My blood tests are "normal"

demora · 10-21-2005, 02:19 AM

I'm so frustrated! I finally got a doctor to listen to me and do all the tests and they all came back normal. How can they all be normal when I'm so messed up???

My doctor said she would talk to me about it more when I see her next - on November 30th. I don't know what I'm going to do now. She said she wanted to put me on Metformin, but she wanted to wait for the blood work first. I feel like another door has been shut - don't get me wrong, it's not that I *want* something to be wrong with me....but I guess I was hoping there was help out there for me, to help me have a normal body.

demora · 10-21-2005, 02:32 AM

I guess I should add that the nutritionist went over them with me and they were all in the "acceptable ranges"...but she did say that my doctor may interpret them differently....but I have to wait until the end of November to find out.

grrrrrrrrr..........

SPCnut · 10-21-2005, 09:57 AM

Hugs

Are you currently or recently been on BCP that could skew the test results?

SABTeacher · 10-21-2005, 11:23 AM

demora--The same thing happened to me this summer when I finally went and had all the PCOS tests done. My RE said that there's no evidence that I have PCOS based on my lab results. He wouldn't give me Met since I am not IR and don't even have the hormonal imbalances. I was so frustrated with this since I know I struggle with my weight, have facial hair, and have irregular periods. He said that the symptoms can also be caused by being overweight/obese.

Officially, all you need for a diagnosis of PCOS are two symptoms: irregular periods and evidence of high androgens via either excess hair or pimples. If you follow those criteria, then I have PCOS.

Despite all this, I decided 3 months ago that I would make lifestyle changes to improve my symptoms on my own. I started the south beach diet, added in a lot of exercise, reduced my stress level with stress relieving activities, and tried to make positive changes in my life without meds. I have now lost some weight and I feel a lot better overall.

I hope you get some answers in November. I know how frustrating it can be to not know what's going on with your body.

Good luck,
Shari

Ophelia1920 · 10-21-2005, 01:11 PM

Hi, I have normal blood tests results also. No high androgens/testosterone (even though I have excess hair and cystic acne), and no insulin resistance even though I have always had a chubby belly.

The diagnosing factor for me, was the ultrasound that showed my ovaries are polycystic. Have you had an ultrasound done? My understanding is that even if your ovaries are NOT polycystic, you can still have PCOS. There are also different types of PCOS, I think there is a "sticky post" around here somewhere that explains that.

Jashobeam · 10-21-2005, 03:20 PM

I have the symptoms, but my tests came back "normal" except for the glucose test. I have IR, so the doc put me on Met. There are some articles on the Research Articles site that say that tests can be wrong and that the "normal ranges" are often not correct in regards to PCOS women.

ChelNY · 10-21-2005, 03:55 PM

You don't want to be on a drug that is wrong for you. Metformin is for IR and diabetes. If you don't have IR, then the medication won't help you, but may even harm you.

I was diagnosed with pcos a few years ago. Had elevated prolactin levels. I have worked hard to lose weight (no medication), which put my prolactin levels back to normal. But I still have some facial hair. Some people are just hairier than others naturally, genetically. A friend of mine takes bcp to reduce her facial hair. she's not sexually active. i keep telling her, what are you going to do once you get married and want to start a family? wouldn't it be better to find a different way to handle the facial hair besides bcp? she's still thinking about that. in her opinion, it made her feel "unfeminine" to be getting eletrolysis. everyone makes their own choices.

I just firmly believe in doing research and understanding that sometimes there aren't easy answers. and it is always better NOT to take drugs if you don't have to.

i hope your Dr can figure out something to help you. if you don't mind me asking, what are your symptoms?

Jashobeam · 10-21-2005, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChelNY

You don't want to be on a drug that is wrong for you. Metformin is for IR and diabetes. If you don't have IR, then the medication won't help you, but may even harm you.

I was diagnosed with pcos a few years ago. Had elevated prolactin levels. I have worked hard to lose weight (no medication), which put my prolactin levels back to normal. But I still have some facial hair. Some people are just hairier than others naturally, genetically. A friend of mine takes bcp to reduce her facial hair. she's not sexually active. i keep telling her, what are you going to do once you get married and want to start a family? wouldn't it be better to find a different way to handle the facial hair besides bcp? she's still thinking about that. in her opinion, it made her feel "unfeminine" to be getting eletrolysis. everyone makes their own choices.

I just firmly believe in doing research and understanding that sometimes there aren't easy answers. and it is always better NOT to take drugs if you don't have to.

i hope your Dr can figure out something to help you. if you don't mind me asking, what are your symptoms?

Women with PCOS (especially with NGT) should be periodically re-screened for diabetes

Do polycystic ovaries indicate decreased insulin sensitivity in sisters of pcos'ers

demora · 10-21-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChelNY

i hope your Dr can figure out something to help you. if you don't mind me asking, what are your symptoms?

Don't get me wrong, I don't WANT to be on a ton of medication, I think I'm on enought already (Effexor XR and Zantac).

I got fat in the fourth grade. Nothing I have ever done (short of anorexia) has enabled me to lose weight. I have exercised until I'm blue in the face and it took over my life. My senior year in high school, I would go to school at 6am to work out and practice for color guard and winter guard. I stayed after school to work out and work on my color guard and winter guard stuff. I would get home anywhere from 7pm to 11pm and maintain a high GPA and graduated in the top 10 of my class. I was still fat. I ate very healthy and not very much.

