This is a thread for Older Cysters as well as the Younger ones. Everyone can try to find themselves a "BIG" Cyster or older cyster to be there Buddy. Like the person they can talk to about anything to do with PCOS, having kids, peer problem, parent problems, school problems, anything.
Now Big Cysters this is what you have to do. Post a resume so to speak. Give a little information about youself, age what you do , if you have children , ect. then the younger cysters can search through them and find them a Big Cyster. Sound good? The Big Cyster Little Cysters can be email buddies, IM chat buddies, just buddies on here . It's up to you. Also the Little Cysters can post what they are looking for as well. As this thread can be for talking about topics as well.
***It doesn't matter how old you are to be a Big Cyster, if you feel like you can be a Big Cyster than you CAN.
Hope this goes well.
Take advantage of this ladies! Thanks!
Oh also if you are a Little Sister (teen or college aged) post that your interested in finding a Big Cyster.
************************************************** *************** I will update new Cysters on here daily. Eventually I will make a list of those Big Cysters and Littles Cysters that have matched up. So far we have...
WE NEED SOME LITTLE CYSTERS!
*: Already has a Little Cyster or a Big Cyster.
Big Cysters *****Already have Little Cysters! ****
Jenlynn83 – Jennifer (Jen) Janie73 – Janie MeShel - Michele REW- Ruth Heidi31 - Heidi Rum Lovin' Mummy - Fee danare - Dana Fallchild - Jennifer Molton Mama - Melissa missyanne - Melissa ~*Butterflygrl*~ - Misty Sapphire Spirit - Amy MsSuziQ - Suzi deedlebug06 - Deanna (Dee) Zinzara - Linda ssaunders1187 - Samatha
***AVAILABLE Big Cysters*** CHECK them out and pick one! BELOW :
Eva37 - Eva mtm71401 - Tamara Purple monkfish - Jen Mustangsally82 - Sally Mazarin - Alison newfiecyster - Lisa chrissy5828 - Chrissy goddess819 - Kristy AnnieC - Annie shortandbubbly - Melissa foostar - Katie Headyfeady3- Heather (Heady) enligh10dwon - Tahlena (Tah) vicandla - Laura LeeDawson - Lee
Little Cysters * - Means ALREADY has a Big Cyster!
*Jeanette - Jeanette *blondie132 - Katie *guitarplyr92 - Ashley Ally_McBeads - Alex *Britishpixie *lolajune - Kate *Courtneyh29 - Courtney *dance0016 - Sara *misslady0608 - Michelle *RaeBolt06 - Rachel *PrincessJen09 - Jennifer *Madeleine - Madeleine *LookingForHope16 - Erika *MAFlowers - Miranda thincyster85 j_gormo - Gormo *x sobriquet x - Rebecca *Cadenceface - Anna icegurl121691 - Jennifer kb123 - Karla embo114-
After the Little Cysters find their Big Cysters I will post all the Big and Little Cysters that are together below:
guitarplyr92-(Ashley): her Big Cyster is Janie73-(Janie)
blondie132-(Katie): her Big Cyster isRum Lovin' Mummy-(Fee)
After you have a Little Cyster please go back to your original post where you posted your resume and edit it. What I want you to do is go to edit then on the very top of your post, post this:
***My Little Cyster is (put your Little Cysters name here)****
Example: pretend this is my post (If you have questions or your confused please let me know.
Post who your Little Cyster is here ------>make it big and bold. thanks
My name is Rachel . Im 19 years old..I live here..blah blah balh..........................
Hi, My name is Jennifer. I am not what I would consider to be an "older" cyster, but I am 23, still in college raising 2 dd's with 1 on the way, married to DH for 4.5 years.
A little background on my infertility/fertility battle:
I have always had irregular cycles, painful, cycles. So at around age 12 I was put on low dose BCP's. They really helped regulate me, and stopped the horrible pain. When I became sexually active I was up'ed to Orthotricyclen. I was so faithful with taking the pill, never missed a dose, took it at the same time....EVERYDAY!
When I was 17 a junior in high school I got pregnant. I had my DD Kayla on the christmas break of my senior year. I went back to school in febuary and graduated with honors that June. The Dr. and I just thought it was a fluke that I got pg on the pill, never gave it a second thought.
Kayla's dad and I got married the following summer and decided that we would love to have a baby boy! So, in early June, I went to my OB/Gyn to talk about having a baby. She recommended since it was early June, that I go ahead and go off the pill when I got AF to regulate my body and she thought I would get pregnant in a couple of months. I got AF on june 18, 2002 and got married on June 22, 2002. I found out on july 20th that I was pregnant. We were very excited. We had a bouncing baby GIRL that march.
