WARNING: severe, depressing blog ahead

Well I thought to myself I should really do an update considering I have been super slacking in the blog department this week. Where to start, where to start...hmmmm, oh okay! So temping sucks ass, and I've stopped doing it. I'm an ovulation temping school drop out. My thermometer sucks, and even though it says it has last temp recall, it lied. The light on it as well only stays on for a few seconds so it makes it hard to read in my dark bedroom early in the morning. I also found when I was trying to temp I was not sleeping well through the night, I think I was worrying too much about it and I wasn't sleeping through the whole night. I kept waking up thinking I had over slept or I forgot to get my temp. It was a hot mess. Another thing to make this week even more enjoyable was my skin broke out horribly with nasty, huge, and sore cystic acne. I seriously had 4 of them all at the same time! My face hurt! So I had no choice but to call my dermatologist on Friday and go in for some acne injections. They inject your cystic acne with a steroid and it reduces the size of them right away! After I got them done my doctor asked me if I was having regular periods (I don't know what made him ask that, but...) I replied "no, actually, I have PCOS" and he asked me what I was taking for it, and I told him Metformin, but I was also trying to have a baby so I just finished Clomid not too long ago. He told me the Clomid was most likely what was making my skin break out so bad. How depressing, this medicine sucks! It makes me sad, mean, and it makes me break out. But whatever it takes, right? Another thing that made this week even better was that I ended up getting sick on Saturday. I felt completely fine on Friday night (thank goodness, because my husband and I were hosting a poker game at our house) but when I woke up on Saturday around 9 am I felt like I needed to sleep for like 10 more hours! I was soooo exhausted. I went downstairs and ate a bowl of cereal, and when my husband came down to watch tv with me I told him I think I need to go back to bed. Shortly there after I started having bad stomach cramps and body aches. It felt like I was getting the stomach virus. But I never once vomited or had the typical diarrhea that comes with the virus. My wonderful husband went and got me some Nyquil Cold and Flu and some yummy Popsicles. Thankfully my mom stopped by Saturday night to check on me and offered to do my laundry since I was pretty much bedridden for the entire day *moms are the best* The Nyquil knocked me out for a bit, but it ended my stomach cramping. When I woke up Sunday (today) I felt a bit dizzy, which I'm assuming is because all I did was lay down on Saturday and I hadn't really eaten anything. But thankfully tonight I am feeling back to normal. I don't know if I just had a bug, or if its a side effect from the clomid. I did read that other women experienced the same symptoms on clomid. Just for shits and giggles I did do a pregnancy test and it was a big fat negative. Well that's about it for now. I am really sorry this blog was a depresso and not much good stuff. This past week kinda sucked a big one, and I'm hoping for a good week upcoming. Plus, the hubb's 27th birthday is on Wednesday! Talk to you all soon!

Temping

I really hope I haven't messed this up! I am currently on cycle day 7 and I just bought a thermometer yesterday...and I forgot to get my temp this morning (oops) So I will religiously be starting tomorrow morning! Is that bad? should I have started temping on cycle day 1? I've been trying to research it and a lot of people actually say they don't temp during AF because it makes their temps all wacky. AF stopped for me on Friday, so I probably should have started temping then, but it took me longer to get out and get a thermometer. So I am defiantly gonna start temping tomorrow. I am new to this so I have been trying to read up on it, but I always thought when your temp went up that's when you ovulate, but apparently your temperature goes down and then spikes up. Your supposed to start having intercourse when your temp goes down, because once it goes up its too late! but then I read that not all women have a drop in their temp before it spikes! AHHHHHHHH!!!! this is very confusing.  Anyways! Today is also the last day of my clomid for this cycle. I am actually feeling a lot better this cycle on Clomid then last months, which is good! I haven't had any hot flashes, and haven't felt as depresso either. Alrighty, well I am off! I will be posting again just to let you know how temping goes. OPKing will also be starting tomorrow as well!

My Prometrium Gift Came!

Wow...Prometrium really works, and fast, a lot faster then I thought it would. Today I felt a little crampy but not too much, and one new thing I experienced was cramping higher up, like around my hip area on both sides? I've never really had that happen before, but when I went to the bathroom I noticed AF had arrived.  So this means my second round of Clomid will be starting in 3 days! I look forward to taking it so I get another chance  at pregnancy but am not looking forward to the sadness that comes a long with it. The Clomid really gives me the downs and the blues, even after I am done taking it, but I know if it works it will totally be worth it! Also, I plan on temping this cycle (and continuing the OPKs) but my thermometer went MIA so I will be purchasing a new one tomorrow. If anyone has any knowledge of the whole temping thing please feel free to leave me some comments and let me know, since this will be my first cycle doing it! Thanks a bunch!

The Results Are In!

