Hormones... they are everywhere...

So I have decided to throw in a little educational post today, so for those

of you looking for mind numbing info, you are in for a treat! ha!  

Just kidding!  Honestly, this is actually really interesting info!

So in order to talk about this, I first need to go back... back to our first and very short pregnancy.

Now if you remember right, we had decided to stop the fertility drugs and get healthy.  Well, part of that meant supplementing some of the areas in my body that I KNEW were an issue, even if the numbers on my lab results didn't say so.  

Here is a list of some of my symptoms, many of them you might relate to!

Fatigue, weakness

Depression, irritability

Mind fog, memory loss

Digestive issues – usually constipation

Weight gain or difficulty losing weight

Dry/rough skin, dry/brittle hair, HAIR LOSS... holy clogged drain!

Eczema

Cold intolerance

Low body temperature (I knew this from our first try at "charting")

Slow pulse (our life insurance nurse caught this!)

Menstrual cycle abnormalities

Difficulty conceiving or carrying pregnancy

Some of these were things that I didn't realize were even symptoms at all, I just thought it was me.  It was normal to be tired, irritable, full of crap (lol), unable to lose weight, itchy, going bald, cold ALL.THE.TIME, have extreme PMS, and unable to get pregnant.

NOPE!  It is not just me, and it is not normal either!  Like I said last post, our bodies are made so intricately to work that when one aspect is not functioning, it can have detrimental effects on other areas.

Guess what problem also has all these same symptoms?  And then some actually...

Anyone?  Thyroid System Dysfunction.  Did you know that if your thyroid is not functioning properly, you can actually be considered in the medical world to be infertile, even if all of their thyroid tests are "normal"?!   That was the boat I was in, I knew that something was wrong with my thyroid, but my Dr.'s kept saying it was fine.  I begged to have a full hormone panel run, but never got the tests I asked for.  So I decided to take it into my own hands.  I decided to do whatever I could to kickstart my thyroid.  And I did.  I started to take a supplement called Thyromin by Young Living and I also started using oils including Endoflex and Sclaressense to help support my Endocrine System.  Guess what happened?  I lost weight, my skin got a little better, my temps started to go up along with my pulse, and WE GOT PREGNANT.  Now mind you, I stopped taking the supplement when I was pregnant because of the extremely high amount of iodine in it, but I truly believe that it played a huge part in us getting pregnant!  John admits that I was a totally different person when I was on this supplement and he believes wholeheartedly that my thyroid is affecting my health and our fertility!  

How does it exactly help with that you might be asking?

Well here is where the nerdy educational part comes in...

Your thyroid is a gland that sits in your neck around your windpipe.  It produces thyroid hormones which control your body's metabolism and control the growth and development of your fetus while pregnant.  But healthy thyroid function is also needed for controlling heart rate, blood pressure, and brain function!  Now I won't go into complete detail, but here's a quick rundown on how the thyroid works:

Hypothalmus tells the Pituitary Gland to make TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone).

You guessed it, TSH tells the Thyroid to produce Thyroid Hormone, mainly T4.

T4 is carried into the cells and produces T3 (this is the active form of the hormone and tells your cells what they are supposed to do)

So that's the basics.  Now most doctors will diagnose Thyroid Dysfunction based on your TSH and T4 levels.  Any numbers too high or low could be caused by the thyroid itself, OR any other problems upstream such as the hypothalmus or pituitary...  Problem is, sometimes these numbers are within normal ranges, but many of the symptoms of Thyroid Dysfunction are still there.

There is another form of T3 that is OFTEN never looked at.  This is called rT3 (reverse T3) and this is the INACTIVE form of T3.  Why would you need this?  Well your body makes this as a way to get rid of any unnecessary T4.  Your body is continuously making T4, but as T3 levels rise, you may not need that much of it so it has to have a sort of "shut off" system in place.  Long term medication use, chronic inflammation (endo?!), physical injury, stress causing Adrenal Dysfunction (causing too much cortisol, which inhibits conversion of T4 to T3 and increases rT3, THIS IS THE MOST RECOGNIZED CAUSE!!!!), illnesses, starvation or severe calorie restriction, diabetes, Lyme Disease, and even low iron levels (decreases your bloods ability to carry T4, so it gets elevated equaling excess rT3) can cause elevated levels of rT3 in your system!  Often times when your rT3 is elevated, your T4, T3, and TSH levels will be normal.

