We have a BABY!!!

The last 2.5 weeks have been so fun!  That is because we have a new little person at our house!  Xaylia Ray Hathaway was born 7 days late on November 17, 2011 at 6:28 am.  She was 7 pounds 12 ounces and 20.5 inches long.  She is perfect in every way and is so petite that it boggles my mind that she was bigger than Tux when on their birthdays!  I am already learning that little girls are so different than boys even though she's only been around for such a short time.  We love her so very much and can't remember what life was like without her.  Tux is the perfect brother and loves her so much already!  Stay tuned for her birth story :)

We are having a baby.....

GIRL!  Bring on the pink!  We are so excited!  I've always said I would be perfectly happy with all boys, but I am really excited to have a girl :)  I am feeling really good.  I no longer have headaches so that is a relief.  They were so bad I thought for sure they were tumor related, but I haven't had one for a month or so, so that has been  nice.  I feel like this pregnancy has been fairly easy and I just feel great!  Nothing at all to complain about.  I'll have to post a few more pics soon.  Here is the 3D picture they gave us of her :)  It is her profile with her little hands up near her face.  It took them 45 minutes to be able to tell that she is a girl!  I guess she had her legs crossed most of the time....a perfect lady, right?  We already love her so much and can't wait to meet her in November!

Busy, busy, busy....and levels

Life has a way of really HAULING BUTT!  I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted and yet....June is here and so am I :)  Here is a snap shot of the last month or so.
-Watched nieces and nephew in Las Vegas
-Sided our House
-Editing my sisters wedding pictures and making a book
-Feel baby starting to move like CRAZY
-Taught 5 classes and attended a training meeting
-Start creating an office
-Lots and lots of laundry :)
-Chasing Tux non-stop
-Tux can now read, MOM, DAD, and TUX
-Did my first booth
-Planted a salsa garden

Well, that is it in a nutshell.  Super exciting I know, but it has felt non-stop!  I have also had a couple dr. appt. scattered in there.  I have been doing my prolactin level every month since I've been pregnant even though it is hard to tell anything by them since my prolactin is naturally elevated.  Here are the results.

March Levels (day I found out I was pregnant):  17
April Levels ( 2 months along):  114
Late May Levels (4 months along): 246

Me at 4.5 months!

Normal levels while Pregnant are between 9 and 201.  I am slightly more than I should be at this point, but I am hoping they will drop.  I don't have any "tumor symptoms" right now.  I have headaches, but they are not constant and have been tapering off now that I am in my 2nd trimester in intensity and regularity.  I'm pretty sure they are hormonal.  I'm hoping I can get them down again.  I am going to increase my frankincense intake and start yoga in all my spare time!  hahahaha!  Yeah, no yoga probably, but I am trying to get more exercise in now that I am not feeling so yucky :)  Thanks for your continued prayers in my behalf!

P.S. Apology

So,  I just read my last couple posts and realized that they may have sounded harsh and judgmental towards those that rely on surgery or Rx's.  I want you all to know that I completely respect everyone's decisions regarding these things.  I understand that many people have very little say over whether or not they have the surgery and or meds.  I feel so very blessed that I am able to control mine so far with such noninvasive means.  I imagine if I start having major problems I may have to do one of the two of those things as a last resort, but I am hoping and praying that I can keep it under control as I have children and there after!  I greatly appreciate all of the prayers and good vibes that many of you have sent my way and I ask you to do the same for everyone with our problem!  I know I have felt your love and support and hope you all know you have mine as well :)  Keep smiling and shrinking those tumors!!!

What I have done...

Ok, I'm sure lots of you are wondering what I did to get pregnant.....well, I should say, what I did medically :)  ha ha!  I have made myself a guinea pig of sorts and I am so excited and thrilled to have another little miracle coming to our family!  I will give a brief nutshell history of everything so far for those of you trying to catch up or just refresh on my story.  If you have questions on the oils I use and why I use them see THIS post.

Diagnosed with 7mm tumor March of 2008.  Went on Bromo and clomid was pregnant within one month.  I miscarried after 9 weeks had a D&C in June and started all over.  Bromo made me miserable.  Major sinus problems, vertigo, severe nausea, bloating and dizziness.

