PCOS-MEDICATION Messages for March, 2000: Re: now what?

Re: now what?

From: Linda (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Mon, 27 Mar 2000 23:00:09 -0600 (CST)

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In reply to: cathy: "now what?"

At Sun, 26 Mar 2000, cathy wrote: >
>Well, I started this whole process of trying to find out what was wrong w/me 10 years ago.

For me, Cathy, it's been a 30 year odyssey . . . and one as frustrating as your own. And so it's been, unfortunately, for many women.

>Last year, I finally discovered that I'm not just a freak but that this is a condition w/a name: PCOS.

Having a name and a diagnosis did make a world of difference for me, when it finally came about 3 1/2 years ago. No longer was I suffering from a whole slew of symptoms, but rather I had a particular disease with lots of symptoms. That helped me with the "freak" notions.

>I don't know what else to do. I'll be 39 next month. I'd like to have a life.

>So now what? Is there really any treatment that will reverse this or am I just waiting to die?

I can tell you what I've done (and you'll see similar stories posted here). My story is like so many others. I was treated for many of the symptoms, but without any success. The diagnosis came 3 1/2 years ago, but the doctors continued to treat the symptoms. I tried hard to reduce calories and increase exercise. Little weight lose occurred.

I met with a dietician and a diabetes nurse to learn how to prevent diabetes with diet. (I'd been diagnosed insulin resistant when I was diagnosed with PCOS.) I, too, didn't want to sit idly by while diabetes and heart disease crept in.

When I read about the success of certain drugs for those with PCOS, I became proactive. I got a referral from my GP to an endocrinologist. I read as much as I could about PCOS and the drugs and specifically asked if I was a candidate for the drugs. The endocrinologist agreed to testing and concluded after bloodwork that he could prescribe metformin for me. I began that 3 weeks ago.

In addition to the metformin, I'm continuing to exercise (walking about 20-30 minutes each day) and I'm trying to reduce the amount of carbohydrates that I eat (nothing drastic -- just shooting for the low end of the ADA 6-11 carbohydrate servings per day).

I think what convinced the endocrinologist, in part, was a sincere comment on my part -- "I did not choose to be like this." I think he sensed a bit of the desperation I've felt because of PCOS.

At least now I feel like I've taken control over PCOS, rather than having it dictate my life. I still weigh 283 pounds, have excessive body hair and haven't been able to conceive. And it may be many months before I see results from this regimen. But I have an organized and methodical plan of attack and I'm hoping it succeeds!

You too can become proactive! Do it for yourself.

--
Linda

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