Okay, the results of my husbands second analysis are in. My doctor wanted my husband to take a supplement called "Conception XR" for about 6 weeks and then get his semen analysis re-done. The first analysis was done on October 12th, 2010 and the second one was done on January 3rd 2011. Everything in black is from his most latest analysis after taking the supplement, and everything in red is from his very first one. When you see the word "Reference" that is what the range should be...

Volume: 3.0 (Reference 1.5-5.0) 2.5
Viscosity: NORMAL (DROPLETS) Normal
Appearance: Yellow Tinge White,Opaque
pH: 8.0 (Reference 7.3-8.3) 8.0
Sperm Count: 28.000 (Reference 20-160) MILLN/ML 96.000
Motility: Aimless movement with slow forward progression Aimless movement with slow forward progression
%Motility: 60 (Reference 50-100) WOOHOO!!! 20L (L means abn. low)
Normal: 96 (Reference 60-100)% 86
Double Head: 0 (Reference 0-5)% 0
Giant Head: 3 (Reference 0-5)% 2
Pin Head: 1 (Reference 0-5)% 2
Spermatid: 3H (H means crit. high) <~~there shouldn't have been any
Coiled Tail: 3H (H means crit. high)<~~there shouldn't have been any
Amorphous Head: 2 Reference(0-15)%

My thoughts on this second analysis are this...I am so happy the percent of his motility went up, going from 20L to 60 is amazing and I am really excited about that, however, the comment that was made about his sperm having aimless movement with slow forward progression confuses me. How can the motility percent go up so much but they are still moving so slowly? I don't get that part at all. I also don't get why there was a yellow tinge to his specimen? hmmm, is that bad? also, I am happy to see he has more "normal" sperm, 1 less pin head, and no more spermatid, no more coiled tailed little guys and no more amorphous headed ones =)  I have an appointment with my doctor in February and plan on taking these reports with me so I can get some better answers! My conclusion for now is that Conception XR really does work, and the hubbs will defiantly continue to take it!

Prometrium

So I wanted to do a quick update on whats been going on with the whole Clomid thing. Unfortunatley, Clomid did not work for me this cycle. Infact, I never even got a period. My doctor orignially told me if I didnt get a period within 35 days to call the office and he would call in a perscription for me to induce a period so I could try Clomid again, well thats what I had to do. I of course took a pregnancy test before starting this drug called "Prometrium" and it was negative. I took Prometrium twice a day for 5 days and tomorrow is my last day. I expect to get a period within 10 days of finishing, but we shall see! Just a quick update! I hope to blog again soon. My husband got his second semen analysis done and I have the results and am excited to post so you can see the difference between the first one and the second, now that he has been taking the Conception XR =)

A Guide to Better Skin

     I wanted to call this blog "A Guide to Great Skin" but I'm not even there myself yet so I very well couldn't call it that! This blog is going to be about products and at home remedies I swear by! Growing up my skin could get problematic but I was lucky enough not to have to deal with severe acne. At the age of 25 I found out I have PCOS. If you read back to my older posts you can see more about it, but I found out that acne is a side effect of PCOS. Since I am trying to have a baby I wanted to get use to using more "natural" products. In the past I have gone to the dermatologist and used almost everything over the counter. Some products worked okay, but a lot of them left me with dry, flaky, red, swollen, itchy skin. Especially ones with benzoyl peroxide. That's when I decided to start doing some research on more natural products.

     The first one I want to talk about is honey and cinnamon. I make a mixture of honey and cinnamon and I keep it in a container in my bathroom.  Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and cinnamon has antimicrobial, antioxidant properties which can help in controlling acne. I use this mixture as a "spot treatment" for acne. After taking off my make up, washing my facing, and patting it dry with a towel I will apply this mixture to my acne. I like to sleep with this on my face but it does get pretty messy. If you sleep with this on your face I highly suggest laying an old towel over your pillow just in case you toss and turn in the night.

The second at home product I like to make is a facial scrub made of olive oil, sugar, and cinnamon. I add all three products into another storage container and keep this in my bathroom as well. Some people find it odd to wash your face with something that has oil in it. But olive oil is one of the most simple, pure, and gentle oils you can use. It adds smoothness to your skin and gives you a nice glow. The sugar is grainy is acts as an exfoliate. I prefer sugar over salt because I think its more gentle. And once again, cinnamon for controlling acne. Once I take off my make up I will gently scrub my face with this mixture and rinse it off with luke warm water, then pat dry. I only suggest using this scrub at night before you go to bed. Your face will seem oily, but trust me, when you wake up and take your shower your skin will feel so soft! Both of these products can be made at home for cheap!