This rT3 dominance causes decreased metabolism and is associated with decreased body temperature.  This occurs because rT3 and T3 both bind to the same receptors in your cells, but with too much rT3 it is able to bind to the receptors and block your active T3 from being able to do it's job.  This causes many of the chemical reactions in the body to slow down.  When these reactions slow down, less heat is produced and the body temperature starts to decrease.  rT3 is a blood test that can be run, but often is not.  The best indicator is T3/rT3 ratio, this needs to be above 10, but many homeopathic doctors like to see that number to be above 20 for optimal function.   The last thing that is done is a series of body temperatures.  This is done using a Basal Body Thermometer.  Average body temperature needs to be above 98.2 for normal thyroid function and body function. 

Here are my labs:

Thyroid System Dysfunction is a very controversial condition.  It is sometimes referred to as Wilson's Syndrome, but the American Thyroid Association does not even admit that it exists.  This is why it is so hard to be diagnosed.  So now what?  Well I do know a few people that have been able to find naturopathic doctors and SOME medical doctors that have treated this with great success!  At Pope Paul VI Institute they are working to evaluate a select group of patients that have not responded to other forms of treatment, but are being selected for treatment of this condition.  They are labeling it Thyroid System Dysfunction because they believe it to be a result of the thyroid hormone on a variety of different organ systems in the body.  WELL!!!  That was a LOT of science, hope you are hanging in there!  I got just a little bit more for you!

So, how does the thyroid affect your fertility?  I knew you would ask!
In men, this can cause decreases in sperm production as the body needs a certain temperature for sperm to be produced and survive.  In women, there are a lot of effects (both on mom and fetus)... I won't go into them all, but want to talk about one specifically.

If a woman is estrogen dominant, this means that their estrogen levels are much higher than their progesterone levels during the duration of their cycle.  Now, mind you, your estrogen levels may be totally normal, BUT the problem is that there is not enough progesterone to oppose the activity of the estrogen.  This excess estrogen causes the liver to produce a hormone known as Thyroid Binding Globulin.  This binds to T4 and inhibits cells from being able to use it. Thus you have enough T4, but are not able to use it.  Also did you know that your ovaries produce the majority of your progesterone?  It does, but if it is not keeping up, your body has a "back up" system to help out!  Did you know that your ADRENALS also produce progesterone?  Well now you do!  They make SOME progesterone, read that again, SOME.  Now, remember how we said that stress causes adrenal dysfunction?  Well when your adrenals get overworked they make too much cortisol trying to keep uo with everything... Go back up 4 paragraphs and read that again!  Eventually your adrenals will give up (adrenal fatigue) and you will not have a back up for making progesterone.  Remember how I said that our body is so intricately made?!  It is all a vicious circle!

Here are my progesterone levels during the 2nd half of my cycle.  Notice they are low!

There are so many things that you can do to help protect these systems from dysfunction!  CONTROL YOUR STRESS!   I know, easier said than done, but it needs to be done... for your health!  There are also supplements that can help your adrenals (note: talk to your doctor before starting any supplement regimen or find a naturopath!).  Diet, diet, diet!  That is one!  Avoiding inflammatory foods that cause your system to be overworked, this includes things like dairy, red meat, alcohol, wheat and gluten, to name a few.  Do your research on Anti Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diets.  For your thyroid be sure you are getting enough sleep and also concentrate on low impact exercise and weight training as opposed to extended cardio!  (I believe this is why I hate to run, it just wasn't meant to be! ha!)  I truly believe that the best thing you can do is to get a correct diagnosis!  The thyroid has such a grave effect on so many other systems in the body that you want to be sure you are treating it with what it needs!  Find yourself a doctor that you trust and doesn't throw away your concerns!  I feel so lucky to have found this path we are on!  I am excited to get my life back!

Right now we are working with our Doctor to record my basal body temperatures for 10 days and that will determine where we go with my thyroid dysfunction.  But we are also working with her to start taking a compounded bio-identical progesterone in order to get those levels to where they need to be to achieve pregnancy, but also to hopefully attain a normal menstrual cycle!  That sounds like heaven!  Ok, I have bored you enough for today!  I am glad I got that all of my brain!  It was getting full in there ;)  I am headed to Omaha today for hopefully my last time and will have all that fun info for you on our next Journey post!   

