Are You Waiting?

Are you waiting........?

I don't know what you are waiting on....but maybe you are waiting on your baby blessing(s), as I am.As much as I do not like waiting, I know it is part of the "process" ...and that our patience is growing, while our faith is being strengthened as we continue to wait on God. 

Have you ever had a vision, maybe just a glimpse of your future, and couldn't wait to get to there? I know personally, as a child/teen I was SO excited about college and the independence it promised. I was somewhat sheltered, raised as an only child, and my exposure to the outside world was limited. Even the prospect of getting a license and being able to drive, held limitless possibilities...even if I was only allowed to drive my parents to the store! lol! The restlessness I sometimes felt was not comfortable but I believed it enabled me to not only develop patience, but to dream and envision what I could not see, hold, taste, smell <= the very substance of hope and faith! God does not withhold anything from us! He is allowing us to get every single morsel of the spiritual blessing that He has in store for us.

Knowing this: that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be 
perfect and entire, lacking nothing. 
James 1:3-4

I look back and realize that because I cherished the idea of independence, college was not an opportunity to run wild and squander the wisdom my parents had given me. I was able to appreciate all that it stood for and I was determined to get the most out of that experience. (On a side note, that patience I developed came in handy because if I had of been required to take one more math/science class, I would have been running laps around the campus like a mad woman ;-)

When it comes to the subject of waiting in the Bible, I am highly encouraged by the women of faith who were once barren but went on to conceive. Sarah, Elizabeth, and Rachel all were unable to bear children for some time frame, but God eventually opened their wombs. That is a testament to the fact that just because your season has not come, does not mean that it's not on the way. I'm certain that God was working out something in them, their families, those around them, etc.....before He opened that door for them to conceive. It is comforting to know that along with developing patience and faith, God is also working out other things to prepare us.When I think of how Sarah laughed when the servant of God told her, in her advanced age that she would be a mother, I can understand how unbelief could have been mingled with some fear. 

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; it had ceased to be with Sarah as with [young] women. [She was past the age of childbearing]. Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become aged shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband), being old also?

And the Lord asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 

Shall I really bear a child when I am so old?Is anything too hard or too wonderful for the Lord?

Genesis 18:11-14

I know God has always been in the miracle business but if I was well past my prime and everything had seemingly dried up, I would not only be worried about the impossibility of it all, but also about the "what if's?". What if there are complications? What about the health of the baby? What about my health? But nearly a decade later, she was blessed with His perfect promise, Isaac.(Genesis 21)

No matter what you are waiting on, the principles stay the same: If you belong to Him and He has spoken a promise to your heart, that promise will arrive at the appointed time. All because.....  

He hath made every thing beautiful in His time. Also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I love the intro to the song, No Limits, because it is a declaration of who God is and what He will be to those who need Him. We can not put a box on Him because He is doing something amazingly wonderful, in His timing. I am encouraged when I remember that His plan is perfect! 

Vitamin D & Fibroids

I mentioned in another post how vital Vitamin D is in our diets. Vitamin D allows our bodies to maintain proper levels of calcium and phosphorus and aids in the absorption of calcium.

Some of the symptoms and/or diseases that Vitamin D deficiencies can lead to include:

• Cystic Fibrosis 
• Psoriasis
• Muscle Weakness
• Schizophrenia and Depression
• Cancer
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Periodontal disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Fibroids (inconclusive but studies are showing a link!...more on that in a minute)

If you suspect you have a deficiency, consult your doctor and get tested (and ask for the 25-hydroxy-  vitamin D).

Our bodies are able to produce Vitamin D through exposure to sunlight and people with fairer skin can get enough exposure from just 10 minutes in the sun. However, people with more melanin do not absorb it as readily (possibly needing up to 6 times more exposure) as others and need to get it from other sources, including a Vitamin D supplement. 
The government's dietary recommendations are 200 IUs a day up to age 50, 400 IUs to age 70, and 600 IUs over 70. But many experts believe that these recommendations are far too low to maintain healthful vitamin D levels. They advocate for supplementation in the winter of about 2,000 IUs per day and a dose of daily sunshine in the summer.  2,000 IUs is actually what my doctor (Endocrinologist) prescribed.

