Life has a way of getting away!

This week we have moved back into the house we moved out of a month ago due to the city sewer backing up into our basement.We are still under construction and will be for awhile!  We are all sick and I'm thinking it has to do w/ mold or nasty air in this place!  Can't wait to move and we will be soon because we just bid on a house yesterday at an auction and WON!  We will hopefully be closing and out of this house in a few weeks! Wooohooo!  So we are cleaning, packing, sniffling, running to this bank and that bank.  We are signing papers, putting away winter stuff, pulling out summer/spring stuff, pulling the winter stuff back out when we see the flakes falling.  We are trying to fill our fridge, trying to empty our fridge, going to a friends house to do laundry (our washer and dryer were ruined in the flood), blogging, working, taking care of my baby, attending natural healing classes.  We are running around like chickens w/ our heads cut off trying to get everything here or there and it seems like we are never done!  I've hardly thought about this little tumor that's in my head for the last week or so other than to say a prayer of thanks that March is nearly over and I really didn't get surgery and that I don't NEED to get it right now.  With all this going on I have also been noticing that I have a lot of energy even though my 8 month old has recently decided that he doesn't like sleeping through the night anymore and would rather get up several times a night.  I only get 6 or 7 hours broken up into 3 or 4 hr increments and yet I am not BEAT or EXHAUSTED like I used to be!  I haven't had time to get my prolactin levels checked recently, but I am planning on doing that very thing tomorrow.  Wish me luck!  I'm feeling SUPERB and so I am thinking that means my levels are continuing their downward trend :)  My body tells me it is LOVING me right now and I am loving me some oils :)

I've dodged a bullet...

March is here and half way over and just the other day I realized I was slated for transsphenoidal surgery this month!!!  I can't tell you all how excited I am to have dodged that bullet so far!  And now that I know more about it I truly feel what I have dodged is worse than a bullet, for there are things worse than death!  It seems hard for me to believe that just last November I was pushing and kind of looking forward to the surgery to get this tumor OUT!  I want to have more kids and the Neurosurgeon seemed to think this was the best option since the tumor was pressing against my optic nerves and was close to wrapping around the arteries in my brain.  He thought it would be best to take it out now as complications would be less severe since it was not huge.  "Complications?" I asked  "What might that be?"  
a)1/1000 die or have a stroke.  
b) 1-2% get diabetes insipidus, which will lead to frequent urination and excessive thirst, since the kidneys will no longer adequately concentrate the urine. This can be controlled with a nasal spray or pill form of a medication called DDAVP.  It's side effects include but may not be limited to: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); burning, redness, swelling, or pain at the injection site; calf pain, tenderness, or swelling; chest pain; confusion; coughing up blood; fainting; loss of appetite; mental or mood changes (eg, agitation, irritability); muscle weakness, spasms, or cramps; nausea; one-sided numbness or weakness; personality changes; seizures; severe or persistent dizziness; slurred speech; swelling; unusual headache or restlessness; unusual tiredness or sluggishness; unusual weight gain; vision problems; vomiting.
c)If they take to much it would mean replacement hormones, such as 
1) thyroid hormone, side effects:  Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); changes in appetite; changes in menstrual periods; changes in weight; chest pain; diarrhea; excessive sweating; fast or irregular heartbeat; headache; inability to tolerate warm or hot temperatures; nervousness; pounding in the chest; shortness of breath; trembling; tremors; trouble sleeping; vomiting.
2) coritisol, side effect for short term use: Thin skin, Fluid retention (oedema), Susceptibility to bruising, High or increased blood pressure, Susceptibility to infections, Build-up of fat around the face, chest and abdomen, Thinning of the limbs, Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones), Bone fractures, particularly in the spine and ribs.

Long term Use: Fatigue, Nausea and vomiting, Low blood pressure, particularly when standing up from a sitting or lying position (orthostatic hypotension), Low blood sugar, Shock, Coma

 3) estrogen replacement, side effects:  heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots, and mammography abnormalities
4) testosterone, to many side effects to list...here is the link:  TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

I would be on these and other such things THE REST OF MY LIFE.  One of the long term side-effects of many of those "replacements" is a shorter life span.  As a 28 yr old mother, that IS NOT AN OPTION!  Then to top it all off only 60% of those who have surgery are cured.  The rest have to have surgery over and over and over again!   Therefore increasing the chance of needing these replacement hormones. 


Needless to say, I'm glad I did some research before jumping off that boat!  I still can't believe I was going to go through w/ it!  I'm so glad I found an alternative that is SHRINKING MY TUMOR NATURALLY!  I say many prayers of thanks everyday for this miracle!  

Interesting Info on "normal" prolactin levels for nursing women

Normal prolactin levels in breastfeeding mothers

Typical baseline serum prolactin levels in women		References
Not pregnant, not lactating	< 25 ng/mL	Walker p. 65, Riordan p. 76, Serri et al. p. 575
Pregnant, at term	200 ng/mL	Walker p. 65
Lactating, 7 days postpartum	100 ng/mL	Riordan p. 76
Lactating, 3 months postpartum	100 ng/mL	Walker p. 65
Lactating, menstruation not started before 180 days	110 ng/mL	Riordan p. 76
Lactating, menstruation started before 180 days	70 ng/mL	Riordan p. 76
Lactating, 6 months postpartum	50 ng/mL	Walker p. 65, Riordan p. 76

Per Riordan (2005, p. 76):

