hello! i'm so happy to have found this board where people will understand me and what i am going through. here is my story. when i was 14 (almost 15) i got my first period, and didn't get another one for six months. my mom took me to the gyno who put me on birth control and said one day i may have trouble having children but that i shouldn't worry about it now. i tried a few different birth controls through high school and college, as they all had different side effects for me. some made my periods really heavy and painful, some made me break out or gain weight, etc. my most recent birth control, the nuva ring, i was on for about four years, and it made me have really bad sweats and hot flashes but i had regular periods so i didn't worry about it too much. my skin was always really healthy and beautiful though, honestly i had peaches and cream perfect skin. i always carried a little extra weight around my midsection that i couldn't get rid of even though i had thin arms and legs and face. i just thought i didn't do enough exercise and didn't worry about it. a few years ago my mom was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and then my niece was born at the end of 2006 and she was diagnosed with it too. i did some research in my family tree and discovered that on my dad's side, both my grandfather's sisters were diabetic and on my mom's side there were thyroid problems and my grandmother was hypothyroid as well. six months ago my sister got pregnant and miscarried shortly thereafter. lately i had been gaining a lot of weight and my skin especially on my chin and neck area was breaking out like CRAZY. also i was very anxious and depressed and moody and i had hair growing on my stomach and the hair on my head was falling out in clumps in the shower and some of it was turning gray. i decided to go to a new gyno and she said i probably have PCOS and referred me to an endocrinologist. the endo did a bunch of tests and basically discovered that i am VERY highly insulin resistant, very borderline diabetic. my thyroid levels are also borderline but closer to hypo than normal. my neck is a little swollen where my thyroid is. i do have PCOS and my cholesterol levels are all out of whack as well. the doctor told me to eat a low-carb, high-fiber diet with mostly white meat and vegetables and fruit and drink tons of water. she told me i would need to exercise every day for my health but it probably wouldn't allow me to lose any weight. she told me it would be about 4 times harder for me than a healthy person to lose weight. like i said, i had struggled with being a little chubby my whole life but now i am hitting 225 on the scales and it's uncontrollable!!!! i am also taking metformin and yaz and i go back to the endo in 2 months to recheck my blood to see if i need thyroid and/or cholesterol medication and to see if the metformin is helping me. before i started the yaz i hadn't had a period in six months and now finally i am sort of breakthrough bleeding. i got engaged last october and it's horrible to think i may have to be a fat bride with acne. also i didn't mention i do skincare for a living so it's certainly not helping my career that my face is exploding. i am always tired and my abdomen is usually swollen and sore and i feel like i have lost my youth, vivaciousness, and beauty. i am really depressed and scared at all that is going on. i want to be a beautiful happy bride and person and more than anything i want to be a mother!!!! if any of you have read this far and can give me any kind of advice or wisdom i would truly appreciate it. thank you so much for listening. all of you be well!!
hi i'm new here 
there is a link to the newbie road map in my siggie.
