Not Yet

Sorry, I just realized I missed an entire month of posting. I was super optimistic in my last post saying I’d be on Clomid again in September…clearly I didn’t factor in how long and drawn out all of my cycles are. Ugh. I started my progesterone on cd33 Sept. 10th, I was supposed to wait until cd35 but I couldn’t wait. I finished my 5 days of it on Friday the 14th, cd 37 and here it is Tuesday the 18th, cd41 and I am still waiting for Aunt Flo. I hope it comes today so I can get this show on the road and see if Clomid will work for me this time around now that I am back on Metformin.

Although there is a catch, I am taking a lower dose of Metformin right now. Only 1 pill at night. When I actually got pregnant with Adeline I was on 3 pills of Metformin, 2 at night and 1 in the morning. Since it upset my stomach so bad and it was just a nightmare for awhile, Dr. C thought at most I’ll up it to 2 pills this go around. Or stay at 1 pill if 2 makes me sick. But she said there was no guarantee that only 1 pill would be enough to do anything for me… so yes, I should be taking 2 pills of Metformin already but I am so fearful that I’ve decided for this 1st round to test how my body is responding to just the 1 pill +myo-inistol. If I don’t ovulate again I’ll begrudgingly start taking 2 of the Metformin and just try to suck it up.

In more cheerful news, Adeline has said her first word last month at 14 months, “No”. Hahaha 😀 oh the joys of hearing her shout No at us all the time now. Her little voice is really cute though! And now at 15 months, she finally has her 1st top tooth coming in! Well actually one has broken the gums and there is another about to. So 3 teeth officially at 15 months, says No, I just bumped her to size 3 diapers, and she is very very close to walking. She loves to hold our hands and walk around right now. I am guessing she is 16 lbs now and still in size 6 month clothes but her head is getting too big for some of them so I might start transitioning her to 9 month clothes shortly. She is just the happiest baby, I love her so much ❤

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Hello Metformin, My Old Friend

I just got back from my annual gyn appointment where Dr. C got right down to business on my infertility struggles. I was so happy she knew right away why I was really there and didn’t have to bring it up. She unfortunately has no idea about myo-inositol supplements and wants me to start back on Metformin instead 😦 😦 😦 I just can’t get away from this drug. My new plan of action is to immediately start Progesterone to end this current cycle and start a new one finally and pair it with Metformin. I am going to take 2 pills of Metformin at night after taking 1 the first week in hopes that my stomach will be adjust ok… Dr. C said this cycle is basically going to be a wash because I can’t start Clomid again until September so that the Metformin will be really in my system by then. But I am still happy she is giving me 3 more rounds of Clomid so that I won’t have to go to the specialist until December now. I am calling this a win even though it involves Metformin.

Updates

It’s been awhile since I posted but there hasn’t been much to update on. Lately we have just been enjoying the summer. AC was away most of the month for his summer army training so my mom traveled down to keep me company a few days and then my sister came one weekend as well. I took them each to the beach on base and to the botanical gardens. My 2 favorite places here. Adeline has turned into quite the water baby as well. She loves the ocean, baby pools, and even splash pads.

Her bandages that were covering her stitches have finally peeled off. Her scars are actually barely visible. Just a small hair line on each side of her abdomen. I am so thankful all of that went well and she is completely healed!

I feel like I should probably do an update about her as well, as she is at the very end of 13 months already! Where does the time go?? Adeline is now 15 lbs but still in 6 month clothing and size 2 diapers. Our pediatrician said we could switch her to regular milk but I have her on enfamil toddler formula instead because I don’t want her to miss out on all the vitamins and nutrition,

she still has a lot of growing to do! She still also only has 2 teeth and is cruising the furniture. She had another development check 2 weeks ago. She has them every 6 weeks since she is a premie and they don’t want her falling too behind. Thankfully she tested in the normal range for everything. Although she tested in the 9 and 10 month categories even though she is 10 and a half  almost 11 months adjusted. But I guess that is ok. They showed her how to ring a bell then gave it to her to ring but she was more interested in the part inside of the bell rather than shaking it. They also gave her crayons and she tried to eat them but really what one year old is actually coloring already?! She is also still cruising the furniture but not walking yet, I am not too worried about that though.

TTC: I have been on my myo-inistol and d-chiro inistol supplements for almost 3 weeks now and still not much has changed except my moods. I am on cd 64 😦 ugh when will it end?? I sneakily scheduled my annual obgyn appointment for today so that I could talk to my doctor again one more time for free rather than paying out of pocket for the specialist. I am pretty positive she will at the very least give me progesterone to restart my cycle. I so need it.

