The Post You've All Been Waiting For...

So last week I had a crazy thing that happened. We were up at Sokcho Beach in South Korea enjoying a wonderful time and strengthening our marriage. We left on Friday and before then I went to the bathroom and was spotting. I knew that you can have spotting during ovulation and implantation, but I knew it was too early for implantation. Later on in the day when I went to the bathroom, the bleeding had gotten only a little stronger. Before we went to bed the bleeding had gotten pretty heavy. I didn't understand this because when I went to the doctor the previous Friday, he said to have sex because of ovulation. So I assumed this whole week was the ovulation week. Anyways, on Saturday morning, I called the hospital since my doctor is in on Saturday and he believed this was just my period. He would have had me come in but since we were out of town he asked that we come in on Monday. When I went in on Monday, he said that it was my period and the ultrasound from the previous week showed that I had just ovulated...not that I was about to ovulate. The biggest reason I was freaking out was because by my calculations, it wasn't time for my period. The thing my doctor reminded me of was that he had given me Progesterone to induce a cycle for the last cycle, so my dates were now out of whack. So on Monday, he prescribed me Clomid again (which I am still responding greatly on the lowest dose of 50mg). I went back to the doctor yesterday, Saturday, and he said I had follicles in both ovaries that were maturing. The follicles need to be 1.9-2.0 cm in order to release and egg and they had grown to 1.3 cm as of yesterday. I will be going back on Tuesday for another ultrasound and if they are the correct size, he most likely will give me and HCG injection and tell us to get busy.

Thanks for all your concerns and prayers. I'm really thankful to have friends who love and care about me! God is so good. So remember on this wonderful Easter day...HE LIVES!!!

In His name and for His fame...
Hayley

Day 28 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

This is a really great ultrasound picture of a Polycystic ovary. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and I say this is the "Swiss Cheese Ovary" syndrome. Why am I afraid of this? I'm afraid of seeing this on the ultrasound screen because not only is it the cause of my infertility, but it can also lead to other health problems later on down the road.

Day 27 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

This is my brother R.J. He and I are 11 months and 11 days apart in age. He is younger and I am so proud of him. He is in the Army and stationed in Germany. I love him so much!

Day 26 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Love. My husband. He means so much to me and I can't imagine my life without him. Even when we fight, I love him and can't stop. Love makes the world go round...that is definitely true in my life and love with my husband.

Day 25 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Today I spent the day traveling up to Sokcho Beach in Northern South Korea (near Mt. Sorak) and stayed at this wonderful ocean front hotel.

Day 24 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

I really wish I could change who our president is. Our current president is a disgrace to our country. He has spent more money in his short time as president than other presidents spent in 8 years in office. His liberal views and agenda are absolutely ludicrous and his idea of change has only hurt our economy more.

Day 23 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

This book has really helped me get through my food addiction. Its shown me that my cravings should be filled with God and not food. The object of my cravings is really God when I think its food. Anyways, this is an AMAZING and revolutionary book! I hope you will all read it!

Day 22 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

I can sew and have made some simple square quilts, but I would really like to be better at it and make a lot of awesome things. My mom used to sew so much and she was is really good at it. I really want to make my t-shirt quilt, some purses, and pillows and maybe clothes.

Day 21 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Right now this is the only thing that I can think of. Yesterday, someone stepped in my toe and has broken almost my whole toenail off. It bled so much and I refuse to pull it off because it is protecting it, but it hurts so bad that I really do wish I could forget it.

Day 20 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

This is a picture of one of the slum orphanages I visited when I went to Botswana. I would really love to travel there with my husband some day.

Fertility Update

*April 8, 2011*

Richard and I traveled to Seoul to meet with Dr. Lee and get an ultrasound to check for ovulation. Dr. Lee was very happy with my progression and response to Clomid so he told us to get busy. We will definitely be doing that tonight and this week as we head to Mt. Sorak and Sokcho Beach for some wonderful time away.

In His name and for His fame...
Hayley

Day 19 - A picture of when you were little

This picture is of me when I was 4 years old. I have always been a girly girl. I would even put makeup and earrings on my brother. I always loved dolls, and Barbies, and playing house and school. This picture was taken at my grandmother's house and the tutu was actually my mom's when she was a little girl. I was so cute...what happened? Do you think that looks like me today?

