****Warning this is a long post****
I know last post I promised to write more, but then life happened. It really happened. I got a kindey stone and spend over a month in pain and discomfort. Two surgeries later it was removed and I started to feel better by mid-March.
I have had a lot happen over the past two and a half months. I updated my Our Journey So Far with the basic details. I realized I had not update that page in a while. I will give more detail account here and reflections as I go.
Ultrasound Results:
It was not good news I am sad to say. They found another LUF, which means I am most likely not ovulating at all. This hit me really hard. I was in the middle of having a kidney stone, about to have surgery to get it removed and now this hit me. I couldn't deal with it to be honest. I told my DH and flat out said I am not ready to think about this. The proposed treatment plan is this:
Menotropin Protocol
Begin with one 75 IU ampule of Repronex (LH/FSH).
1) Administer 75 IU intramuscularly once a day from day 3 through day 7 of your cycle.
2) On P-6, you will need to get estradiol blood levels drawn every other day, until P+12 (roughly 10 blood draws per cycle).
3) Beginning on P-2, you will need to have an ultrasound to evaluate the number and size of the follicles stimulated. You will need another ultrasound on P+3. Contact your provider on P+1 or P+2 so that this can be scheduled. It may be necessary to have additional ultrasounds. Your provider will inform you if additional ultrasounds are recommended.
4) You will need an additional blood draw on P+7 for both Estradiol and Progesterone..
5) Continue to chart with CrMS.
6) If you are instructed to use HCG to trigger ovulation, you will administer 10,000 units intramuscularly when directed.
7) Administer any post-peak prescription medications according to your charting and not according to the ultrasounds.
8) Your provider may adjust your dose to 150 IU, if so, administer 150 IU intramuscularly once a day from day 3 through day 7 of your cycle. Only do this if you have been instructed to increase your dose.
My question to the blogger out there, have you seen this type of protocol before? My doctor told me she has not had much success with femara when I asked about doing that instead. This will be like a full time job to do and I am just not ready. On top of that, I want to be 100% sure I am having LUF's and not complex cysts, so I am going to do an ultrasound series. That is a whole different story, but it won't be until May at this point!
Reflecting on that - I had to ask my self why did I do the surgery in the first place?? Well I do have normal cycles now - 28 days!!! The cramps have been reduced, and I can better predict my cycles. So I guess I am glad I did the surgery, I would not have know about the LUF's if I didn't for probably another 6 months. I don't regret it. The surgery was healing for me. I just am on unsure footing now that we my not be able to conceive without heavy amounts of drugs. We know we must discern if we even want to do that. Only time or prayers will tell.
Tyroid Results:
First here are my results:
My TSH is too high for TTC, I know that. The real problem according to my napro doctor is my T3 and reverse T3 ratio is 5.8, well below the 10 ratio she looks for. So you asked me to do the A-Z symptom checklist and monitor my temperatures and pulse. Well at first I was like no. Then after thinking about I changed my mind. I am doing the monitoring this cycle, but I know my average body temperature is below 98.2, so I know I will be switching. I am going to see the doctor who has been monitoring my thyroid one more time to check in with her and let her know what is going on.
I was hesitant at first because I have thyroid problems for so long and I really like my other doctor. But as I thought about it more, I am tired of the headaches, tired of being cold all the time, and being tired of being tired. So I decided to give this a chance.
Blood work panel
Due to my kidney stone, i had to to this over three cycles. (Well two put I skipped a cycle due not charting.) It turns about that I have a Type III luteal phase defect. So I will on progesterone P+5 to P+12 this cycle. (Prometrium 200 mg). I will see what happens.
Other treatments
Based on conversations in the facebook group, I decided to ask the doctor about starting low dose Naltrexone since I have a lot of the things it treats. I have PCOS, Endometriosis, fatigue, low mood, anxiety, and autoimmunity disease (Hashimoto's Disease). My doctor did not think I needed it for the brown bleeding, but willing to try to it for other things. I started it today and boy did it give me a headache. I was unable to make Mass/adoration tonight because of it, which saddened me. But I am catching up on my blog which is a form of reflection!
Also, my glucose is fine! No need to go back on Metformin. At this I can cross that off my list!
DH
DH is still taking his vitamins, and we hope to do testing this cycle or next. We both have to be healthy.
Thoughts
I have so much to say right here, but I think I will save a lot of my deep reflecting for another post. Even through I may have LUF's I want to get my biomarkers off my chart and I want to feel overall better. I think I need to body the best shot if and when I do the protocol. It is a lot to take in all at once and I am slowly working through it all. As I was talking to my mom, she said I use to be healthy. And yeah 6 or 7 years ago I was, but I think my thyroid starting getting much worse about that time. I hate being on so many medications, but if they make me feel human again then I am willing.
