Saw my Endocrinologist yesterday! (finally)

Camisado · 12-20-2007, 03:28 PM

Ok, I promised everyone I'd keep you updated on the Endocrinologist appointment I had yesterday.

I hadn't seen her since March, so I had to fill her in on everything - periods every other week until August when they stopped completely until a few days ago after 3 weeks woth of horrific cramps. Along with the severe and unusual degree of acne breakouts and bloating and most of all - PMS! Mood swings! Panic/agoraphobia!

She didn't say too much because she was looking through my charts. So I told her, "Um, when I went to my Dermatologist for the acne, he told me he's done eevrything he could for me, and that I should look into PCOS."

That's when she kind of double-talked and was very unclear about what her opinion of the possibility of PCOS was with me.

She then went on to say that "PCOS is hard to diagnose with labs and other procedures, so you kind of have to go by its symptoms, but I'll write you a script for Metformin and also have you do the following bloodwork:"

Insulin (fasting), random
Glucose (fasting), randon
FSH/LH

----*sidenote: Why is she testing my insulin and glucose? I'm not overweight, though I have gained weight without trying. (???)

She said testosterone could be in normal ranges even if it's abnormal for me, so she's not gonna test that.
I did a saliva test this past summer and it said my estrogen was high, and my estrogen-to-progesterone ratio was way off balance (estrogen dominance).

If the tests come out normal, I'm not sure what she wants me to do with my rx for Metformin. She told me she prescribed Metformin because I keep having bad reactions to BC pills, and also, I am not allowed to take the Metformin until the bloodwork is done.

Any thoughts on the matter? Is she missing something?

Thanks again to all of you for being so very supportive, I will always be here for you gals too....

PS - I stopped crying. I woke up in a pretty good mood today, which is telling me Aunt Flow is settling down. Just hadn't seen her in nearly 5 months, and when she did decide to drop by a few days ago. I went psycho.

ivetastedflight · 12-20-2007, 03:37 PM

Insulin Resistance is a VERY common symptom of PCOS. Which is why she is testing your Glucose and Insulin. Metformin is actually a drug that lowers blood sugar, so that is probably why she wants you to wait to take it - to see if you really do need it.

There is more information on IR and Met around the forum. There is a board specifically for Metformin. Good info there. I am really glad that you are getting to move forward with this. Even if your doctor doesn't seem - uh - understanding, she seems to have you on a good start.

Let us know what your results are.

calmwaters · 12-22-2007, 09:20 PM

Well, that's a good start for you. I'm glad you are feeling a bit better. Hormones can really mess with your balance and well being. My AF is due in the next day or two (that is IF it shows up on time), and today I am finding myself crying at silly things like a Fred Meyer commercial, diaper commercials, the dark sky outside... A friend of mine helped me realize that my wacky hormones don't cause strange feelings and irrational thoughts, they just severely intensify every fleeting thought and feeling and prolong it. That in itself makes me feel strange and irrational. But after AF starts, I am most near my normal self as ever. Too bad PMS lasts 2-3 weeks!

Anyway, have you done any research on Dr. Lee? He has really good info on estrogen dominance. You may want to try some Natural Progesterone Cream to help balance out your estrogen levels. I did, and it may well be a placebo effect or not (I don't care!), but almost ALL of my anxiety and emotional lability has been under easy control since I started the progesterone cream. Once in a while I bubble over the edge, like today, but for the most part feeling much more stable and... safe. My estrogen was not high, but my progesterone was low. It causes the same symptoms. Not to mention, in PCOS a slew of other hormones are unbalanced as well, so there are many avenues of help for you. Read up on here, and learn as much as you can.

Iluvthesun · 12-26-2007, 05:43 AM

shows how much I know... I thought having a lot of estrogen could be a good thing... Ive got some much testosterone floating around in my body that imm going crazy!