Happy 2 Year Anniversary to Me!

Two years post decompression and I am 27 weeks pregnant with twin boys...could it be any better?! :)

I get asked a lot about my plans for the birth...and truth is, I don't really have a plan. There are just too many variables that will come into play and will require a "game time" decision. I trust my doctor, my husband, and myself. I've been through enough pain and medical procedures to know what I can handle, and my husband does too. (He also knows not to let anyone near me with Percocet - EVER!) I'm definitely looking forward to the experience! It'll be the first time I get to go to the hospital when it's not a major procedure to fix something that's wrong with me...I'm even more excited than I was for my decompression!

I feel that in many ways, my Chiari and my decompression surgery helped prepare me for the upcoming delivery. I'm loving being pregnant, and while the belly is starting to get uncomfortable, it's nothing compared to living with my Chiari symptoms for years.

Pregnant...with Twin Boys!

So since I don't do anything normally on the medical front, I am now 17 weeks pregnant with twin boys (due in December). YAY!!!

We struggled with infertility resulting from my PCOS which led us to try fertility treatments for a year before successfully conceiving twins! PCOS doesn't appear to have any connection to Chiari, but after finally being diagnosed with PCOS and understanding what makes it worse (insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes), I was able to change my diet and take medication (Metformin) which resulted in my losing over 50 pounds post-decompression. While that alone didn't get me pregnant, I absolutely believe that it helped!

Just like with my Chiari diagnosis, I was able to find a reproductive endocrinologist that I trusted and who provided me with great care! Should you ever need one, I highly recommend Dr. Coffler at Huntington Reproductive Center for infertility as often as I recommend Dr. Oro for Chiari. :)

As I told another Chiarian, pregnancy is nothing compared to living with Chiari!!!