Let’s Do This

https://www.ourmisconception.com/

There are 2 bills out there that need our help to get pushed through for getting infertility treatments and care covered by our insurance companies. If you live in the US and are able to please check out this blog that explains these bills and what we can do to help get them noticed and supported!

Myo-inositol – My Last Ditch Effort before the Specialist

“By acting as an insulin-sensitizing agent, myo–inositol helps to promote proper utilization of the hormone insulin, which in turn supports proper hormone balance, ovarian function, egg quality and menstrual cycle regularity. Myo–inositol may be especially helpful for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).”

So I have started taking myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol as I keep reading many many good things about them helping women with PCOS, that they together can restore regular cycles and bring ovulation back. Here’s hoping! I am only on day 3 of taking them. The only 2 changes I have seen so far is that it improved my mood, I am not irrationally angry all the time, thank goodness. I also haven’t been sleeping as good, but that could easily be from Adeline waking me up at night too.

Here is an excerpt from another blogger and her opinions on it, or you can go to her page to view the entire article here:

What is PCOS?

If you are unacquainted with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), it is the most common endocrine disorder affecting up to 20% of women of reproductive age. PCOS can occur when there is an imbalance of hormones and a surplus of insulin in the blood. Insulin resistance causes elevated levels of estrogen and androgen (male) hormones. Vice versa, elevated levels of estrogen and androgen hormones cause insulin resistance. High hormone levels lead to high insulin levels and the syndrome feeds itself. This leads to a woman’s body being overloaded with hormones and insulin. In turn, this can lead toirregular menstrual periods, the absence of menstrual periods, hirsutism, painful acne and obesity. PCOS causes women to have increased risk of developing hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It also causes more than 75% of cases of anovulatory infertility (infertility caused by hormonal imbalance).

I started using inosoitol after diet changes and exercises weren’t enough to cure/put my PCOS into remission.  Seeking out advice from fellow PCOS-sufferers who discussed their treatments, I noticed that many kept referencing inositol to treat PCOS.

Metformin vs. Types of Inositol

The reasoning behind treating PCOS with inositol is the same that is behind as using Metformin. The main difference is that inositol occurs naturally in food. Inositol is found naturally in fruits, grains, beans and nuts. Both Metformin and inositol act as a glucose sensitizer, which causes cells to absorb glucose when it is initially released. This prevents the release of more glucose, which is one component continuing the cycle of high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and high hormone levels associated with PCOS.

In one Google search, I found a wealth of information in numerous studies on treating PCOS with inositol. In one study, one group of women suffering from infertility due to PCOS were given a combination of 4000 mg of myo-inositol (generally referred to as inositol) and 400 mg of folic acid while another group was given metformin. The hypothesis of the study was that women suffering from PCOS had a deficiency in inositol levels and by increasing inositol consumption, issues associated with PCOS would be lessened. By taking inositol with folic acid, one group of the study participants showed lower levels of insulin and 65% had ovulation restored. Of the group who were given, 50% had ovulation restored. Additionally, 18% of women who took inositol were able to get pregnant vs. 11% in the Meformin group.

Other studies conducted giving patients inositol showed results such as:

• an increase in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) resulting in weight loss
• decreased insulin, triglycerides, testosterone, and blood pressure levels
• decreased androgen hormone levels
• sudden appearance of menstruation and regular menstruation

I also read about the benefits of taking D-chiro inositol in conjunction with myo-inositol. A study was performed regarding metabolic disorders using myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol as a treatment. Women with PCOS are at risk of developing metabolic disorders due to metabolic, hormonal and ovarian dysfunctions associated with PCOS. Women who took a 40:1 ratio (consistent with the levels found naturally in plasma) of myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol versus myo-inositol alone saw a greater improvement in metabolic functions. The author of the study states:

“The combined administration of MI and DCI in physiological plasma ration (40:1) should be considered as the first line approach in PCOS overweight patients, being able to reduce the metabolic and clinical alteration of PCOS and, therefore, reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome.”

It is interesting to note that myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol are a part of the Vitamin B family. There are also nine different types (or stereoisomers) of Inositol. With the combination of myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol, your body is able to produce all types of inositols that it needs.

Surgery Day

The last Saturday in June was spent going to a 1st Birthday Pool Party for one of our friends baby. This will be the 3rd baby in our friend group to turn one years old and 3 more to go! Adeline loves the water, so she had a great time splashing around with all of the other babies. I was so glad that this was before her surgery too or she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the pool. Right after this fun weekend was Adeline’s hernia surgery on Monday, July 2nd.