Our Journey... Part 6, Post-Op!

8 days post-op...

What a crazy week it has been.  I am not even sure where to start... speechless I guess!

Crazy thought huh?  I have been mildly speechless both from nerves and in awe often this last week.

Since this entire process began 6 months ago it has been a whirlwind and I haven't had a lot of time to actually think about what I was doing or what this would mean for us... or John.  I have always known that I had an amazing husband, but this last few days has proven why I married him... and why I am so happy that he chose me.  I know that I am not always the easiest to "deal" with, and that is on a normal day, let alone on anesthesia! haha!  But he stuck around, lucky for me!  And lucky for us we have some pretty amazing people on this journey with us!  (psst... that means you!) I can't thank you enough for all the calls, texts, and messages in the last while.  You are all amazing!

Where do we start...

We headed to Omaha last Wednesday for all of our scheduled pre-op visits.  We had one at the hospital where the surgery would be performed and another at Pope Paul VI Institute.  This is the first chance we had gotten to actually meet any of the people we had been talking to on the phone for the last 6 months, including Dr. Pakiz.  It is a surreal feeling finally getting to meet the woman that could potentially give you your life back!  I was nervous and excited all day, so much to take in and honestly a lot of it is a blur.... So glad I had John there, I am pretty sure I have asked him the same questions a million times because I apparently wasn't listening!  My mind was definitely spinning and I was trying to keep it all together emotionally.

When we had our pre-op with Dr. Pakiz she explained everything that would be happening the next day and in the following week.  We knew that there was a possibility, if my case was moderate to extensive, I would need another surgery.  We were told that with the new technology it was a 50/50 chance.  There is so much more that they are able to do with the robot, so often they will require another surgery to use that technology instead.  I prayed and prayed that even with my symptoms I was a mild to moderate case, because remember, with Endometriosis the symptoms don't always mean squat!  We also found out at our pre-op ultrasound that I had some peri-tubal cysts that were generously large.  She noted that they are not likely causing any pain or symptoms, but if they are weighing my tubes down they will have to be removed.

Dr. Pakiz explained that they would have to fill my abdomen with Carbon Dioxide to allow for room to work, that they would be removing the Endometriosis that they find, possibly removing the cysts, doing a Hysteroscopy (looking into the uterus to determine if there are any signs of abmormalities there), and doing a Selective Hysterosalpingogram (this is basically where they push dye into your Fallopian Tubes to make sure that they are not blocked and that the pressure inside them is sufficient to allow your eggs to pass).  I would be under for the entire procedure and it should take approximately 1-2 hours to complete.  I would have 2 incisions for the Laparoscopy, one in my belly button and one above my pubic bone that would allow them to have the camera in to view everything and the laser to do the work.  Ok.  I think I got all the details... I am ready... Let's do this!

Thursday... Today is the day!  4:30 am...  That is early, but I knew that, lucky for me, I would be getting a good nap in soon ;)  I was ready this morning.  I was feeling good, nervous, but good.  They got me all hooked up and by 7:40 they were wheeling me to surgery.  I remember moving from my bed to the table and then it was lights out.  Dr. Pakiz told John that she would keep him up to date on how I was doing throughout the proceedure and if anything changed.  The surgery took longer than expected, the nurse informed John that they did not want to have to come back for another surgery so Dr. Pakiz was going to do all of it this time, without the robot.  They ended up needing 6 incision sites instead of 2, and she ended up needing to place permanent stitches to close up some of the areas where Endo and the cysts were removed.  In all, 3 of 4 cysts were removed as well as what she called "mild" endometriosis.  She did not find any endometrial adhesions, nor did she find it on any other organs.  She also found that there is a significant amount of inflammation inside my uterus and cultured that to determine if there is an infection there.  She also informed John that she needed to place a tube into my left Fallopian Tube to clear it out as the pressure was elevated there.  Everything went well and I would be in recovery soon!

She got it all... No More Surgery... Those were the words that I remember John telling me when I woke up.  All the other stuff was a blur.  But those words... those were what I needed to hear.

I want to share some pictures from the surgery that Dr. Pakiz shared with John while I was in recovery.  We also were able to watch the surgical video at our post-op visit and see her in action!  Let me say, that was really interesting for me, but I could also feel my insides hurting as I watched!

