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Need to take charge of my PCOS. So frustrated!! Where do I start?From: Amy (anonymous@obgyn.net)Sun, 8 Sep 2002 14:47:53 -0500 (CDT)
Hello, my name is Amy and I am new here. I suffer from PCOS and I want to take control of it soon. But I don't even know where to begin. Here is my story. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1998 after a lifelong struggle with the symptoms. I did not get a period until I was almost 15 years old, and I believe I may have had 10 periods from then until the time I was diagnosed at the age of 21. I had bad acne as a teen which I know was connected, as well as an increase in body hair, but also facial hair-- not too bad, just a hair here or there that I would pluck every now and again. I never told my mother about my lack of periods because I felt awkward. Deep down inside, I knew it was not healthy or normal, but you know, what woman would complain about not getting periods?? I had no idea of the damage that was being done. When I was 21, my junior year of college, I started to get some severe pain in one side. It was the left side, so I knew it was not appendicitis. And it went on for months. My mother worried that it was a stomach ailment because my sister has Crohn's Disease, but I had no symptoms of that. I also started gaining weight, which my mother attributed to living at school and eating unhealthy foods. Finally, one night the pain was so awful that my boyfriend and mom took me to the ER-- they had no idea what was wrong with me, but they gave me my first pap. They kept accusing me of being pregnant-- it had nothing to do with that, of course. A few weeks later I had an ultrasound and got to see a general practioner doctor, which was all our insurance would let me do. I was told I had two cysts, one on each ovary. My doctor knew a little about PCOS, but not enough. She put me on the Pill to regulate my hormones, gave me a progesterone challenge, found out my progesterone levels were off, and continued to test me for irritable bowel syndrome. And that was pretty much the extent of my treatment. I stayed on the Pill for three years and saw a doctor at school. She knew very little about PCOS and just seemed concerned with keeping me from getting pregnant and my pap smears, which were always abnormal-- high white cell count, infection, etc. She always seemed to find something wrong. I started to do my own research. Around this time, I realized that since I was diagnosed, I went from a B cup to a DD. I put on about 20 extra pounds and got extremely depressed. My doctor refused to believe that my breast size increase was in any way connected, she just said I was eating more and had gained weight. I finally had a breast reduction in June, but I am terrified of them growing back. I have done a lot of research about PCOS and insulin resistance, and have tried to diet accordingly, eating fewer carbs and lots of protein, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of exercise. I also went off the Pill-- it harmed me more than it helped, I think. And while I feel better and have lost a few pounds, I still struggle when I eat pasta or sugar, I haven't had a period in 8 months, I am not losing weight like I would like, I am dealing with acne at the age of 25, and I find myself plucking hair off my chin and face at least 3 times a day. I am very depressed because I am getting married in May 2003 and I can't lose any weight so I can feel confident. I want to find a doctor who knows enough about PCOS to treat me, and help me, and I want to go back on the Pill. Yet, I have no idea where to start. I tried calling some ob-gyns on my insurance list, but they either do not see new patients, or they have waiting lists months long. I have suffered with this long enough, it is time for me to take charge of my body. Where on earth do I begin??
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