Endometriosis Support Buddies

[jules87]

Thank you ladies! I ended up going to the doctor that day, thankfully they were able to get me in without any issue. Due to the severity of the pain and the heaviness, the doctor recommended I go back on birth control until we are fully ready to ttc again. It makes sense, and I know this is the best option right now, but I still felt like a failure.
Today I'm in a better mood. Pain is gone. AF is still here, dragging on to day 10 like always... but soon I won't be dealing with that anyway. The doctor plans on me taking only active pills. She said I can take a break and have a period if I feel like it but it is 100% unnecessary. At least I have that to look forward to!

Lucy- Good luck with the tests and results. Let us know how everything goes!

 

[lemon_tree]

I love being able to skip AF with BCP. Glad you've got some relief in sight.

 

[mama.mouse]

Hello my lovelies!

Love LOVE the little bean pic. Too precious, new life is so fascinating!

I'm so sorry your endo is back at it Jules. My pain I chatted about before reached a peak on Monday eve and I ended up in the ER checking things out. Managed to see the gyn yesterday and they found a chocolate cyst on my right ovary

Pain has subsided slightly and he has given me meds to try and dry it out but I have to let him know by friday if the pain is still around for another laparoscope. So I totally know what you mean when you say you feel like a failure. I thought I was clear of this, it's been 2 years. I would rather go the surgery route at this stage and just clear it up. Maybe if he goes in he will find the reason we have been struggling to fall pregnant, who knows. Everyone keeps asking why I waited to so long to go and see him but I'm sure you ladies can relate that pain is kind of an every day thing and not really unusual enough to see a doc unless chronic.

I'm feeling pretty turd about the whole thing. Spent 6 hours at the hospital yesterday being prodded and poked with needles and drips and scans. I am just so so tired today.

I always hear people talking about endo as a "disease" and I always said to DH "That is so dramatic." I am really starting to feel that way now. Like I just can't live a normal life I always try to maintain healthy diet and exercise but this always gets in the way.

Sorry for the downer ladies, hope everyone is well xx

 

[lemon_tree]

Hugs, Mama Mouse, I’m so sorry you’re going through that.

 

[jules87]

Aw Mama.mouse I'm sorry you are going through this.

It's ironic that you mention never recognizing it as a disease until lately. Last Thursday when I had to go the doctor for pain I actually told my boss that because of my 'disease' I was in a lot of pain. I had never called it a disease before that day. It does seem like it can consume your life.

I hope you are able to get answers and treatment, surgical or otherwise. Hang in there!

 

[xx Emily xx]

Big hugs mama mouse.

It really is hard to live with at times isn't it. Just controls aspects of your life you really don't want it to.

Jules hope the doctor was of some help.

I've given up going to see GP about pain. They're no help at all, I don't think they really know enough about it IMO, it's a complicated condition.

I'm well underway with IVF at the moment. Got another blood test tomorrow then scan on Friday. Fingers crossed.

 

[lemon_tree]

Good luck, Emily, I'm so excited for you!!

 

[jules87]

mama- haven't heard from you in a little while... How's the pain?

Emily- good luck with the appointments!

AFM- So far, the only thing birth control has done for me is caused me to keep bleeding. So, of course, I have cramps with a back ache and pain that switches from one side to the next. The Dr. told me that if I start bleeding to double up on pills for a few days to get it to stop, but I don't think that is helping. I'm so freaking frustrated. I want kids so bad but I really don't think it's in our future. I'm starting to feel like I'm always going to be in pain and always bleeding unless I just have them take it all out!

 

[lemon_tree]

It sounds like that pill isn't working for you. What kind are you on? Can you switch to a different one?

 

[jules87]

I'm on Apri .15mg/ .03 mg. The doctor told me to stop the pills for a few days then start back up to see if we can disrupt the current bleeding. If this doesn't work then we'll probably try a different one. Fingers crossed that the pills work.

 

[lemon_tree]

Oh I had issues with Apri, too. Just spotting forever. I'm so curious to know if that works for you!

 

[still hopping]

Oh Jules! I hope the doctor gets it right for you very soon! Don't give up hope... I know it is so hard and soul destroying... but keep on going one step at a time... Like walking up a mountain and if you think of the whole journey you feel like giving up on the spot, but if you just concentrate on the next foot in front of the other you will go far It sounds like you have your DH support too and that is precious. There are many different treatments out there to conceive and there will be one that will help to your situation to increase your chances... hang in there girl... you are one bloody strong lady

Mama mouse what a hellish experience you poor thing! I hope the pain has subsided for you but you can't have that happening to you again!! I am with you that I would be hopping for another lap to get the new endo removed and them to have a good look around and see what is happening in there. Let us know how things go

Best of luck this cycle Emily!! Not an easy journey to have to go through but it gives you hope and increases your chances hugely! In our case we only had a 1% chance to conceive naturally before embarking in the IVF journey. Is this your first cycle? Keep strong and in focus of why you are doing this if things get too emotional... lots of baby dust to you

Lemmon tree... how's the process getting into starting IVF going? Any closer?

Socks - how's things? Were you able to get a referral to have another lap?

Lots of love and good vibes to you all xxx

 

[lemon_tree]

A little, we had to do a couple IUI cycles first before Caremark would cover our IVF meds. my first one should be next weekend if I'm ovulating on time. We'll start IVF early next year.

Big hugs to you all - stay strong!!

 

[still hopping]

So exciting lemon tree that you have something happening! All the best with IUI... things going well you won't need the IVF!!

