PCOS

It's not a secret I have been struggling to carry a child. Because I haven't had the same Doctor for all of my 4 pregnancies (1st one we lived in SLC, 2nd we moved to Cedar, 3rd on the 2nd Dr. sent me to a specialist, and the 4th one we moved back to SLC) it's been difficult to find if there is another underlining issue going on besides my diabetes.

Over a year ago my Endocrinologist had wondered if I might have PCOS. (Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome) I have always struggled with weight gain, insulin resistance, acne, and irregular periods especially when I’m on a high level of insulin. She ran some tests and also found that I had high levels of testosterone that would explain the hair thinning on my head and extra hair where it shouldn’t be. She referred me to an OB/GYN to get a diagnosis and to also get on a game plan to start trying to conceive again. I remember thinking that I’m pretty sure I don’t have PCOS mainly because I don’t want another disease to deal with but also I had assumed that since it was a syndrome that causes cysts on the ovaries, there had been so many Dr.’s poking around down there and not one of them mentioned any cysts or the possibility of having PCOS! So it just seemed very unlikely to me or again I think I was just in denial. But I went to the OB. After 2hrs of waiting in the waiting area the OB’s PA came in…. she didn’t examine me or ask me any questions… and said (in so many words) that the reason why I had all the above symptoms was because I was obese and to not try to conceive. She even asked if I wanted her to prescribe me a birth control. I was devastated! I get the whole “medical opinion” but COME ON!! You don’t want to make sure that your patient is having medical issues JUST because they are a fatty mc fat face??!! I ended up leaving totally discouraged and done! Done! I’m so tired of the lack of care from medical care professionals! I don't want someone to tell me what I want to hear!
But I do want someone to tell me that we will find the problem, make sure it’s the problem, find the cause of the problem and find the solution. I would like a Doctor who will be on my team that will work just as hard or be a good coach that will give me the best game plans!
I haven’t had a Primary Care Doctor for over a year. My previous one….…. well that’s a long story no reason to go into it now.
My Endo can pretty much take care of all my diabetic things but she can’t do much else. Like a sickness and with the recent one and what happened to my body I knew it was time to get a Primary. I had watched a news story of MD and D.O’s. A D.O is someone who studies Osteopath. In a nut shell D.O’s focus on holistic healing, trying to solve medical issues by dealing with what’s going on mentally and emotionally. For a diabetic this is HUGE because stress and other life issues affect the insulin and sugar goings on in our bodies. This news story also talked about M.D.’s also being D.O.’s. So in my imagination I pictured a person that not only would take care of my medical needs but also giving me instruction and advise on how to take care of my personal and life needs. Since I was blind I sent Scott on a mission to find a MD/DO that took our insurance. The D.O. he made an appointment with was at a funeral so we saw another Dr. The first thing she asked was “How are you?” I went directly to telling her about my recent health issues and she said “That’s good. But how are YOU?” I was surprised but also vindicated. This is what I wanted and needed my Dr. to ask me. Dr. Baiden is her name. She isn't a D.O but she gave me power, strength, a tongue lashing, advise, confidence, a game plan, a realistic outlook but hope and a.......hug. I am that person who sometimes just needs someone to hold your hand, look you straight in the face and say ……..we will fight it and if there is a way to fix it we will find it!
So Dr. Baiden had done a lot of her pre-med with the OB department at the U of U. So she knows a lot about PCOS. I told her about issues, previous experience, and my doubt about having PCOS. One thing that I mentioned earlier in this post was if I had PCOS why hasn’t anyone ever seen or mentioned cysts. Come to find out you don’t have to have cysts on you ovaries to have PCOS. So at this point it’s almost certain I have PCOS. I will be going up to the OB department that Baiden was at to get a firm diagnosis and take part in some studies. I’m still holding out hope that I might be able to carry a little one but only time will tell. So many people have been happy for me that now finally I may have answers. They might be right but PCOS is not curable and it is only managed by birth control, diet, and insulin resistant meds. All but the birth control pills I’m already on and doing.