The history of my Pcos battle....

happyface282001 · 10-06-2002, 01:24 AM

My name is Kristi and I refuse to let the PCOS MONSTER win! I am sure that I have had Pcos since puberty but was never diagnosed until 2 years ago. When I was a teen I had cysts that would pop and burn like fire almost every couple of months. My very first family doc (I had him as a doc ever since I was born in 72) told me they were benign (spelling is bad I know) and unless I had hemmoriging type bleeding or unbareable pain it was nothing to worry about and to go on with life, and that this was quite common and normal. Little did he know, huh!!!! On my 19th birthday I got married and was pregnant one month later. I had an emergency c-section due to toxemia, only half dropped, baby was face down in water, couldn't dialate past 2-3. Not to mention my blood pressure was 190 over 80. He was born a healthy 6 pounds 7 ounces. Then I went on Depro Provera and I gained 60 pounds on top of the 40 that I gained while pregnant. Grant it my diet during my pregnancy was bad. Tons of ice cream and smoked sausages fried along with mashed potatoes almost every day. I started exercising by myself and then 2 weeks later I would get bored and quit. I did this for a long time. Plus the yo-yo dieting. Then we quit the birth control shot and started trying to conceive. My new family doc took me in his office (no tests and no exams of any kind) and told me that it could be as simple as my weight or that one of my ovaries could be in premenapausal state and that I would never get pregnant. I was mortified!!!! Then he referred me to a good ob/gyn. My new ob/gyn said that it may take up to 18 months to get pregnant. After a year of trying on our own we tried a couple different cycles of clomid with no success. My gyno was totally baffled. She then sent me to a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Dr. Gruber. He has been such a God send to me and my family. We did three cycles of clomid and two of them were with a shot to force me to ovulate called profasi. The third time was the charm, and we conceived our 2nd son. I ended up with gestational diabetes, but controlled it remarkably well with just diet. I tried to deliver vbac but he his arms, legs and abdomen was so wrapped in his cord that his heart rate kept dropping and so we decided to deliver him immediately. I gave birth via c-section to a beautiful 8 pound 7 ounce baby boy. I gained and gained even more weight. I ballooned up to a whopping 289 pounds!!!! I then developed borderline diabetes on top of the hyperinsulinemia. We decided to try and conceive our third baby and was sent back to our Reproductive Endo again. We were told it would be best to try and lose weight but I was so anxious to try so we did. I tried 3 cycles of clomid and at the end of December in 2000 they told me for that cycle I could go home and try and conceive all I wanted but there was NO way I would conceive on that cycle with as low as my hormone levels were. Well for some reason God had other plans. I got pregnant and didn't know it until I had called up my Reproductive Endo and told them that I was having a really lengthy and heavy duty menstral cycle and they wanted me to have blood work done and an internal ultrasound done. I had it all done and I drove home the hour long drive and waited all day and evening and then my #2 Reproductive Endo Dr. Ammesse called to report that I had been pregnant for a whopping 2 weeks but had lost it. Techniqually they call it a chemical pregnancy, but my doc and I felt the same way that this was my baby that I lost not just an egg with a sperm in it. He even cried with me. I was so depressed. I cried SEVERAL times a day for months. Once I had a normal cycle we started trying again. In May of 2001 we did a cycle of gonal f infertility injections and it failed miserably!!!! We found out the bad news just one day before we were to go on our dream vacation/severly belated honey moon for our 10th anniversary in Hawaii. Surprisingly we had the most fabulous vacation you could ever dream up. Yet we didn't conceive while we were there either. We decided to take a break for a few months and I would start exercising with a couple of friends 3 times a week. In less than 3 months I lost more than 30 pounds. A freind of mine was referred to a Diabetic Endo and I had to take her because she doesn't know her way around where this doctor was. Since I was diagnosed with Pcos I started investigating it on the internet and found this wonderful website called SoulCysters. Many times I had heard of women succeding in getting pregnant with the herbs licorice root and dong quai. (I NEVER RECOMMEND ANY MEDS OR HERBS, it is a personal choice and I only chose to give it a whirl after CAREFUL RESEARCH on health conditions that this could cause or irritate existing health conditions or if it could mess with any medications I was on, I am NOT any kind of a health professional, just a woman that was desperate to conceive another baby!). God willing I conceived that first try with those two herbs. I went and had blood work done and my nurse called and said not to keep my hopes up because my hormone levels were dangerously low (very close to miscarriage rate). I was put on progesterone suppositories (progesterone is a hormone that supports your pregnancy). My numbers kept dropping!!!!! Then I was put on progesterone injections. These are way more powerful than suppositories and they are extremely painful after awhile, because they are not a normal liquid it is in a thick oil called cotton seed oil and it is very hard to inject, and must be injected into muscle in your hips or upper thighs once a day. IT WORKED!!!!! When I was 7 weeks pregnant they discovered that I had a tumor pressing up against my placenta and if it grew it could cause me to lose my baby. Thank the good Lord that it went away by the time I was 20 weeks. When I was 20 weeks I found out that I was having my third boy! By the way when I was 15 weeks I stopped taking the glucophage because there are not enough studies to prove that this medicine will not harm a baby in the womb, but it was necessary that I stay on this med to help try and prevent a miscarriage because we PCOS women have high miscarriage rates and I had already had one. I carried my son full term and he weighed a whopping 8 pounds 4 ounces!!!!! I am breastfeeding my son so I can not take the glucophage until I am done breastfeeding. I was surprised that when my son turned 1 1/2 months old I had lost more than 30 pounds!!!! I am currently stuck at 247 pounds but I am maintaining that weight though and not gaining it back at least!!!! My husband and I decided that we are definately done having children and so I don't have to ride the infertility emotional roller coaster from hell ever again. Yet the battle rages on. I refuse to let the PCOS MONSTER win. I will fight it until the end. I have been blessed with good friends that will be my exercise partners, and I am bound and determined to lose the weight and get my hormones in check. So pray hard for me all who read this and I will pray for you all every day and night. Take care, fight hard, and God Bless!!!!
In Christ's Love and Grace,
Kristi

KlassicalKat · 10-06-2002, 01:52 AM

Hi, Kristi!

It was fascinating to read your entire story. I had of course followed the story of your recent pregnancy, but didn't realize you had gone through so very, very much with the others! Wow! You have great courage and I admire you even more than before! I would wager that you know more about PCOS and pregnancies than most doctors do!

Your story and your faith are truly an inspiration to all here, and your many kind and encouraging words to others are a real treasure.

Much love and prayers and happiness always to you and your DH and your handsome little guys!

Kathryn