In june 2005, I decided that I really would love to try one more time for that little boy, so once again in july I went off the pill and got pregnant. What I didnt know is that it was an ectopic pregnancy and that my right tube would burst. I spoke with the dr. and she said that because of the trauma to my tube (which I have little to no scarring on now, I am one of the lucky ones) I should start to bleed shortly and if I didnt bleed by sept to call the office and be seen. So I went into the office and she did a u/s which showed my lining to be about ready to "sluff" off and so we waited. Finally in oct I did a round of provera and got a period. I didnt get AF again till Dec. when I took provera again. All along this time I had been having regular u/s's that showed cysts and other signs of PCOS.
In January of 2006 I started Actos 30 mg/day to try to combate my IR. It seemed to help a little. Still no AF. We then did 3 rounds of clomid, 50mg, 100mg and 150mg. I finally had a good O on 150mg. But the side effects were AWFUL! I decided that god had already blessed me with 2 beautiful DD's and I would leave it at that. I went back on the BCP's.
I was on the BCP a month when we had to switch insurance companys. I figured why pay the out of pocket for BCP's when I could just start them once I got my new ins. I got pregnant. I am now 24 weeks pregnant with our THIRD little girl!!
My doctor and I now joke that I am "only Fertile" on BCP's!! LOL
Background on my life:
I am the product of a broken home, my dad couldnt stay faithful and I did alot for myself growing up so my mom could work tons of hours to keep a roof over my head.
I am a working/mommy/college student/volunteer/wife.
I consider myself a professional student. I have an associates in medical office management and I am a certified paramedic. I am currently going to school to finish my RN/BSN. My goal is to work in the NICU.
I am not sure what else you would like to know. I have pretty much been/done it all in my short life, and although I am not "older" I have definately had some life experience and would be glad to listen if you need to talk! Feel free to pm me!!
Take care, Jen
__________________
*Jennifer(26) & Frank(31)*
*Married: 6.22.02*
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*12.27.00*3.20.03*5.2.07*
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Hi -- this sounds like a great idea! I go by Janie; I'm 33, married for almost 5 years, and have an 18 month old son.
Medical Background
I knew something was wrong as young as 14, and knew it was really wrong at 17 when my period seemed to stop altogether. I'd never been regular, but that year I started having no more than 2-4/yr. I also started gaining weight really fast and getting the typical skin tags, dark spots, and excess hair. I think I gained 80 lbs. my freshman year of college, so I started going to doctors, who all just said that I needed to go on a diet.
Needless to say, that wasn't very helpful. Through college and grad school I was broke and didn't have insurance, so I just went to doctors when things got really bad, and not a one of them bothered to run any tests. By the time I finished grad school the first time around, I was close to 300 lbs and not happy about it. By then I'd been through cycles of self-inflicted anorexia, fad diets, and, when nothing helped, I'd just eat everything in sight. About that time my university got their first internet connections in the library, and I happened to work there, so I was able to use them a lot and for the first time found the term "PCOS." I was thrilled to have a name for my problem, but it would be 3 more years til I got a diagnosis.
I did manage to get in shape even though there wasn't any real weight loss involved, and I'm happy to say that, once I accepted who I was, my obesity hasn't held me back a bit. Until the birth of my son, I remained a physically active person. The only thing that stopped that was the birth of our son. We assumed I was infertile -- that's what all the doctors said to expect. It came as quite a surprise when I discovered that I'd started ovulating and got pregnant just 3 months later! We are thrilled to have a son and hope to have at least one more child. I first need to get my health back under control. Pregnancy and a poorly performed c-section have left me with physical and emotional problems to get past, but I have finally found a good doctor, so we are very hopeful.
I am currently being treated for PCOS with metformin, hypothyroidism with levothyroxine, reflux with nexium, and allergies and asthma with several other medications. It's not always easy to juggle all those pills, but it's worth it!
Personal Life
I am one of five siblings who grew up in a dysfunctional but ultimately loving family. I did have a rocky childhood, but we have grown closer in recent years. I have several graduate degrees and enjoyed careers in political/legal advocacy and teaching (college) before becoming a stay-at-home mom. I now teach online college English and political science classes and do some writing on the side. I have moved A LOT in my life, more than 35 times, but DH and I love East Tennessee and hope to stay where we are for many years.
