Time to get personal with health
Today we are going to get a bit personal. I want to talk about something that only in recent years has become understood.
I have PCOS, which stands for Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. This is a disorder of the hormones and female reproductive system and causes a vast array of symptoms.
The symptoms are different for almost everyone. I am somewhat fortunate (as fortunate as you can be with having P.C.O.S. in the first place)
and my symptoms are fairly mild compared to those of some others.
Some of the symptoms I personally have to deal with are:
*Highly irregular periods (it may be 2 days between periods, it may be 6 months. I never know)
*When I DO get my period, it is often times very painful to the point where I can't move. It is also very heavy (I will spare you too many details to avoid becoming TOO graphic)
*I have hypothyroidism, which means weight management/loss is near impossible as well as I struggle with my sleep cycle
*I have insulin handling issues comparable to a mild case of diabetes (thankfully I can still have as much sugar as I want, my blood glucose sometimes just drops [it never drops below "normal" limits though]). Oddly enough, I can't have ANY artificial sugars or sugar substitutes like sucralose or aspartame, so nothing “Low fat”, ‘sugar free”, “diet”, or anything containing an artificial sugar replacement, because they cause my blood sugar shoot through the roof
*Often times I just don't feel well. I can't exactly describe it, I just don't feel right.
*I have a lot of issues with hormones. Often times my hormones are all over the place. Issues partaining to this are:
^Extreme mood swings
^Hair growth where females typically don't grow hair (face, back, neck, abdomen, and my arm hair is thicker and darker)
^Exhaustion
^(That's all I can think of at the moment) Well, sometimes it can make me kinda spacey, so I guess that counts
These are just the things I can think of at the moment.
From the time I was about 10 years old I was told by doctors whenever I went in (which was pretty rare, because I have the immune system of pure iron and my body is thankfully able to keep up with {most} of my reckless antics) anyways back on subject. I was always told by doctors that I was "obese" and that I "need to lose weight and I'll feel better", it didn’t even matter what I actually went in for. The majority of the times I went in I was having issues that weight in no way effects. They sent me for blood test after blood test, and told me I was "borderline diabetic" and sent me to a nutritionist to “help me lose weight and make healthier choices”.
The thing is, I have never been a lazy person. I actually have some hyperactive tendencies. I HATE sitting still for too long, and growing up I was ALWAYS outside doing some sort of shenanigans.
My diet wasn't ideal, but it by far wasn't awful and severely unhealthy. It was very damaging to be told these things, and made me struggle for a long time with my body image. I always tried to avoid the doctors at all costs no matter what it was for, because I was sick of them just telling me to lose weight.
My sister heard about PCOS from some of her friends that had it and when she heard the symptoms, they were very familiar. She and my mom begged me to go to the doctor to get tested for months. I kept saying no, because again I was so OVER being told I was fat and I needed to lose weight. It had become like a constant echo in my head anytime the doctor was mentioned.
Finally, at the beginning of 2017 I gave in and said I would go. My mom made the appointment (partly because I am a baby) because she knew more of what to say. She told them the appointment was SPECIFICALLY to test for PCOS. I went in and explained my symptoms, I even let my “lady beard” grow for a few days so she could see. She set up some blood tests to test my hormones, A1c, blood glucose, and thyroid levels.
She also set me up to get ultrasounds Trans abdominal and Endovaginal (very uncomfortable, but that's another story). after all of the tests, we got a call to come back in to go over the results. She started out by saying I had no cysts on my ovaries, to which I was disheartened because I thought that meant we still didn't know what was wrong. She then explained that they have now done further research into PCOS and found that you don't necessarily have cysts on your ovaries to have PCOS.
She said she was pretty sure that I had the PCOS, but just to be sure we covered all the bases she referred me out to an Endocrinologist.
Now, I have been diagnosed and I have learned that a lot of the issues I have had over the years were because of this PCOS. The thing about it is, you can't "cure" PCOS, you can just manage the symptoms. I have to shave my face once a week, I should probably shave it more often but once a week is all my skin can tolerate. I was put on medications that were supposed to help (Levothyroxine [for my thyroid] and Metformin [for my blood glucose]). I took them for about a month, but they only made me feel worse. When I looked up the side effects of the meds the lists were much longer than they should be for a medication that is still prescribed.
I told my Endo what they did, and she told me that "it was normal, but it SHOULD get better in a few months". I quit taking them. They were only making me more sick. I know many of you will probably roll your eyes and/or call me a hippie, but I switched to taking all natural supplements to help manage my symptoms. I am now doing better, and I know more of how to handle my symptoms. It has been a long and painful road, and I still sometimes have to deal with a lot of crap with it. However, I am now able to keep myself going with supplements and the foods I eat, to help manage my symptoms as much as possible.
I want to conclude by saying, I am not fishing for pity or sympathy. I don't want you to feel bad for me. I just want to share my story, and maybe add a little bit more awareness out there. If these symptoms sound familiar to you, I recommend going to get diagnosed. If you have questions about my experience or just general questions, message me and I will do my best to help.
If you made it this far in my near novel, thank you for reading.
