I've learned my lesson

Ms_Peaches_01 · 10-23-2003, 11:38 AM

I CANT BELIEVE THIS...

I went off my met when I went on vacation in August so I could drink and eat sweets. I stayed off of it for one month and gained.. get this.. 15 pounds in one month. I stood on the scales and asked myself.. "who do you think you are? Someone WITHOUT PCOS?"

I have an appointment with my Endo in December so between now and then I'm going to workout, Atkins, and drink water to try to lose so that I won't be embarrassed.

shorty1kanobi · 10-23-2003, 01:44 PM

Sorry to hear you gained so much, but on a brighter note, I guess you've at least gotten confirmation that the met really does something important for you.

If you do decide to eat sweets, you're also definitely better off still taking the met. Otherwise, you experience the insulin spike and there's nothing to help your body process all that insulin.

Good luck!

christyz · 10-23-2003, 03:21 PM

So sorry this happened to you...what a stark lesson in how insulin effects our PCOS bods. This is a good reminder for all of us.

Good luck with the Endo in Dec.

Ms_Peaches_01 · 10-23-2003, 04:27 PM

It shocked the heck out of me because every single blood and urine test I ever took revealed that I was NOT IR. My RE suggested that the only reason I should stay on met was for the androgen blocking.. not for IR issues. I've gained 30 pounds in 4 months before, but never 15 in 1 month. I guess my PCOS is getting worse as I get older and I have to pay closer attention to it.

PaintedDaisy · 10-23-2003, 04:53 PM

Quote:

My RE suggested that the only reason I should stay on met was for the androgen blocking.. not for IR issues.

Seems to me your endo has no idea why met (an insulin sensitizer!) lowers androgens. . .hmmm. . .

Ms_Peaches_01 · 10-23-2003, 05:50 PM

???

Not sure I understand. Most of the studies that I've read have suggested that increased insulin levels cause excess androgens, so by taking met which is an insulin sensitizer, you lower your androgen levels. The studies done on women who were not IR and took met for androgen mopping only found that it lowered their testosterone levels dramatically even though the high testosterone levels weren't connected to high insulin levels. I was assuming that met was controlling the excess androgens which were causing my weight to skyrocket. I was just shocked that one little month could cause my androgen levels to get so out of control.

PaintedDaisy · 10-23-2003, 06:20 PM

Sorry, didn't mean to be so cryptic!

You are absolutely right, that's what I'm getting at. You're insulin was obviously out of control if you had high androgens and the met is fixing that. But by your endo saying you *don't* have an insulin problem makes it seem he/she doesn't know why met works.

Most of the studies that say the women aren't IR, are in fact IR. The lab testing they used isn't a very good indicator of who is IR and who isn't. The women who seem to not be IR are indeed IR, which is why met works. If you weren't IR at all, met wouldn't have an affect on your hormone levels. The reason why they recommend giving met to women who don't report being IR is because they know the test isn't very good and the women are probably IR anyway.

I don't think the recommendation for all PCOS women to get on met is a bad thing, it means that more women get treated when the labs aren't accurate.

So what I'm saying is that although your labs show you to not be IR, you pretty much *are* IR, which is why met helps. If you weren't met wouldn't do a thing for your hormones and it's obvious that it has.

And I'm sorry to hear about your sudden weight gain, I know it sucks.

Keep taking that met even if you're gonna eat sweets and hopefully it'll help your body anyway.

Ms_Peaches_01 · 10-23-2003, 06:45 PM

That makes sense since there's a history of Type II diabetes in my family. I really have to work hard now.. I'm going to do 1 hr of cardio and 1/2 hr of resistance 7 days a week and 80oz of water, 1500mgs of met and no carbs. I know that I only fell off the wagon for 1 month out of 12, but doctors can make you feel like you're a useless wad of fat if you have a minor setback. I refuse to have my self esteem tap danced on by another Dr. so I have to get to work.

Juliekaboolie · 10-23-2003, 07:11 PM

You have a great attitude, Peaches!!! Keep it up, girl! You've learned your lesson with your body and now it's time to get back on the horse and get moving again!

PaintedDaisy · 10-23-2003, 07:19 PM

Quote:

but doctors can make you feel like you're a useless wad of fat if you have a minor setback. I refuse to have my self esteem tap danced on by another Dr. so I have to get to work.

Isn't that the truth

I think you have a great attitude. Don't let your minor (and it is indeed, minor) setback force you to give up. Take it one day at a time and I'm sure you'll lose weight again. And the important thing is to realize that *you* are doing the best you can, so blah on the doctors if they make you feel bad.

KYBluegrass · 10-23-2003, 09:16 PM

yow, what a way to find out the met is helping things! But, it does sound like you've got things well in hand! You're gonna make it, peaches!

ellozz · 10-23-2003, 10:59 PM

My endo didn't want to prescribe met because tests didn't show that I was insulin resistant. I finally talked him into it, and have been on the met for 7 months..and had 7 regular periods during that time. He told me yesterday, if the met had accomplished that, then he felt I was definitely insulin resistant. I felt like I had graduated or something ...

christyz · 10-24-2003, 12:58 PM

Ello: Good for you for sticking to your guns. I am always happy to hear when ladies make their own decisions, and make the medical people work for them and not the other way around.

Lab values are showing that they are less and lessreliable for insulin, and you're living proof.

Ms_Peaches_01 · 10-25-2003, 05:54 AM

Playing devils advocate..

From what I've seen on the different boards and from the research, it appears that although met regulates insulin it also has an effect on other hormones as well. Putting myself into a doctor's shoes, I would not automatically assume that because someone has PCOS they are automatically IR if the lab tests don't show it. Some studies have shown that women who have periods like clockwork, do not have PCOS, and show absolutely no signs of being IR have taken met and conceived on it. Although it is not a fertility drug, research has shown that it does regulate androgens. So, if lab tests are showing that someone is not IR and met is regulating their periods there could be several possibilities: 1) Met is not working on insulin but rather their androgen levels, 2) the lab tests are not reliable and did not reveal the insulin resistance. Since there are so many different profiles of women, for example, women who are type II diabetic and do NOT have PCOS/infertility issues, I would be reluctant to advise a patient that IR automatically equals PCOS.

Met is just such a powerful harmone regulator, I wonder if it regulates other hormones besides insulin.

christyz · 10-25-2003, 05:02 PM

Quote:

From what I've seen on the different boards and from the research, it appears that although met regulates insulin it also has an effect on other hormones as well.

Definetly. But the reason my Doc holds these views is because the most recent studies are showing that insulin, is often a trigger for these other hormones movement. One book I read (written by a physician) compared insulin to an orchestra. When a lead player starts playing wrong notes, other instruments start trying to compensate. Pretty soon the whole group ends up playing out of sync. Insulin seems to be a lead hormone, that when it is even slightly unregulated, can lead to other hormones following suit.

A study with American, Japanese and Italian PCOS patients revealed that in Japan (where they aren't genetically predisposed to obesity), there were many thin PCOers. When sensitive tests were applied to all three populations it was distinctly clear that Insulin Resistance was apparent in ALL of the PCOers in the study.

It's one study, so it doesn't stand on it's own. Evidence may come forward to dispell this lead as the years pass. But right now it is a significant theory that the medical community is investigating. We have very little except theories to work with in PCOS research, but as te medical community starts to see the implications of this syndrome on women's health, hopefully they will start to get more certainties. We girls can dream, right?!