These are a few of the images of the Endo that was removed.
The top right is called a Halo Lesion.  These were located on the front side of my sacrum (tailbone), behind my uterus
The bottom right are lesions that are attached to my right ovary. 

These are 2 of the 3 cysts on my right Fallopian Tube 

This is the cyst on the left Fallopian Tube 

Top:  Right ovary and tube Post-Surgery
Bottom:  Left ovary and tube Post surgery
Can also see the posterior abdomen where they sutured after removing some of the Endo. 

Left Ovary:  Appears Mildly Polycystic.  Size Normal, but smooth.

There you have it!  Isn't that crazy that such a small little lesion can wreak so much havoc on your system?!  Makes you feel like a little bit of a wuss!  But you know what, Endo is real, and it is definitely something that can play a detrimental effect on your body!  Right now I am just taking some time to heal, I have gone back to work part time and let me tell ya, you don't realize how much you use your core until you have numerous tiny holes in it!  I am healing well, still having some pain on the left side from the extra incisions, but overall feeling really good!

I am continuing my trips to Omaha as we speak for ultrasounds.  They are watching my follicles within my ovaries change and grow as we near ovulation.  They want to watch the process and be sure that it is all working properly.  I am also beginning the process of treating my Thyroid and also my Low Progesterone.   I have all kinds of fun lab stuff for ya in my next post!  It is so incredibly interesting how intricate God created our bodies to work in a specific way.  

This journey isn't even close to being over...  

We're just headed down another road.

Our Journey... Part 5

SURGERY WEEK IS HERE!

Oofta... I have had every emotion under the sun the last week.  

But today... I am ready. 

I am beyond ready.  Let's do this!

So I am packing today for our trip, we leave tomorrow and as long as everything goes well, we will be coming home Friday.  I am praying that things go as planned and I will be able to rest and recoup at home.  I cleaned and washed everything, I felt like I was nesting lol!  

Mentally preparing for your pre-op "to-do" list is a whole other story.  Labs, ultrasounds, financial department visit, drink water to pee in a cup, drink more water because you need a full bladder 3 hours later, light on the food because you know you have an enema in your future... yep you read that right.  UGH!  So gross lol!  I told the hubby he should have to do one too, just for moral support (I mean "in sickness and in health" right?!)!  He wasn't too keen on that idea! Ha!

I will be sure to update you all as soon as I am feeling up to it!  Let's do this!

I want to share a Guest Blog Post from my friend Kari for today.  

I want to talk a little about discretion.  I know that we all say things thinking, well actually not thinking at all, that we understand each person's journey.  Kari has a great story and I think it is perfect for people to know that just because you choose your journey and it doesn't "fit the norm" of society, it is still YOUR JOURNEY!  Who chooses this "norm" anyway?  Why do we feel like we have to fit into a specific mold just to make us feel like we have completed our worldly duty?  

Discretion... the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.  Be considerate of other's choices, you may not always understand their reasons behind them. 

In the words of Dr. Dave and Dr. Troy,  "You are designed by God for greatness and a purpose"

Not everyone's purpose is the same as yours, no judgement, just love.  And I love this story. 

Here is Kari's Journey.

A Different Kind of Infertility Story

“So, you mean you don’t have any kids of your own?”..This question is usually accompanied by a surprised or condescending tone of voice. And then usually followed up with something trite such as, “Well at least you have 3 stepkids!”, or “Want to watch mine sometime?..Haha!”, or the worst, “So what do you do with all of your time?!” (I keep plenty busy, thank you very much.) 

Let me explain. I was born with a heart condition known as Transposition of the Great Arteries. It means that my pulmonary artery and my aorta are switched around. It changes the way blood circulates throughout the body, and leaves a shortage of oxygen in the blood. It was discovered 3 days after I was born and turned blue one night while my mom was feeding me. I had my first open heart surgery at 4 days old, my second surgery the next day, and my “big” surgery (where they opened up my chest and re routed the vessels and arteries in my heart) when I was 11 months old. I had a pacemaker implanted when I was 19 and have had that redone twice. If you would meet me, you’d think I was pretty normal and healthy until you saw the big scars across my chest. (And you’d notice them too; I’m not shy about wearing a tank top or a swimsuit.) Having TGA isn’t easy. I have to think about it every time I workout and make sure my heart isn’t beating too fast, every time I get sick (Any sort of flu like symptoms could put me in the hospital if I’m not careful) and every time I weigh myself as my doctor doesn’t want me getting too heavy. (And you thought you had it rough just hoping you’d fit into your favorite pair of jeans!)