Oh and by the way, they say the sunlight you get from driving in your car does not count, as the UV rays that allow our cells to produce Vitamin D are filtered out by the windows :-(

Here are some food sources that contain Vitamin D:

• Fish (Tuna/Sardines)
• Egg yolk
• Beef liver <= YUMMY!
• Cod liver oil
• Mushrooms

As I mentioned earlier, there have been studies that link Fibroids to Vitamin D deficiencies.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a study found that women who had sufficient amounts of vitamin D were 32 percent less likely to develop fibroids than women with insufficient vitamin D. Interestingly enough, Vitamin D was shown to shrink Fibroids in Rats!

I do know that when I started taking Vitamin D my energy levels improved tremendously and my mood swings were not as prevalent.

Have you had any experiences with Vitamin D?

My Journey - Part II

.... I had considered seeing a Naturopathic Doctor for awhile but a few years prior, their presence was very limited in the DFW area. I started to do some research again and found that the number of NDs in the metroplex had suddenly multiplied.

I had some experience in my past with what I call holistic practitioners. They are not necessarily doctors or educated in conventional medicine, but they approach health from a holistic view, and start at a basic level to determine the underlying causes of symptoms. Previously, I was able to use their guidance to help correct my immune function. NDs generally have the same philosophies but they are trained and have a 4-year doctorate degree.
 
I narrowed my search down and spoke to one of the local NDs. The main downfall to using a ND is that they are not covered under health insurance...so all costs are out of pocket, but thankfully, this ND was reasonable compared to most. The good thing about her was that she was very thorough so she took all of my medical records and tests, prior to our appointment and was able to get a good idea of what regimen to prescribe. Prior to seeing her, I went to an Endocrinologist to get a battery of tests. That was definitely a good move because I found out about my Vitamin D deficiency which is something most people of color are deficient in (that's a separate post ;-)..and the ND was able to better understand what my hormone levels looked like.

In between me finding out about the fibroids and seeing the ND, I found a ton of information on the internet about them. All the different kinds, what potentially causes them, and how they are treated. I found multiple sources saying that excess estrogen (and progesterone) causes them to grow but nothing really definitive as to why they develop in the first place.

As I delved into what the cause might be, I asked my mom about her history because I knew she had a hysterectomy after I was born, and after she had a miscarriage. She tried to describe her reproductive ailments, which she had alot of, but I'm not sure they were fibroids. However, she was very young (21) when she had me and when she had her hysterectomy so I imagine if she had them, they were not noticeable at that point in her life. With all her medical history, part of me also started to think there was a genetic factor to them developing too.

So back to the ND...At my first appointment she focused on several things that would not necessarily shrink the current fibroids but that would keep them from growing and that would potentially keep more from developing. The main thing was a liver cleanse. Our liver is what detoxifies our systems and rids our bodies of excess hormones (ie estrogen). That extra estrogen floating around  that our liver can not cleanse out, can wreck havoc on our systems, especially if there has been estrogen dominance/hormonal imbalance for years. And there are so many sources of estrogen - meats, dairy, hair products, food containers, etc...not to mention the other pollutants that tend to disrupt our normal hormonal functions.

To aid my liver detox she prescribed a blend of supplements, as well a a special diet that excluded refined sugars, wheat, caffeine, and dairy...basically anything that might taste good! The diet focused on veggies, beans/legumes, fruits, & whole grains. It actually had some pretty tasty recipes that I will have to share in another post.
 
To aid the cleanse, I also had to do 3-4 hours of cardio a week, and there were two more supplements, plus a tea that I was to take.
I have to confess I am poorly disciplined when it comes to "diets" so I think I only stuck with the dietary restrictions for 2 weeks, but I continued on with the supplements and saw alot of improvements in my symptoms. Over the next year, I did not see a doctor to actually see what the fibroids were doing.
 
I found a new OB/GYN and scheduled an appointment. On my second appointment, I saw the stenographer who I was very thankful for..she actually talked to me and told me what she saw!

(Check back for Part III, coming soon....)

P.S. If you have any question about the specific supplements I was prescribed or any questions about the details of the regimen I was on, feel free to post a comment or send me a message.

Confessions of a Foodie

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love food! All kinds....healthy, unhealthy...fattening, low-fat....deep fried, baked...raw, cooked..etc. But I also hold firmly to the belief that what you put into your body, directly impacts what you get out of it and how it functions.
..And so begins my Foodie dilemma - wanting to eat for sustenance & nutrition vs being tempted to eat for pleasure.