Day 18 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

After losing so much weight, my biggest insecurity is gaining weight...especially gaining back all the weight I have lost.

Day 17 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

I recently became a Scentsy consultant and once I quit my job at Osan High School I have really been able to start my business going. This picture was taken of me with my booth at an event called Spring Fling for the Camp Humphreys Wee Tots program. I have really fallen in love with Scentsy even more than I was. So if you want to try it out and even get yourself some free stuff, message me about hosting a party! Thank you Sharon Warshaw for helping me with so many questions about things I always seem to have.

Day 16 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

I don't think she knows it, but Dana is someone I would consider a best friend for life! She and I really inspired each other and pushed each other when running of an evening, and I just love that I got to know her. Our chats and just time together was always a highlight of my day. I miss her so much and I am inspired by how great of a mom, wife, and worker she is! Love you!

Day 15 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

I have been pondering the idea for quite some time, but before I die I want to write a cookbook for Bariatric surgery patients. Being that I am one myself, I really wanted to write a book that would not only be great for the patients but have meals in it that the family will also love. I have some recipes, but it's going to be a while going.

Some Bad News

On Tuesday, Richard got his results from his semen analysis. It's hard to accept, but his sperm count was really low. The normal range is 20-150 million per mL. His was only 7 million. There are some things he can do to improve his sperm count like exercise, taking some supplements, and eating more healthy. He currently eats a lot of processed foods (which is definitely my fault because its easier to make him those things since I have such a special diet). We are slowly going to switch to an almost all organic diet. I know it will be better for both of us. He is taking a Fertility Blend supplement for men which will also help. He goes back to do another semen analysis at Cha Hospital on April 18th.

On another note, when we were at the doctor yesterday, he said that I had again responded very well to the Clomid. I still had taken only 50mg (which is the lowest dose) and I was about to ovulate. He did however explain to us that because of his low sperm count, I most likely will not get pregnant naturally. He really feels that IVF is probably going to be my best option. There is good news and bad news about this. The bad news is that IVF is extremely expensive. The good news is that its a lot cheaper in Korea than it is in the United States and the success rate in PCOS women it the highest of all fertility treatments. There is also the option to have multiples which we would both be okay with because then we would be done with having kids and wouldn't have to go through more fertility treatment. So last night was a really emotional night for me, but I know God will not let my desire to be a mother go unfulfilled. I know that His timing is perfect and He will provide us with a child and provide us with the money if IVF is what is needed. Thanks for keeping up with us and for praying for us! You all matter so much to us!

In His name and for His fame...
Hayley

Random Pictures from Fertility Treatments

So I thought it might be cool for some of you to see some pictures of things related to my fertility treatments in Korea. I think it is just neat to see the difference of things between here and the U.S. 

The picture above is of my arm where they did a skin test before my HSG x-ray. They inserted something so they could make sure I wouldn't have a reaction to the dye during the x-ray. They put a circle and the check time on my arm so they would be able to see the result. The time was when it needed to be checked before my HSG procedure.

This is a picture of the paper they gave me to inform me about the HSG procedure. It gives a lot of detailed information about what occurs during the procedure. I was very surprised about how well written in English it was. Koreans usually butcher English, so it was nicely written. 

This is a picture of the paper you receive every time you finish a doctor's appointment. As you can see, the nurse puts an order of things that I need to do on the bottom right. On the one's where I am just coming back for monitoring of my developing follicles, It will have the order of what to do at my next appointment. 1) Get Ultrasound. 2) Go to Dr. Office

This is a picture of the antibiotics they gave me to take for the 5 days following my HSG procedure to make sure that I don't get an infection from the dye. I think its neat to look at how the pills are individually wrapped and Korean prescriptions are just written on a bag of some sort according to the hospital. The bag they put this medicine in was paper.

This final picture is another one of my prescriptions from Cha Hospital. It is my prescription for Clomid. As you can see, they put this prescription in a plastic bag. 