• "Plasma prolactin levels increase the most in the immediate postpartum period but rise and fall in proportion to the frequency, intensity, and duration of nipple stimulation."
• " Prolactin concentration in blood doubles in response to suckling and peaks approximately 45 minutes after the beginning of a breastfeeding session (Noel, Suh, and Frantz, 1974)."
• "During the first week after birth, prolactin levels in breastfeeding women fall about 50 percent. If a mother does not breastfeed, prolactin levels usually reach nonpregnant levels by seven days postpartum (Tyson et al., 1972)."
• Prolactin levels "follow a circadian rhythm: levels during the night (sleep) are higher than during the day."
• Prolactin levels "decline slowly over the course of lactation (Battin et al., 1985; Cox, Owens, & Hartmann, 1996) but remain elevated for as long as the mother breastfeeds, even if she breastfeeds for years (Stallings et al., 1996)."
• Prolactin levels "rise with suckling: the more feedings, the higher the level of serum prolactin. More than eight breastfeedings per 24 hours prevents decline of the concentration of prolactin before the next breastfeeding (Cox, Owens, & Hartmann, 1996; Tay 1996)."

For women who have their prolactin levels checked, Burns & Haddad (1998) note: "When drawing blood for a prolactin level, caution should be used so as not to produce an artificial elevation. Since stress can elevate the prolactin level, the patient should rest (but not sleep) before the sample is obtained. Also, the level should not follow a breast examination and should be drawn in a fasting state."

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/prolactin-levels.html

My Healthcare Philosophy

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately (if you can't tell!).  Another thing I think about a lot is my baby and future children.  So, I am going to try to explain my healthcare philosophy as a parallel to raising children.  Here goes nothing!

Now that I have a child it seems like everyone has an opinion on how I need to raise my child.  Some are kind, others are not.  Some advice is good, some is not.  My baby had a goopy eye a few weeks ago and when I people what to do I hear everything from, "Rush him to the emergency room" to "squirt breastmilk in his eyes".  What I ultimately did was take all the information and study it out.  I did research and then made my mind up on what to do.  Then I sat there for a minute of two and thought over it and once I felt right that it was the best thing to do for MY CHILD, I went ahead with what I'd made up my mind to do.  I'm happy to say he recovered fully and now I know what works for him.

People tell me I should spank my children or I shouldn't spank them.  When a lot of people give me advice they seem to think it is the blanket cure and nothing else will work!  Most schools all teach the same curriculum to the children based on age.  Medications are given to people based on their symptoms as if it is a blanket cure and that most things fall under a certain umbrella.  That may be the case in a lot of circumstances, but what if I don't want "the blanket cure", what if I want my child to have a mix of my parents discipline techniques and my husband's parents techniques or want my own!  Well, my child is my child.  I know him better than my parents and his teachers, his doctors and any behavior specialist, or internet site out there!  I appreciate their advice even the bad advice.  I will take all of it into account when trying to decide what to do in any given circumstance, but ultimately it is my child with his own individual personality and set of circumstances.  He and I will be the one's reaping the consequences of what decisions I make.  Therefore I will attempt to do my best and not stick my kids under the blanket of what is/was right for other kids.  They are not other kids, they are their own individual!

This being said, our healthcare is a lot the same.  There are a lot of specialists out there for every part of our body and mind.  They have the breadth of their experience and education, but they don't have the depth of every individual need ov every person that walks into their office.  We pay them to tell us what they know and recommend based on their experience and education and that is it.  They we can take their recommendations or we can leave them.  Most take the recommendations without any thought.  They do have a lot more experience after all!  Well, that may be true, but they are not us!  They do not know how we feel when we are on a certain Rx and how it is affecting our life!  I want to have many children.  The doctors told me the only way that was possible is Rx's the rest of my life or surgery.  The best option being surgery (quick fix).  Well, I had a knot in my gut when they told me this.  I decided to go to a naturopath.  He had never heard of my condition but said he would look into it.  He cracked my back and I left.  I went back a couple weeks later.  He apoligized for not doing much homework on it.  He cracked my back and I left.  That was the last time I went to him.  I have lots of friends that have different ideas on natural healing.  I listened to them, started gathering information on EVERYTHING I know about it and I connect with other people w/ my condition.  I learn all I can from them continually.   I think of my future and how I want to LIVE!  I want to be there for my children and grandchildren!  I want to have lots of children and I want to be ENGAGED with them.  I want to be AWARE of them and their INDIVIDUAL NEEDS and DESIRES.  I want to be PROACTIVE.  I want to be a good wife and be able to LOVE and SUPPORT my husband in the way he needs.

The options the doctors gave me could endanger my life.  The side effects of that specific surgery could be devastating to me and my future dreams and desires.  It could and probably would shorten my life span.  I would probably have to have it several times as it is not a cure.  The side effects of medications make me groggy, nauseous, stuffy and disoriented and my body doesn't like them.  I'm afraid it would affect my ability to be the mother I want to be.  It would affect my marriage and my wonderful relationship with my companion. I am the only person that knows what is best for ME!  I take everyone's advice and recommendations.  I weigh them carefully, I study them out and I decide what is best for ME!  I listen to my body.  Do I have more energy today than I did yesterday?  Why does this headache feel different than the one yesterday?  Is it better?  Worse?  Ultimately we know and our bodies know what we want.  I go by what I feel, desire and need.

This is my take :)  Everyone probably has their own idea/perspective and that is AWESOME!  The more the merrier.  My advice is to decide what your philosophy is and stick w/ it.  That is my personal recommendation, take it or leave it!