Re: Clara's note to LORI
From: Avalos (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu, 25 May 2000 08:39:27 -0500
Hi Lara...
In answer to your question, I have heard that women can have cysts on the
ovaries and not have PCOS; however, I am only a woman with PCOS, not a
doctor or medical professional, so I can't be 100% positive about that.
This is a question to be asked of the experts, not only on this site (and
really, there are some amazingly well-informed women here.... that's why I
stick around =)...
I would do some searching on the web and also would ask my doctors, if I
were you.
With regard to my cysts on the ovaries and having them removed... it has
been explained to me by my doctors that the cysts are simply eggs that
started to develop and, because of the hormone imbalance in my body, did not
fully develop and were never released into the uterus. often, these "cysts"
are reabsorbed into a woman's system (hence the women with PCOS who are
cyst-free), and then again, in many of us, they stick around. Women with
PCOS can have any number of cysts at any given time, as more develop while
others are absorbed.... That's the way my Ob-Gyn and RE both explained it to
me.
With all that said and done, I've learned not to worry too much.. I mean,
realistically, other than keep a low-carb diet and take my medication (I
take Met and Spironolactone), what else can I do? Life must go on,
regardless of the finer points. I am hopeful that being on metformin will
help me to maintain some kind of normal levels of hormones and will reduce
my insulin resistance so that the cysts do get reabsorbed and so that I can
start having regular periods, ovulating and hopefully conceive. At this
point, I am not freaking out because I am not trying to have a baby... I
suppose I might feel more upset or panicky if I were....
By the way, your GP is wrong about the high cholesterol. I (and lots of
others who post here) do not have high cholesterol, in fact, it is the exact
opposite.. my cholesterol count is in the gutter, it is so low. being fat
and having high cholesterol do not necessarily coincide, you know,
especially if you are overweight because of insulin resistance and not
because of heredity or eating habits. My RE confirmed this. ALso, sounds
like you had a test for your blood sugar, but not an IGTT (Insulin Glucose
Tolerance Test) the difference between the two is like the difference
between hockey and golf.... If you are really concerned, then I recommend
that you ask for an IGTT (or get referred to an RE who will do one for you).
GP's are often wonderful, but not all are up to date, and since they do not
often specialize in women's health, it is very possible that yours just
needs to be brought up to date on PCOS in the new millennium. << GRIN >>
Finally, I think the website has been around for a while, although I only
found it this past January. Two years is my guess.... (I have read that
somewhere, I think, but as always, I filed it away, and my mental archives
are locked up this morning...)
Anyway, best of luck to you at your visit to your gyn.. and try not to
stress too much, that only makes things worse. Also, who knows? Just
because you have PCOS does not mean that you absolutely will go through all
the things that many of us on this board go through.. You may be lucky, and
you may not gain weight or have migraines or get acne or sprout hairs in
weird places.... (try to smile a little here, OK?) Just be sure that you
have a good, well-informed doctor who is dedicated to providing patients
with the most up to date effective treatments for their ailments....... And
take care of yourself!
Have a great day,
Clara
-----Original Message-----
From: anonymous@obgyn.net [mailto:anonymous@obgyn.net
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 11:41 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list PCOS
Subject: Re: Clara's note to LORI
Hi Clara,
I was really interested to read your response re: being thin and PCOS -
It scares me so much to think that in a couple of years I might put on a
heap of weight. LIke you and some others on this site - I'm about 160cm
and not very heavy - I play a high level of sport and really only have a
day off a week from activity.
I have had 2 blood tests - one for my sugar levels and the other for
cholestrol (my GP seems to think high cholestrol is also related to
PCOS) - both came back normal.
The only real symptom I have is the cysts on my ovaries - 20-30 on each
with the left ovary also having a 3cm cyst.
I am seeing a gyno next week and hopefully things will work out -
It stresses me to think that you have had cysts removed on both ovaries
and you still have them and other symptoms.
Do you know if it is possible to have only cysts and to not have PCOS?
Or am I just trying to give myself hope when potentially there isn't
any?!
Thanks for all the notes that go flying around - really reassuring.
Just out of interest - how long has this website been set up for?
thanks -
Lara
At Wed, 24 May 2000, Avalos, wrote:
>
>Hi there, I don't mean to butt in, but I did want to comment on this thread
>of conversation...
>
>I might not have worded things the way Lori did, but I must say, her basic
>advice to you is important, IF you have PCOS.
