Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS
The past few months have been really challenging for me. I got really ill and over the course of the many doctor visits and tests that were run I realized that it’s been almost 2 years since I really listened to what my body was telling me. Rather, I’ve just learned to live with the variety of symptoms I was having and pressed on. I was engaged, trying to figure out how to move close to the kids, didn’t have health care, then getting married, moving, working….
I had 2 miscarriages in about a year. I have had ongoing pain in my right chest and ribs. It’s at the point that I can’t even sleep on my right side and Joe can’t put his arm around me because the pain was so much at night. And tired. Holy Moley tired. I’ve had a heck of a time losing weight and I feel dizzy and disoriented sometimes after I eat. I had blood tests done but they didn’t show I had diabetes. And I started to think I was just falling apart. So I ignored everything since I couldn’t solve it. So, after a year or so, I went back to the doctor. The result of the last batch of tests is that I have two major things going on.
First, I have scar tissue on the lower third of my right lung. This creates a dynamic of not letting my lung work too hard and taking very strong anti-inflammatory drugs and hopefully in about 6 months that problem will be mostly gone although it might never really go all the way away.
Second, I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome. With PCOS, I have cysts all over my ovaries which may or may not be cancerous. I have a much higher chance of getting Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, being infertile as well as having cancer in the uterus or breast. PCOS is incurable but can be controlled through diet, medication and lifestyle.
Strangely, since finding out what the problem is, I have had strong sense of calm and being centered. Joe has been such a help and support to me. I have hope to control the imbalance that has been so prevalent the past year or so. And although there are things that are uncertain like if the cysts are cancerous, I feel very empowered. PCOS is inherited and will be passed to my kids. My daughter in particular has a very high chance of seeing this syndrome fully manifested if she isn’t careful starting right away since she has hit puberty. My boys have the chance of going bald early, which is pretty much the only way it shows up in boys, and I see that already with Devon who is 16.
There is some information out there if you know where to look. One of my favorite sites is this one: www.pcos-support.org . These are also good: www.soulcysters.net
www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com
www.4woman.gov
Tally Ho.
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September 6th, 2005 at 2:43 pm
Hey Leah! Wow, those sound like some crappy symptoms. I’m sorry you haven’t been feeling well, but am glad to hear you feel calm and empowered. It seems good to just know what you’re dealing with. I wish you the best and hope you’re feeling super healthy soon!
September 9th, 2005 at 4:12 pm
Hi Leah–
I have PCOS also after years of having strange symptoms. I was in real trouble right before I was diagnosed. I lost some weight, started exercising and did acupuncture with the result of completely regulating my labs and cycles! I’ve recently started taking metformin which is hopefully going to prevent diabetes. Just wanted to let you know that it may seem dark now but many women have completey normal lives with treatment. Best wishes to you.
September 13th, 2005 at 12:39 pm
Thanks, Meg! I hope you had a great time on your trip! And I hope that your kitties were well cared for.
xo
September 13th, 2005 at 12:41 pm
Hey Christi,
That is very nice to hear. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know about you. I have hope that it isn’t the end of the world by any means. It just sure is inconvenient. : ) But things could be a lot worse and I know that.
Thanks again,
Leah
October 9th, 2005 at 5:00 pm
I really do feel your pain. I was diagnosed a little over two years ago (though I’ve had symptoms as long as I can remember) and am now trying to start a family… it’s not always easy, and it’s definitely not fun- but it is nice to know that you’re not just crazy, eh? For years I never understood why I couldn’t lose weight- I truly thought that I just wastn’t dedicated. Now I know that my endocrine system was sabotaging me the whole way. I wish you luck!!!
Kris
October 9th, 2005 at 5:12 pm
Thanks, Kris. And you have found anything that works really well in that whole losing-weight department, I’d love to hear about it.
lpc
May 26th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Hey lady! I used to hang out with Joe when we both lived in San Diego!
About the PCOS…Did they put you on Metformin? I’ve been on it for a year and a half, but while my emotions have gotten more stable, and my ass hasn’t gotten any bigger, I still don’t have very regular periods.
I haven’t lost any weight, but then again, I haven’t really tried.
I hope you start feeling better soon!
August 13th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
[...] Meg linked to an article that has me a little upset. I’ve been drinking soymilk for the past 3 years pretty much exclusively and I thought I was doing my body good. Now I’m not only confused, I’m a little ticked off. I can only imagine what the soya has been doing to my hormone levels in regards to my PCOS issues. The article states that their research shows that babies drinking soy formula have the equivalent of 5 birth control pills worth of estrogen running around in their blood. Because I don’t want this to be true, as two of my kids drank soy formula for about 9 months a piece, and I don’t like the taste of cows milk and I also enjoy eating edamame at least 4 times a week, I sure hope someone can shed some light on this issue and tell me the article is a bunch of bunk. [...]
September 8th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
[...] Joe and I quit trying to have a baby sometime during last year since it didn’t seem to be working out too well. Add to that the fact that my PCOS seems to not really ever give me a clear picture of when I’m going to have my period or when my period is actually happening, since it can start and stop over the course of a few weeks, just in time to start again, and you can see why we are sort of, no, really surprised to find that we’re expecting a human in about 7 months. [...]