Guest Post: Combining Western and Eastern Medicine

There's been a lot of radio silence on good ol' Tired & Stuck, so today I'm bringing in a post from a gal I met on the Internet just over a year ago. I'd been a fan of her blog for some time, without realizing she is also "fertility-challenged." Since that discovery, we've bonded over our hatred of our periods, cramps, and mysterious lady defects. She's got a much more take-charge attitude when it comes to making a baby a reality for herself; I admire that and aspire to be more like her. 

She has offered to write this anonymously, as she and her partner are not ready to make this part of their lives public. But, she promises to follow up with further posts later on so we can read about how everything worked out.

I've been a follower of Tired & Stuck since day 1 and I've always found the stories posted here to be of huge interest to me. Even though I wasn't necessarily trying to conceive at the time, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I was part of the I-want-a-baby-WHY-CAN'T-I-HAVE-A-BABY??!? club. (I'll explain that part later.)

Erin was gracious enough to let me do a guest post because, although I'm not following the Tired & Stuck methodology, I AM trying to get in on that sweet baby action. And if you readers are anything like me, you get big sighs of relief when you come across experiences similar to your own.

So before I get to the good stuff, let me lay out all the details, TTC-style.

-Early 30's.

-5th cycle TTC

-No previous pregnancies

-Left ovarian cyst

-Small uterine fibroids

-Endometriosis

So where do I start...?

I began having excruciatingly difficult periods around 3 years ago. I ended up going off the pill because I attributed my constant upset stomach and tiredness to birth control. Unfortunately, it was actually birth control that was keeping things somewhat in check. After doing tons of symptom research with my lab partner, Dr. Google, I kept ending up at the same answer: Endometriosis.

I was in my doctor's office on a regular basis for one ailment after another, all related to my period. Since most of my symptoms had to do with "the back end", my doctor scheduled me for a colonoscopy. A few days after I had the procedure done, the specialist called with my results: Endometriosis. (Yes. Endo in my colon. I get the best of both worlds.)

Up until now, I've avoided the laparoscopy route. Partly because I know there's a chance the adhesions will come back, and partly because I would have a whopper of a copay. And if I'm going to fork over that kind of money, I better be walking out of that hospital with a baby in my arms.

For the most part, I'm pretty old fashioned and "Western mediciney", and have always solved my ailments with a handful of Tylenol. And I also always assumed that my general practitioner would give me the 100% A+ right answer whenever I had a problem.

But it was when I got to a virtual dead-end (ie., surgery) that I started looking elsewhere.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A friend referred me to a local fertility acupuncturist whom she had heard great things about. Even though I was doubtful about this "hippie" stuff, I figured it couldn't hurt.

Well...

I am not exaggerating when I say I could tell a noticeable difference after the FIRST VISIT ALONE. All of my endometriosis symptoms had significantly decreased. My upset stomach was gone. I had energy. It was GREAT.

I've been maintaining my acupuncture appointments on a weekly basis. And I also make sure to take any herbal supplements my acupuncturist gives me. Since I'm not really sure which of the two has the magic touch, I gladly do them both.

A few weeks ago, my OBGYN gave me a prescription for Clomid. And naturally, I zoomed home and read every TTC thread on the planet to see what side effects I should expect, what the success rate is, how it will effect my ovulation and hormones, etc. And of course, the internet didn't fail in presenting a myriad of horror stories related to Clomid.

Luckily, it's been a breeze for me (so far).

Within two hours of taking my very first pill, I could feel lightning bolts from my ovaries, going down my legs. However, it sounds a lot worse than it was and I fell asleep shortly after the sensation started. That night and the next night I slept like a log. Seriously. I was comatose.The following days it was like I was in a Nyquil haze.

Those were the only symptoms I had while actively taking the Clomid.

At 4 days after taking my last pill, some new symptoms kicked in. I noticed that I had been light-headed and dizzy and almost felt like I was going cross-eyed. And I had horrible indigestion on-and-off for a couple of days. Upset stomach, heavy pressure on my chest, knot in my throat, and even burps. Weird symptoms considering it's supposed to be working on my baby-maker, not my digestive system. (It sounds bad, but it was definitely manageable.) 

At my acupuncture appointment (day 7 of cycle), my ovaries were very tender when my doctor put the needles in. When I mentioned it, he said it's probably due to the Clomid and "all the action going on in there". That made me feel good, like maybe my ovaries weren't being jerks anymore. He then rigged up some Frankenstein-style machine to my ovary-area needles and ran a VERY light current through them. It was very mild and I could barely even feel it at all. However, once it had been working for a few minutes, I was getting the lightning bolt feeling again. This time, it went from my right ovary down my right leg, and from my left ovary up my torso.

This shooting pain took place every few seconds and the whole thing lasted several minutes. It was much stronger than the time before. I noticed I was tense, and as soon as I made myself relax, the pain lessened significantly. I asked my doctor what the electric stimulation is supposed to do. He responded that it brings a lot of blood to the area, which makes things nice and healthy.

I liked that answer.

On the afternoon of cycle day 12, I thought I noticed CM. -Which was unusual because I pretty much stopped noticing that stuff when I started the pill a million years ago. So I decided to do an OPK just for shits and giggles. Lo and behold - a smiley face. Looks like the CM actually increased for me (contrary to what most women experience, based on the fertility threads I've read). I tested again the following morning. And again, a smiley face. Yay! My insides are working! That second day I felt light stabbing pains near both of my ovaries all day. Mittelshmerz is not something I've experienced before. So, again - Yay!

