A little background. . .

Over the past few years Ryan and I have been asked NUMEROUS times about when we are going to start having children. We have always said "Later", but that was far from the truth. I know there are some of you, reading this blog, whom have not been privy to some important information and are wondering what the heck I am doing.Why am I doing such strange things to my body?

The truth is this: I have severe hormonal issues. (I can hear you snickering David!) These issues have cause me to not have a normal cycle in over 6 years without chemical help. This has caused my horrific amount of weight gain and my terrible hair and skin condition. It is because of the issues that the Dr's have told me on numerous occasions that I will "Never" have children of my own. That is really disheartening to hear when you are only 24 years old. My philosophy is "Never say Never, cause God will make you look like a fool" =)

Here is how I got where I am now. My Mom, Ruby Payne, has a friend who was trying to have children. She and her husband had tried all sorts of different fertility treatments. They wanted a child so badly, they were referred to a fertility doctor here in Bakersfield, who then referred them to Dr R. Needless to say, after a few months of treatment with Acupuncture AND Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), they were able to conceive. Dr R continued to treat her through the first trimester with Acupuncture. The couple had a beautiful and healthy baby. This is just ONE of the MANY stories I have heard about Dr R.

So I pretty much figured "why not, what do I have to lose"? My answer "Nothing". (Yes, I have been known to, upon occasion, to talk and answer myself. Though I have not had a conversation yet, so I think I am safe)

That is the short story of how I ended up where I am today. God is Good!

Needles, needles and more needles. . .

So today I had to go in for some lab work. Dr. R. on Thursday said that the tests required a good amount of blood. She however forgot to mention that the tests required A LOT of blood!!!!!!!! The poor tech lady had the hardest time finding my vein. She tried the right arm and failed miserably. So then she finally hit the correct spot on the left arm and proceeded to take about 14 vials of blood!!!!!!! Wow that was a lot of blood. I was glad I ate a good size lunch.

Also, I actually got to see Dr. R today after the lab work. It was unexpected, but nice that I could get in right then. So Dr. R took me back to the treatment room. She asked me questions about how I felt after last weeks treatment. I told her I felt pretty darn good, no back pain at all; which was a very nice surprise for me =) She then asked if I had any cramps after the last treatment. I sadly had to tell her no I didn't. So she had me lay face down on the table like last week and placed the needles like she did before. This time however she added some of those little electric stimulation clamps to a few of the needles. This was to help stimulate the energy movement through the needles. Let me tell you with in a few minuets of those things being on, I started to feel cramps. Not normal or painful cramps, but just enough so I could tell they were there. I just about cried with joy. So I relaxed and listened to music while these needles and electricity did their magic!!!! After 30 mins or so Dr R came in and I told her about the cramps and she said that sometimes a little stimulation can help and to expect my period soon!

If that really does happen I will sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" to strangers! My expectations are low. . .I doubt I'll start, but you just never know. . . My next appt. is next Monday at 2:30pm!!! 

Today's Appointment

Today was my appointment with the Dr. R. As always the office is so very soothing and the staff is wonderful. I got there a few minutes early, which was a good thing as Dr. R was running ahead of time. I got called back pretty darn fast. Dr. R and I talked a bit about my symptoms, pains and normal every day occurrences. I go back on Monday, September 26th for blood work and a urinalysis. She is going to check my hormone levels (yay), check my thyroid and see if I have any deficiencies. We decided to focus on my amenorrhea first before jumping into pregnancy. After all of this, Dr. R took me back to a treatment room and had me lay on my stomach. She applied several needles to my lower back. This is supposed to stimulate my period. The idea is for me to go back once a week for treatments, along with supplements, herbal remedies and a change to my dietary habits. 

Plus a great bonus is, once I have my cycles normalized (or have one at all, lol) Ryan gets to come in for treatments too!!!!