My period showed up when I was sixteen. It went a way for a month and then I had it again. Then it went away until I was 18. I stopped my birth control in January of 2005 and have had 2 periods this year (last one in May). Somehow, I was able to get pregnant with my first son within a few days of stopping my birth control when I was nineteen and on my period at the time. After he was born in 1992, I went on Tri-levelin (tri-phasil) and was on it until this last January. The only time I've ever had normal menses is on BC - the low hormone kind. I had to have some kind of BC before they would discharge me from the hospital, so I tried the depo shot. I bled for 3 months straight.

I have facial, stomach, back, toe and arm hair - very hairy. I started shaving my arms years before shaving my legs because I got picked on so bad about it and I figured being fat was enough to be picked on for. I also have a few long black icky hairs around my nipples.

I have acne, and had it when I was a teen also. It's on my face, chest and breasts.

Depression has been an ongoing stuggle for me for quite sometime. What finally pushed me to get help was a suicidal episode. I have migrains, on an average of 3 times a month.

So as you can see, I would REALLY like to know there is something that can help me. I've met with a nutrionist and she's putting me a very severe diet to try to help me lose weight. It's called "The Protien-Sparing Modified Fast Diet".
Here it is: for the supplements I'll be taking 16-20 mEq per day of Potassium, Calcium citrate - 1000-1200 mg per day, a multivitamin, 400 mg per day of Magnesium and 1500 mgs per day of Sodium (3/4 teaspoon per day).

Daily food plan is
14-15 ounces of meat protien and 2 vegetable servings per day. There is a specific list of foods I can eat, and they are all in very limited quantities except for lettuce. (I feel long ears and big front teeth comin' in)

Fluid intake is at least 64 ounces a day. But all drinks containing NutraSweet has to be limited to 36 oz per day. She said Splenda (limited to 6 packets per day) was the best sweetner, but still contains carbs.

Other unlimited things are Walden Farms calorie-free dressing and the spray on butter stuff and spices - not to be confused with ketchup, BBQ sauce, salad dressing, mustard, blah blah....

After goal weight is reached, we will start SLOWLY adding SOME carbs back into my diet.

And, with a new husband, a new state, a new house, a new job and a new diet, she decided that for now we wouldn't stress too much about the exercise part. She said we would address that later.

I don't want a pill to "fix" everything, I just want to know that I can be helped.

canadianmutation · 10-22-2005, 12:53 AM

Don't worry so much about the results. They may all be in the normal ranges but the ratios between them might be off. My levels are in constant flux so my Doctor looked at the ultrasound, my history of AF taking longer vacations than I do, and the fact that I have to shave more than my DBF (Not joking). The important thing is the symptoms.

As for the whole nutritionist bit- I have a few words to say about them. Quacks. Well at least the one I went to. She told me straight up that hormones have NOTHING to do with weight gain and that I was just depressed, lazy and I ate too much and basically put me on the same diet that I was just on when I gained 40+lbs in a month as well as she placed me on a medication that just about killed me. I haven't trusted one since. You'd think that working out for 1 1/2 hrs 5 days a week and not eating high sugar or high in fat foods would be good.

Just stay strong and keep on harrassing your doc if they don't diagnose.

girlywhirly · 10-22-2005, 01:08 AM

Demora, if you don't know yet, SABteacher and I are kind of twins in this matter: we have the symptoms but our blood tests come back normal. I guess you're the long lost triplette we've been looking for.

So, you're not alone.

demora · 10-22-2005, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlywhirly

Demora, if you don't know yet, SABteacher and I are kind of twins in this matter: we have the symptoms but our blood tests come back normal. I guess you're the long lost triplette we've been looking for.

So, you're not alone.

Woo hoo!!! Party on Cyster!!!

canadianmutation, I'm still holding off on the opinion of the nutritionist. We'll see. The diet is so extreme, I'm a little scared about starting it. I fully admit that I am a carb-o-holic. "Hello, my name is Melissa and I am a carboholic". (Not to poke fun at a very serious problem.)

SABTeacher · 10-22-2005, 06:49 PM

I am also a carboholic! The South Beach diet has helped me a lot in this area. My cravings have died down a lot and I enjoy almost all foods in moderation now.

Girly-HA HA! I'm so glad we found our long lost triplet.

demora--I actually had a good experience with a nutritionist. She was of the "no diet" philosophy and specialized in PCOS and eating disorders. She did not believe in cutting out any type of food, but learning to listen to your body signals and moderate eating accordingly. I would look further for a better nutritionist.

Shari

Dreaming Wolf · 10-22-2005, 11:12 PM

What blood tests did you get done exactly? I can't remember the exact details, but I know that the first doctor I went to only sent me for a small range of tests. I wasn't happy with her when she wanted to refer me to a GYN so I switched to another doctor. She sent me for a much greater range of tests, including glucose tolerance, not just insulin levels, thyroid, and various hormonal tests -- the testosterone was measured in two or three different ways. I think that some of my testosterone came back normal and some didn't.

For a diagnosis of PCOS, you really need the inversion of the two hormones which I've forgotten the name of now, oestrogen and something beginning with L (stupid placenta brain...), some physical signs (acne, facial hair, weight), and possibly PCO. I don't think that it can be diagnosed purely from signs. However from what I understand, there are some rarer conditions with similar symptoms.

Are you seeing an endocrinologist? I think that you could possibly have another endocrine disorder, maybe a thyroid problem.

Good luck sorting things out.

demora · 10-23-2005, 03:07 AM

Shari, a lot of the stuff she gave me is from the South Beach diet - the recipies and stuff.

As for what tests she ran, I'm not totally sure. There was quite a list, thyroid, testosterone, glucose, insulin..and who knows what else. I guess I will find out at the end of next month when I see her. Until then, I guess I'll hang and work on this new eating stuff.