And So It Begins...

As I said in my last post, things are about to get real around here. And they have.

This is my nephew playing with Atticus
the cat on Sunday, Nov. 9th.

Early Monday morning, the wind blew in, the temperature dropped, and Lady Winter arrived, dumping snow on us here in Central Wyoming. The roads were so bad that my school even delayed start until 9:30, something that rarely happens around here.
So, I spent my brief delay in the morning making myself a delicious
breakfast and then making a pair of boot cuffs (I'll post about those later). It was a nice way to enjoy the first real day of winter, watching it snow out my window before going into school a little later than normal.

This was my view Monday morning,
Nov. 10th during the delay

Hubster has been a little less tranquil over the weather change, but he's coming around. For a man who loves winter, cold temps, and snowmobiling, deadlines tend to catch him off guard, and he hasn't been thrilled with the cold weather cramping his ranch style. There's always TONS to do in order that the ranch is winterized properly. But we did well with getting most of the important stuff done, so we were mostly ready for the change. The few that we're behind on...well, those will have to wait until we can get to them.

And just as the weather has changed, so has something else.

This week, my fertility chart on Kindara indicated that I ovulated!!!

This is a pretty big deal in my world, given that Hubster and I are working on starting a family, and given my struggles with Endometriosis. Ovulation is key to pregnancy, and I have not always ovulated because of stress or hormone changes due to birth control.

But let me back up a little further.

Kindara and Fertility Awareness Method is the last part of the ongoing story of my struggles with health, Endo, and fertility.

The story starts much earlier, back in May of 2013, when Hubster and I were on a trip for some friends' wedding, and I thought I felt the symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Being away from home, Hubster drove me to Urgent Care, where they tested me for a UTI. Though the test came back negative, they gave me some meds for it and sent me home.

Two weeks later, the symptoms returned: bladder discomfort and frequent urination that wouldn't go away. Back to the doctor, where I was tested again and given medication. When that test came back negative, my regular doc scratched her head and tested me for pregnancy and few other things. Nothing came back, so little more was said about it.

Another month and half went by before I headed to the OBGYN for my annual yearly exam. Dr. M, who I adore, listened carefully to what I described as my symptoms, then asked multiple questions. He sat and listened and listened some more before coming up with some ideas.

We tested my bladder for things like Interstitial Cystitis (IC), and did a procedure that involved a camera into my bladder. All was clear and normal. The next idea was Endometriosis, and to determine that, Dr. M decided on a non-invasive tactic: giving me a shot of Depo-Prevera.

And so it all began.

Depo is a form of injected birth control that women take every three month. It suppresses the symptoms of Endometriosis if the woman injected has it, and even keeps your period at bay. Given this, I took my shot and went on my way, with instructions to let the doctor know how I was feeling in a few weeks. If you have Endometriosis, said Dr. M, you'll feel better with this shot.

Low and behold, it worked. I felt FANTASTIC after taking the Depo shot. My bladder stopped hurting and all the discomfort went away. The months of October, November, and December went by with the happiness of feeling so much better. When the end of December rolled around, however, and it was time to take the next shot, Hubster and I opted out, deciding that we would begin attempting to start a family instead. That plan was a great idea, until January rolled around.

January brought with it a wave of difficulties. Suddenly I began gaining weight on top of my usual extra five pounds at the Holidays. There was ten pounds, then twelve, fifteen, and twenty. The weight caused me some distress at first, but was then amplified by the mood swings that started. Through this, no period returned, which made our goal of getting pregnant impossible.

All through January, February, and March, Hubster and I rode the roller coaster that coming off Depo put me on. I was fine one day, then completely inconsolable, then just okay, then back to fine, only to do it all over again. I got motivated to lose the weight at the end of March, and started a reasonable but vigilant exercise routine to get ready for a 12k Hubster and I were going to do in May. I contacted Dr. M and asked to see him, but I couldn't get in until the end of April. So I began my regiment, determined to lose some weight. If I could just do that, I would feel better. I needed to start my period again, and if that would happen, I would feel better.

Come the end of April, I had lost no weight, and I was at my wit's end over this business when I visited Dr. M. With sympathy, he said that I was experiencing what about half of women experienced with Depo--crazy, over the top symptoms. In order to alleviate this, I went back on my normal pill for three months to cause my period to return.

The plan was simple, or so I thought at the time: I would return to the pill for three months, and once the third pack was complete, we would begin a regiment of aggressive "ovulation therapy" to help achieve pregnancy quickly and effectively.

When I walked out of that appointment, I thought for sure that we were on our way to happier, less stressful times in regards to making a baby. The way Dr. M talked, I felt sure that we would be pregnant come the end of August, and that would be that.

Little did I know that we were simply taking another hindered step on a stressful journey!

I'll leave you with that for now. The story isn't over, but this seems a good place to leave it for the moment.

My final thought for today, as I sit by our warm wood stove, logs from the ranch burning brightly, is this: in moments of feeling low and experiencing pain that frustrated my every day life, the Lord has been faithful to see me through. I've certainly had times filled with anger and doubt, but even still, He is faithful.