Re: Am I just imagining it?
From: Valerie (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Tue, 9 Apr 2002 16:27:04 -0500 (CDT)
No biggie on the fact that we disagree Sonnet... I only made the
statement I made because as a teenager alot of people had bright ideas
that I adopted and got myself in alot of trouble and I can still
remember thinking "OMG, and where are the defenders when I am getting
bawled out."
--
ValerieC
At Tue, 9 Apr 2002, Sonnet wrote:
>
>Sorry Valerie but I disagree with you there.... well not really, I
>agree that it wouldn't be a wonderful thing if mom found bcp's and
>flipped. But that being said, I think this suggestion is FAR better
>than leaving it untreated! Seeing a gyn at that age is really important,
>PCOS or not. And I know a lot of us feel like we'd have been better off
>if we had seen someone as teenagers instead of having to wait 5,10, 20+
>years to get a diagnosis to be taken seriously! Better to know and at
>least have something than not, right?
>
>Hope you're well, either way. I know I owe you email! Man I am still
>trying to catch up from that lost hour, ugh!!
>
>At Mon, 8 Apr 2002, Valerie wrote:
>>
>>Just a note regarding Jodi's recommendation to get BCP's from planned
>>parenthood...I would have to step forward and say that this may not be
>>the best idea because if the young lady has a mother who already seems
>>repressed to some angle (restricting gyno visit) then something must be
>>remembered... IF BCP's ARE FOUND BY MOM this would probably be a
>>disaster and very hard to explain to an upset parent who already does
>>not take the health issues of PCOS seriously... Good Luck little Cyster
>>
>>--
>>ValerieC
>>
>>At Mon, 8 Apr 2002, jodi wrote:
>>>
>>>Hey Angie
>>>
>>>First... WHY won't your mother let you see an ob/gyn??? Current
>>>concerns aside, you're supposed to see one when you become sexually
>>>active or when you turn 18. I know nothing about your sex life, but
>>>you're close enough to 18 in my opinion to become concerned about the
>>>health of your womanly parts. If you are sexually active and you're
>>>comfortable sharing this with your mother, you might want to bring that
>>>up as a push to let her let you go. (If you're not comfortable with it,
>>>though, that's understandable... try pushing the "I'm almost 18" thing
>>>instead.)
>>>
>>>OK, all that said... you TOTALLY sound like you have PCOS, or something
>>>else very similar, and equally wrong. It is NOT normal to have periods
>>>14 months apart. It is NOT normal to have skin tags. Hairiness might
>>>or might not be normal for you... I don't know anything about your
>>>family and genetic background. If you feel you are hairier than your
>>>female relatives, then it is possibly a problem.
>>>
>>>Being overweight can certainly worsen some of our symptoms... but it
>>>does NOT provide the sole explanation for them. I have seen an awful
>>>lot of obese women who did not have body hair issues. I have known an
>>>awful lot of overweight girls who had regular periods (my best friend in
>>>college was an inch or so shorter than me, outweighed me by a good 15
>>>pounds, and had clockwork periods). The insulin problems behind PCOS
>>>can make weight gain easier... and the excess weight can make PCOS
>>>symptoms worse... but "You're just overweight" does NOT explain PCOS.
>>>
>>>Neither does being young!!! I wish I could have back those years when
>>>ignorant doctors told me my periods were irregular because I was "still
>>>growing." I started having periods at age 11. For doctors to not be
>>>alarmed when they were still wildly irregular at 16 was, in retrospect,
>>>a darn shame.
>>>
>>>Bottom line, do not think that your weight or your age are causing your
>>>problems. Also, though, do not think a gyn is the solution here... the
>>>first gyn I saw was a complete moron when it came to PCOS. She's fine
>>>as a gyn... but even after my diagnosis, when I knew bloody well I had
>>>PCOS, she was a moron when it came to that. She told me I wasn't
>>>overweight enough to have PCOS, and she told me that even if I did, PCOS
>>>does not result in infertility. I'm not saying all gyns are morons,
>>>just not to hang your hopes on a gyn being the only person who can help
>>>you. PCOS is en endocrine problem that manifests itself in a bunch of
>>>ways... as a skin problem, as a menstrual problem, as a weight
>>>problem... it's a very puzzling disorder. That's why not all gyns are
>>>knowledgable about it. You wouldn't expect your dentist to treat your
>>>ingrown tonails, right? So you shouldn't expect your gyn to treat your
>>>endocrine problems. HOWEVER... your dentist being a dentist doesn't
>>>mean he just might have some experience with ingrown tonails. Maybe he
>>>has a foot fetish. Maybe he failed out of podiatry school before he
>>>became a dentist. What i'm saying is... well, it's not certain you gyn
>>>won't know about PCOS.
>>>
>>>Do you have a trusted family doc you could bring this up with? Maybe
>>>he/she could make some referrals, and then your mom would have to listen
>>>(in theory...)