DH and I actually met online, though we did date in person for 2 years before becoming engaged. Between that, working online, and finding medical information and SoulCysters, the internet has been a big part of my life! It's hard to believe that I didn't "go online" for the first time til I was 22. I often wish that it had existed when I was in my teens so that I could have found the medical information I needed, but at least it's here now
PM me if there's anything else you'd like to know or if you just want to chat!
__________________ Dx 7/01 (but knew for years!)
also IBD, IC, fibromyaliga, hiatal hernia w/ acid reflux, asthma/allergies, and hypothyroidism
5'9" 332/250 present goal
I'm a mom! DS born 7/15/2005
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***My Little Cyster is x sobriquet x (Rebecca)****
Hi, I'm Suzi. I'm 30 years old, married almost 4 1/2 years and I have a 10 1/2 month old daughter.
I went on bcps when I was 14 years old to regulate my period. I stayed on them for a couple of years and then went off of them. AF only showed up twice in an entire year. When I was 17, I went back on them and stayed on them until 1999. At the time, I was married to my ex-husband and we had decided to try to get pregnant. I was off of them for about 6 months and during that time, AF never showed up. Also during that time, my marriage fell apart, but that's a totally different story. I went to my OB/GYN at the time and explained to him what was going on and that I needed to get back on the pill. He said, "Oh, you probably have PCOS." I asked what that meant. He said, "It's no big deal. When you get ready to get pregnant, we'll put you on provera to induce your period and put you on Clomid and you'll get pregnant." Yeah right!! I never had an official diagnosis and he never did any tests to diagnose me. A couple of months after that, I moved from that city and moved back home. I went to my family doctor and told him about what the OB/GYN had said and they ran tests and did an abdominal u/s of my ovaries and said everything looked normal. So, back to square one as to why I don't get AF on my own. I was taking bcps again, so I didn't give it a lot of thought.
Fast forward a couple of years...I've remarried and my DH and I are talking about starting a family. I go off the bcps in November 2003. December...no AF, negative hpt. January...no AF, negative hpt. February...no AF, negative hpt. (see a pattern forming here?) March, April, May, June...no AF, negative hpt. I called my doctor in June and made an appointment. She referred me to my current OB/GYN, who I think is a GOD!! At my first appointment with him in July 2004, we talked and I told him about the initial OB/GYN's remarks, the tests my family doctor did, my family history, etc. He told me "I'm 99.9% sure you have PCOS, but I won't know without doing a few tests." He did a vaginal u/s of my ovaries in the office that day and I had the classic "string of pearls" on both ovaries. He sent me for bloodwork and I was to come back a week later. During this week, I started researching PCOS and I too was convinced I had it. At my followup appointment, he confirmed his initial diagnosis with the bloodwork results. FINALLY!! A diagnosis!! It has a name and I'm not just weird!
My OB/GYN put me on metformin (1000mg to start) and we gave that until September to see if it would regulate my cycle. No such luck. In September, we added Clomid (50mg), which did nothing. We upped it to 100mg in November...still nothing. I went back to see him in December and we agreed it was time to move on to something else. He referred me to the Nashville Fertility Center to Dr. Abby Eblen, who specializes in treating women with PCOS. She was also wonderful!! We tried a couple more rounds of Clomid (150mg and 200mg) and still nothing. She also sent me for an HSG and had DH get a seman analysis done. Everything came back clear. She ran bloodwork and upped my metformin eventually to 2500mg. We moved on to injectibles. After 23 days of Follistim injections, a trigger shot, IUI and an hCG booster, I got my BFP!
Infertility is only one of my PCOS symptoms. I also have unwanted hair growth (dark hair on my body and chin), acne, skin tags and I'm overweight. I've probably read every book I can get my hands on regarding PCOS and have done tons of research on my own. As a matter of fact, I provided some information to my OB that he wasn't even aware of yet...lol. He did his research and agreed with me totally.
A little background, I am a child of divorce. My parents divorced when I was 3. My mom remarried when I turned 14, which was when my life was turned upside down. After a VERY rebellous stage, dealing with undiagnosed PCOS symptoms and being a teenager in general, I finally settled into things.
I am currently a SAHM and I'm studying to do medical transcription work from home. I'd love nothing more than to get pregnant again as soon as I wean my daughter in March when she turns a year old. I have a younger sister (she's 28) who also has PCOS.
If there's anything I can help you with or if you'd just like to chat, PM me or look me up on YIM. My screen name is ms_suzi_q and I'm almost always online after 9pm CST...once the baby goes to sleep.
__________________
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Great idea Raebolt!
