This time last year I was having serious health issues. My energy levels were non-existent, I was crabby, I didn’t feel well and I was on my third month of having my period. That’s right, for three solid months, I had been bleeding. After the three weeks of having my period, with no relief in sight, I decided to check in with a doctor. Unfortunately, we seem to have a lack of OBGYN’s here, so I settled for a Nurse Practitioner with a concentration in OBGYN.
At the first visit, it was pretty low key, she asked some questions, took down my medical history and prescribed birth control to stop the bleeding. I thought that was going to be the end of it. But it wasn’t. At first, the birth control worked at stopping the bleeding. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. That relief only lasted 2 weeks.
Having a non-stop period for months on end was really starting to take a toll on me. I had planned a fun mother-daughter weekend at the water park for Mother’s Day weekend but with how I had been feeling it looked like I was going to have to cancel the whole trip! I made another appointment with the NP to see what the next steps were.
Well, that was a mistake. This lady was CRAZY! She went from prescribing birth control to trying to force me into scheduling a hysterectomy! I pretty much walked out of the appointment freaking out. I couldn’t understand how we went from, oh your hormones are out of wack to you need emergency surgery. With not one test ran. So I pushed back and I pushed back hard.
Immediately I set up an opinion with our family doctor. I desperately want two more children so having a hysterectomy is not a procedure I wanted. There had to be other option. When I had told this NP my desire for more kids she looked at me and said I was old and should be thankful I already have a healthy child. This lady was all sorts of wrong.
When I met with our family doctor she was shocked by previous appointment events. She looked me right in the eyes and said – You are not old, you can have more children and a hysterectomy should be a last resort. Our doctor ordered some blood work and we waited. Within a few days the results were in, it was clear something was going on and I needed to see an Endocrinologist to get to the bottom of it.
To my surprise, I got in fairly fast with the specialist. The first visit was fairly long, he took down every single piece of my medical history and had a slew of questions. Then he ordered a new round of tests. He was determined to get to the bottom of my irregular periods, abnormal weight gain, inability to lose weight, exhaustion and more. It was refreshing to have a doctor that really listened to me and wanted to solve the puzzle rather than slap a band-aid on it.
After giving them 15 vials of blood I went home to start the waiting game. I was very curious as to what they would find. After a few weeks, I went back and received my diagnosis. For years, I had thought I was struggling with hypothyroidism and assumed my symptoms were a side effect of that. Well, guess what? I don’t have hypothyroidism. Never did. I had been misdiagnosed and taking an unnecessary medication for over a decade. I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom.
It really sounds a lot scarier than it is. PCOS is an imbalance in your body. If left untreated it can lead to type 2 Diabetes and heart issues. So now what? I get to stop taking unnecessary medication for a disease I don’t have. Then I get to start exercising while taking a new medication which should help to regulate my insulin and help my body want to shed the weight. And try to cut down the carbs as much as possible.
Within a few days of being on my new medication, my periods went back to normal! Will I have to be on this medication the rest of my life? Probably not. But until I get my hormones and insulin levels under control I will be.
It’s been a year since I started on my journey. In this past year, I have managed to get my periods under control, my energy levels up and I feel better overall. This next year will be to focus on my weight. I went misdiagnosed for over a decade, but I am determined to get my PCOS under control and start living life again.
You must be logged in to post a comment.