frustrated with my doctor

nicky610 · 05-29-2009, 07:22 AM

After years of knowing there is something not right with me, I finally got diagnosed with "Lean PCOS." I have always struggled with my weight, but been able to maintain a BMI of about 24. Considering I run over 20 miles a week, do strength training and eat a healthy diet, its quite frustrating.

My Gynecologist diagnosed me when my LH:FSH ratio was 4:1 and put me on birth control (yasmin). I have been on it for a couple of weeks now and so far my acne has increased significantly and my body termostat has gone wack!! I go from sweating like crazy to freezing cold.

I mentioned starting Metforming to my doctor and she just told "to not worry about it" and I dont need Metformin.

I am deadly terrified of getting diabetes. I have noticed that sometimes when I eat something really sweet, I am getting a sugar rush. It feels as if I can feel my blood rushing through my body. Is this something to worry about?

Should I go see an endocrinologist? Or any other kind of doctor? I feel like my doc hasnt explained everything very well to me and the more research I do, the more I am getting scared!

Please help!

pigskinprincess · 06-04-2009, 02:19 AM

Hi Nicky - I feel the same frustrations as you do. I also am on the borderline of "overweight" for my height according to the BMI, but I am running 3 days a week, strength training at least 2 days a week (sometimes more), and really trying to watch what I eat. I have lost a little bit of weight but not much.

I am going to see an endocrinologist in July for the first time. I hope he will be able to answer some of my questions. I have a terrible time finding birth control pills that work for me. I'm hoping that the endo will be able to help with that.

frustratedwife · 06-06-2009, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicky610

After years of knowing there is something not right with me, I finally got diagnosed with "Lean PCOS." I have always struggled with my weight, but been able to maintain a BMI of about 24. Considering I run over 20 miles a week, do strength training and eat a healthy diet, its quite frustrating.

My Gynecologist diagnosed me when my LH:FSH ratio was 4:1 and put me on birth control (yasmin). I have been on it for a couple of weeks now and so far my acne has increased significantly and my body termostat has gone wack!! I go from sweating like crazy to freezing cold.

I mentioned starting Metforming to my doctor and she just told "to not worry about it" and I dont need Metformin.

I am deadly terrified of getting diabetes. I have noticed that sometimes when I eat something really sweet, I am getting a sugar rush. It feels as if I can feel my blood rushing through my body. Is this something to worry about?

Should I go see an endocrinologist? Or any other kind of doctor? I feel like my doc hasnt explained everything very well to me and the more research I do, the more I am getting scared!

Please help!

Hi Nicky,

I understand the frustrations of your doctor not cooperating with you. I am in a much similar position, well, actually my doctor won't discuss anything beyond birth control with me right now and therefore a lot of what I am doing and have learned has been self researched. Also I encourage you to search these forums more... I have learned way more here than I have in the last several years!! Also if you are feeling frustrated with your doctor maybe it is time for you to go and see an endo... you need to be able to work with someone who you feel comfortable with, and you feel is giving you the right information and treatment. You're paying for it girl!!! Why should you pay for something you're not getting?
I would heed my own advice on this if I wasn't in such a small area... LOL! I'm in the process of looking for a new doctor as well, but I am moving so I am not sure how my insurance will react to this,... so I'm sort of in a sit still. But again, you need to feel comfortable with who you are working with. It's very important. Also if Yasmin is affecting you so badly you need to talk to the doctor about that as well. I was on it for 6 years and the worst side effect that it gave me was an almost non existent sex drive. However you might also like to think long term... a lot of doctors these days are more than ready to prescribe BCP for any menstral irregularities, however it isn't good to maintain for long periods. So that is something else you may want to consider for the long run. Yes Yasmin helped regulate period, and clear my skin, and slow down excess hair growth but I didn't feel that it was healthy to be on long term.
I have also struggled with weight in the past... I don't know what my BMI is... but I recently found out about diet causing problems in PCOS. The part that made me mad was I thought I was eating a healthy diet by having a balanced meal and keeping away from as much preserved foods as possible... however I found out about PCOS and insulin resistance. I don't know if you know the connection that it can have, or what type of diet you are on, but they say that a low carb diet can not only help you lose weight, but also maintain and help reverse PCOS. I found this site that I think really explains things well, its something you might be interested in checking out... and discussing with your doctor or endo... http://pcos.insulitelabs.com/Insulite-PCOS-System.php
I am currently taking these natural supplements and working on a low carb diet, with which I have lost some weight even though I wasn't really trying. To me it makes sense to deal with things naturally, however you need to find what works for you.
Also, I think it's great that you've been excercising regularly, however my mom went through some similar issues where she would do cardio for two hours a day and wasn't losing anything. She later found out that her problem was food allergies. Ever since she cut out the foods that were bothering her she's been able to keep off the weight with a realistic amount of excercise. I Have back problems which keep me from excercising as regularly as I'd like, but with the diet and supplements I am able to maintain pretty well. Of course everyone's body is different and functions differently, but there's this quote by Cher that I will never forget, "Eat what you want 20% of the time and how you should 80% of the time." This doesn't work for everyone, but is a guideline that I've been able to run my life by fairly well, whenever those numbers become out of balance is when I have troubles.
Also you say you run a lot? Cardio excercise is really good for you, but with having back injuries and a knee injury caused by running it is really bad for you long term, both for back and knees. Some really good alternative excercises that work as well as running without causing long term injuries are brisk walks, and bicycling. They give you the same work out, without the strain on the joints in the knees and back. I am personally a big fan of bicycling, and on a good day I can go up to 30 miles or so.
Anyway, Hope that some of this can help. This is what I have personally learned anyway.
Good luck on finding the answers that you need.