In December 2008 we were pregnant again with our little man!  Had an uneventful pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful perfect bouncing baby boy on August 6, 2009.   After nursing for 3 months and many many severe headaches I went to the doc to see what was up.  MRI in November showed a 12mm tumor pressing against my optic chiasm.  I was recommended to an endo and neurosurgeon.  At this time I had no inclination towards "alternative" or "natural" remedies.  Endo wanted me to quit nursing and go on meds.  The Neurosurgeon wanted me to quit nursing and have surgery.  I didn't feel good about either and started writing this blog and went on my quest for natural alternatives to what was recommended.  I just knew that God had put some sort of natural remedy on this earth to help me!  Started vitex.  After several months there was no change.

January of 2010 I went off vitex and started Frankincense February of 2010.  Headaches were gone within days and after a few weeks my prolactin levels dropped from around 250 to around 200.  A few weeks later they were at 150 and over the course of a few months they were down to around 100 while nursing!  They plateaued at 100.  I stopped nursing and got another MRI at the end of June.  My tumor had shrunk from 12mm to 10 mm while nursing and on frankincense.  I started other oils to push me past my plateau.  My levels went down a bit, but not as much (or as fast) as I wanted....I am so dang impatient!  Wanting desperately for my period to start again for pregnancy and anti-osteoperosis reasons I started on caber in August.  Within 3 weeks my prolactin was at 7.  The lab lady made me come in and retest as she had never seen prolactin go down so fast.  I attribute it to the synergistic combination of cabergoline and frankincense.  I took cabergoline very minimally and had zero side effects except for the two week period in which I ran out of frankincense.  In those two weeks I suffered severe depression and headaches.  Once I started ovulating in Oct. I never took it past ovulation day...so about half of the time.  My prolactin levels stayed between 6 and 17.  Once I realized my periods were lopsided (follicular phase was at 24-25 days and LP was at 7-8 days) I started using oregano and thyme on my adrenal and uterine reflex points on my feet an ankles to increase my progesterone and clary sage to help with cycle regularity and fertility.  I also used Whisper blend to help with hormone balancing and Balance blend to reduce stress and help balance hormones.  Every month my LP would lengthen by about 1 day.  Cycle 5 my Ovulation day came before day 20!  That is the magic number apparently.  If your egg is released after that day it is past it's prime and may not fertilize or even if it does it will probably not implant.

Anyway, I am still continuing with the frankincense at this point as well as cycling lavender, grapefruit, wild orange, and patchouli.  I have cut the doses in half, but I want to keep this thing under control so I don't have to bring my levels down from 250 again or my tumor from 12mm!  Also, I have been using peppermint to keep my nausea at bay and wild orange to quench the heartburn and acid reflux!  I have been so much less sick with this one and I attribute it solely to the oils, grapefruit and ginger ale :)  Thank you all for your great support, well wishes and prayers!

Dr. MacGregor

As most of you know...if you have been reading my blog for any length of time, I struggle with doctors.  I don't hate them, and I consult with them (most of the time)  I just don't agree with their perception of my health and what I need to do to take control of my tumor.  It really sort of ticks me off.  When I explain what I am doing they look at me like I am an idiot and tell me (this is what I hear...not neccessarily what they say)  "You are patient two hundred and thirty seven that I have consulted with prolactinoma.  For every other case this is what I have them do and this has worked for them."  This is what I think and wish I had the guts to say, "Well, guess what genius-that-went-to-twenty-seven-years-of-college-to-tell-me-what-you-do-for-everyone-else!  I am not like the other two hundred and thirty seven people.  I am me and I don't want to feel like crap on meds or give up my ideal perception of the type of mother I want to be.  I don't want to have to have surgery after surgery and possibly end up on replacement hormones the rest of my life.  I want to be healthy, level headed, out of bed, happy and capable.  Please just listen to me  and have an open mind and DON'T tell me I must have been doing something I wasn't to shrink my tumor!  I was NURSING.  You can't be on meds while doing so and I didn't slip across the border and get a magical surgery.  I use OILS :)"