Her surgery almost didn’t happen though. While I was at work on Friday at 3:40 pm I got a call from the hospital that was going to be doing Adeline’s surgery only to be told by their finance person Regina, that our insurance was showing up as inactive in their system! Of course I am then panicking and told her we definitely have insurance and that I would call them right away and get everything figured out. She said that was fine and that she would call me back at the end of her shift to ensure everything was worked out. After I hung up with her I immediately contacted AC and told him the situation and told him to call Tricare. Not 10 min later I get another call from a different nurse telling me Regina had already left for the day and that my baby’s surgery was cancelled! I could not believe it! She needs this surgery and if we couldn’t get this date we wouldn’t be able to get her in until August and that could put Adeline’s health at risk if her hernia’s got any worse. This woman showed zero compassion, I was stunned. After I told AC what had happened, he immediately called the hospital back only to get their voicemail saying they were closed for the day and wouldn’t be opened until Monday. Her surgery was on Monday at 8am! After leaving voicemails all weekend in desperation we decided to just show up at her 6:30 am time-slot in hopes that they would still let us fill out the paperwork and let her have her surgery at 8am. Thankfully Regina is incompetent and didn’t notifiy anyone else that Adeline’s surgery was cancelled so we were able to get all of the paperwork done and checked Adeline in and then were taken into a room in the back to prep her for surgery. It was then that we were told our insurance was still showing up as inactive even though AC called them on friday and they had assured us everything was fixed. AC had to leave the room and go call Tricare again, there was so much back and forth and frustration all while nurses and surgeons and the anesthesia person came in and continued to get Adeline ready in hopes that things would work out. All of those people were amazing and so hopeful! It was a huge blessing, unlike the unfriendly people in the front that AC was dealing with. And of course  Regina was there, complaining loudly about how we showed up even though

she cancelled my baby’s surgery. Finally around 8:30 am everything was back in order and straightened out with our insurance. They had to let the person who was scheduled after us to go before us but we weren’t complaining, just happy Adeline was getting the surgery she needed.

She was taken back at 11:17 am. Surgery went smoothly and she was back in the recovery room drinking apple juice by 3 pm. She was very sleepy the rest of the day and a little sore but over all she was doing very great! She got dissolvable stitches on both sides of her stomach that are covered with bandages so I have no idea what they even look like yet. But the doctor had assured me her scars would be tiny. I am so thankful her surgery is over and she is back to her normal self.

TTC: I spoke with my doctor last week and she said since Clomid didn’t work for me I will have to go see an RE specialist now. It is out of her hands. Ughhh. So I have been doing my research and with my last ditch effort I am going to try some supplements that have amazing reviews for restoring ovulation and regulating cycles for women with PCOS. I will give in until September or so then reluctantly head to the RE.

A Busy June and Clomid Fail

Every single weekend this June, Adeline and I have been on the go. The first weekend we traveled up north to my parents house to celebrate my sister’s 29th birthday! Since her birthday is on the 3rd and Adeline’s is the 5th my sister wanted to have a little joint family birthday together. It was just my parents, sister, Adeline, my grandpa and I since a lot of people couldn’t come, including AC who had a lot of projects to work on around the house. It was really nice though. We had cake and a cookout and opened gifts. The following weekend, June 9th was Adeline’s actual 1st birthday party with all of our friends. Most of them actually all have babies born in 2017 like Adeline so there was about 5 babies in attendance! I feel like I failed a little bit at her 1st birthday party, the location we chose was an hour away from the house to make it convenient for everyone else but we then got stuck in a ton of traffic and ended up arriving to the location at the same time as all of the guests rather than a few hours early to set up decorations! I was so disappointed about that but with the help of some of the early arrivers we did manage to set up the picnic tables and lay the food and treats out. It just wasn’t as decorated as I imagined it would be. But overall I guess things mostly worked out, AC grilled burgers for everyone and I had baked a huge chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting (that’s Adeline’s favorite) and we opened gifts. So all in all I guess it was a success anyway.  That Tuesday Adeline had to get her 12 month shots, which there were 4 of them! Poor baby. AC took her to that appointment so I didn’t have to witness that torture thankfully. He said she was a champ though and only cried a little bit. My mother in law watched her after that so she would not have to go back to daycare in case she started feeling bad, which luckily didn’t happen.

Then the weekend of the 16th Adeline and I made the 4 hour road trip to Smith Mountain Lake! My best friend’s parents retired there and have the most gorgeous lake house. I wish I could retire like that some day. Their house is huge and amazing, Adeline and I got our own bedroom with a king sized bed and our own private bathroom. So nice! We spend the weekend splashing around in the lake and sun bathing. Adeline actually was ok with being in the water, she didn’t seem thrilled but didn’t hate it either.