My name is Michele, I'm 32 and have been married for 3 1/2 years. We have a 15 month old son and I'm currently 9 weeks pregnant.
As a teenager, everything was normal although I *knew* I was going to have problems trying to have a baby. Don't know why, just had this gut feeling.
So I go to college and spring of my junior year, I gained about 30 lbs in 2 months after a pretty tramautic event and started skipping AF. Chalked it up to stress. The weight gain didn't make sense, the inablitly to lose the weight made even less sense. I was always very thin, very athletic and had played sports my entire life. At the time I played varsity soccer, indoor soccer and rugby. Around the same time I had some hair growth on my arms. Went to the doctor who ran some basic bloodwork and everything came back normal. I also had very bad acne on my back and chest which I had since a teenager and nothing seemed to help it. For 10 years I continued to gain weight, started getting hair on my chin and constantly complained to my OB's and primarys and everyone just chalked it up to my diet and laziness, despite me tellling them I still exercised regularly. It was extremely frustrating. I felt like I would diet and exercise to maintain my "fatness." So I wouldn't lose anything on the diet and exercise, I'd stop and then gain more weight. Horrible cycle. I even had one OB tell me that my mother's history had nothing to do with mine when her cycles and history were very similar to mine. I met my husband, we got married 3 years later. Still had very sporatic AF's, still gaining weight but at this point I gave up trying to figure out what was going on, nobody ever had answers for me. We decided to start ttc, and after a year and 2 miscarriages, my ob sent us to an RE. This was in Jan of 2005. At this point I hadn't had AF in 6 months. We go in, they run some initial bloodwork, I had an ultrasound on a Tuesday diagnosing me with PCOS and that following Thursday we found out I was pregnant with my son. Somehow, despite not having AF and no treatment, I got pregnant on my own. Our son is truly a miracle. We found out this past August that I also have a clotting disorder that I was never treated for througout my pregnancy. After my son was born, I made an appt to go see Dr. Katherine Sherif who runs the Drexel University Center for PCOS. It wasn't until I met her that I really began to understand PCOS. She put me on 2000mg of met which I'm currently still taking. This past December we met with her partner Dr. Minassian to begin a plan for ttc our next child. We were planning on starting Clomid at the end of Dec when my next cycle started. We figured what the hey, why not try while waiting to start the clomid and we got a BFP. I'm sure it was the Met that helped us get pregnant right away. It took 10 very long frustrating years to figure out what was going on with me. In some ways, it really angers me that many OB's seem clueless when it comes to PCOS and diagnosing it, esp when patients are exhibiting the classic symptoms. So anyway, that is my pcos story.
Just a little about me. My parents divorced when I was 2, both remarried by the time I was 8. I have a 24 yr old 1/2 sister and a 20 year old 1/2 brother. My relationship right now is pretty rocky with my mom, she can't seem to understand my wanting and needing a relationship with my biological father (which very rocky growing up) and has basically been acting like a child since I got married. I struggle with that on an almost daily basis. I'm a stay at home mom but worked as a scientist in cancer research before I had my son. I miss it a lot and would really like to go back after we are finished having kids.
I think Rae has a great idea and hopefully we can all support and inspire each other. You are welcome to PM me anytime!
Hi, I am Ruth and 35, almost 36 years old and my LITTLE CYSTER IS BRITISHPIXIE (LAURA) I have been officially diagnosed with PCOS since June 05. I suspected it for years before the dx, but was too afraid to ask a doctor about it. Up until recently, the only treatment I received was spironolactone for facial hair.
I am 5 ft 3 and at my heaviest I weighed 221. Currently I am 187 and working my way down to 140. I have done all kinds of diets: Atkins, Sommersize, Weight Watchers and I have settled into low glycemic. I have also made great improvements with exercise. I walk between 1.8-3miles 5 days a week. I also learned how to swim and now swim 2 – 3 times a week for 25 minutes. I am working on trying to incorporate a Pilates video once a week into my schedule. These lifestyle changes have taken a lot of work and dedication, but are really paying off. This fall I was able to buy smaller clothes!
DH are starting this month to ttc #1 and I switched all of my doctors because they were not helping out the PCOS stuff. I got diagnosed with Hashimotos and am now taking medication for this. My new OB/GYN agreed to start me on Metformin and I am now at 2000mg (as of the 17th). Though I have only recently started Met, I have seen evidence of my hormones shifting so I am optimistic. I am actually very encouraged about my medication changes because a year ago I struggled with depression linked to exhaustion/stress and now I am convinced that it was really related to they Hypothyroidism and PCOS.