Yeah, this has been how I have felt with my last 4 obgyn's and my last 2 endos and the neurosurgeon I have consulted with (In the last year and a half mind you).  Quite maddening.  Even my last obgyn that I saw for my 8 week appt treated me very similar the the other 3 and he takes a "hollistic approach".  So, over Easter weekend I was doing a booth on essential oils and two booths down from me there was an Obgyn and a nurse and the obgyn's wife.  I went over and chatted with them for about thirty minutes while my friend manned my booth.  I was super straight up with him when telling him about my prolactinoma, issues I have with doctors and what I do for my prolactinoma.  He was actually quite excited that I used oils as he uses them at home with his family!  He was fascinated that they had helped me so drastically and he was surprised that I was pregnant so quickly.  He gave me kuddos on how well I knew my cycle and was very funny and put me at ease!  He told me he had never had a patient with prolactinoma before (he has only been practicing a few years) and therefore he would be researching everything....western, eastern and everything in between to help me do what is best for me!  Whoa!!!!  Really?  Basically I just tell him what I do now, what I want the end result to be and he helps me research and look into things that would help me acheive my goal!  How cool is that!  He is just starting his own practice after being paired up with one of the previous 4 obgyn's I had seen and so he has time + resources to help me do this.

My husband and I went to see him the other day and were quite impressed.  He took us into his office and talked to us for 45 minutes and then gave me a physical and we listened to the heartbeat.  He reiterated his plan of attack to help me in my quest.  He recommended me (and gave me a coupon for a free hour energy work session) to see a woman next door that does energy work and works with oils as well :)  Totally cool.  I'm actually looking forward to my next appt since he will have had time to look over all of my labs and ect.  I plan on taking him my timeline and my complete regime to go over it with him.

So, now the question for all of you.  Am I crazy to choose a doctor that has basically NO experience with prolactinoma to be my doctor?  Thoughts and ideas are appreciated.  Also, I plan on asking him lots of questions, so if any of you have a question you would like me to ask him feel free to email me.

Thank you so much for all of the well wishes and congratulations I have received!  All of you are in my prayers and for those of you wanting to get pregnant....pregnancy vibes are coming your way!!!  Have hope and know that it can happen!

Big News :)

So......I know it has been a few weeks and I apologize!  I promise this post will have been worth the wait though.  I know it has been for me :) I have been desperately trying to keep my stress levels down without stressing about them :)  ha ha!  Always a fun cycle, eh?  I've been trying to do less stuff and blogging has fallen through the cracks which is soooooo not good since it is a great outlet for me and my stress!  So, it is late and I am tired, so I will try not to keep you all in suspense for too long.  I am having a BABY!  My due date is November 10th :)  Once I started cycling again it took 5 months.  I charted obsessively and the month that my follicular phase dropped below 20 days I was pregnant!  Good thing my hubby has great swimmers...we have that going for us.  I will write more tomorrow about how I finally have a doctor that I LOVE and that is totally cool with using oils, alternative stuff and such. I will also write more really soon about what I have decided as far as my game plan for my "childbearing years" and thereafter and what I felt helped me in my pregnancy quest :)  Stay tuned!!!

Tux "drew" this picture with my help :)  He is going to be such an wonderful big brother!

Hyperprlactinoma Group!

Thank you Erin for inspiring this idea.   It is something that I should have done a long time ago, but never thought of it!  I hope this helps people connect and share ideas on how to better take control or our "prolactinoma" or anything that has been put under this umbrella!  So here it is:  Hyperprolacinoma Group  or here is the url:  http://groups.google.com/group/Hyperprolactinoma

Wordless Wednesday

My weekly effort at reducing toxins: Deodorant

I have to apologize for the neglect!  Between being the very amateur (but free) photographer for my sister who is getting married, planning and executing half a dozen essential oil classes this month, being a full time mom, and trying to keep my house clean, and being a scout leader in my church, I have been a bit busy lately.  I happened to not be able to go back to sleep after my husband went to work this morning at 5 am, so I decided (after laying in bed for 45 minutes) to get my lazy butt out of bed and communicate with the outside world!  So, I mostly wanted to share my weekly effort at eliminating toxins from my home and life (plus my lame endo visit...read the previous post).  Anyway, I've learned that deodorant is one of those things that we should do without.  I know most of you think I am a complete granola as it is, so I will tell you that I CANNOT live without deodorant.  So, let me explain what I have done and why I am doing it.  I made my own deodorant.  Ha ha!  I laughed too when I read about it, but let me explain.  When you shave your armpits (yes I do shave my armpits in case you were wondering...ha ha!)  we get micro cuts and abrasions every single time.  When you apply deodorant, the harmful ingredients go straight to your blood stream and into your body.  Most deodorant contains aluminum,  fragrance, triclosan and various glycols.  Anyway, that is why.