She wasn’t a fan of the huge life jacket she had to wear however, ha!

This past weekend was my mom’s 60th birthday so Adeline and I traveled back up to my parent’s house to help celebrate. AC couldn’t make it, as it was his drill weekend with the Army. My Aunt from NY flew in for the big event and a lot of other family and friends came to celebrate too, it was a full house! Adeline got to play with both of her cousins, who are 6 and 3 years old.

Aside from all of the fun weekend adventures, I had finished my 3rd cycle of Clomid and have been waiting to ovulate. Well, it’s cd 31 and nothing. I guess Clomid isn’t going to be the miracle it was for me last time that brought me Adeline. Although I was on Metformin paired with it last time and maybe that is the difference. I just couldn’t bring myself to go back on it this time and maybe that was a mistake. It upset my stomach so badly and I felt sick all the time and was afraid to eat anything. I really dreaded being on it. I am going to call my doctor tomorrow and see what my next steps will be, though I am pretty sure it will be to go to the specialist again. Ugh, I don’t have money for that. I am debating trying Plexus for a month or 2 to see if it can help my hormonal imbalance and maybe get me to ovulate? Not sure it’s a miracle drink like that but one of my friends who has unexplained infertility is trying it in hopes that she will have a 2nd baby as well. Have any of you ever heard of it or tried it? It was originally for diabetics but people with pcos have similarities with blood sugar issues. I think it’s around $80 for a months supply though, which is pricey so I don’t know. It would be cheaper than the specialist if it worked though…

Oh also, Adeline’s surgery is scheduled for next week, please pray that it goes smoothly and she comes out better than ever! We are all really nervous.

Surgery Scheduling

About 2 and a half weeks about, the last Thursday in May, Adeline had a high fever when AC got her home from daycare. He took her to Urgent Care while I was just leaving work. She had caught Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease and then I came down with it that night as well. While having red spots all over your fingers and toes that feel like little bee stings aren’t fun, it might have been a blessing in disguise that she caught it because while Adeline was getting looked over at Urgent Care they also noticed a lump on her lower right side of the stomach. It was pretty small and very low so AC and I never noticed it. They said it was probably a hernia and to wait 4 days for the hand, foot and mouth to run it’s course then take her into her pediatrician to get the lump checked out.

So last week while I was still off of work with HFMD I had to take Adeline to the pediatrician. The pediatrician swore up and down that it wasn’t a hernia because it is rare for little girls, though higher in NICU babies but they usually develop it while still in the NICU so it would be pretty late for her to develop it. He thought it might be a swollen lymph node caused by her recent sickness but had us go downstairs to get an ultrasound done just to be safe. Well sure enough, the ultrasound tech said it actually did look like a hernia! But again she also said that would be very rare and kept looking. Then she said it might actually be that my baby has a tilted uterus and it is her ovary sticking out! I couldn’t believe it, with all my fertility issues and now my baby might have something happening to her ovary! She was just the ultrasound tech though and

not allowed to make the final diagnosis and advised Adeline and I to go home and wait for the doctor to call with the results and go from there.

As soon as I pulled into my driveway, the doctor called with the results saying it actually was a hernia after all and to take Adeline to the ER that day! So I called AC then quickly ate lunch and then we were off to the ER. Once there we waited an hour or so before being taken back to a room then waited another 2 hours before a doctor came to check things out. He confirmed her hernia as well and told us since it wasn’t causing her any pain that they wouldn’t do surgery that night but to schedule an appointment to meet with a surgeon and the surgeon would then look her over and schedule the actual surgery. Hernia’s unfortunately don’t just go away and surgery is the only option. And they wanted it scheduled sooner rather than later because once it does start causing her pain it will be an emergency and very serious. The Hernia is actually sucking her ovary into it as well, but they said it was still getting blood flow and not damaged, but again, all the more reason to get this taken care of quickly.

