In 2001 I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). After my diagnosis, I still didn't know much about this syndrome. I had read an article in a magazine that talked about a woman who was having difficulty losing weight no matter how hard she tried. In 1998, I started working out every day, at least an hour a day, along with eating healthy, low-fat meals. We would do a workout in the morning that included 20 minutes of cardio and 40 minutes of weight training. In the afternoons, I would come home and swim laps in the pool. On the weekends, we would play racquetball (along with our morning workout). I maintained this super-physical, healthy lifestyle for about 3 years. During the first year, I lost 25 pounds. Following the same diet and exercise regiment, my husband had lost over 140 pounds. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what it was. After reading the magazine article, I thought I finally had an answer. The girl in the article was eating healthy, working out, and not losing weight just like me. The article said she went to her OBGYN, requested a couple of blood tests, was diagnosed with PCOS, was prescribed Metformin, immediately started losing weight, and soon after she conceived a child. I had many of the same symptoms she had in the article, so I thought this must be my problem as well.
I went to my OBGYN and told her I thought I had PCOS. Her response was, "Yeah, you probably have it."
What?! Why had she not mentioned it before? Why did I have to discover this syndrome on my own? It turns out, this is pretty normal behavior for many GPs, OBGYNs, and the like. They know about the syndrome, they even think some of their patients have it, but they never mention it to them. Some doctors don't even believe it's a real issue and dismiss it completely. Many doctors are completely ignorant about PCOS. If left untreated, PCOS can lead to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, depression, fatty-liver disease and eventually non-alcohol Cirrhosis of the liver, morbid obesity (and everything that goes along with that), high triglycerides, thyroid disease, and various cancers.
I asked her to run some blood work to find out for sure if I had it. Her tests were inconclusive. She said the only way for her to know for sure was to do an ultrasound of my ovaries to look for cysts. She referred me to an endocrinologist. As it turns out, my OBGYN's ultrasound wouldn't have even been a definitive answer as to whether or not I had PCOS. Not everyone who has PCOS has cysts on their ovaries. That is just one of the symptoms of this syndrome. It is called a syndrome instead of a disease because it can present itself differently in each woman.
After taking 13 vials of blood from me, the endocrinologist determined that I not only had PCOS, but I also was pre-diabetic and had high triglycerides. He prescribed Metformin. I thought I would soon start dropping weight like crazy. The answer to my prayers!
Ummm, that didn't happen. I took my Metformin, continued working out, continued eating healthy with no results. With the addition of the Metformin, the only real change was that I had terrible stomach cramps every evening. As soon as food would enter my lower digestional tract, it would feel like I was digesting glass. These severe cramps would last 20 minutes to an hour. Then it would pass. Metformin also causes nausea. So, I was taking medicine that was supposed to help me and the only result I was seeing was being in severe pain and being nauseous. That's not my idea of the help I was looking for.
I continued taking the medications my endocrinologist prescribed, eating healthy, and working out. I wasn't seeing any results. It was maddening. I gave up for a while after my Father was diagnosed with cancer. I didn't have the energy to worry about my diet and exercise regimen. I could only worry about my Dad and whether or not he was going to survive the cancer. (I'm blessed to say he is still alive 14 years later). Through the stress of my father's illness and not being able to exercise on a regular basis, I gained 75 pounds. I was now at an all time high weight of 350 pounds!
When my Dad's health started to improve, I got back into my workout routine. I decided to try Weight Watchers. I lost 24 pounds in the first couple of months and then not one more pound for the next 6 months. It was maddening!
My doctors weren't much help. They knew less about this syndrome than I did. I started reading articles online about PCOS. I joined a PCOS support group on Facebook. Through these resources, I learned more and more about PCOS.
To learn more about PCOS, please click on the links on the right under the heading "PCOS Information and Support."
A few years ago, I learned that approximately 30% of women with PCOS are unable to lose weight even with exercise and normal caloric intake. Guess who is one of those lucky 30%? This girl!
Some women with PCOS have success with low-carb diets. I'm going to start trying that and see if it helps me. I'm down to about 300 pounds now. I lost 30 pounds in 2009 from basically only eating one meal a day. I lost an additional 20 pounds in 2013 from having pneumonia and not wanting to eat at all. Right now, I just try to eat as little as possible so I don't gain anymore weight. I think I could also benefit with some sort of gastric surgery like the gastric sleeve or the lap band, but my insurance won't cover it and I can't afford it.
I'm now 40 years old. I have Type II Diabetes, High Triglycerides, Hypothyroidism, Anxiety, Acne, Hirsuitism, Hair Loss, Headaches, Severe Mood Swings, Ovarian Pain, Skin Tags, Infertility, Hot Flashes, and I'm Morbidly Obese. Last year, I adopted 3 children as I was not able to conceive any of my own.
When I turned 40 in May, I decided I wanted to get my first tattoo. I wanted it to be something that means something to me. Here is what I decided on:
The cross represents my faith in Jesus Christ.
The Faith, Hope, Love are from one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13.
The 3 doves represent my 3 children.
The teal ribbon is for PCOS Awareness.
The names listed are the names of my children.
I like having the tattoo so that people can ask me what it represents. It provides me the opportunity to tell them about PCOS.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women.
1 in 10 women have PCOS, most don't even know it.
I am 1 in 10.
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