>>>If you can't get your mom to take you to the doc... well, if I were in
>>>your situation I would write to him and say, ehy, I'm having these weird
>>>problems, and my mom won't take me seriously. Do you think these are
>>>cause for concern? I'm wondering if I could have PCOS. I've done some
>>>reading and...
>>>
>>>Two other possibilities... to be used alone or in cojnuntion with each
>>>other...
>>>
>>>Planned parenthood. All they could do is do a gyn exam and give you
>>>birth control pills. BCPs are by no means the best treatment for
>>>PCOS... nor are they even really a treatment... they put the symptoms
>>>on hold. Think of it as hitting Pause on your VCR. As soon as you hit
>>>play, the movie will still be there... but for the time being, it's
>>>stopped. some argue that BCPs might even make things worse. i
>>>personally do not take BCPs because i suffered too much with side
>>>effects... but there are a lot of BCPs out there, and if you really are
>>>unable to do nothing else about this problem... well, you can at least
>>>control it with BCPs for a short while. When you're older and have your
>>>own health insurance, you can take more aggressive treatment. You might
>>>want to try some research on which BCPs are best for PCOS, too... stay
>>>away from those that aren't monophasic. (I could go on forever about
>>>the pros and cons of BCPs... I have not, to be honest, decided that
>>>they are all good or all bad. i personally cannot handle them - I
>>>become completely suicidal on them, and i have tried > 10 kinds... but
>>>I do see a lot of good in them, albeit as a less-than-number-one
>>>treatment option...)
>>>
>>>Natural remedies. A very good very motivating book is something like
>>>"PCOS: A woman's guide to living with polycystic ovarian syndrome" by
>>>Claudette Harris (I think...) Do a search on Amazon under PCOS and see
>>>what comes up. I have seen this book at barnes and noble, so you can
>>>buy it there if ordering on line is a prob for you (i know i certainly
>>>did have a credit card at 17!). Most bookstores will special order,
>>>too, so if you can get to a book store, you can get this book. PCOS:
>>>the hidden epidemic is also required reading... it provides information
>>>on the causes and treatments more than it provides an empowering
>>>do-it-yourself approach. both good books, just diffeent angles here...
>>>ANYWAY... on your own, without a doctor, you can:
>>>- reduce your carb (especially refined carbs and sugar) intake and
>>>increase your protein intake
>>>- exercise more - even just walking 2 miles a day has been shown to help
>>>- research vitamins & minerals that have helped people. chromium
>>>(200mcg/day) has been said to have helped a LOT of women. I have seen
>>>studies where increasing vitamin d & calcium have helped (dunno if I buy
>>>this...)... and there are others, as well...
>>>- reduce/eliminate caffeine
>>>
>>>any other tips, anyone? i know how awful it is to not be able to get a
>>>doctor or parent to take you seriously... i suffered for years,
>>>thinking i was the only woman in the country with this problem... i was
>>>23 when I finally got a diagnosis. i played doctor roulette for more
>>>than 6 years... the fact is, though, that as nice as it would be to get
>>>medical treatment when you know you need it... there are still measures
>>>you can take yourself to control this. good luck, and i hope this
>>>helped a little.
>>>
>>>- jodi
>>>
>>>At Sun, 7 Apr 2002, Angie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Lately I have been doing a lot of research online to try and figure out
>>>>why I am having problems with my menstrual cycle, etc. I came across a
>>>>lot of PCOS websites and I was shocked to find that I have a lot of the
>>>>signs related to it. By the way, I am only 17 (well I will be in a
>>>>couple of weeks). I am overweight, have been since I was younger,
>>>>though. I have excess hair on my body and face. For the most part it
>>>>is blonde hairs, but they have been getting darker in areas. I have
>>>>acne, my menstrual cycle is not a monthly thing...they ranges anywhere
>>>>from 3-14 months apart without having one. I have also read skin
>>>>discoloration and skin tags are also a sign. I have discoloration
>>>>everywhere on my body (neck, armpits, between thighs, and other place).
>>>>I have skin tags in my arm pits and on my elbows. I have been tested
>>>>for diabetes, but was told I do not have it. Oh, and also, I lose a
>>>>huge, not normal, amount of hair off my head everyday. I dye my hair
>>>>quite a bit though, so I am not sure if that has anything to do with it.
>>>>It is extremely thin. The reason I came here is to ask if it IS a
>>>>definate possibility that I might have this disease or if my symptoms
>>>>are so common...that they can't necessarily be linked to PCOS. My
>>>>mother refuses to take me to see a gynocologist, so I am basically in a
>>>>bind and I don't know what to do. She says it's only because I am a
>>>>teenager and I am overweight. It still worries me, so any advice would
>>>>be very much appreciated! Thanks a lot!
>>
>--
>Email always welcome: sonnet_fitz@hotmail.com
>
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