PCOS...It's Not Pretty

I’ve been meaning to write about this for quite a while now. It, among other things, is really the bane of my existence. I can’t really write anything funny about it – it’s just not a funny thing. This is more about sharing some information and a little about my story with PCOS.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. The basics are that women with this disorder have really screwy hormones. We seem to produce enough estrogen to give us curves, but we also produce much more testosterone than our bodies need. Our monthly cycles are iffy. Maybe one or two a year. Or more. Or less. Our ovaries think they are ovulating, but they really don’t complete the cycle and we’re left with a “cyst” where an egg should have released. Unless we are on the pill and /or don’t have a cycle every 3 to 4 months, we have to take progesterone to force a cycle. To not do so is putting us at risk for endometrial cancer.

We tend to hold onto our body weight and to actually lose weight successfully requires so much more of an effort. It's not hard to give up when what we need to do is give it that little extra push to get us over the hump. It's depressing and hard to stay motivated when the results of our efforts are so slow to reveal themselves.

Our fertility is highly compromised. There are treatments to help us complete an ovulation cycle and but the success rate isn’t wonderful. Clomid, which comes in a pill form, is one. I’ve done that a few times. It’s not so bad, but it was ineffective. Fertility shots are another option. They come in needle form. I have been all over the place with these drugs. I had the hardest time stabbing myself in the upper thigh. I even had my stepdaughters (ages 15 and 11) giving me shots (they were so brave!). Fertility drugs put you at risk for ovarian cancer. Then there are the big guns – IVF.

This hair issue is hard for me to confess. Because of the increased testosterone level, I am blessed with extra hair in places I really don’t want it. It’s such an emotional downer. Women are supposed to be pretty. We’re not supposed to have 2-inch goat hairs sticking out the sides of our neck. I spend a great deal of time hunting these things down and eradicating them. I keep a mental “map” of where they are so I can be sure to catch them before they get too wild.

In addition to shaving and plucking, I also take a drug called spironolactone, which is actually a diuretic that acts on the adrenal glands and helps reduce the amount of free testosterone in the blood, which, in turn, reduces the amount of testosterone that gets to the hair follicles and so, results in less hair growth in places I don’t want it. You can't take it, however, if you are trying to conceive because it causes fetal defects.

Carbohydrates are our nemesis. We develop glucose intolerance, high cholesterol, eventually high triglycerides, and finally, type 2 diabetes. Not everyone, but a pretty high percentage of women with PCOS go on to develop what’s called Metabolic Syndrome.

My Story:

I was first diagnosed with this at about 20 years old. I wanted to get pregnant. I wanted babies when I was young so I would be a young mom. But we weren’t having luck. I went to the doctor and he diagnosed me with PCOS. It wasn’t such a common problem as it seems to be now. I’m really surprised at how many women live with this. I know of five others close to me who suffer its effects. Three of them are still in their early to mid 20s. To them, I say DO NOT WAIT to try to conceive and have your babies. DO follow your doctor’s orders for metformin or other glucose-lowering medications. Until you are ready to try to conceive, DO go on the pill; it protects your ovaries from further cystic damage and reduces your risk for uterine cancer. If you’ve been diagnosed young, realize it’s a lifetime process. Take good care of yourself in every way. Watch your weight and carbohydrate / sugar intake. Don’t smoke cigarettes!!! Get plenty of exercise. Treat yourself well.

There are lots of web sites with information on PCOS, but this is one of my favorites, with lots of support and information all in one place: SoulCysters

As for me, well, fertility treatments were not successful. I’ve had three early miscarriages, no full-term deliveries. Three Clomid cycles, six injectable cycles. No consolation prize. I must also add that if you’re thinking of fertility treatments, please seek the help of THE BEST reproductive endocrinologist…get the BEST treatment you can!

I’m nearing 50 years old. It sounds old. Egads! But why don’t I feel so old? I guess really, I must be getting old…I am now dealing with consequences of hormones gone wild, and not taking the best care of myself as I could have done. It looks like I’m facing a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. It hasn’t been confirmed just yet, but all of my lab results are shooting at that target. So now, my hand is forced…I HAVE to do better at taking care of myself. If I haven’t done what I need to do thus far, it’s really going to be a challenge to start now. Some things, I won’t be able to fight. That’s just the way it is. But some things, I can. And I will.