Now, this product was turned on to me by my friend Tina. Its called "Yes to Carrots" The product on the left is an exfoliating cleanser made with carrots to nourish the skin and bamboo to exfoliate. The product on the right is the eye and face make up remover. Its made of carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potato and dead sea mud. Both products say they are "Paraben Free." I didn't know what that meant so when I googled it, it states, "Parabens are chemicals that are used extensively as antimicrobial and fungicidal preservatives in cosmetic products, in pharmaceuticals, and in food and beverages."  I love these products because there all natural, they don't irritate my skin, and they feel really creamy. Not to mention the make up remover smells like carrot cake with vanilla icing! These products can be bought at Target, each one runs about $9.99. I also saw they came in different fruits, like blueberries and tomatoes. The blueberry one is for anti-aging, and I think the tomato one is more for refining pores but since I have a slight tomato allergy I didn't get that one. These are great products and I highly recommend them!

And last but not least. Treating cystic acne! AHHH the worst type of acne, well to me at least! and I get them ALL the time! Cystic acne usually appears as hard nodules underneath or on top of the skin. They hurt sooooo bad, rarely ever come to a head and last forever. Plus, if you mess with them they scar so bad. I usually get them around ovulation or period time. I'm a raging ball of hormones I tell ya! So this is what I do. I fill my sink with luke warm water and pour about 2 teaspoons of baking soda in the water. Baking soda kills acne causing bacteria. The Calamine lotion helps with the inflammation, so I just put this on as a spot treatment and sleep with it on.

    That's it guys! I hope you enjoyed this blog. If anyone tries these remedies comment me and let me know what works or doesn't work for you!! Bye

A Healthier, Happier, PCOS Me!

    Today is January 2nd, 2011! Happy New year everyone! So, I was inspired by Nicole (from QueenNicolesRevolution) to starting off this new year on the right foot. For many reasons I hated the year 2010. It was probably one of the worst years of my life. I struggled with the acceptance of many things and am slowly trying to move past them. I won't get into what made me so upset because that would be totally ruining the whole point of this blog, but I'm making a promise to myself that 2011 will be nothing like 2010. I have this weird thing about numbers, I usually hate odd numbers but for some reason I really have good feelings about 2011. In order to make this year better these are the things I want to do.

     First, I am going to start eating healthy. I am not going to go on a diet. The word diet to me means something that is more for the now and not the later. It is usually short lived and usually requires "cutting" things out. My goal isn't about loosing weight. I just hope that's something that comes along with the changes of what I put in my mouth and how much of it I put in. Because I want to get pregnant I know I need to loose weight, but right now the most important thing to me is just being healthy, not becoming a nutritional freak. I know what things are "bad" and what things are "good". I just need to allow more of the "good" things into my diet on an everyday basis and allow the "bad" things every once in awhile as a treat. That's another thing...I remember being a kid and going out to dinner was a wonderful, exciting treat. Today, going out to eat is an everyday way of life. I want to make going out to dinner exciting again! which means, not doing it every week.

     Secondly, I want to be more of a person who enjoys life and doesn't dwell on the negative things. Everyday we live on this earth is something to celebrate. We all have ups and downs but I think I need to remember more often that there is someone out there who has it off a lot worse then me. So I just want to not get caught up in negative, catty things and just live everyday to the best of my ability.

     The third thing, this would be doing more activities with my husband. Trying to have a baby has taken over our relationship and even though we can say we are both together at home a lot we really aren't spending the time together that I would like. He may be downstairs playing video games or watching tv and I may be upstairs doing my own thing. I defiantly want to do more date nights, even if its something small like watching a movie together. Our basement needs to be re done and now that the weather is getting cold, and we aren't doing a lot of outdoor activities, I look forward to us picking out paint colors together, painting together, and picking out new furniture for the basement.

     The fourth thing would be just being a beautiful me. I don't think anyone is always happy with their looks but being the best looking you for that time period, I think is really important. You might be overweight, but loosing the weight you want most likely is not going to happen for you over night. For me, I would love to be 40 pounds lighter. Until I do become 40 pounds lighter I want to be the most beautiful overweight person there is! That means, taking the time to get up in the morning, styling my hair, doing my make up and just making myself look more presentable, just taking pride in the way I look. Some people may think having nice clothes, or having nice looking hair or makeup on is vein, and you shouldn't be worried about those things because it's the inside that counts. I wish I could be more of a person who "didn't care" but I do, and looking nice on the outside makes me feel good on the inside, and that's what this resolution is all about. ME. Making myself happier, and that's at no one else's expense!

     Well, I think that's it. I wish you all luck with your new year's resolutions and hope you all blog about them. I think  its a fun way to share whats been going on and a year from now it would be interesting to see what changes have been made in your lives. Oh, one other thing...I am shy about my weight and would most likely never put on here how much I weigh until I actually lost all the weight I wanted to loose. But, starting tomorrow morning I am going to weigh myself to get my "starting" weight and then from that point forward weigh myself every Friday morning. I will be blogging more, updating you on weight loss/gain and any struggles, concerns, or exciting moments a long the way! Good luck everyone!