On cycle day 16 I noticed the only annoying side effect I've experienced so far. Hot flashes. I had actually been looking forward to getting these infamous hot flashes because I'm always cold and I figured it would warm me up. Unfortunately, these hot flashes didn't warm my whole body. Instead, it just felt like I threw my cheeks on the barbecue. I even had a low temp of 99.4, which totally confirmed the burning in my face.

So here I am today. Cycle day 18. And I feel great! I'm still surprised that so far, it seems like Clomid has made my body NORMAL. My guess is that I had some kind of hormone deficiency going on and I needed this extra boost. I really feel super hopeful! And now that I have these tricks up my sleeve, I feel like I'm ready to show infertility who's boss.

Modern Medicine

I showered, shaved my legs, flat ironed my hair and dressed in the biggest, cutest sweats I own before John and I headed out the door at 5:30 a.m. last Thursday. We arrived before the surgery center even opened, so we snapped a few photos of ourselves outside. I was, shockingly, not nervous, not even a little bit.

My laparoscopy was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., and I was wheeled into the operating room at 7:45 a.m. The surgery lasted 2 hours. I was afraid I would wake up in pain, but I didn't. I woke up to the sound of John and the nurse talking. As I was coming to, I could feel John holding my hand and rubbing my shoulder. He told me later that every time he rubbed my shoulder my heart rate would increase on the monitor.
 

The doctor told John the surgery went great and our chances of conception are excellent. He removed endometriosis, drilled on my ovaries, checked my fallopian tubes (which are clear) and removed my appendix. I knew prior to the surgery my appendix might be removed if it had endometriosis on it, but I was still surprised to find out I had undergone an appendectomy. When I asked the nurse if my appendix had endometriosis, she said it was sent to pathology, which I thought was slightly odd.

I expected to be sent home 2 hours or so after surgery, but I had to wait more than 7 hours because they won’t let you leave until you pee the required 100 ccs. Not that I minded. I alternated between sleep and conversation and wasn't at all aware of the time. I was barely in any discomfort at all.

By the time we left the surgery center, it was after 5 p.m., and we had to stop at the pharmacy on our way home. We hit rush hour traffic, and I kept my head in a barf bag (which I had packed just in case). I never threw up, but I felt nauseated the whole drive.

When we arrived at my parents' home (where I have been recovering), the real fun began --- horrifying pain shooting through my right shoulder and neck. Big thanks to those who warned me about this crazy kind of gas pain. It hurt so bad I bit my other arm. The pain lessened significantly every day and it wasn’t constant, but it lasted about 5 days. It really was the absolute worst part. 

The good news is the percocet not only helps with the pain, it helps you forget the pain even happened. Of course, it gave me a huge headache so I switched to ibuprofen Saturday night. I also had to remain on a liquid diet until Saturday morning because you can’t eat until you pass gas. (Anyone else see a trend regarding my bodily functions? I am still waiting to poop.)

Other than that, the recovery has been extremely smooth.

I saw my doctor on Tuesday. He confirmed a diagnosis of stage 3 endometriosis and PCOS. I asked him if he found endometriosis on my appendix, if that is why it was removed.

“No. What I found on your appendix was much worse,” my doctor said.

“OK,” I replied.

“Your appendix had cancer on it.”

Do not be alarmed. What was found was a teensy, tinsy, 4 mm smidge of cancer. Had this spot of C been 2 cm or bigger, it would be a different story. Still, hearing a doctor say the word cancer makes you want to run out and eat something healthy.

I’m also in awe of the perfect timing of it all and thankful to God for modern medicine.

Doctor, Doctor, Mr. MD

I took your advice. I shaved my legs. I painted my nails. I gathered up all the information I have regarding my own medical history.


I arrived at my doctor’s appointment 30 minutes early with extra glossy lips and a clip board in hand. I typed up a 3-year account of my menstrual cycle and a list of all my recent supplements. I filled out the medical history form the office had sent me prior to the appointment. I even brought in all my supplements (except the royal jelly, which requires refrigeration) and my copy of the Making Babies book, neither of which were necessary.

I felt as prepared as I would ever be. And I figured I knew exactly how this would go down. By the end of the appointment, I would have doctor’s orders for six weeks worth of blood tests, and in two months, I would be back in his office for the results. I was wrong.

John and I met with the doctor in his office. He looked through my medical history and asked me questions. He is soft spoken and kind, and we liked him right away. It helped that we were referred to him by dear friends, so we already felt a level of trust and confidence in him that we wouldn’t normally feel toward a stranger.

After our initial discussion, we went to an exam room. Let’s just say it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had. By the end, I felt nauseous and faint. But the worst of it didn’t last long, and it was worth it. I now know some important things I didn’t know before. First, there are multiple cysts on both my ovaries. Second, the doctor believes I have endometriosis and PCOS.

The PCOS part wasn’t a surprise, and because I suspected PCOS, I never really thought about endometriosis. It didn’t occur to me that both might be at play. So, after peeling myself off the exam table and getting dressed, John and I met back up with the doctor in his office. This is where he gave us his professional recommendation, which is to have a laparoscopy as soon as possible.

One thing he said, which I really appreciated, was the importance of having this surgery for my overall health (not just to improve the likelihood of pregnancy). Not getting pregnant is what got my attention, but it is a symptom of something else.

My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning. I'd appreciate prayers and good thoughts, and any pre-surgery advice.


UPDATE: Laparoscopy was moved to Thursday.