Exhibit 1:
No vegetables with a prepared meal.

Raise your hand if you grew up eating veggies and understand that they are beneficial and necessary in our diet. This may seem like common knowledge, but I have witnessed many meals with only meat and starches and not one veggie. I'm not talking about the occasional lazy night where you don't feel like cooking a full meal.... I'm talking about all-out vegetable neglect. I'll be honest, if you are cooking for me, my feelings will be a little hurt if I don't see anything green or vegetable-like on my plate :-\
Ok, so you say what's the big deal? Why are eating veggies so important?! Per the USDA, here are a few benefits:

• Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.

• Eating foods such as vegetables that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake

• Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C

• For those trying to conceive =>  Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.

I realize this is is very basic to some, but it bears reiterating. For more information on healthy eating tips, go to: Choose My Plate
They have some very good tools and resources.


Exhibit 2:
All things sweet.

I've always had a sweet tooth and for the most part it did not subside when I became more conscious about what I put into my body. The struggle got very real last year when the company cafeteria decided to start selling fresh baked chocolate chips..Every.Single.Day. *SIGH* Forget that one cookie was almost two dollars, if I stepped into that cafeteria, I became cookie stalker (True story: My co-worker and I would wait around and harass one of the servers.."when will the cookies,be ready???" - I won't even talk about how the cashiers hated to see us coming because we always complained about the conflicting/fluctuating prices).

While one cookie a day does not seem like such a horrible thing, I can't help but feel like I am creating a monster by feeding it daily (..get it monster..cookie monster!). Ok so I have been able to ween myself for the most part but there is always sugar lurking somewhere...a potlucks at work, birthday dinners, etc. We are so conditioned to having sugar in our diet, that our bodies start to crave it once we decide to quit it.

In my studies on refined sugar, there are numerous reasons to limit consumption:

• Sugar is toxic. Ever heard of a book called Sugar Blues? Check it out.

• Sugar suppresses your immune system 

• Sugar can lead to tooth decay

• Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein

• Sugar can cause depression

 Here's a good article:
 Sugar Health Effects: The Truth About Sugar


So....here's to striving for a good balance between veggies & desserts...All things in moderation, right?!! (Except veggies..you should eat lots of those;-)

My Journey (Part 1)

It was Fall of 2009 and I was scheduled to see my OB/GYN for my Annual. This doctor was fairly new to me and this was my second time seeing her. During the "apply pressure" portion of the pelvic exam she almost immediately made a concerned face and told me she felt a couple of fibroids. I didn't really know what a fibroid was at that time - my only recollection of a fibroid was, Oh that's what Mya had on Girlfriends! The ailment that she had hormone therapy for... and that ultimately made her infertile o_O

If we backtrack about 9 months prior to that, this doctor prescribed me birth control and even after trying 2 different brands, I continued to have multiple issues with them..nausea, bloating, mood swings, etc). Since I did not have detectable fibroids prior to using birth control, I wondered if this had anything to do with their growth, but the doctor assured me they were not the culprit.

I was scheduled for a sonogram at a later date to see how many and where they were located. My stenographer did not say two words to me and I had no clue as to what she was seeing. My anxiety was further fueled by the fact that I had to make another appointment to find out what the doctor's assessment of the sonogram was. Well unfortunately her assessment was not very informative. She told me there were two big ones (quarter-sized) and when I asked how many total..she paused, looked at her notes and said "too many to count". You can imagine my frustration! Does that mean 5..15.. 25..?? There was no point in trying to get any of that information out of her...she did not even have a copy of the sonogram and there was no copy to retrieve! She proceeded to tell me that she generally does not bother the fibroids if they are not causing any issues (i.e. interference with pregnancy)..."So let's try to get you to pop out 1 or 2 kids and then we can talk about a hysterectomy."
A what?! Needless to say I found a new doctor very soon.

(Check back next week for Part 2)

Intro

Welcome!!

It has been a long time coming...but I'm finally up and running!!

My vision for this blog is for it to become a community where we can share, learn, and encourage each other in our journey towards health, including reproductive health.

I will share what I have learned and continue to learn along this journey, with the goal of being as transparent as possible. Too often we don't share the dark details of our medical histories....with good reason. However, it is my belief that we grow, not independent of each other, but when come together and glean from the experiences of others.

Part of the healing process for me is to reach back and grab the hands of my sisters who have similar stories.


Stay tuned for my first post!