So after all of that, today was her appointment at CHKD with her surgeon. It was a pretty easy appointment. She was weighed, still 14 lbs, and measured, 25 and a half inches tall, and they took her temperature and blood pressure. Then the doctor looked at her hernia lump and noted that she actually has the big lump on the right but also a smaller one on the left. Apparently it’s common to get one on both sides. The scheduler was not into work yet so we weren’t able to actually get her surgery on the books while there, which is frustrating, and are now currently awaiting a call to set it up within the next 2 to 4 weeks! My poor little girl. They said it should only be about 30 min to an hour to do the surgery and she can go home afterwards. She will need 3 days off of daycare to recover but they said she will be able to crawl around and do regular activities right away. Tomorrow is her 1st birthday party so I will turn my attention to that and distract myself from the surgery looming ahead in the near future.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Today is Adeline’s very 1st Birthday! And I just can’t believe she has been in this world for a whole year. She started out at just 2 lbs 9 oz having been born at 29 weeks. She stayed in the NICU for 2 months before we were able to finally bring her home and start living life with her 24/7. I am so beyond blessed that AC and I have this little bundle of joy in our lives. She makes every day better!

Today she is 14 lbs and wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Developmentally she is supposed to be at 9 and a half months adjusted but really I think she is almost on track as much as any other 1 year old, minus her tiny stature. She is always always smiling and happy, rarely ever cries, even her daycare teachers agree that she is one very laid back little baby. Although she is going through a phase were she fusses if I leave a room without taking her with me or if I try to let anyone else hold her. It’s flattering to me, but I enjoy friends and family getting to hold her and bond with her too. She is also sleeping through the night most of the time, has 2 bottom teeth and is cruising around the furniture. No first words yet but she babbles up a storm. It’s funny that she has more hair in her NICU pictures than she has now! Her hair is very slow growing.

This Saturday we will be throwing her a Birthday Party with all of our friends and family. I will post pictures of it after! It is bumble bee themed, for a Happy 1st Bee Day celebration!

TTC side note, I am on my 3rd round of Clomid now after having taken progesterone. Tonight is my 5th pill of Clomid starting from cd5. Side effects: a few hot flashes and I can feel myself getting the crazies on and off. Poor AC 😛 I hope this round works. Come on, Adeline needs a sibling! 😀

Botanical Gardens

This Sunday to celebrate my very first Mother’s Day AC took Adeline and I to my most favorite place in all of our area: Norfolk Botanical Gardens! They are having an event there called Lantern Asia so it is extra special right now. There are huge silk lanterns spanning 2 miles to walk around and see. And if you visit the gardens at night, all of the lanterns are lit up and some even move! I have actually seen Lantern Asia many many times as it has been going on since April and I go to the Botanical Gardens multiple times a week on my lunch break from work to get some sunlight and fresh air. But I never get tired of seeing all the colorful lanterns and flowers. If you live in the area or are visiting, I highly recommend checking it out!

Before we went to the Gardens, AC had made me french toast for breakfast. It was burnt but still delicious haha! He tried and that is what counts. We aren’t the best at cooking breakfast dishes and only recently learned how to make pancakes that actually look golden and delicious. Usually they are all squished up and burnt too. AC does make delicious scrambled eggs though. After breakfast AC presented me with a wooden painting that he stained and had the word LOVE written on it diagonally. He had used Adeline’s hand print for the O and her 2 feet for the V. Apparently she wasn’t cooperating and the letters got a bit smudged but it is still the sweetest gift. After that is when we headed out to Norfolk Botanical Gardens to enjoy the afternoon!On warm days like it was on Sunday, there are always cute turtles out sun bathing! I am not sure what kind they are but they are great at swimming. There is an abundance of wild life to see here at the gardens pretty much every time I go. Besides the turtles, there are loads of squirrels, a raccoon I keep seeing wander around, blue herrings, ducks bathing, geese and the occasional snake! I am not a fan of seeing snakes around but as

long as you keep your distance they seem ok. This big guy was hanging out just before a bridge under some azaleas. After walking around a good chunk of the grounds and seeing all of the lanterns we headed to Little Creek Joint Base to buy some flowers from their garden center! They sell some pretty unique flowers at the Botanical Gardens but they are a bit pricey. But believe me, I have still bought plenty from there anyway. Just recently I got a Taiwan Raspberry plant for ground cover in my front yard and wisteria! Still not sure what to do with the wisteria as I don’t want it climbing anything in my backyard in case we move soon. I don’t want to leave it behind! Anyway, at the Garden Center on base I was able to get an African Violet. I had gotten one for my mom for Mother’s Day But now I’ll have one for my own.

I just hope I can keep it alive! You’d think I’d be better at it because I have worked at 2 different florists making flower arrangements for several years but let me tell you, cut flowers and potted flowers are very different. And I didn’t gain much knowledge about potted ones. After the Garden center we headed to Walmart to get some random odds and ends and I grabbed some more potted plants for our backyard! It was a very flower filled weekend. We then headed home and watched Psych on netflix even though we have see the entire series a few times. We then ended the day with AC grilling us up some burgers! Overall, it was a great day.