Timeline

I was diagnosed with pcos 12 years ago. I believe it was August of 2000. I was offered birth control pills, which I have never been a fan of for several reasons. One of which is the link to breast cancer. My aunt passed away when I was young from breast cancer. Therefore I declined that option and the other option I was given was to take provera every 6-8 weeks just to get a period. Not exactly the most fun but I realize it is necessary. That is the route of care I chose. Fast forward to 2007. John and I decide we want to enlist the help of a dr since it is not happening on our own. I go to a new ob/gyn because my original one retired. This dr sent me straight to the fertility specialist. John and I go for a consult. We didn't care for this dr at all. He wanted some diagnostic tests done and told me to go back to my regular dr for these tests. So I do. She did an ultrasound which showed pcos. The other test is called a hysterosalpingogram. That test showed a blocked tube (left side). We go back to fertility specialist and his recommendation was IUI. IUI scared me for some reason. I think the risk of a tear in the uterus is what got me. At that time in my life I would pass out at the sight of a needle or any medical equipment. Lol. I'm over all that now!! Back to the timeline. So we took a break from drs. I went back to my dr a year later for my annual exam which she literally did not do. She sent me home with prenatal vitamins and told me to go back to the fertility specialist. Are you kidding me? I shaved my legs for this?!? Ha! Needless to say I found a new gyne that actually wanted to do my annual exam for me. We are now in 2008, a friend recommend NaPro Technology. I look it up. Do a few hours of reading on it and researching it but there is not a dr near me that practices it. We continue on our path and we are just thinking if it's meant to be it will be. 2012 hits and I decide it's time to try again with drs help. John's all for it. The dr prescribes clomid for 2 cycles. It doesn't work. Then dr wants to send me back to fertility specialist. My insurance doesn't cover it. Karrie brings up NaPro again and gives me more info on it. I realize it's worth driving 3 hours to see a dr. This dr believes in treating me for pcos. After all infertility is a symptom/side effect of pcos. If nothing else, I can be hopeful that I will feel better as a whole. For the first time in my life I'm going to a dr that actually wants to help, not just slap a band aid on the problem. Of course the ultimate goal here is a baby and research shows great results using the NaPro Technology method.

A Tiny Step Forward

I woke up this morning to my phone ringing. Who was it, you ask?! It was Dr. Stalling's office with the insurance information I've been waiting on. Yay! I thought I was going to have to wait much longer. It turns out my benefits are not as bad as I thought. The insurance will approve everything (at 90%), but the ovarian wedge resection. They will have to review my case to see if it is medically necessary. Well, duh! Of course it is medically necessary, but we'll see what they have to say.

I feel like things are a little more organized. I have scheduled my first appointment to learn the Creighton Model System. I also contacted my previous doctors for old medical records. I just need to schedule a surgery date for this summer. The ball is definitely rolling now!

Surgery

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with getting things in order. I have been thinking about the ovarian wedge resection surgery since the moment the Dr. S mentioned it. It's all I can think about and I had some pretty good distractions this weekend. My brother and his family were in town, yet my mind went right back to my ovaries. I enjoyed having them here. The kids are growing so fast, they have 3 girls and 1 boy. They come to town every Memorial Day weekend which also happens to be my other brothers daughters birthday. This weekend was spent with tons of kids and lots of family. It was great, although it was not good timing with the first NaPro doctor appointment.  I'm still amazed at how the appointment went. I have never had a doctor spend that much time with me and treat me like a human being, not a dollar sign. I'm eager to hear back from Dr. S to find out if insurance will cover the o.w.r., laparoscopy and selective hsg she recommended. I'm hoping it will be approved because I am feeling like I have to give the surgeries a shot. I hope I hear back this week. I wish I could find some bloggers that have had the ovarian wedge resection, so I can get opinions and thoughts about the procedure. I will keep researching!

First NaPro Doctor Visit

This morning (5/25/12) started out rough. I was not feeling well, full of anxiety. This morning was not like most, this morning my husband and I were heading to out first appointment with a NaPro doctor.

A friend of ours recommended the NaPro technology, truth be told she recommended it a few years ago, I just didn't understand it and I guess it was not the right time. I firmly believe everything happens for a reason and it happens when it is suppose to.

The nearest doctor that practices NaPro is 3 plus hours away from our home. So we set out on our journey only to sit in construction traffic for the first 30 minutes of our trip. As you can imagine my nerves were shot. Thoughts racing, what if we don't get there on time? What if we travel all this way and the doctor only spends 10 minutes with us? What if there is no hope for us? I pushed those thoughts out of my mind and just concentrated on spending 3 hours in the car with John. We enjoyed the scenery and made little jokes about this and that. It was nice.

We arrived 30 minutes early and checked in. I was given the standard forms to fill out on a first visit. Once I completed the forms, we took a seat and I looked around. The office was decorated nicely. There were beautiful portraits of babies on each wall. The wait was not long at all, which I found refreshing, The nurse spent some time with us explaining a few things and asking some questions. She gave us each more forms to complete and when we were finished with that the doctor came in.

I was very impressed with the fact that the doctor actually reviewed my medical history and engaged in a conversation with me. This is something that has NEVER happened in the past. I am usually rushed in and out and I don't think the my previous doctors even reads what I write.

There is a plan in place. I have lots to do! Get all of my old records, schedule an appointment to learn the charting process, decide if I want to go through with the surgery that the doctor recommended!

I best get started!!




I have included a couple of pictures that snapped on the way down to Peoria.

Introduction

Hello! You have stumbled across my blog for one reason or another. My main goal is to have a place to go where I can let out my thoughts and feelings during this long journey I have ahead of me. I have an open mind and heart and I hope my readers will too!

I am married to a pretty darn good guy. We have been married for 10 years this past May 10th! We have two dogs and a cat. We are looking to expand our family, and that is where the trouble comes in. I suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos) which in short means my ovaries don't work. Of course, there is more to it than that. And that is why I am here. I found myself posting about the struggles we are having on facebook. Which is okay, but I'm sure some people don't care or don't want to know about it.  Although, it was from one of those posts that made me realize talking/writing about it helps in many ways. And voila, my very own blog.

John and I

Archie

Millie

Gracie