Here is my recipe:

5 TBSP of virgin coconut oil (I melted it a little as it is a solid at room temperature)
1/4 cup of baking soda
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1 TBSP of Beeswax

Essential oils – 10 drops
Mix until creamy. Apply a pea size drop to each underarm. Keep in closed container. You can also put this mixture into a cleaned out old deodorant container.

I put mine into an old deodorant container and then put it in the fridge so it could set.  I used it and VOILA!  Worked perfectly!  Granted, I don't sweat much, but I think it will do the trick.  I used Ylang ylang essential oil and it smells delightful!  There are other oils that will work better at preventing odor, such as melauluca, but I wanted mine to smell good and melauluca does NOT smell good to me :)  Anyway, there ya go!  Enjoy.

Endo visit

So, I'm not really sure why I go to my endocrinologist.  Basically I pay $40 to have the doctor give me a pat on the back for having low prolactin levels and randomly wiggle his finger (I will explain that more in a sec).  I can do that for myself or have my hubby do it and put that $40 towards a new outfit or something!  In order to feel like my visit was worth while I will share a couple of pointers that may help some of you save $40 :)  If you don't get your blood tested regularly there are some ways to see if the tumor is impacting your vision.

Self  vision test:  Pick something in you living room to focus on.  I usually chose the pretty orange poppy picture on my wall.  Sit so that the picture (or whatever you chose to focus on) is in your peripheral vision.  If you can still see the picture, you are good to go.  If not, you better go to the eye doctor and get a field of vision test.  You see, if your peripheral vision is going out, you won't see black spots or anything like that.  Your brain will actually fill in that area with what it thinks you are supposed to see.  If I were having problems with my peripheral vision and I was trying to see my orange poppy picture, my brain would most likely fill in that area with wall instead.  Make sense?

Two person vision test:  Have your hubby, significant other, or random neighbor or friend or whoever, hold a finger in your peripheral vision while you look straight ahead (focusing on something).  Have them randomly wiggle a finger in several different areas of your peripheral and AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE WIGGLE say so.  Say wiggle, or finger or whatever your magic word is.  If you see the wiggle, great....if not, get a field of vision test.

So, I get my blood tested fairly regularly at my family doctor lab.  My last prolactin level was 17 :)  I'm ok with that!  *pat pat*  Unless I have a huge jump in my levels I will probably not go back to the endo.  Sorry bud....my $40 will be going back to me :)

Tumor Tip :) Calcium

Make sure you are getting enough calcium.  Did you know that those of us with prolactinoma have a much higher risk of osteoporosis?  Heightened levels of prolactin disrupt our monthly cycle by lowering progesterone and estrogen and may cause our periods to come less frequently of stop the completely.  This directly affects our bone density and can cause us major problems later on.  If you don't take a calcium supplement make sure you are eating plenty of calcuim in them.  Here are some examples: Hard cheese, sardines, tofu, milk, anchovies, almonds, milk chocolate (this is my personal favorite one), most stuff made with milk, spinach, yogurt, breads and broccoli.  If you take a supplement make sure it has magnesium in it too as magnesium helps our bodies properly process the calcium.  So, if you decide to get a snack, grab some broccoli and milk chocolate and enjoy :)

Really cool article if you can make sense of it

So, I had a friend tell me to read this article, so I did, then I went back to the person and asked them to interpret.  I should have recorded the interpretation but I did not.  So you will have to interpret it yourself :)  The conclusion pretty much sums it up but I love that there is research and studies to back it all up!  Enjoy!!!

Biomed Article on Frankincense and Cancer/Tumors

Unresponsive tumor?

