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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Welcome ICLWers!

Its IComLeavWe time again! So if you've made your way here via ICLW, welcome! If you found my little corner some other way, welcome to you as well!

A little background:

My name is Lynn and I'm 30 years old (although I'll be celebrating a birthday when this time comes around next month!). I'm married to an amazing guy I met online in 2000. We got married in November 2002 and will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary next month. We've been trying to start a family for almost 6 years without any success.

My TTC history:

We began TTC on our first wedding anniversary. We were prepared for it to take up to a year, as this is common for most couples. However, we were not prepared for the hoopla that has ensued! I have never had regular cycles, but we tried anyway. We were stubborn at first and determined we would do this on our own. So we tried for several years with the result of - nada, nuttin', zilch. In late 2004, I started having some serious pains in my upper right abdominal area (right under my breast) and could not figure out what the problem was. These carried on for several months until I finally decided I had to see a doctor (I do not like to go to the doctor, so this was a biggie for me). At the time, The Hubs and I were living in England (where The Hubs is from and our marital home for the first 3 1/2 years of our marriage) and the doctors there were stumped for a bit. They sent me to have several ultrasounds (abdominal, pelvic, etc.) performed to see what the problem was. The ultrasounds proved not very helpful, as the doctors were unable to see much. I was told (by a very rude doctor) that I was "too fat" for the ultrasounds to see properly. It was determined that I probably had gallstones and I was put on an 18 month waiting list for an operation to remove my gallbladder (yup, that's what you get with a nationalized heath system).

I continued to suffer from severe pain in my abdomen and nothing much seemed to help. In January 2006 (about 6 months into the 18 month wait), The Hubs and I received his visa to live in the USA and we repatriated. Fast forward to February 2007, I was still having severe abdominal pain and attacks that would have me doubled over. After one such attack at work and a trip to ER, my employer at the time told me I could not come back to work until I had scheduled surgery to remove my gallbladder (he was concerned for my health, but don't be fooled - he was an ass). The Hubs insurance had just come into effect, so I made an appointment with my doctor, who promptly sent me over for an ultrasound (with similar results to the previous ones) and on to a surgeon. That was on Monday, March 5 and my surgery was scheduled for Friday, March 9.

On Friday, I went in for surgery, was put to sleep and woke up in a lot of pain several hours later (crying for The Hubs, no less). When I woke, they had not yet remembered to give me any pain medication, but it was quickly injected and I was given some shocking news. When the surgeon had gone in (laproscopically) to do the surgery, he was frightened at first that they had perforated and inflated the bowel, as he was unable to see my gallbladder. However, he quickly determined that the real problem was an enormous cyst sitting on my right ovary and pushing all of my internal organs up and to the left! He removed 2 litres of fluid (yup, like a 2L bottle of Coke) from the cyst, then removed the cyst and sent it off to be biopsied (it came back benign, thankfully). He then went on to remove my gallbladder (which had been verging on gaingrenous). He stated that, with both the cyst and the gallbladder the way they were, it was no wonder I had been in so much pain.

So, after recovery time, The Hubs and I got back to TTC. We thought it would be no problem at all now to conceive. But in September 2008, we had still not conceived, so I made an appointment with my OB/GYN. At my first visit, she diagnosed me with PCOS and did some blood work to determine if I had diabetes or insulin resistance. She also had The Hubs do an SA, which came back excellent (The Hubs strutted around for days like he was a rock star) so at least we didn't have to add male factor to our problems. My bloodwork came back that, while I did not have diabetes, I was indeed insulin resistant. My doctor prescribed Metformin and said to wait and see if this would regulate my cycles without Clomid. It didn't.

In April 2009, I finally convinced my doctor to prescribe Provera and Clomid. I just knew Clomid was going to be our wonder drug. Four negative Clomid cycles later, I gave up on that dream and The Hubs and I decided to take a break from medicated cycles until he could regain employment (he lost his job in November 2008 and has been looking ever since). We weren't going to stop TTC, just no medication until we felt comfortable moving onto our RE referral and an IUI cycle.

I just finished my first post-Clomid, unmedicated cycle (which I had "boosted" with Soy Isos). It lasted 89 days and I had no convincing O (despite the red CH given to me by FF). Since my O was not delayed, but in fact did not happen, I decided to give Soy Isos another shot. I increased my dosage with this cycle and am currently on CD 6 - Day 4 of soy. With the worst case scenario, my cycle will once again be long.