>
>Like you (and like Lori, from what she has written), when I was 26, I was
>thin (weighed 104 lbs, I am 5'2"). I exercised very regularly and was in
>phenomenal shape... All of a sudden, at age 28, I put on a chunk of weight
>out of nowhere, despite exercising and eating healthy (always have eaten
>healthy, by the way). This began to happen once or twice a year....
>seemingly out of nowhere. At that time, I had no idea that I had PCOS, nor
>did I know about being insulin resistant. You see, PCOS creeps up on you,
>and it can manifest itself one little symptom at a time, over a long period
>of time.... With me, it started with cysts on the ovaries (had them removed
>twice in my early twenties) and irregular periods (increasingly so as the
>years went by). I had other symptoms, like dark hair on my chin, but I
>never connected the dots....
>
>Before assuming that you do or don't have PCOS, you need to get a clear
>diagnosis (not the easiest thing to do, but possible and highly advisable).
>You know that you have cysts and irregular periods. Why not go the
distance
>and get all the right blood tests to either confirm or reject the
>possibility that you have PCOS? If you don't have PCOS, then either you
are
>one of the lucky ones and your cysts and irregularities are a fluke, or you
>have a whole other problem to deal with, and PCOS is not the answer you
have
>been seeking.
>
>However, If you DO have PCOS, then we are not talking about "someone else's
>experience" we are talking about a manifestation of PCOS (the insulin
>resistance and the possible uncontrollable weight gain that usually follows
>sooner or later) that affects the majority of women who suffer from this
>blight, and it is something that, at your age and your weight and your
stage
>of the illness (if you indeed have it), is easily and painlessly dealt with
>through some relatively easy adjustments to your diet.
>
>None of us want to go through life looking over our shoulders, so to speak,
>and we all have different experiences. Notwithstanding that fact, most of
>us cysters are insulin resistant, and much like a diabetic has to watch the
>diet for life/death/health reasons, so do we. Many of us wish that we had
>known this BEFORE we blew up like balloons, and we try very hard to help
>women who are like ourselves, and also women who are at earlier stages of
>PCOS than us... that's all, really.
>
>I don't personally think that white bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and the
>like are all crap. In fact, I love them; unfortunately, they are not as
>good for me as they are for non-PCOS folks. Having PCOS does not mean
>swearing them off... It means knowing how to limit your intake of them in
>order to stay healthy.
>
>Another thought... none of us are completely sure as to what to do; we are
>all still learning about this disease, from each other and from the medical
>research being done; we address this illness in many different ways... If
>you have PCOS, you will probably end up dealing with it in your own
personal
>way, like the rest of us.
>
>And, if this happens, it will be helpful for you to be aware of the fact
>that reducing your intake of carbohydrates can be beneficial to your long
>term health. For some of us, it makes the difference between having
periods
>or not, or even conceiving or not.... I truly hope that you are fortunate
>and do not have to worry the way so many others do, now or in the future!
>
>May you find the truth about your health issues, and may you find the best
>way to deal with them for your lifestyle.
>
>Best Wishes,
>
>Clara
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: anonymous@obgyn.net [mailto:anonymous@obgyn.net
>Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2000 2:56 PM
>To: Multiple recipients of list PCOS
>Subject: Re: To LORIP: Should I Low Carb if I'm Thin and NOT IR?
>
>I appreciated your msg. However, I dont feel as though I can live my
>life worrying all the time because of someone else' experience! What if,
>what if! I'm not sure what to do. I eat healthy now but I do eat carbs.
>Thanks for your advice, I do really appreciate your thoughtfulness.
>
>At Wed, 24 May 2000, LoriP wrote:
>>
>>I would suggest that you make some minor changes to your diet now.
>>Replace the refined crap (white bread, white rice, white pasta etc.)
>>with whole grains and avoid sugar. I don't want to scare you, but at 27
>>I too was thin with normal bloodwork and wacky periods. The change came
>>about 2 years later when I put on 20 lbs. out of the blue. Most people
>>could benefit from making these changes to their diets. And it might
>>help ward off further pcos symptoms for you.
>>
>>Good luck.
>>
>>At Wed, 24 May 2000, anonymous wrote:
>>>
>>>I have not been completely diagnosed yet. However, I do the cysts on my
>>>ovaries and abnormal periods. My bloodwork has came back good. I had
>>>the IGTT done and it was normal too. So I'm wondering if low carbing is
>>>for me. I've always eaten whatever I wanted and never gained weight?
>>>I'm 27 years old (5'5 118lbs.). I do exercise regularly too!
>>>
>>>Nonetheless, I want to be on top of things. Please share your thoughts
>>>with me!
>>>
>>>Thanks
--
Lara
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