Hi everybody,
I`ve already introduced myself in the newbies forum, but I want to say an extra hello to the thin sisters. Although I don`t know if I really have PCOS yet, from what I read here I feel I have to be VERY happy that my doctor even considered I might have it, because I don`t look like it AT ALL: I`m not overweight(although I had some pounds more before I became vegan) and my hair looks o.k. (but only if I washed it the same day , it becomes oily very quickly). My androstenedione level is elevated and I`m scheduled to have another bloodtest this week plus an examination- searching for cysts, I think.
O.K., take care and I`m very happy I found this message board!
how long have you been vegan? i've been vegan for around 10 years. i was vegetarian before that.
it's good that you have a doctor that's willing to look into pcos, even if you don't match the 'usual' picture of it. i don't think many people, do really. there are too many ways it seems to manifest itself. too many people have their pcos ignored by docs who think that pcos looks one way and one way only.
anyhow, welcome again!
hannah
__________________ me 29 dh 29 married 04/28/01
we are parents!
levoxyl (t4) 75 mcg thybon (t3) 20 mcg
dd born on 11th of january, 2005
levoxyl 37.5 mcg (born without a thyroid)
Hi Hannah,
thanks for your reply!
I have been vegan since about 1,5 yrs, before I was vegetarian for about 10 years.
I think it`s pretty cool that you became vegan at such an early age, 15 if I got you right. WOW!
I`ll check out your vegetarian pcos link.
See ya!
Me
actually, i was 16 (my birthday is coming up) when i became vegan. i was born vegetarian.
if you could try giving the veggie list a swift kick, that would be great. there hasn't been much posting in a while. we had some really strong months, but now? not much happening.
have you had an update from your doc yet?
hannah
__________________ me 29 dh 29 married 04/28/01
we are parents!
levoxyl (t4) 75 mcg thybon (t3) 20 mcg
dd born on 11th of january, 2005
levoxyl 37.5 mcg (born without a thyroid)
hi hannah,
my doc called and told me that my andostenedione and my 17-hydroxy-something levels were elevated and that i should go on medication(cortisone) at once(to suppress the excess male hormones). he also said that my "stress-hormones"(whatever that is, maybe adrenaline) are pretty high. then i had a really great time searching pharmacies for milk-free cortisone ... i know where to get it but the mixture isn`t ready yet
now i`ll look at your veggie page.
bye,
Me
wow! i didn't realize that you had to join the group to view posts. i'll see if i can change that. i thought you only needed to join in order to post. doing a yahoo group was the easiest way for me to have a veggie page. i'd like to be able to have a real webpage at some point, but i don't have the time at the moment.
speaking of which, the library is closing, so i have to log off now.
did your doctor mention late onset adrenal hyperplasia? the cortisone made me think of that.
sorry to cut off so soon!
hannah
__________________ me 29 dh 29 married 04/28/01
we are parents!
levoxyl (t4) 75 mcg thybon (t3) 20 mcg
dd born on 11th of january, 2005
levoxyl 37.5 mcg (born without a thyroid)
i`m so happy, the cortisone works for me! i´m on 0,5 dexamethasone since wednesday and i feel almost like my old self(about 7yrs. ago) again: my muscle pain in almost every muscle and the fatigue and brain fog ARE GONE!!! and all that after three days... the doc told me just to take it because it helps quick and didn`t go into detail, but a doctor friend suggested i have my adrenal glands checked as i mentioned the cortisone.( you made the right diagnosis, dr. moonshadow! thanks for the hint!!) i read a long text a doctor wrote about adrenal stuff on this board yesterday and printed it, it sounds like me and the doc mentions dexamethasone as a treatment,too. i`ll look for more info about adrenals and cortisone here.
are you having a thyroid condition, too?(because that levo-something you are taking sounds like thyroid hormone.)
bye,
Me*sohappytoday*
sorry i've been out of the communication loop for a couple weeks. i only get online when the library's open hours and my off work hours coincide.
yup, i'm hypothyroid. that was diagnosed a few years before my pcos was. i ignored it for long enough that i went from being 120lbs to being 170. what an effort it's been to get that down! i hover around 140 now, but am still on a downward movement. i feel very slim these days.
yes, the yahoo group is free to join. i looked into opening the archives for non members to view, but i thought the posting members might not want everything to be so public.
i wondered about the adrenal thing because during my diagnosis phase my first doc thought i might have locah. i actually don't know that i don't, because the endo that i was referred to didn't look into it, just said, yup, pcos. and gave me met. i seem to be doing fairly well with that diagnosis though. at the time i looked up a bunch of stuff on late onset adrenal hyperplasia.