 

[jules87]

Well Lemon, it is definitely not encouraging to hear you had issues with Apri.
I was hoping she would put me on Seasonal or Seasonique since they are true continuous pills. All I can do is wait it out though. I started the Apri again (new pack) Saturday night. Still bleeding, still cramping and dealing with an achy back... I'm hoping that it will taper off soon!

Question... How did you ladies come up with the funds for fertility treatments? Did you take out loans/ use credit cards? Does your insurance pay for it? Do you have a savings set aside specifically for fertility treatments? I figure that if DH and I can't ttc right now, we should be saving up.. But neither one of us is very good at keeping the money in the bank.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

 

[lemon_tree]

Heh, sorry, Jules. I just had a lot of breakthrough spotting. Next time I go on BCP I’m going to ask to go on the mini pill as I’ve heard some women with endo have had success on that. But I hadn’t heard of those continuous pills, so if those do work for you, I want to hear all about it!

For infertility treatment payments, we are lucky in that my insurance covers unlimited IUIs and two IVF cycles, including some medication coverage. I know that’s rare and I am very grateful. We’re also anticipating we’ll need more than the two IVFs, so we’re saving up some funds as well to pay for future cycles. When we started talking about trying to conceive, we decided to see if we’d be able to afford the daycare costs of a baby, so we figured out about what those would be each week, and then set up a special savings account. Every month for 6 months, we auto transferred that amount of $$ into that separate savings account, and then only allowed ourselves to use and spend the money that was left in our main checking account. We were going to put that money towards a future college fund. However now that it’s abundantly clear that I am infertile we’re starting to save in that manner again, but instead of a college fund, it’s become an infertility fund. Basically, setting up a separate account has been a big help because then we can’t touch the money, it forces us to save, and will help us not have to take out a loan or put the payments on a credit card, which we really didn’t want to do.

I recommend using Mint or getting a tool like Quicken to connect to your accounts and help you set up a budget and keep track of spending. Good luck!

 

[jules87]

Still hopping- thank you so much for the words of encouragement. Whenever I start to freak out about being on birth control and wondering what the heck I was thinking, I remind myself that this is temporary.

Lemon- I'm not sure if the doctors call them "continuous pills", that was just the term I saw used a lot during my research. Instead of being prescribed 3 packs of pills that have 1 week inactive per pack; the continuous pills come in a 3-pack case and only have 1 week of inactive pills and the very last week of the pack.
I will definitely be looking into Mint and Quicken for financials. DH and I just need to sit down, suck it up, and make a budget.


AFM- Stopping the pills for a few days and starting with a new pack seems to have done the trick. Period/ spotting free for a week!!!!

Have a wonderful day ladies!

 

[mama.mouse]

Hi ladies!

So sorry I have been quiet, we have been moving house etc and its just been so busy. All the pain turned out to be a chocolate cyst. Doc put me on duphaston for 14 days. Went in at day 10 to see him and it was gone! Well almost gone. There is still a bit of a shell of it there but he is satisfied with the results. The meds were making my blood too thin and I was covered in huge bruises from head to toe so had to come off that. He said its the first time he has ever seen that (typical). So now just anti-inflammatories.

So basically he said "You are not going to fall pregnant naturally" and instead of being sad I booked us in for IVF consult in March!

To answer your question Jules we were going to take out a loan for IVF but by a stroke of luck our house sale gave us a lot more money than we had anticipated and now we suddenly have enough! I have taken this as a sign and we are just going to take the leap and do it. I am really nervous but also very excited

Glad you are feeling better on the pill though. it really is just temporary xx

How is everyone else doing?

I started taking Vitex today, I heard its great for PMS (which lets face it is our whole lives). Also starting licorice supplements. Gonna try get this sad little body in tip top shape. It WILL house a baby!!

 

[jules87]

Hi ladies! Our thread seems to have fallen asleep!... So, I'm just checking in to see how you all are doing. I hope you are all enjoying the holidays and not getting sucked into the craziness that usually takes place this time of year.

I'm doing well enough. I had to go back into the doctor, and he switched the birth control. The Apri just wasn't working. I bled almost the entire time I was on it. This time around I actually saw "my" doctor. He did an exam and vaginal ultrasound, plus ran a THC to make sure nothing else was causing the bleeding. He made the comment that the lining is "very thin"... Hm, go figure. Anyway, everything looked good. He felt around a bit. There were a couple of very tender areas that he believes are endo.
Right now I"m not considering surgery, or ttc. We are focusing on controlling the bleeding so that I can focus on migraine treatments. So far the new bc seems to be working. No breakthrough bleeding anyway.

Honestly, I hit a low over the last month. When I saw the doctor he laid out all my options, including for ttc, then asked what I wanted to do. I just looked at him, on the verge of tears, and said I didn't know. So he is the one that decided bc is the best way to go right now.. mostly because of everything that I"m dealing with. Since the visit and starting the new bc I'm doing quite a bit better. The migraines sucked for a while, but I had my treatment this past Wendesday, so relief is in sight!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and Christmas if we don't "talk" before then.

 

[lemon_tree]

Hey Jules. What kind of BCP did they switch you to? I am glad this new one seems to be working and giving you some breathing room so you can focus on healing. Endo sucks. What kind of migraine treatments are you doing?

AFM, when AF starts in the next few days, I'll be starting my first IVF cycle. Feeling nervous but determined.

Hope you all are doing well.