Well, my temperature's rising... and that's a good thing!

Because of the thyroid meds Dr. Cook has me on, I've been tracking my body temp for almost 3 weeks now, and I've been pleased to find that it has consistently been above 97F (36C) and often above 98F (37C). My average temp has been 97.9F. That's much better than the 96F temp reading I had when I was in the doctor's office the last time.

Dr. Cook explained to me that there are enzymes the body uses for metabolizing things that need a certain level of warmth in order for them to be most effective. So even a degree or two low and those enzymes don't work efficiently.

I've also been pleased to find that I haven't gotten sick with a virus since I've been taking the 6000 iu of Vitamin D daily for the past 3 months. I was always getting sick with something, so this is a major milestone for me too.

I can feel my body finding balance again. It's very subtle, but I can feel it.

I have a Skype appointment with Dr. Cook coming up to go over my latest blood test panel results (I had seven). I'm hoping the results show that my body is moving in the right direction. And if not, I'm hoping that it will help Dr. Cook zero in on any other issues that need to be tackled.

I've been very good about not pushing my body beyond its limits, so my pain levels have been mostly low to non-existent. It's funny that of all the things I face, keeping myself from overdoing it is the biggest challenge. I think it's an issue many women would face.

Walking one little baby step at a time

During the past week following my consultation and appointment with Dr. Cook, I've been acutely aware of the miracles in my life--both small and not-so-small. There are some things in life that happen in such beautifully aligned orchestration that I can only attribute them to a higher power whose eyes can see things from a perspective that I cannot.

I've always loved maps, so a few years ago I came up with an analogy that I picture at times like this...

I imagine a paper road map of the state of California all unfolded and spread out. I'm like an ant crawling along on the map, only able to see a giant ink line in front of me. Sometimes I can't even tell what that ink line's name is, but I just continue to follow it. Then there is God--the holder of the map. From His perspective He can see the map in its entirety and can see the things my ant eyes cannot see from my limited vantage point. He can see that the black ink line I'm following is actually a road--Interstate 5 to be exact. And if I continue traveling in the direction I'm headed, I will eventually reach a wonderful destination--Disneyland! My loving Heavenly Father can see each leg of my journey plainly. He knows there are off-ramps and interchanges I need to take in order to continue to head in the right direction. He knows there are some odd little towns I must pass through. He knows there are rest areas along the way. He knows there are incorrect off-ramps I could take if I'm not paying attention to His navigational guidance, and I can get lost. But if I'm ever lost and wandering, He's always there to navigate me back to the road I need to be on whenever I'm ready to finally listen again.

I have felt like that little ant this past week... in a good way.

Because our current health insurance through Hubby's employer (a health care provider itself) didn't cover any of the specialized services I will need, we were facing some hefty expenses. The black ink line in front of us seemed extremely daunting.

But as divinely orchestrated timing is often perfect, my physical complications increased significantly over a short period of time so that I would seek out medical information and advice over the months of August and September. I would have continued to just put up with things otherwise, because I hate going to the doctor for anything.

All that researching led me to find Dr. Cook's website and get an appointment only a week before the month of October ended, coinciding perfectly with the October 31st deadline of the open enrollment period of Hubby's employer the only time once a year when we could change our health insurance options.

And, miraculously, his employer now offers one health insurance option outside their facilities/network that wasn't offered only a few years ago. That PPO option will pay 90% of in-network costs and 70% of out-of-network costs. This means that Dr. Cook and his assistant surgeon are the only two items that will be out-of-network for my surgery. The rest can be arranged in-network.

As an added blessing, our new health insurance option has a maximum out-of-pocket cap on it that is a fraction of the original medical fees we were going to have to pay over the next year with pre-op, surgical and post-op costs. There will still be out-of-pocket expenses incurred, but I am hopeful that some creative projects I have planned will contribute significantly to paying those so our household budget doesn't take a hit.

