I haven't posted in ages because this is an awful time of the year for me at work. I'm a collections manager for a large law firm and the money collected during these months determines how big the attorneys' bonuses are, so needless to say, I'm a little stressed.
But while I have a few quiet minutes to myself, I thought I'd let everyone know that I found an awesome doctor. For those of you in Pittsburgh, my suggestion--GO SEE HER!!!
She is so knowledgeable about PCOS that its almost frightening. She's also very thorough. I was diagnosed with PCOS last January and no one bothered to check on any other symptoms but the reproductive parts. The very first thing she did was order the 2 hour glucose test. Thank heavens she did, because, as it turns out, I'm diabetic--very borderline, but diabetic nonetheless.
She's the first one who even bothered to look into why my sugar levels were always elevated in blood work.
For me, the best thing was that SHE called me personally to tell me that I'm diabetic--she didn't have a nurse call, she did it herself.
For those of you interested, she's very hard to get an appointment with and you may have to wait a couple of months, but believe me its worth it. It won't be so hard to get a followup appointment.
Thanks for letting me share.
E-mail me if you have more questions about her.
Beth
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
I am from Pittsburgh and I am trying to find a doctor for PCOS. I am not the typical PCOS case. I am not IR and I am just have amenorrhea. I am trying to find a doctor that prescribes Mefformin for normal weight, non IR people, does she do this?? Please let me know. Thanks
She wasn't the one who initially prescribed Met for me (my ob/ John Turocy did), but she is VERY knowledgeable about PCOS and highly recommends Met--nothing else. She has found success with many of her patients conceiving on Met.
Just be prepared to wait a while for an appointment. It took me 3 months for the first one. But she was worth the wait.
And she loves it if you go in with a list of questions to ask her. She will let you dictate what medication you think you need--I ask her to switch me to Met XR and she did without thinking twice.
Good luck.
Beth
BTW what part of Pittsburgh are you in??
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Thank you so much!! I am glad to hear good news about Dr. Bononi. I was hesistant to make an appt, but I saw her name on the website. SO I figured she had to be up to date with Metformin and insulin resistant in ALL PCOS patients. I need to get a referrel first, but then I plan to make the appt. I live in the eastern part ...in PENN HILLS through the Squirrel hill tunnels. I go to Duquesne University in pursuit of my Masters of Physician Assistant. I was diagnosed with PCOS in Marh 2003. Only signs were that I had high androgens and no period. I have gained weight in my middle, but I am not overweight. I am struggling to maintain my weight though. I exercise 5-6 days week (run), and try to low carb, yet it doesnt matter that much. So I would like to try something to give my period back other than hormones to help regulate my metabolism!!! Thanks again
She is very good, and definitely worth the hassle of a referral.
She also is very open-minded about the different drugs like Metformin, although she prefers it to drugs like Actos and Avandia because she has found it extremely effective in her patients.
Just be prepared for TONS of tests--she loves tests.
Let me know how it goes!!
Beth
PS: I live in the South Hills area (Mt. Oliver) and work downtown.
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
You are right, it sure is hard to get an appointment, receptionist said she was taking any til MAY. BUT..The lady asked what my problem was and why I was calling. I said I was diagnosed with PCOS by my gynecologist and wanted a second opinion. She said hold on and said I can get you an appointment on Feb. 12th with her Nurse Practitioner who works personally with Dr. Bononi. I said GREAT!!! Book me!! I have had tests done, I just want to try Met. Did you see a gynecologist before? WHat made you decide to make an appt with the Endocrinologist? I wish I would've in the beginning when I wasn't having my period.
Oh by the way. I live in Penn Hills and I go to Duquesne. Thanks for the great advice. They said they will send me a packet in the mail. I am anxiously waiting....YEAH !!
Hey, more pittsburgh gals, YAY!
Quick question to Beth (yup, I've talked to you before, I know)
Did any of your other bloodwork (other than 2 hour fast) come back abnormal, in the way that it might suggest you might be diabetic?
I've had many blood tests done (I get a whole workup of bloodwork done every 3 months to monitor things) and they always say anything that'd show if I'm diabetic comes back normal. But I've never had the 2 hour glucose test, and I'm not sure if I should ask my doctor for one or not. I think if I was even close to being diabetic they'd know by know..with the few kidney and many many bladder infections I've had (can be signs of diabetes), I think they'd check that But I still wonder sometimes..
