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Re: Newly diagnosed at 43..
From: Kim (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Fri, 3 Nov 2000 21:09:47 -0600 (CST)
Hi Jan. I'll try to answer some of your questions. First of all
removing the other ovary will not help. This syndrome is not caused by
the ovaries as one might think. Most (but not all) have insulin
resistance (IR). It seems that we can't process carbs that well so we
pump out too much insulin, which our bodies can't use efficiently. This
causes the weight gain. Some of us are taking insulin regulating meds
like metformin, actos or avandia to help our insulin work better. For
facial hair I take spironolactone. I recently had a hysterectomy due to
endometrial hyperplasia. So fertility is not an issue. I have three
teens. We are at high risk for diabetes, heart disease and endo.
cancer. This is an endocrine problem. It seems that doctors are not
quite up to treating this. Word about treatment is coming slowly. If
your weight is a problem, I would recommend following a low carbo diet.
There are many different variations of it. Atkins is very strict, while
Sugarbusters and Carbo. Addicts is less so. You nee to find what works
best for you.
Hope this helps.
Kim
At Thu, 2 Nov 2000, Jan wrote:
>
>I'm new to this dx and new to this website. Am finding myself getting
>lost in the archives! Everyone seems to have the same questions, except
>that everyone seems to be younger than me. I have two teenagers. I
>have noticed a problem with thinning hair in the past five years and
>coincidentally with that I have been steadily gaining weight and started
>to do battle with some facial hair. I only have one ovary, so maybe
>that helps??? At first my thought was maybe I should get rid of the
>other ovary and live with hormone supplements--wouldn't that resolve the
>problem? I'm on BCP as of this month. I have been trying to diet for
>months--watched my best friend successfully whittle down to goal and I'm
>so totally STUCK! I've joined a gym and I do manage to make very slow
>headway but it is a ton of work and perseverence--and I bounce back up
>on the scale with the snap of the fingers. I, too, am angry that it
>took SO LONG to diagnose this--you can bet I was at the doctor the
>minute I admitted my hair was thinning--that's the first demoralizing
>event in this dx. How often I've ironically thought of the Bible verse
>that a woman's hair is her "crown of glory" and I notice EVERYONE with a
>lush head of thick hair!! Then comes the weight gain. I used to think I
>was cute when I looked in the mirror--reasonably so, average at least--I
>was satisfied. During this five years I have steadily crawled into a
>hole, thinking I just wasn't with it anymore--no one was looking like
>me! I think there is some other hormone stuff going on, too, like
>unexpected PMS when you just had PMS feelings. This dx was an
>encouragement in that I now have a REASON for what's been happening to
>me. (At my age, the reason seemed to be menopause. I moved to a
>different area, and the dx was easy with a new practitioner--now for the
>treatment!)How to win the battle??? I think for most of us, the weight
>gain is our biggest challenge. There doesn't seem to be a pat
>answer--we're all searching, in the emails I'm reading. If anyone can
>condense all this into something simple, it seems to me that we should
>treat ourselves as though the diagnosis was actually type II diabetes,
>and diet accordingly. Email me if you have answers. I can't handle
>more questions. Thanks!
>
>--
>Jan
>
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