Another Newbie in Charlotte, NC

[angelchrome]

Hi there. I was loosely diagnosed IR/PCOS on fasting glucose test in 2003, but left without any guidance from an OB/GYN who told me that if I lose some weight he'll help me get pregnant. That's it. I switched doctors to a very nice woman who was excellent about listening but never fully checked me out because I wasn't TTC at the time. Then I lost medical insurance and spent the next few years not treating my PCOS at all.

In the last year I've changed everything, I eat low glycemic most of the time, I exercise more frequently, and I'm taking a variety of supplements. I've lost 55 lbs the long hard way and intend to continue so that next year we can start TTC. I've seen some improvement in symptoms but I am still not ovulating regularly. I had a very bad cycle in April resulting in blood loss anemia that should have been treated with transfusion - but no medical insurance prevented proper care. I'm back to normal now though.

Stats:
Married, 29, no androgen symptoms, occasional burst cysts, insulin resistant, obese, completely unpredictable cycles, depression.

Treatment:
Diet & exercise, vitex, cinnamon, Vit D, Vit E, alpha lipoic acid, chromium, Fish oil.

I'm not new to PCOS, but new to this community and I'll definitely be looking for support once we start TTC. Hope everyone's having a nice day!

[kathyjx]

I am new also. I have been TTC for 8 months. Not ovulating. That is discouraging but I have hope. I just hate taking the meds to make me start. They make me hurt so bad.

[Sarah Louise]

Welcome to SC !!

[Eva37]

lovely to meet you. welcome to sc - you will so love it here. There is so much to learn, and everyone is so friendly.

[angelchrome]

Good luck to you kathyjx, I know how awful it is to wait each month for a different result only to get knocked back again. I wish you a healthy conception & pregnancy!

Thanks for the welcome Sarah Louise & Eva37. How interesting to get two greetings from South Wales! My husband is British and we'll be moving back the UK probably in 3 years and I'm not looking forward to fighting the NHS for treatment. I know some doctors take care of business but I have too many British friends trying to get treatment and it's been an uphill struggle.

[hannahatheart]

Welcome! I'm from the Charlotte area too (somewhat, lol). Just thought I'd say hey.

[vickie83]

Hey from another newbie
you'll never hear anything good about the NHS but occasionally you get lucky! My GP has been fantastic and I think finding a good doctor makes all the difference. At the very least you won't have to worry about medical cover in an emergency. It might seem like I'm playing devils advocate (believe me I'm not!) but I wanted to reassure you that its not all doom and gloom!

[Valencia]

Hello from a Newbie in Birmingham, AL
I have just been diagnosed with PCOS (really I diagnosed myself!). After wondering what was wrong with me all these years; darkened skin on my neck, under my breast, and groin area, excessive hair that was getting worse over the years, oily skin, acne, dandruff that has gotten so bad that it turned to seborrheic dermatits (hope I spelled that right), skin tags (I thought they were moles), weight gain around my mid-section, irregular periods,high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance! I kept havin pain in my abdomen that was seeming to get worse. My BFF suggested that I might have a cyst on my ovaries. After doing some reasearch on the internet typing in different search engines I happened upon a site that read Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, I clicked on it and immediately after reading the symptoms it felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders!! Every sympton on the page seemed like I was experiencing. Years of going to different doctors only to have them just treat some of the symptoms. After discussing my irregular periods with one of my doctor's he said to me "You're periods are not irregular, you are just not counting the days correctly" can you beleive that!!!

[rw5134]

I was just like that what did you do for treatment. I was just diagnosed . I really don't know what to ask the doctor cause now since I know that there is help out there I want to start everything

[milleab]

Who is your new Dr in Charlotte? I feel like mine doesn't care about me at all - all he suggested was to lose some weight. Good thing that with PCOS, it's really hard to lose weight. I need a new Doctor who knows about PCOS and helps me fight it.

[angelchrome]

hannahatheart - thanks for the welcome. I'm technically in the Charlotte metro area, but not inside Charlotte. I've been here 7 years now and it has upsides and downsides, but I'm feeling ridiculously grateful that this is one of the markets in the nation where the economy has very slightly less horrible.

vickie83 - thanks for the welcome. I totally agree that I'd prefer NHS hit-n-miss coverage to no coverage at all which is what I have now. It's a good system, it's really only individual docs who are problematic - which is true all over the world!

[angelchrome]

Valencia & rw5134 - Nothing doctors do surprises me any more. So many are just ridiculously uninformed and it seems like most of us hunt for years before finding someone who takes our problems seriously or treats us with any small amount of respect, much less knows how to help. This board seems like a great resource for that.

millieab - I am currently uninsured and just working on symptoms on my own. I've seen a couple of docs recommended on this board and I will definitely be calling if I get an insurance solution soon. The least helpful thing on earth is to be told you're sick and then provided with no tools or guidance in how to heal yourself I'd post links but I'm still too new to be permitted to post links.

Good luck everyone!

[nellies_mommy77]

I am in Randleman, NC. I began seeing Dr. Yalcinkaya out of Wake Forest Univeristy Baptist Medical Center yesterday actually. I am happy with him so far. He has a plan of attack and we will see what is going on....Good luck to all!!