I am humbled by it all... truly humbled. And I am filled with immense gratitude.

I will have to wait until the first of next year when our new health insurance coverage takes effect to move forward with surgery, but I can tough things out for a couple of months. It is a small price to pay.

In the meantime, I'm just going to continue to walk along that big black ink line one little baby-ant-step at a time.

We drove over 120 miles today to get some peace of mind and got hope as a "parting gift"

Despite much trepidation, I went to see a specialist today. I'm so glad I did. My husband and I had to drive over 60 miles one way to get to the Vital Health Institute to meet with Dr. Andrew Cook, but it was a drive worth making. It was one of the most positive experiences I've had dealing with the medical profession. That's saying a lot.

The incredibly kind staff and soothing office ambiance put my mind at ease shortly after arriving. Prior to any exam, my husband and I had an opportunity to meet with the doctor in a comfortable consultation room furnished with cushy chairs. It was so refreshing to be able to review my medical file in comfort and fully clothed instead of sitting on an exam table with my chilled legs dangling from underneath a paper smock.

Here are some more refreshing aspects of my visit:

• The doctor wasn't rushed because he sets aside an hour to an hour and a half for initial patient consultations/exams.
• He had reviewed my file before I came in so he was familiar with my history and ready to "hit the ground running".
• The doctor managed to be both kind and straightforward in his answers.
• He performed the ultrasound/sonogram himself so he got images of what he is looking for instead of what a tech thinks he may want to see.

I had my share of "a-ha" moments during the consultation as Dr. Cook enlightened and educated us. Here are the major "a-ha's" I gleaned from my consultation and exam:

• The doctor suggested that because of the nature of ovarian tissue (it's very sinewy) and because of the amount of scar tissue I had around my ovaries back in 2005, it is highly probable that a piece of an ovary was left behind back in 2005. It would explain why my symptoms have somewhat a cyclic pattern.
• The doctor helped us understand that endometriosis implants are, for all intents and purposes, "tumors". And recent research has uncovered that those implants can create their own estrogen and keep going even if all reproductive organs have been removed or shut down artificially. That's why recurrence after hysterectomy is high if all implants are not excised the first time. It's also why popular hormone therapies (e.g., Lupron) can be ineffective.
  
• The doctor showed us that even though endometriosis can't be "seen" with ultrasound, a trained specialist's eye can see indications that scar tissue is most probably present (as in my case).
• Based on my exam, the doctor believes I may have interstitial cystitis in addition to the endometriosis. The two conditions could be related.
• Finally, the doctor enlightened us that long-term sufferers of endometriosis can end up experiencing other tangentially related issues. In my case, I may have a connected form of insulin resistance. All of that will be explored further down the road.
  

Even though my case is a complex one, he is hopeful that with surgery I can regain the quality of life I had a brief glimpse of a couple of years ago. It means that surgery is in my future. But it also means that there's hope of feeling well again!

Dr. Cook used a great analogy. He said it's like someone that's getting horrible gas mileage with their car. They can go have it tuned up, get new tires, and overhaul everything. Then come to find out that the emergency brake has been engaged the whole time. The emergency brake has to be disengaged or all the other measures won't make up for it. The car will still get lousy gas mileage. Endometriosis implants are like the emergency brake. We have to take care of that first or nothing else that we do will really solve the problem.

This all means that we have to make some harder decisions if we want to make surgery a possibility due to financial considerations, because Dr. Cook is an "out-of-network" doctor for any health care coverage, not just ours. Other aspects of the surgery like the hospital and anesthesiologist could be covered by some PPO health insurance plans, which we don't have. We have some options in that arena, so we're having to examine those carefully.

Despite those factors, both of us came out of the appointment feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders--this, after we had both been on the verge of tears going into the experience. That's very telling to me. The calmness we each feel individually and together is very telling too.

Needless to say the 60 mile drive home was a lot less tense then the ride there.