I think I shouldn't bother. Everytime I pry into a problem, they find something new and I get more bad news, and more pills to take.
ok..I needa run and take my pills, bah..least i took the met already..big buggers they are!
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daniel Benjamin born/died October 4, 2004. Ari Lev born/died May 21, 2005.
Congrats on getting an earlier appointment. I decided to go see her for 2 reasons; #1 my gynecologist had a heart attack in April, shortly after he diagnosed me, and I was floundering for information on how to treat my problems, besides the Met (which he prescribed along with a mild bcp at the same time he diagnosed me). To be honest, I didn't completely trust the other doctors in his practice, mainly because I had been going to a female there for about 2 years and she didn't even consider PCOS could be my problem. and reason #2 was that I didn't need a referral (thanks to pretty good insurance), so I figured it couldn't hurt to talk to a specialist in PCOS (my PCP hasn't got a clue).
ReneeBeth:
I would suggest you get the 2 hour glucose test done. I've had more bloodwork done in the last 2 years to fill the blood bank, and the doctor always thought my sugar levels were a little high, but never did anything about it. Dr. Bononi ordered the glucose test and did come back with a diabetes result. But after seeing a nutrisionist and certified diabetes educator, she read over my results and gave me good information. I'm not really a diabetic, it just takes my body longer to recover from sugar than a non-diabetic. Thinking that I didn't know much about Insulin Resistance, the nutrisionist thinks that Dr. Bononi simply told me I was diabetic to alleviate confusion, but the truth is that I am Insulin Resistant, bordering on diabetes. If I don't watch and cut out sugar (which really stinks when you're a chocoholic) I shouldn't develop full-blown diabetes.
If you have a doctor who's willing to listen to you, have the glucose test done.
ReneeBeth, I forgot what part of town you're in?
Beth
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
First off Beth..my hubby was looking over my shoulder for a sec while I was reading your post and he said "Why..why does she have a picture of Freda?" I told him that your kitty isn't Freda, and he said I was lying..and that I share Freda with people when he's at work. LOL Yeah, your kitty looks a lot like one of mine. And I think I'll pass on the 2 hour gluc test, for now, simply because I don't eat any "real" snacks anymore. I have MAYBE one small snack a day, if that, and it's usually low-sugar. All I live on now is fruits/veggies/nuts for snacks, so I'm not cutting any of those out and I have nothing left to cut out if I can't handle sugar. I even switched to unsweetened Silk, which has 1g of sugar. I'm actually afraid I'm not getting enough sugar, sheesh! No, I have my Vanilla Silk with dinner and lunch, that has sugar.
Maybe if I run into any IR problems I'll ask my reg doctor for the test. For now, I'm really keeping my mouth shut about anymore of my problems...I'm not telling my Dr's, cuz i'm sick of the tests and pills
I live in Squirell Hill/Greenfield
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daniel Benjamin born/died October 4, 2004. Ari Lev born/died May 21, 2005.
If I hadn't found Dr. Bononi, I would probably be just like you. The best thing about her is that she knows my gynecologist--she had him as a med student, which explains why he knows so much about PCOS--I just wish he would come back!!
I wish I could completely cut out sugar, but when I start to get cravings, they are almost always for stuff like brownies or cookies--makes things tough. Now that I'm being forced to stay away from them, I'm having trouble.
Well, you can tell your dh that if he wants Harry, he better be prepared. Harry's grown ALOT since the picture--last vet visit in October he weighed 14.5 pounds (and I know he's grown because he keeps eating the kitten food)!!! But he's my big baby, even though we have 3 kittens in the house. BTW, want another cat??? 5 is just a little too many, but we're surviving them.
Good luck with your struggles--I know how awful going to the doctors can be, which explains why I haven't been to my pcp since last summer!!