i wonder about the muscle ache stuff that you mentioned. i'm always achy, and sometimes in my joints, too. brain fog i've learned to live with since it struck with my thyroid crash. it's certainly a lot better now than before i was on levoxyl. finding synthetic thyroid meds in the uk is impossible. luckily, the nhs pays to have my meds imported from the us for me! i have fallen in love with the nhs (after having insurance probs in the states, it is very easy to do so).
anyway, i'm glad you've found some meds that work. let me know what else you find out about adrenal stuff?
hannah
__________________ me 29 dh 29 married 04/28/01
we are parents!
levoxyl (t4) 75 mcg thybon (t3) 20 mcg
dd born on 11th of january, 2005
levoxyl 37.5 mcg (born without a thyroid)
hi hannah,
nice to read you
about LOCAH: if i were you, i`d go straight to the endo`s(or to a new endo) and have that adrenal stuff tested! let me tell you about my experiences with that: last autumn my eye doctor gave me high doses of cortisone for one week because the hashimoto`s antibodies caused an inflammation in the muscles behind one of my eyes. under the cortisone, not only did my eye heal but i felt GREAT overall. i told the eye doctor and he sent me to the endo. he even wrote her a letter and told her that i might have a problem with the adrenal glands and the cortisole production and would she please check that. okay, she drew blood ONCE and said everything is allright.
and now, after two weeks on cortisone iam SO HAPPY. i feel like i have my life back!!! it takes more than drawing blood one time to make sure everythings o.k. with your adrenals- my new doctor drew blood three times in three weeks! there`s a 24 hours test for cortisol in the urine,too. you should have lots of tests if you feel achy and stuff!BTW, you are hypothyroid, did you have an antibodies test?i keep u updated, luv, M,M&I
i will make an appointment soon to see my doctor, and see if i can't see an endo. i need to see about seeing someone again soon about keeping an eye on things with my clomid and such, too. i have questions like, if it didn't work this time, when do i take it again, and at what dose? actually, i think i'll drop in on my doctor this afternoon. i doubt i'll get to see him, but i'll at least see if i can make an appointment.
no, i don't think i did have an antibodies test. what is that about? i know my body seems to hate itself, well, my thyroid is kaput, as are my ovaries (it seems). hey, have you ever had your pituitary looked into? i keep thinking that as it is the root of a lot of these issues, then something could very well be going on at the puppet master level (though, really the hypothalamus is the true puppet master, but a break down in the pituitary seems more likely, somehow).
anyway, i'm glad we're keeping up this very slooooowww conversation
__________________ me 29 dh 29 married 04/28/01
we are parents!
levoxyl (t4) 75 mcg thybon (t3) 20 mcg
dd born on 11th of january, 2005
levoxyl 37.5 mcg (born without a thyroid)
hi,
hypothalamus and pituitary are definetely things i should think about. the natural healer i am seeing (additionally to the doctors) just mentioned the pituitary the other week. i`ll talk to my doc about that, thank you!
o.k., the antibodies: this is very, very important -vital!!! you are hypothyroid- why? there are basically three reasons why people are hypothyroid:1. you are born with a thyroid that is too small to provide your body with a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones(because the thyroid is too small for your height). 2. parts of or the whole thyroid gland have been removed due to cancer and therefore can`t produce enough hormones anymore. and 3. autoimmune disorders: i have "hashimoto`s disease". in this disorder the immune system mistakes the thyroid for enemy cells, forms antibodies against it and attacks it.(the reasons for that are not known yet.) the attack causes inflammation, chronic thyroiditis. more and more cells are destroyed and the thyroid shrinks or changes to scar tissue. it can`t produce enough hormones anymore and you become hypothyroid. everybody who is hypothyroid should have their thyroid-antibodies tested!!! it`s a blood test, if they find antibodies, you have hashimoto`s.
a good american site about all that is "thyroid about"(don`t know if .com or .net, just google). search for antibodies and hashimoto`s there. you should really go into that, because the presence of the antibodies can cause rheumatic-like pain symptoms and brain fog is an issue every hashi knows. AND if you have hypothyroidism caused by hashimoto`s, iodine is like poison for you though docs recommend and prescribe it for other forms of hypothyroidsm. presence of antibodies can explain A LOT.
i read in your profile that you`re a bookseller- that sounds cool i love books. i`d keep them all and wow it`s complicated that they have to sent you synthyroid from the u.s.! why the **** don`t they have it in england? unbelievable! good that your insurance cooperates.
p.s. why are you a vegan, for health reasons or for ethical reasons, or both?*justcurious*
i`m vegan because i believe that animals should be treated with respect.and i think milk is really unhealthy because it`s just not natural to drink the milk of other species. i hate the fact that the cows are kept pregnant for alll their lives, and have their calfs taken from them and get milked -YUK!
Hi! 
, it becomes oily very quickly). My androstenedione level is elevated and I`m scheduled to have another bloodtest this week plus an examination- searching for cysts, I think.
p.s. 