So, that gets you up to date with me. If you've made it this far reading, you must really be bored, lol! But thanks! Hope you enjoy your time at my blog and have a great IComLeavWe!

22 comments:

The Mrs. said...

Nice to "meet" you! I also have PCOS. Good luck with this cycle!

ICLW

Kitty said...

Hi Lynn! I actually am bored, but not because of your post :) You've sure been through the ringer, I'm wishing you lots of luck this C! Can't wait to hear if the soy helps.

ICLW

Anonymous said...

Wow, you really have been through a lot. I am so glad they figured out what the problem was and got rid of it.

junebug said...

I've had several doctors tell me I was too fat to properly see my sonograms. That sucks. I even had a dr. tell me she couldn't help me with TTC because I was too fat. I know a ton of women larger then me that got pregnant just fine multiple times. It sounds like you have had about the same kind of journey as me.
Hugs!
ICLW

KimboSue said...

UGH - I have gallstones too and have been debating on getting it removed. It flares up on my every 6 months or so - also doubling over. I know it could rupture at any moment and cause me to become septic or even die so this is becoming a top priority on my list of things to do in 2010...
~ICLW

Mrs. Gamgee said...

Don't get me started on the 'too fat for a good pic' crap! Grrr! I'm sory you've had such a rough road. Keeping my fingers crossed for you for a good cycle.

ICLW

Lisa said...

Hi Lynn,
You have a great writing style; straightforward and sincere. I felt like I was getting to know you while reading. Strangely, we are sort of mirror images of each other. I am American, married to an English guy and living in the UK. I also used to live in Georgia during college, so I can understand both sides. Lisa
(ICLW #100)

Anonymous said...

You have quite the journey under your belt, I too have PCOS. It's so nice to meet you Lynn!
~Jess
ICLW

RELH said...

I also take glucophage! Ohh boy , what a story you have! ICLW

quadmom said...

Wow, thanks for sharing your story. I can't believe you had 2 liters of fluid in that cyst! How horrible. I am really amazed by all you have had to struggle through and hope that you get some wonderful news in the near future.

ICLW

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a journey you've been on! I'm glad you've gotten everything figured out with that pain! Wow!

Thanks for sharing this story with your fellow ICLWers!

WannabeMommy said...

I also met my husband online! good luck to you with the new drugs.... **baby dust**

Have a great ICLW!

AmandaM said...

Hope the new drugs work for you and I agree with everyone else, what a journey!

ps, I love your Halloween themed layout!

*ICLW

Life Happens said...

I must have been bored because I read the whole thing! I sure do wish you the best of luck!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for visiting my blog!
I really wish you good luck on this cycle! Oh, and I met my husband online too!

jill said...

Gah you went through a lot with that pain and the surgery. I had an ovarian cyst as well but did not feel any pain relating to it (though after it was removed, lower back pain that I had been having got much better). I seriously have had it with doctors and their fat comments - it makes me so mad. "Yes, yes, I know being overweight can cause health concerns, shut up already." If it were so easy I would already be a perfect size 6.

For some reason go.ogle rea.der won't let me add your blog. It keeps telling me "Your search did not match any feeds." It's really annoying and I can't figure it out :/

Anonymous said...

Hi there. Thanks for stopping by my blog. My sister lives in Georgia! Wow, you have been through so much! I can't believe there are so many women out there with PCOS. Please do all you can to look after your health - so that you can raise your future child in health and energy! Have you read Taking Charge of Your Fertility?

Erika said...

I am so sorry you had to live in pain for so long! I'm glad you finally know what's up with your body. I have PCOS too and am overweight. I"m interested to see how your IF journey progresses. I love ICLW!

Jacksmom said...

Happy ICLW! I met my husband online as well! We're an infertile couple who did IVF/ICSI successfully once (we have a son), and have not been successful since. You've got one hell of a story. Can I ask a question though, I've never heard of soy isos, could you tell me what it is and what it's used for?!?!?

Journey Girl said...

Holy cripes there are a lot of strong, courageous women out there and I am so glad that I found your blog through ICLW. Good luck on your journey!! I can't believe that you had the pain for so long - and that doctor with the 'too fat to see properly comment' - I hope you gave him a taste of the back of your hand!

All the best!

daega99 said...

Thanks for visiting me!

My goodness - you have been through so much!!! Many hugs!

Rebecca said...

Hi, here from ICLW. I too have PCOS, and have been TTC for quite a while. You have been through so much, I wish nothing but the best for this cycle for you!

ICLW

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