Beth
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Go to Whole Foods. They have a lot of "snack food" made w/little to no sugar. Stop by the meat dept and say Hi to my hubby while you're there, too
And no, my DH doesn't want any more kitties. We have 4, and he's very mean cuz he always says 3 1/2 cats cuz Missy is old and he's sure she'll be dead soon. He's been sure of that for 4 years now. Missy's 17/18 years old now, and mean.. But 14lbs isn't much! Our big Bo, he was up to 18lbs, I think he dropped back to 15/16. Oreo lost weight, he's 13lbs, Missy is 12lbs and Freda is still a kitten, I think she's maybe 7-8lbs? She's still sleek and slender, we'll see how long that'll last
I went through training so I could go to the Animal Friends shelter and play with the kitties (or, "socialize" them, it's what they call it). It's fun, they have so many kitties, most of them happier than anything just to be pet and loved. I haven't gone in a while, tho Bad me.
BTW, you're lucky you can avoid your pcp..I go there 2x's a week for my shots..so I see my pcp 2x's a week. Even tho the nurse gives me my shots, my dr. still hears that I'm there and comes over to talk to me. I can't avoid these things
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daniel Benjamin born/died October 4, 2004. Ari Lev born/died May 21, 2005.
Okay, now I don't think Harry is that big!! Btw, your Oreo looks just like our Spooky--she's got the same coloring.
I've been meaning to go to Whole Foods just to see what they have. One of these days I will get there--I just don't know the area very well, so I have to rely on dh, who's not much into "health foods" as he calls it. I sneak some organic stuff into him every once in a while, but its tough.
Only 1 of our current cats came from a shelter--Harry is from the Rescue League, through PetSmart. The others were all rescued, the kittens from the neighbors backyard and Spooky from a litter of males.
That's great that you went through the Animal Friends training. I've thought about volunteering for them or the Humane Society, but dh keeps reminding me that if I do, I'll bring home more animals, so I haven't done it.
I feel bad you have to go to the doctors so much--that has to stink.
Beth
__________________ Beth-38
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Check out a new website for fellow cysters!! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Umm...getting to Whole Foods is rather easy. It's on Centre Ave, you can get there from Shady or Negley, which you can get to from Murray, Wilkens..and all those. I dunno how to get there from your area, tho I know you can get to Squirrel hill from downtown by taking Forbes. Forbes goes to Shady, Shady goes to 5th, 5th goes to Highland, Highland goes to Centre and there you are. confusing, eh? I'm bad with explaining things
You really should go volunteer for Animal friends. They don't just give away animals, no matter how much they need more room. You still have to pay the adoption fee for any animal there. I can't imagine there would be a risk of you collecting more animals if they all cost you money. And they don't let people adopt if they already have a load of animals. So go for it, tell your hubby not to worry.
2 of our current cats were strays, one was from a foster home/rescue league and Missy was $5 from a pet store when I was little We've taken in over a dozen strays over the years, 1 ran away a few months later, and the rest we all found homes for. So yeah...I'm bad too...I think all kitties are good and should come into my home if they are homeless I dunno who gets mad at me for that more..my hubby, because I can't do the litter boxes so he has to, or my doctors because I'm allergic to cats and even with the shots, it's still bad.
I'm bad Where downtown do you work? My mom works in that big building..umm..the one that says Mellon on top of it. I go there once or twice a week to pick her up or have lunch with her. I have grown to hate downtown in the winter...it seems 20 degrees colder there when you're walking around downtown in the winter.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daniel Benjamin born/died October 4, 2004. Ari Lev born/died May 21, 2005.
LOL I always hate the smell of the litter boxes, but I still can't/won't do them! I sometimes feel bad, he always has to do them and i always get more and more kitties, but..not my fault! Honestly, if I could do the litter box, I would..honest! (I lie )
See, all the Pittsburghers should meet up now and then. They have those meetings in Philly and such, but never one around here! We need meets, too! Maybe some of us want a diet buddy, or work-out buddy, or someone to complain to when you're hormones are off and you are going nuts.
I've yet to meet anyone who has PCOS, or even mentioned they did. I can't imagine anyone having it as bad as I do (my PCOS is BAD)...would be interesting the find out how you gals actually have a life even tho you have PCOS.
__________________
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daniel Benjamin born/died October 4, 2004. Ari Lev born/died May 21, 2005.
Dr. Patricia Bononi/Pittsburgh, PA 
!!
No, I have my Vanilla Silk with dinner and lunch, that has sugar.
