Stand up to Cancer!

Did anyone see the special on TV tonight? It was a very touching program. It really made me appreciate what I do every day as an oncology research coordinator. It's hard sometimes focusing on the mission when you are piled in paperwork and your brain is spinning in deadlines. At the end of the day it's about someone's life; that we are hopefully a part of something bigger in the fight for cancer. It's amazing, and, I love being a part of something so touching. We've ALL been touched by cancer; friends, family...we all know someone with cancer or someone who has won or lost their battle. Please visit the website, Standup2cancer, and make a donation if you can!

God Bless!

Time to chart!

I started my period this weekend. Coming up on day 3 and I am a bit nervous. It hasn't been too bad so far...usually the 3rd and 4th days are my worst. Tomorrow is my first day back since vacation, so, I'll need to be on my game. Along with some new diet changes (that I really need to set in place), we are planning to chart again. We charted for a while until all my endo troubles started surfacing. I'm eager to see how my chart looks this month. Also eager to start trying to conceive.

Here's a little tid bit about "charting". We use the sympto-thermal method. Obviously we are using this method to GET pregnant, not for prevention anymore!

Sympto-Thermal Method

The sympto-thermal method of natural birth control involves determining the few days out of a woman's menstrual cycles when conception can occur, and then avoiding sexual intercourse on those days. This method involves determining this fertile time in two ways: based on a woman's basal body temperature (it rises after ovulation) and by recording other fertility cues (such as mood and cervical secretions). The name "sympto-thermal" method, comes from body cues (i.e. symptoms) and a woman's temperature (i.e. thermal or thermometer).

How It Works: The Thermo Part

The sympto-thermal method requires that a woman take her temperature every morning before she gets out of bed and record the reading. Depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle, there will be slight variations in her temperature. These variations are most easily measured with a special thermometer that has a range of only a few degrees, known as a basal thermometer Before ovulation, the temperature is likely to be between 97.2 and 97.4 degrees F. After ovulation, it will rise by at least 0.5 degrees and is often above 98 degrees F. When the temperature stays elevated for at least three days, a woman may assume she has already ovulated. Intercourse for the rest of the cycle will not result in pregnancy. To determine the infertile time before ovulation, a woman needs to look at her pattern of previous cycles. Her last "safe" day is one week before the earliest recorded day of temperature rise, or 5 days after the first day of her period.

How It Works: The Sympto Part

By recording other cyclic symptoms, in addition to basal temperatures, the infertile time before ovulation can be more accurately predicted (see Ovulation Method). Cervical mucus and firmness, mid-cycle cramping, breast sensitivity, and mood swings are all symptoms which give insight into the progression of a woman's cycle. With careful monitoring, it is not difficult to predict your fertile period, when intercourse is to be avoided. A blank NFP chart for recording these changes is available to view, download, or print.

Intercourse during the time before ovulation is less safe than the time after ovulation because sperm have been known to live up to six days. For this reason, some couples choose to have sex only after the fertile period. This practice, known as the post-ovulatory temperature method, is the most effective of all natural methods, with a failure rate of only 1% among perfect users. However, it is not recommended because it requires a very long period of abstinence.

Effectiveness of the Sympto-Thermal Method

Consider the sympto-thermal method if you are committed to following the rules strictly. This method can be more difficult to use for women with small infants, as getting up frequently in the night can make the temperature readings less accurate. Illness, travel, or alcohol consumption can throw off the basal temperature reading as well. This is why it is important to use as many body signs as possible to predict ovulation for maximum efficacy.

Here it comes

My period that is. It is not a welcome thing...although I guess somewhat of a necessity in our journey to conceive. I've been crampy a lot lately, with, all the other usual symptoms. Please keep your fingers crossed this goes well!

Stomach has been a little better; nausea has calmed down some too. I wonder if my body was getting a surge of estrogen with my pending cycle?

Thank you for all the diet suggestions. I really need to start making more adjustments if this is something I am going to have to deal with. I'm on vacation this week...might be a little worse with food/drink consumption as usual, but, I promise I'll get back on the horse when we return...and, I won't go too wild with the goodies! Hold me to it!!!

That weird feeling has a name

I went to the GI on Friday for a FU to my endoscopy. I already knew my results, and, we really didn't even talk about that. Ugh, I always have questions I forget about until later! We ended up talking a lot about my current symptoms, which, he is chalking up ultimately to endo. I'm pretty much constipated (this blog is all about some TMI, right?) for over a month now, which, in turn is causing the dyspepsia (weird feeling in my throat I talked about in my last post) and NAUSEA. Oh, the nausea is just awful. Why so constipated? That lovely endo that was bearing down on my colon. Just lovely. I'm on a regimen of Miralax and Fiber supplement right now-for the next 2-4 weeks. I hope it helps. If not, then he wants me to try Senekot...but, he doesn't really want it to get to that point. Bless his heart-he was asking me if there was an endo surgery, or, if the GYN had planned on following the Lupron up with another surgery, or, if I could take Lupron again. I had to explain that it is only really approved for 6-12 months of therapy (the last 6 with add back) because of bone loss concerns. BESIDES, my colon stop up started the week after the 4th of July...2-3 weeks before the Lupron would have been decreasing out of my system.

