The next day before work I went across the street to the Beaufort Fire Department. I asked the gentleman that was cleaning the fire truck if he would check my blood pressure to get my Mom off my back about it. He proceeded to do so and was shocked. My blood pressure on his machine registered at 195/105.. He thought his machine was broke as well so he tried it again on my other arm (185/100). He immediately told me that I needed to go to the hospital and that he would drive me. You know me, stubborn and independent, I drove myself!
Doctors started me on high blood pressure medicine and sat in awe on how a 23 year old would have such issues. We wouldn't discover until later on that I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I was one of that rare percentage of women that show no outward signs of PCOS. In February 2012 Andrew and I decided that we would start our journey of trying to start a family. Shortly after we discovered that my Female Cycles weren't like other females. The average female ovulates every 28 days that means at least 12 times a year. My cycles weren't until every 55-85 days and they couldn't guarantee that I was ovulating at all! This was going to be an issues with starting a family.
Andrew and I prayed about it and continued to see the Doctor. I was prescribed some other medications to help with the situation but my biggest issue was taking it all personal. As a female, I longed to have children one day. It was hard to come to terms that it was my body that was preventing that from happening. Prayer is something that was continuous in my life but I noticed my prayer life changing, for the better, through all of this!
I went back 3 months later and met with the Doctor. She did blood work and all kinds of other tests and basically told me that my chances of having children were about 20%. I kept it together until I got to the car. Then I lost it! 20% out of 100%.. Wow. Once again taking it personal.
Word of God Speak
Sunday mornings at church were hard for me especially when I take every sermon as if the Preacher is speaking right to me. This particular Sunday I believe that God intended the message be for me. The sermon was on Elizabeth (Mary's Cousin). Elizabeth was an older woman who had wanted children. She was told that she was unable to have children. This is what the Bible says in Luke:
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[b] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” (Biblegateway.com)- Wow, "Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" I feel like the key word in this is BELIEVED. So often I would give my problems to God. But when I got done praying, sitting through a sermon, or kneeling at the alter- I would pick them right back up and take them with me.
That sermon hit me like a ton of bricks. Why was I holding on to all of these problems? Why was I thinking I could handle them and God couldn't? So I prayed and prayed and prayed! Then I recalled a line from a sermon I heard at work (while I work I sometimes listen to New Spring- Perry Noble)... He said " The Circumstances that are Over Your Head... are still Under His Feet!!" Talk about getting slapped in the face by the God.
We went back to the Doctor and Nothing had changed. I told Andrew I feel like we need to see someone who specializes in this sort of thing. Being the supportive husband that he is, Andrew agreed. I then called Coastal Fertility Specialist in Mount Pleasant. My waiting months between Doctors appointments was now over! They immediately made me an appointment and we went for a consultation.
Coastal Fertility Specialist
Upon meeting with the specialist and after they reviewed my charts and did some tests of their own- they agreed that it was in fact my body that was being complicated. They told me that I most likely wasn't ovulating and had a 2% chance each month where as most women have a 20% chance. Ouch- my odds were against me.. But I knew God was for me! I have a faith that can move mountains yet I am still human! I worry, I doubt, I cry just like the rest of the world. We talked about a plan with the doctors and how we would most likely have to try an IUI or IVF after that if the IUI was unsuccessful.
Hearing that made us cringe because we knew that what came with the IUI or the IVF was a hefty price tag. Money is not a deal breaker but we knew that we were going to not only have to be emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared.. but also financially prepared! We knew that God would provide so we kept on with the testing.
On April 1st 2013 I went in for an HSG- an HSG is where they inject a dye into your body and watch it travel through your female organs. Talk about painful! The only thing they tell you before you come is to eat so you don't pass out.. and make sure you take some Motrin. The test hurt really bad but only lasted like 5 minutes. They said since it was so painful it could have pushed some mucus or blockages out of the way. We then talked about the medications that I was being prescribed. Some were pills others were going to be shots. The doctor told us to wait until I started another cycle and then come in and they would show me how to administer the shots etc.
April 27,2013
I woke up on a typical Saturday and got busy with my plans. After returning home about Mid day I realized that I was bloated, my breast were hurting, and I couldn't stop craving Reese Cups! I had a pregnancy test in the drawer and looked at it as I walked by. I thought to myself "Nah, The odds were against me.. I would just be wasting a test" but the more I walked by it the more I was curious. So I finally broke down and took it. I walked a way for a few minutes to do something and when I came back- I was in SHOCK! I immediately fell on the bed sobbing in tears. All I can remember saying OUTLOUD was THANK YOU JESUS!!!!! Our lives as we knew it were about to change.. and it was all a GOD thing! Talk about Answering prayers--- I am a firm believer that God answers all prayers.. Some are Yes, Some are NO.. and some are wait.... God's timing is everything!