Let The Games Begin….

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays - Does it really matter?

Something has been on my mind since right after Halloween.

I get e-mails from well-meaning friends to spread the news that it’s Merry Christmas, NOT Happy Holidays. When I get these, I am sad, for lots of reasons.

First of all, when we do this, it really takes something away from the spirit of the season. It’s kind of angry-like, you know. And petty. And that’s just not Christian-like.

Does it matter? Say Merry Christmas if you wish. Say Happy Holidays if you wish. It’s all the same. Happy Holidays is just more inclusive of friends who may celebrate other traditions at the same time we celebrate Christmas. Would you really wish to exclude those friends from wishing them happiness and joy? I would hope not.

If you want to be angry about something, be angry that our food pantries are in dire need of donations. Be angry that we have people in our own country going hungry. Be angry enough to do something about it. Repurpose your angry energy to do something that will make a difference in someone’s life.

Now about this Christmas thing. We’re taught as Christians that it’s about the miracle of the birth of Christ, which, of course, we should celebrate. I’m just not so sure it should be celebrated the way we do. I personally make a deep separation between the birth of Christ and the pagan rituals we’ve propagated into the greedy, commercial mockery of what Christmas is supposed to be.

 Nowhere in the Bible does it say to take the life of a pine tree, drag it home, and adorn it with lights in celebration of the birth of Christ. It doesn’t say to go out and buy presents. The reality is that it’s fashioned after pagan celebrations of the Winter Solstice. And really, it’s just NOT okay to stampede and trample a human being to death over a great bargain at Wal-Mart. That's just horrifying!

I’m not saying we shouldn’t celebrate the birth of Christ. Let’s do that. And let’s propagate the message of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, and not just in December, but all year, all our lives.

And I’m not saying we can’t have our pagan rituals. Have fun. Make your traditions. Enjoy and celebrate.

Just don’t lump them together.

And don’t exclude your friends of different faiths, religions, and heritage from wishing them joy and happiness. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or Season’s Greetings - rejoice in the spirit in which it is being said and enjoy the beauty of the season.

To my family and all of my friends, I wish you Joy, Peace, Love, and Happiness - for this season and throughout your lives.

What Do You Do?

One of the first things newly found friends ask is - What do you do? I assume they mean to ask what do I do for a living? By what means do I otherwise function in society that allows me to meet financial obligations? Or by what means do I function on a social level so that I am contributing to the greater good?

I am a medical transcriptionist by profession. I listen to doctors dictate medical information on their patients, and then I type it out into readable form. Most people think it's easy and that I "just type what I hear." Yep. That's all there is to it.

I work at home.

Now that just sounds silly. I'm female. Of course I work at home! I do laundry, vacuum, dust, cook, clean, etc.; I work at home. Doesn't mean I get paid for it.

But, I actually DO earn REAL money doing this.

I hate saying that I work at home. It just gives people the wrong idea. It conjures up not-so-pleasant visions of how one might work at home. I work in an office on the 2nd floor of our house. I work in the shed in our back yard. I work in a corner of our basement. I work in a cubby hole in the kitchen. I work at home. In my pajamas, barefoot, with my bed hair all crazy and wild.

This is where all the wizardry happens.

These pictures were taken on a bad hair day. I've got an order in for fresh blue/gray paint (complete with new drapes and big rug),  total reorganization, and wire taming.

Some think there is something "glamorous" about it but 17 years later, I still haven't yet figured out the glamour of it. Perhaps they're referring to the part of my job that allows me to have all time in the world to chat with people online or on the phone, do lunch, meet up for a tennis match, go get my hair doo'd, get a mani-pedi, massage and spa, and just live my life in luxury because I work at home. It's just all that. Kinda like the Orange County Housewives. Bwaaa haaa haaa haaa.....

Stay tuned ...