PCOS in REDBOOK

edswife · 06-30-2003, 03:07 AM

I got the August Redbook magizine on Sat and as i was reading through it there was an article on PCOS in there. The lady who wrote it is the president of the Austin Tx, PCOS organization and there is a box at the end of the article that says PCOS what every woman must know:: and there are questions and answers and one of the questions is Where can i go for more info? one of the places is Soul Cysters.

Amy

(this redbook has Tim Mcgraw on the cover just in case someone goes looking for it)

STORMIEYES73 · 06-30-2003, 08:54 PM

Amy,
That's wonderful!!! Thanks for passing on the info. I'll look for that Redbook magazine this week.
Thanks,
Linda S.

Ange75 · 07-07-2003, 01:43 PM

I saw that too. I was so excited that we were getting some coverage!!

vajra · 07-09-2003, 02:15 AM

Hey there! I'm glad some of you have seen the article already! Redbook took my original story and made it significantly shorter, but I guess that's life in the magazine world. The editor asked me for recommended websites so of course I mentioned Soul Cysters and PCOSupport as well as my website, AustinPCOS. I've already received a lot of email from people who read my story, and I hope it helps other women out there know they are not alone in their PCOS struggle.

xmelinda · 07-09-2003, 07:13 PM

Victoria, I enjoyed reading your story -- thanks for speaking out for all of us!

I noticed in your article that you had success with Avandia, after being unable to tolerate Metformin. I am also unable to take Metformin, and I was wondering (a) what about Met you could not tolerate, and (b) what "bad" side effects have you had from Avandia? I am afraid to try it because of the possibility of swelling and weight gain. Years ago, my sister was on Rezulin (cousin to Avandia and Actos) and it caused her legs to swell up in a weird distorted way and never go back down, even after going off the medication. I know Avandia is formulated to be a MUCH smaller dose than Rezulin, but it still makes me nervous. I don't find as many women taking Avandia or Actos instead of Metformin, so it's hard to get opinions/experiences.

Thanks again,
Melinda

vajra · 07-10-2003, 02:38 AM

Glucophage (Metformin) and I do not get along. I took glucophage for nearly a year when I was initially trying to get pregnant. The side effects were terrible and included uncontrollable diarrhea, painful cramping, and embarrasing gas. Even though it was difficult, I was desparately clinging to the hope that it would help me get pregnant or at least make my body healthier despite PCOS.

The second time I tried Glucophage (after my daughter was born), there was the new extended release version. I hoped that I would be able to tolerate it better, but alas, I had the same symptoms. (And yes, I tried all the tricks -- taking with food, avoiding greasy food, snacking on healthy foods.) After a couple of months, I gave up on Metformin.

My only experience with rosiglitazone (Avandia) is when I took it for the research study. I took the medication for 6 months and got pregnant in that final month. The only side effect that I noticed was weight gain. I gained about 15 pounds, but I was not dieting at all.

It did not cause me any swelling like you mentioned.

At the present time, I am not taking rosiglitazone although my endocrinologist has been willing to prescribe it to me. I would like to lose some more weight before taking it again.

Nae_Nae · 07-11-2003, 09:11 AM

After I read this post I went out and bought the magazines. I had just posted a post asking people to write to various popular TV programs and magazines. So I think this article is great.
Not only does it let more people know about PCOS, but the pictures show us that we are not all some sort of side show. I love it !!!!!!!Thanks for the article to everyone who had a hand in it.

prunepie · 07-13-2003, 03:36 PM

i read the article the other day at work.. i am a hairstylist so i always get to see mags when they come out.... of course i was with myfellow hairstyliist who wieghs 95 pounds and never even heard of pcos.... when i read the article i almost cried and felt such pride that the message is getting out there.and when i saw soulcysters as a recommended website i felt... PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE..

everytime i see a gyno article i look for pcos mentioned...rarely it is...and even then..its a small blurb that doesnt explain it well...i joke you not..i am about to go buy the mag and seriously rip it out and put it in a frame...teeeeheeeee..

ps..how did you get redbook interested in your story???
xoxo jenn

vajra · 07-13-2003, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by prunepie
ps..how did you get redbook interested in your story???
xoxo jenn

Many months ago, I received an email from a friend, Christine DeZarn, Founder of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association (PCOSA, also known as PCOSupport) asking me if I was interested in sending my story to Redbook. Apparently Redbook was interested in publishing a story of someone with PCOS who had success getting pregnant.

I assume many people submitted their stories since I also saw the Redbok information distributed on several of PCOSA's email lists. A couple months went by and I didn't hear anything so I figured Redbook was going to use someone else's story.

But then I was contacted by a writer for Redbook, Rose Palazzolo. We had several really long phone conversations, and she's the one who actually WROTE the article. The original version was much longer and more interesting in my opinion, but it was obviously edited to fit their needs.

I'm a little sad that a chunks of the story were edited out. For example, there are so many references to my ex-husband George and not many to my husband Kevin. And the original story had some touching points about how Kevin and I reacted when we found out we were pregnant, and how I went into labor on the 1-yr anniversary of the death of Kevin's sister, Lauren (our daughter's namesake) and a cute little paragraph about lunch I had with a friend (told her she had PCOS).

Oh well. I'm not complaining. I'm thrilled PCOS has gotten more media coverage.

prunepie · 07-13-2003, 09:31 PM

i understand..too bad you couldnt proof the story first.... although many of the more poignant details were left out of your personal story ( i must say i wondered why so much was about your ex.not kevin arghs) you are right...the message is out there.....

ps the pic of you looks fab..... cant imagine you have much weight to lose...

but huge kudos to you... TRUST me i bet there are mannnnny women out there who read your story and went waiiiiiit a minute.... do i, or my sis or my daughter have this...bc we have so many of the same symptoms... and imo... THATS what we are here for... to support and encourage women to help themselves.. YOU GOOOOO GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL xoxoxo jenn

KatCarney · 07-13-2003, 10:17 PM

Gosh...i'm so late getting to this thread!!!

I'm going to have to swing by and pick up a Redbook on my way home from work (yes...i'm working on a Sunday...)

Anyway...

CONGRATULATIONS on having your story told in Redbook!!! I can't wait to read it!!

kat

Spitfire · 07-14-2003, 04:02 AM

My sister in-law actually referred me to the article. I was explaining to her about some of the difficulties I've been having with my health and she said I just read an article on that. I was so excited when she showed me the magazine.

In HS I was struggling with many of my symptoms, and I was hesitant to see a doc until I saw an article about PCOS in a magazine. It just clicked-this is what I have. This explains everything. Luckily, the doc I saw was well trained in PCOS. She took one look at me and recognized all the classic visual symptoms.

So thank you for sharing your story. It gives hope to other women out there that may be in the dark about their symptoms. Perhaps some woman will recognize herself (just as I did) and seek medical advice. Also, I think the article is important because while not everyone has PCOS, chances are someone close to us does, and the article can educate the public. Victoria thanks for sharing your story with us!