-term. Premature solutions aren't healthy either. Wait until it's full-term. Remember the principle of Galatians 4:4 , "In the fullness of time, God will," bring you your answer when it's ready. So stop whimpering, stop whining, stop trying to grab it before it's ready. If you insist on having it now, you're not going to like it!

Source: http://www.hutchcraft.com/a-word-with-you/your-hard-times/the-reason-for-the-wait-6236

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Also, I've been following this blog for a little while, and she is doing "31 Days of Waiting."  How appropriate!

Check it out: http://puttinggodfirstplace.com/

God is really speaking to me right now, and I am so thankful to hear His voice and know that He is speaking right to me!

My Vitamin Ritual

I've begun a new vitamin ritual:

In the morning:
1 400 mg Vitex

At night:
1 81 mg baby aspirin
1 prenatal vitamin
1 400 mg Vitex

I've read online that this is a baby cocktail.  The baby aspirin prepares your uterine lining for a baby and the Vitex regulates your hormones.  My cycles keep getting longer and longer, so I'm attempting to regulate them in some way.  Maybe this will help?

I'm also beginning to take my basal body temperature (BBT) every morning and am charting through some free iPhone apps. 

Hopefully this combination will equal a baby sometime soon!  Oh-- and I got a pack of 50 ovulation test strips from Amazon for $9!  Baby cocktail + charting + ovulation = Baby?