Blah

I am so tired of feeling nauseated. This week I've developed a new lovely ill-this weird nausea that is all the way up in my throat. I feel at the same time that I've already gotten "sick" (to my stomach), and, that I still need to. But, I never have. Crazy. I've got a FU with my GI on Friday regarding the endoscopy. The results came back good-just some inflammation in my esophagus (reflux) and stomach (dunno what that's about). I'm wondering if I need my nexium adjusted? It's awful...just awful!!! And, not even related to food. Odd. Ick!

I had another manual therapy apt yesterday. They worked on my belly some more. It was crazy. They were holding two parts of my abdomen, and, had be do a pelvic tilt...my whole abdomen moved (obviously it shouldn't). Wild. Not as sore this time (although a different therapist was doing the majority of the work...she's not as tough).

Manual Therapy

I have a pretty exciting post! I went to my physical therapist yesterday for my neck/back pain. I've been on and off at this clinic for about 2 years now. These particular PT's are specialized in manual therapy. The Wikipedia definition is:

Manual Therapy encompasses the treatment of health ailments of various etiologies through 'hands-on', physical intervention.

Physical treatments includes massage, soft tissue mobilization, various connective tissue techniques, myofascial release, craniosacral techniques, mobilization of joints, joint manipulation, mobilization of neural tissue, visceral mobilization, and strain and counterstrain.

They have done WONDERS for my neck. Last year when I went I couldn't move my neck to one side (for whatever reason). Seriously, I love going!

Yesterday we were chatting and I was talking about my endometriosis. She asked if they had ever "worked on" my stomach. Well...no. But, I have read about massage type therapies that are used to help break up adhesions. I was very excited! So, for the last 15/20 minutes of my session yesterday (she actually went over because her last apt of the day canceled) she worked on manipulating the tissues in my abdomen.

Normally, your abdominal area is very fluid...your organs are normally mobile in your abdomen-you can usually move them around a bit. Those of of with endo know that adhesions can cause the organs to literally be glued down or together. She said that things were pretty stiff and unforgiving. She could feel all my organs (weird), and, obviously they don't move like they should. She also mentioned something about my uterus feeling a bit enlarged. Hmmm, interesting (I had inflammation he found during surgery...is it still there?). Things were particularly stiff near my descending colon (where a lot of my pain has been recently).

So, I'm pretty excited. The last 15 minutes of my sessions they are going to work on my abdominal area. :) Maybe this can help! She said that it's not scientifically based, but, that these techniques have been shown to improve fertility. Why not? I feel kind of bruised tonight, and a bit off. She warned me that I might feel kind of icky tonight...said that when things are so stiff and you get things moving around-it could make my body feel odd while it was trying to adjust to the normalcy.

I also learned something interesting about a possible reason for my sciatica pains. She said that with endo comes inflammation. (She used a lot of technical/anatomical terms) and explained that the inflammation could be causing the muscle that surrounds the "tube" with that nerve in it to be "pinched" or have more pressure against it. So, not necessarily that endo has compromised the nerve, but, the inflammatory processes.

Just wanted to share my learning experience yesterday. I'll keep you posted on how the manual therapy is working on the endo.

Colon issues are come and go. I guess it's something I should get used to? We'll see. And, I still haven't heard from my endoscopy. I guess no news might be good news?

Did the Lupron even work?!

With my recent flare up with my colon symptoms, I'm left pondering, did this sh*t even work?!? I know I "only" took 4 months...but, I should be getting at least that much of treatment relief from it, right? The colon stuff even started BEFORE I stopped. I had to breakdown yesterday a little from my frustrations. I really don't think my Dr.'s know what to do about the symptoms. I've been on the miralax since Thursday-it really hasn't seemed to work yet. This AM I woke up with an "icky" stomach ache; it hurts all the way up to my esophagus! I have been eating pretty well, drinking tons of water....I don't know what else to do. I'm giving the miralax until Tuesday-then I'm calling up the GI. I don't know why...he'll just be stumped. I think he's a great Dr., but, the endo stuff I think throws him off.

Could colon "issues" be causing reprecussions all the way up into my upper stomach?!? I guess maybe he was right about it all possibly being related to the endo (I thought he was just saying that because he couldn't find any other concrete evidence while in there with the EGD).