PCOS symptoms include: facial hair, apple shape, skin tag, tiredness, occasional depressions, both parents are type 2 diabetics, mild psoriasis, very light periods. I am sure there are more, but that is all I can remember at the moment.
A little about me personally: DH and I married in May 2004 and we are both dedicated Christians. When I was single I went on several mission trips. We are living in the Austin area but would like to move to Oregon one day. I have worked in healthcare since I was in high school and am working for a government agency in a health related administrative type job. DH is working full time and also studying for Microsoft computer certifications.
Please pm me if you would like to talk to or to listen!
__________________ Ruth 38 & DH 45 3/17/08 DD
Last edited by REW; 02-08-2007 at 05:57 PM.
Reason: Adding Little cyster
My name is Deanna (Dee) and I am 32 years old. I am married and have one eight month old daughter. I work as the Director of a small museum in New York State.
I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early 20's. Symptoms began appearing when I was in my teens, most notably weight gain, irregular periods, and hypoglycemia. I finally complained to my family physician about being really hungry and then passing out. She sent me to an endocrinologist and I was diagnosed.
I was on metformin for a year or so, then stopped after I had a falling out with my Dr. By then I was just so sick of being sick that I didn't want to see any Dr.'s at all. DH and I had our ninth anniversary and a few months later got pregnant all by ourselves. I did not have the easiest pregnancy, but it was all worth it in the end.
My current PCOS battles include: weight gain, facial hair, skin discoloration/tags, hypoglycemia, irregular periods, among other things.
If anyone wants to chat, has a question, or just needs someone to listen to them feel free to PM. Having PCOS as a teen is not easy. We have all been there, and would love to help!
ETA - Now that I have more time, in my personal life, I love scrapbooking, and listening to music. I like pretty much everything but my favs are Alternative Rock and Heavy Metal. DH and I are NASCAR fans and I have met Jeff Gordon a few times (althought I am a Tony Stewart fan). We like to travel and have been up and down the eastern seaboard a lot. I am not much of a regular tv addict, but DH and I watch a new movie on DVD a couple times a week.
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PCOS, Male Factor Infertility, and One Tube Wonder! Surprise BFP 10/6/05, Placenta Previa 11/05 Incompetent Cervix and Pre-term Labor 3/13/06 DD born 5/06
Join us on the Monthly Breastfeeding support thread in the mommy board!
A Friendly, Open Board for ALL Cysters.
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Last edited by deedlebug06; 02-08-2007 at 09:33 PM.
Reason: Add in more text
Hi I'm Heidi, I'm 35 years old and live in the UK with my almost 2 year old & my husband.
I was diagnosed with pcos at the ripe old age of 31 after years of being told to lose weight etc. It took us 8 years to conceive our dd which felt like forever. I had 1 lap, 2 hsg's, 5 cycles of clomid, 4 sessions of reflexology, met for 2 years and finally a bfp!
I'd known for a long time that something was wrong with me, my periods started to change when I was in my late teens, early 20's & I'd gain weight very easily, even when I was eating the same as my skinny friends.
My sister also has pcos & is ttc. I think my gran also had it as it took her a few years to conceive my mum & aunt.
I'd love to help anyone, pm, yahoo or messenger. I hated being a teenager, although I started going out with my dh at 16 & we're celebrating 19 years together at the end of the month!
Great idea Raebolt!
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My name is Tamara and I am REALLY old (30). I have had PCOS since I was about 14. I was put on birth control at that age to try and regulate my periods. It didn't work and the side/effects sucked so I stopped. That was really the only effect that I had of PCOS. I was a lean cyster in those days (mostly because I was very active and played lots of sports). It wasn't until after college (and the end of my sports career) that I began to gain weight. While I had PCOS at a very young age I didn't have any idea what it was until my DH and I tried to have a baby. I started BC again when I got married since DH and I didn't want kids right away. While on BC, I became pg 2 times and m/c both times. I didn't think muchabout it at the time. I was sad it had happened, but I really thought it was related to the BC. In Jan '05 I saw the dr because DH and I had tried to become pg and we had no luck. We had been trying for a while. The dr ran some tests and there it was, PCOS and IR. I used clomid and gloucophage to get pg. I had one more m/c and then I was able to finally have a baby to keep.
My body seems to be doing better after having a baby. My current battle is weight as I weigh about 190lbs.
Big Cysters Little Cysters 
been married nearly 13 years, have a son who is nearly 10. Had symptoms since being 12 at the start of periods. Got dx when about 30. 
