Acupuncture #3

I am trying acupuncture as an infertility treatment. I have had 3 of my 10 sessions so far. The first 2 sessions were what I expected, needles from head to toe. This last session was different. This time I had needles on my back from the hairline on my neck to the crack of my butt! Then after the needles came out the fun began. I got a good back rub and then 9 cups suctioned to my back for a treatment known at cupping. It didn't really hurt, but it didn't feel like a walk in the park either. The acupuncturist told me there would be some slight bruising. No problem, I bruise easily anyway. Well, see for yourself.

I felt totally wiped after the treatment and pretty tired the next day. I started this blog to document what all we are going through to have a baby and I hope to someday show all this to our child.

School days

I am back in school now. I felt I needed to pursue other goals since the baby thing wasn't happening for us at that time. I decided I was going to go back to school and get my master's in public health and get certified as a group fitness instructor. I passed my GRE with flying colors in May and passed my group fitness certification in August and started school soon after. Back to my alma matter WKU as one of 6 American students in the MPH program. It has been interesting learning new cultures and getting used to new languages. The majority of the students in the MPH program are Indian and African.
Last semester I took 2 classes, one online and one on campus. It was fun being back on campus but much different than my undergrad experience. I found myself thriving in school ( 2 A's last semester) and enjoying having something else to focus my attention on. It took the pressure off Ben and I for a little while in terms of infertility.
Exercise helped too. I have always wanted to teach aerobics but was too chicken to actually sign up for the certification class. I thought I was just too busy. Once I finally committed and passed the class, I was like why did I wait so long? I have been teaching at church and really enjoying it. I hope to get my own weekly class next month at church. Micheal Jackson music is a must and will be on the playlist for my next class.
All in all, I think we are dealing well with what we have on our plate. We tell each other everyday "I love you" and we lean on the everlasting arms of our Father.

"Be fruitful and multiply"

So it's January 10th 2003, our rehearsal dinner. Ben's grandfather stands up and toasts our marriage. He said in the words of our Lord " go be fruitful and multiply". We all laughed knowing this was his standard speech for rehearsal dinners but never knowing what the Lord really had in store for us.
Fast forward to 2007. August 31, 2007, my hematologist released me to get pregnant. I had been off steroids for exactly one year, my platelets had been in normal range since the treatment began and my thyroid levels were normal. (In 2006 I was diagnosed with ITP and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.) So we officially began "trying" in October 2007. By March, I was getting a little frustrated so I visited my gyno. He sent Ben for a semen analysis and I went through a few tests of my own. Ben's semen analysis results were devastating and we were sent to Nashville Fertility Clinic.
We chose a doctor at the fertility clinic and went for our first visit. Of course, I had to have more tests, Ben had blood work, and another semen analysis. We were told our only option was in vitro at the price of $20,000. We went home completely destroyed. Only women can understand the feeling of wanting to be a mother. Not everyone is called to be a mom but I know that I am.
After more tests and better results from the next semen analysis, we decided to try intrauterine insemination. We tried it once in July of 2007, then again in December 2008, and January-March of 2009. Five treatments, no babies. Ben and I were both on medicine, we were praying, our friends and family were praying, we were so hopeful, only to be disappointed. After the last treatment, we decided to take a break. We were out of money and emotionally drained. We continued to pray everyday and try on our own but still no baby.
So, here we are today. We went to a new fertility doctor at Vanderbilt, had more tests done, and got some better results. Ben's semen analysis was so much better, normal count but low motility and morphology. All my tests were normal except for progesterone, which was low. Easy fix though, just use ovulation test strips until they are positive, wait 3 days, begin using the progesterone suppositories every morning and night, then get a blood pregnancy test 12 days after you begin the suppositories, if the test is negative discontinue, if the test is positive continue using them for 3 months. Easy, right? Well, we shall see next month. In the meantime I am doing accupuncture. Why not? Western medicine hasn't worked so far. I go once a week, get about 30 needles poked into my body and magnets stuck to my ears and wrists. The accupuncurist asked me to cut out dairy products and he is giving me chinese herbs to take daily. I am optimisitic right now. I am choosing to live and to accept the path the Lord has put us on. I can't give up. I am going to be a mom, one way or another.