It’s been three weeks since the surgery. I would say things are mostly back to normal other than the fact that a.) At times, I still feel more tired than usual, and b.) I’m not sure when I’ll get my period again. So, what’s next in this great adventure? Well, the day of the laparoscopy, John and the doc talked while I was still asleep. Even though everything went great, the doctor wanted to send us home with a prescription for Clomid.
Now, I don’t have anything against Clomid expect everyone I know who has ever taken it felt mildly to severely crazy while on it, and most of them didn’t end up pregnant. Life is hard enough, so I would prefer to avoid adding any unnecessary mood swings to the mix, if at all possible. I fully acknowledge I might change my mind about this at some point, but I’m not at that point. Knowing this, John turned down the good doctor, which probably doesn’t happen all too often because John said he seemed surprised.
I trust this doctor, so I wanted to discuss his recommendation for Clomid a bit more during my follow up. I expressed my concerns, and he sent me home with two prescriptions. One for Glumetza (Metformin) and one for Letrozole, in case the Glumetza alone doesn’t work.
It’s nice to know I have these options, but after a lot of thought, I’m not ready to take either right at this moment. For some reason I had it in my head that Glumetza (which is supposed to treat insulin resistance in women with PCOS) would be the equivalent of a baby aspirin.
Then I started googling the evil Internet. It’s possible I wouldn’t have any side effects, but if I did, it would most likely be in the form of nausea and/or diarrhea. Call me crazy, but if I’m going to take drugs, I would like them to make me feel better not worse.
I’m not even going to discuss Letrozole, which is supposed to be like Clomid but more mild. Wikipedia says it’s used to treat breast cancer, and after I saw that I really didn’t want to know anymore. Honestly, before I start pumping my body full of powerful drugs, I would like to know if the surgery alone does the trick.
So, it’s back to natural remedies for now.
I’m going to give my body a chance to fully recover and wait until my next cycle begins (the doctor warned the laparoscopy would likely throw things way off). Once I’m back on track, I might wait one more full cycle before starting the Glumetza.
In the meantime, I’m focusing on significantly improving my diet. (That tiny bit of cancer has me drinking wheatgrass and green smoothies.) I’m going to keep the supplements simple and focus on just taking my prenatals and fish oil. The authors of Making Babies stressed those were the two most important. Well, most important other than the most natural remedy of all ~ the fun part. (Wink. Wink.)
You are so smart and strong. I think you're doing the right thing but taking some time to process, think, and give your body a chance to heal.
ReplyDeleteHow are you doing the wheat grass? Are you growing and juicing?? Or are you buying it at a juice bar? I've been contemplating growing and juicing (since here in the middle of nowhere we don't have juice bar for miles and miles).
I really think now that the doctor's gone in and hacked away at the bad stuff, natural remedies may be all you need!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Queen. Take your time to process and really think things through. And in the end, do what is best for you.
ReplyDeleteGood to have you back!
i'm hopeful and positive. like erin said, now that all the weeds are gone, there's plenty of room for beautiful flowers to grow. :)
ReplyDeleteGoing to chime in here... shocking, I know.
ReplyDeleteI did Clomid, for three months. The pharmacist told me to take it at night, so all the crazy would happen while I was sleeping. If I remember correctly, the only side effect was night sweats. Gross, but doable.
As far as metformin, the only side effect from that was an adjustment, gastrointestinally. Oddly enough, it regulated my periods like a Swiss clockmaker. I can't get pregnant to save my life, but good golly, I get that lovely monthly reminder now.
And while I'm no longer doing any infertility treatment, I am continuing to take metformin. It's cheap, and I'm hoping that by the grace of someone bigger than me, I'll get pregnant the old-fashioned way. One of these days.
Everyone I know, in real life, not my online infertility support group, who took Clomid, got pregnant. Just some drugs for thought.
Another humble anecdotal opinion... I have several friends with PCOS (who knew it was so prevalent?), and in each case the Metformin made them either feel better or feel the same. The evil internet will always tell you the worst of the thing. I think you are doing the right thing following your instincts, but it's always good to remember that much fewer people are posting on the internet about having no side effects. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder to remember the simple things like taking vitamins. I am so inconsistent with those sometimes even though it takes just a moment.
ReplyDeleteJust stumbled upon your site after googling the tired & stuck fertility type. I have recently went through almost exactly the same things as you. Just had surgery June 9th to remove cysts from my ovaries. (One was the size of a baseball and the other the size of a golf ball) It was laprascopy with the da vinci robotic machine. Also diagnosed with stage III endometriosis and had everything cleaned out. They checked my tubes and they were already clear. I am doing the clomid. Dr. recommended IUI with it, but I'm not sure I want to do that so we're trying without it. This is my second month on clomid, which they doubled to 100 mg because my progesterone was too low on 50 mg. Not moody with it, just night sweats. However, I'm also on another medicine because my DHEA levels are slightly elevated so it could be to blame too. I'm sorry you're going through this too because it sucks, but I'm glad I found your blog and have somebody that I can relate too. All the women in my family seem to get pregnant every time they take their underwear off, so they don't get it. Holy cow, sorry for the long post. I'll say a prayer for you and the other two ladies tonight and I'll be checking your blog regularly. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Just read the about us section after I posted my previous comment. I checked out your other blog too. I'm also catholic, something else we have in common.
ReplyDeleteI have been on Metformin for more than a year with no result. No health problems, but no pregnancy either.
ReplyDeleteI think seeing how things go now is the best plan.
Haley, it's a million years later, but welcome to Tired & Stuck! Please keep us posted! We are happy to have you here!
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