All of that is easy compared to the way TGA has impacted my life the most. I can’t have kids. I’ve kind of known about this all my life. (Thanks for all those safe sex lectures, Mom!) Being pregnant would be too hard on my heart. When I was 21, I had my tubes tied. I know a lot of people thought my mom was crazy for letting me go through with it, but I’m glad she did. After that, I had a lot of female problems and got a hysterectomy at age 29. While in the operating room, the surgeon found varicose veins behind my uterus. If I had taken the chance and gotten pregnant, the pressure on those veins would have been too much. I probably wouldn’t have survived (Thank you Mayo Clinic!) . 

I always assumed I’d get married and either adopt kids or have them through a surrogate. When I was 28, I married a man who had 3 kids from his first marriage. Being a stepmom was challenging, and I was starting to have “baby fever” and wishing for one of my own. After my hysterectomy, I got depressed. Like, really depressed. I was turning 30, most of my friends were pregnant or had small kids, and I had just had a hysterectomy. I’m sad to say, I started taking it all out on my husband who definitely wondered what had happened to his normally happy and content wife. I finally went to my doctor and asked about antidepressants. She said that with the changes in my body and the circumstances, she didn’t feel the medicine was warranted. She explained that even women with 5 babies grieve after a hysterectomy because of the changes in your body. She also suggested (much to my husband’s dismay) that I get a dog or another pet so I had something to nurture. Being an animal lover, I was thrilled that a doctor told me I needed a pet! On Christmas morning, my dear husband surprised me with an adorable Shiba Inu puppy who has provided a lot of love and has been known to drive me crazy from time to time. 

We looked into adoption and I wanted try surrogacy, but my husband wasn’t as easily convinced. Plus, have you looked at the costs for that stuff? Wow- I’d have to give up shopping and eating if I wanted to save up that much $$! (Neither of those will be happening!) And, as my stepkids grew older, I found myself enjoying them at their respective ages and questioning whether I’d want to have a little kid again. I didn’t love the idea of diapers, car seats, and being woken up in the middle of the night to soothe a baby. 

I can’t pinpoint the exact date or time that I decided I wouldn’t be having children. I know it was sometime between my 34th and 35th birthday. Maybe it was when my oldest stepdaughter turned 18 and was getting ready to graduate and go to college. Maybe it was when we bought a Harley and I realized having a baby would mean we couldn’t go on trips as easily. Whatever it was, I had always assumed if I didn’t have children by age 35, it wouldn’t bother me as much because most of my friends would be done having babies. I figured as I got older, I’d feel more “ready” and be pushing toward adoption or surrogacy. But then I turned 34 and didn’t feel the urge as strongly as I’d felt before. I was happy with my life as it was and didn’t feel the need to change it. 

Do I ever feel sad about not having a kid of my own? Not as much as I thought I would. I have a pretty great life. I have 3 stepkids and I’m fortunate to be involved in their lives and even have a good relationship with my husband’s ex . I have an awesome husband who loves me like crazy and is always up for a spontaneous date night. People ask me all the time if we are going to have more kids or if I regret not having any. I really don’t. Once in awhile, I wonder about “what if?”. Sometimes when I hold a friend’s baby, I think it would be fun to have one to snuggle. Sometimes my dog wakes me up at 3:30 AM and I’m glad I don’t have a baby to wake me up! 

If you are reading this and you want to have kids, by all means, go for it! If you don’t want to have kids, then don’t. And if you’re not sure, that’s ok too! It’s a personal decision and it’s a bigger decision than some people make it out to be. But know this; having kids or not having kids doesn’t make you any less of a woman. I hate the idea that we have to procreate to earn our “woman card” or not to be looked down upon. (That’s a whole ‘nother blog post!) What matters is that you’re a good person and that you’re happy with your life- however you choose to live it.

~Kari

Thank you so much Kari for sharing your story!

I am so proud of you for opening up your life to us!