I had a tumor friend email me recently and ask me some questions that I just didn't have the answers to, so I am opening it up to my readers to help!  Here we go:

Do you know anyone that has a tumor that is nonresponsive to medication? 
Do you know the implications of a nonresponsive tumor?
Do you have any info or articles on this?


Any takers???

The Scoop on Toxins

So, I am finally coming up for breathe after a fun filled week in Texas!  We fully enjoyed the Vitamin D as we spent all 7 days outdoors!  So nice to be outside for a change.  Then we came back to our 3 feet of snow and I have been trying to get everything in order since then.

So, one of my online tumor friends reminded me of a great website.  It is called Skin Deep.  Personally I think it is a little extreme (as does my tumor friend that reminded me of it) but it has great information that can help you reduce personal care products in your home that may negatively affect your hormones!  I have been aware of this website for quite sometime and have been phasing out most of my cosmetics/shampoos/lotions that contain lots of stuff that can affect your hormones.  Another great website she shared with me is Natural Cleaning Recipes.  I also have a really great e-book that a friend put together.  It contains recipes for lots of natural cleaning supplies, deodorant, bath salts, body scrub and many more things.  If you are interested in this e-book please email me at hyperprolactinoma@gmail.com .  It's in pdf format so i cannot post it via blog :)

You all know that I am a big doTERRA fan.  They have some amazing products that are free of sulphates, parabens and the like.  You can find them at my online store at doTERRA.  They are under shop, and doTERRA Spa.  If you already have an account you can sign in at mydoterra.com and put in your ID number and password.  That way you can get the sweet 17-25% discount on them!  If you don't get the sweet discount and want to, you can let me know (via email) and I will explain more about it :)  I use the shampoo, conditioner and the skin care kit.  I am not a hair guru, but my sister a beautician so she is my resident expert on that kind of stuff  :)  I asked her what she thinks of the sanobello stuff and she claims it is just as good if not better than Pureology.  Means little to me, but maybe means something to someone out there.  I got the skin care kit for Christmas and I LOVE it.  I've been using it for a month and I have noticed that the bags under my eyes are almost gone and my pores are shrinking.  Plus the eye serum contains Frankincense!  We all know why I love that stuff :)  Anyway, Those are my doTERRA recommendations.  There is also a really great website where I get all of my lotion base in bulk (to which I use my oils to make it smell good and benefit me in different ways on different days!)  It is Posergy.  I also get my aloe vera gel, and bar soap there.  I avoid the stuff with their essential oils just because they don't test theirs as rigorously as doTERRA.  If I have dry skin, I add sandlewood to the lotion and rub it in.  I add lavender to it for my babies nighttime bath to help his sleep better.  Those are just a couple of examples!  Some other favorites for me are Balance, Whisper, and Ylang Ylang (all three help hormones and all three smell so good!) If you are interested in making your own lotion, chap stick and stuff, you can purchase some ingredients at aromatools.com.  I also get alot of my oil books, roll on bottles, spray tops, and glass spray bottles (which you need if you make your own cleaners containing essential oils.  Oils breakdown plastic.)

Tumor Tip #1 Reduce Stress

Pull out the Wii, Kinect or running shoes (but only of it's warmer than it is here) and play or run for 5 to ten minutes.  Yes, I got a kinect for Christmas and I justified it by saying it would help me exercise, reduce stress and therefore shrink my tumor :)  Exercise is to important for us!  It will get your heart pumping and it will oxygenate your body...including your brain!  It kicks in the endorphins and gets the neurotransmitters hoping helping you sort through something you are stressed about or just plain removing it from your mind!  These same endorphins will give you feelings of happiness :)  Regular exercise can help you fend of stress, look better and it will burn all those stress hormones that keep you worrying!  It relaxes your muscles and gets rid of that muscle tension that comes from stress.  So, start right now...get off your blogging bums and go out and do something to get that heart pumping!  I'm turning on the kinect right now!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! late I know...

I hope everyone had great holidays...I am still recovering, but we had a blast!  So, I have a new year resolution to share.....be better!  I have so much to improve on and so I've left is vague :)  I want to start doing Tumor Tips, that will be quick and easy things to do to reduce stress or something like that...I will do my first one today and hopefully I will post more if they aren't so long!  Also, feel free to add your own tips!  Ok...here goes nothing!