Practitioner Diary

As a Creighton Model FertilityCare practitioner, you run into interesting situations, especially when people ask me what I do for a living. So I was not that surprised when one of these interesting situations happened recently. You know the ones where you know God was working and put you in the right place at the right time.

The other day I was walking into my blood draw lab for my usual monthly blood work, I noticed a woman who could not have been older than 25 sitting on the curb with her head down. I noticed the band around her arm and figured she just had her blood drawn and was feeling a bit dizzy. I went inside to sign in and felt this need to talk to this woman, a motherly pull to make sure she was okay. Her mom was with her outside to make sure she didn't faint and her husband was inside watching their stuff. They came back inside and took her to the back room so she can lay down.

When her mom came back in the lobby I just had to ask if her daughter needed food or sugar in her system, which I offered. As a recovering hypoglycemic I always carry food in my purse. She said she was doing a fasting blood draw for the next 3 hours so she couldn't eat anything. I asked if she was hypoglycemic and they said that is what the Drs. are testing her for. We started talking about the symptoms of hypoglycemia and during the conversation I asked if she had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Realizing that I may have gotten too personal, I felt embarrassed. Her mom and husband looked at me and said " how did you know?" I explained to them that I have PCOS and hypoglycemia and that they are very common to have together.

I started telling them about my treatment and recovery process, then dratz my name was called! Thank God for my wonderful husband JJ who has gone to every blood draw with me because at that point he took over the conversation with them. I went into the back room so the vampires could take my blood and I identified with the woman laying down. She was laying there in her sickness and probably embarrassed by her weakness. I know I have been embarrassed by mine many times. Trying not to stare I said a prayer for her as they were taking my blood.

I went back into the lobby and jumped back into the conversation. As the conversation progressed the woman came back in the lobby and sat next to her husband, her ears were probably burning because we were talking about her. Her mother told her that I have the same condition that she has. I started to explain my journey and the woman started to cry because she could identify with the struggle I have gone through. I explained that the Drs. I went to thought I was crazy, that my illness was all in my head, and they wanted to put me on anti-anxiety medication and birth control pills. She said she was on an anti-depressant that her Dr. prescribed her and that they were going to put her on the pill to start her cycles. I explained to her why I refused the Drs. protocol. It was because I knew there was something going on and that there had to be a way to fix it or at least make it manageable without just putting a band aid of medication on it. As I was explaining my journey the woman kept nodding her head and saying that's exactly what the Drs. told her.

I told them about my naturopath and my awesome NaPro Dr. They seemed very excited to hear that there can be a better way of managing PCOS. Then I went into my practitioner/science geek mode of explaining PCOS and how to treat it. JJ told them that I could help them by having the woman start to chart her cycles. I gave them my information and Dr. Awesome's card so they can look into more information. I hope and pray that they at least have one appointment with Dr. Awesome, I know they will not regret it.

At different points in the conversation I noticed the woman's manner changed from embarrassment, to sadness to anger then to relief and empowerment. Why, so many different emotions? Well embarrassment and sadness come from being sick and having your hormones out of whack. Anger comes from the fact that all these years you thought the problem was all in your head and it was not! Anger comes from Drs. not giving you the time of day and paying them just to tell you they have no idea how to help you only by giving you a medication that is a class 1 carcinogen and can cause cancer! Relief comes from knowing that you are not alone in this battle and that others have gone through similar situations. Empowerment comes from the knowledge about your fertility and femininity.

With Creighton we say that every woman has a right to know about her fertility and her cycles. She has a right to know what her body is doing and to get medical treatment if need be. When a woman has this knowledge she sees her fertility as a gift; not a disease that needs to be destroyed by artificial hormones. She becomes more feminine, confident and beautiful. This is why I do what I do and I love my job! I love working with women and being a detective to help uncover the mystery of their fertility. Being a support on each client's journey, I am humbled that my clients allow me into this part of their life. I understand that it is not easy for them and I don't take it for granted.

I love that God doesn't have to show me why He has me where He does, but He does anyway!