I hope you have enjoyed getting to see some of the things from medical/fertility treatment here in Korea. We are praying that we get pregnant before we leave Korea and have the baby back in the States. Thanks for praying for us!

In His name and for His fame...

Hayley

Day 14 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Ever Since I accepted Christ in August of 1997, there is no way I could imagine my life without Him. I have gone through some really hard times and His strength is what has gotten me through them. Even though there have been times when I blamed Him for the bad things that were happening to me or asked Him why He would let bad things happen to me, He never wavered in His love and forgiveness towards me. He helped me overcome the guilt and pain of my childhood, as well as many other things I allowed myself to do that I knew wasn't right. But that's the best thing about Jesus, He loves you no matter what. He went to the cross for you. He carried our burden of sin and died for our sin so that we would no longer receive the punishment for the things we do that are wrong. Do you know anyone that would voluntarily die to save you? (I know my husband would save if put in a threatening position, but he would not downright offer to die so that I could live.) It's just not our human nature because we are selfish, but Jesus did die for us. All He asks in return is that we believe in Him and share Him with others. I wish I could easily pay off my debts with credit cards and school loans the way the Jesus asks us to repay Him.

Day 13 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

So I decided to go with a picture of my "ALL TIME FAVORITE" band instead of just my current favorite. The Backstreet Boys may only be 4 strong, but they will forever be America's best Boy Band!!!

HSG Hysterosalpingogram

Many of you have asked me about the "painful procedure at the fertility doctor" I had done after posting about it on Facebook. Therefore, I am going to share a video explaining the procedure because it will help you understand it more. I wasn't expecting to have it done until next week, but my period ended up being very short so I took the bus to Seoul since Richard couldn't go with me and I didn't want to drive. After my doctor told me we were for sure doing the x-ray procedure, I received 2 different shots. The first was a skin test where they injected stuff under my skin to make sure I wouldn't be allergic to the dye they would be using during the test. I'm not really sure what the second injection was, but it was 1 of 3 things: anti-inflammatory medication, antibiotics in case of an infection from the dye, or a medication that causes the fallopian tubes to relax so they can get the best image of them. I had to wait 10 minutes for the skin test and after that was read and showed no reaction, the had me change and then they began the test. I have had pap smears done plenty of times, but this hurt. When they began injecting the dye, it was extreme pain. It really felt like serious menstrual cramps. The only good thing about it was that it didn't last too long. In the end I did have spotting for about 24 hours. After the test, I went to talk to Dr. Lee and he showed me the images. He said my uterus looked great and so did the right tube, but he said there seemed to be a temporary block of my left tube (possibly my bowels or a small piece of tissue). He believed that it would only be temporary but most likely I will have to have the test done again to make sure. (Yay Me!)  Below you will see the video explaining the HSG test.

Day 12 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 12 - A picture of something you love

What more can I say? I LOVE Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino Light! I really just love Starbucks in general but this is my favorite drink. In the States I get Starbuck's protein powder in it, but since Starbucks in Korea doesn't have the protein powder, I take in some unflavored GNC powder of my own. SO GOOD!!!

Day 11 ~ 30 Day Photo Challenge

Day 11 - A picture of something you hate

Well needless to say, I hate the scale. Well actually we have a love/hate relationship but its been more hate lately. I used to be addicted to it every single day (sometimes multiple times a day) but we haven't seen each other in about a week because I have decided that it will not control me.

What happened on Tuesday???

So Tuesday, March 29th, Richard and I had a last minute opportunity to go to Yongsan so he could get his semen analysis test done. I had already been to Seoul on Monday for a Dentist Appointment so I was quite disappointed that my period hadn't started so it would save us another trip back to Seoul. After we arrived at Yongsan, we both needed to use the bathroom and low and behold there was Aunt Flow! After Richard finished his test, we headed over to Char to see Dr. Lee. He went ahead and prescribed Clomid again this cycle and he wants me to come back a day or two after my period is done so he can do an x-ray of my fallopian tubes and uterus. Well, this period ended up only lasting through Thursday, so I will be heading to Seoul either today or tomorrow. (If I go on Saturday, it will be by train) I will let you know more updates as I get them. Thanks for following with us and praying for us!
In His name and for His fame...
Hayley