rachael07 · 06-07-2009, 10:57 AM

Hi,

I know exactly what you are describing regarding the blood sugar. I can feel it my veins! I had always had some problems with hypoglycemia, too. Since going low-carb-ish (actually, no-grains, to be precise -- I don't regulate the carbs in my beans/legumes/veggies/diary/fruit), my energy has shot through the roof. I am even more sensitive to sugar, but I do not suffer from the fatigue that I used to. I eliminated flour (even whole wheat), sugar, potatoes, corn and rice (except for the occasional wild rice), and I am much happier and healthier for it.

Even with all of that: sensitivity to sugar, huge energy boost after eliminating most carbs... my 2hr insulin/glucose tolerance test came back 100% normal. No IR and no hyperinsulimia.

So, I do not think your sensitivity to sugar means that you have IR. My interpretation of all of this is that even if I do not have IR, my body is, for some reason, oversly sensitive to sugar. I assume my ovaries must get stimulated by a tiny amount of insulin, even when that same amount of insulin would not stim another woman's ovaries.

You should press your Dr. for a glucose test, at the very least. Explain that this is about your health -- not just ttc -- and show her one of the articles that describes how even thin PCOS-ers without IR have sugar metabolism problems. Tell her it is your priority to know whether you need to cut sugar out of your diet. Be insistent. I know how easy it is to fear leaving a bad impression -- but figure, this is about your health, whether your Dr. is annoyed or not!

And then, regardless of how the test goes, make your decision about met. My Dr. does not want to put me on it, and I'm going to go with that for now. Given my already extremely low dietary carb intake, I do not think met would do much for me.

rachael07 · 06-07-2009, 10:59 AM

Oh, also --

Before my current Dr., I was seeing an OB GYN. She was awful. Honestly. She meant well, but she just didn't get it. Now I am seeing a PCOS specialist, and I couldn't even begin to describe how much better things are... my treatment is the same, but at least I'm confident in what my Dr. is doing. So, yes, I would definitely recommend you try for a new Dr.

bekamom · 06-12-2009, 12:56 AM

I am actually classified as being underweight and have always had a hard time gaining weight. I also have a 4:1 ratio. My endo told me that I should be on metformin and gain weight and I should end up pregnant within a year. All my tests came back normal as well. so yes you could very well need metformin I would go to a endo.

rachael07 · 06-12-2009, 07:10 PM

Bekamom, I'd be careful about gaining weight. Did she diagnose you with hypothalamic amenorrhea or was she just saying that because you're thin? If your total hormone levels (estrogen, specifically) are suppressed, then you may want to gain weight. But from what I understand, if your estrogen is fine, you do not have HA.

bekamom · 06-15-2009, 05:41 PM

well I was told that I had pcos and to gain weight and take metformin. I was never told anything like hypothalamic amenorrhea but that seems to make more sense than anything else did since all my tests were within the normal range. I dont have a ring of cysts I just don't ovulate. I am sure if I could gain weight It would be better but my metabolism is so fast its really hard I recently quit drinking pepsi and lost 4 lbs in 2 weeks. so its hard. I tried the GI diet for my symptoms and only lost more weight so I have to go back to the doctor maybe I will ask him about that