Too many supplements & diet changes

[Mariela]

Right, my husband thinks I'm crazy and is giving me a really hard time over the supplements I take and my diet changes.

I started looking after myself naturally about a year ago and I feel great, really, my symptoms are so much better now. I take cinnamon, spearmint tea, some nopal capsules and that's it. Well, last week I decided to give vinegar a chance my husband walked in and saw me putting vinegar in some water. God, I got a b*ll*cking! First of all he started going with the "there's nothing wrong with you...." line and then to "if you think there's something wrong with you, go see a doctor...", he doesn't see how hard it is going to see GP after GP and the only thing they can come up with is "here have a bcp". The final thing was "stop stuffing your body with any old granny remedy, it's not good".

I tried telling him about the research on vinegar and insulin resistance and all that, but he won't listen. I will still keep going the natural way because I like it and it feels right, but a little support once in a while would be nice.

I feel so low... my mum and my sister even though they have PCOS also think I am mad.

Sorry about the rant ladies.

[KatCarney]

Hmm, that's a really hard position to be in...

Is your husband this way towards you in others areas of your life?

[etuc]

My DH is sort of like that, he just rolls his eyeballs. I think he was worried I'd start pushing alternatives on him. I explained to him I am doing my best to make me feel better and that when I feel better I tend to be less *****y.

If it makes you feel better he really should not be complaining about it, he should just be glad you are feeling better.

[Mariela]

Thanks for the support ladies!

He's really supportive in other areas, he's like superb when it comes to my hair and weight issues, although I don't think he fully understands that those issues are all part of the syndrome, he thinks I'm just a little hairy and a little overweight.

But when it comes to my supplements, he really thinks I'm going all esoteric on him.

[Christie_Anne]

Hi Mariela,

That's really tough. My ex-boyfriend was like that as well. When I told him my diagnosis and how I was going to treat it, he was pretty shocked at the drastic change I would make in my diet and the supplements I would take. I think he thought that somehow we wouldn't have things in common anymore - like enjoying good food and drinking a glass of wine every night with our dinner. And I think him seeing me take the supplements kind of scared him, like I had changed or something.

(I say "I think" because we broke up pretty soon after.)

You didn't write this in your post, so I'm not sure if you did this already, but maybe it would be useful to tell him that he seems concerned about you taking supplements and changing your diet, and that you want to know why he's concerned because you feel fantastic ever since you started making those changes, and to reassure him that he doesn't need to be concerned about those changes you've made because, again, you feel better than ever. Not sure if that would help...but I hope you feel better.

[Mariela]

I think that a big part of the problem is that I haven't been properly diagnosed and that signals to people around me that there's nothing wrong with me.

I tried three different GPs, the three of them said that since I haven't got any issues with fertility (not that I have even tried to get pregnant yet!) the best thing they can do for me is put me on bcp and they recommended that I lose weight before even looking at PCOS or IR. None of them have ordered any relevant blood work (hormones and so). That's what drove me to treat myself naturally and it's been so good ever since.

Anyhow, I have had a word with dh with your suggestions and he seems a bit more relaxed now and understanding. He insists, and I think he is right to some extent, on me seeing a different GP and getting the right diagnosis once and for all. But just the thought of going on a GP hunt again brings me down...

[Christie_Anne]

It's really disappointing that you haven't found a GP willing to do blood work on you. Hopefully you can find some in your area. Have you tried asking in the doctors part of this board? Or do a Google search on doctors in your area that may specialize in treating PCOS? That's actually how I found my ND.

One thing that may reassure (or depress you) is that many ladies on this board, including you and I, have faced GPs who tell them that there's nothing wrong, or that's there's nothing to be done, etc. I've had PCOS since I was 10 years old, and have been seeing doctors since I was 18. They would all say that my hormones were "normal", toss birth control pills at me that didn't help my thinning hair, and threw their hands up in the air, seeming to be indifferent.

I'm 25 and was diagnosed earlier this month from my GP because she had just happened to attend a lecture on PCOS. Before that, she didn't know what it was! So yeah, there are tons of doctors out there who don't know anything about PCOS. I suspect it's actually many of the older doctors who don't know about PCOS - I find that younger doctors, such as one of my friends who just came out of med school, knows about it. In fact, she knows exactly how it's diagnosed and how to treat it, etc etc. Maybe you can try seeking out a younger doctor?

Seeing a GP would be useful because you can see from your bloodwork where you stand hormone-wise and see if you are at risk of diabetes or are "prediabetes" (some people don't know that they're prediabetes because they don't exhibit symptoms). I was worried for a while that I was prediabetes, but now that I have my glucose levels checked, it's a load off my mind. Good luck and I'm glad your dh is more understanding now!

[Mariela]

Christie_Anne,

Thanks for your post it is very encouraging to know that you have found a GP that is sympathetic to PCOS and that you are finally getting treated.

I have dropped the GP issue altogether because on top of everything, we are taking a sabbatical in Mexico now and here it is pretty much private or nothing, although it is a lot cheaper to go private here anyway, so I have been giving it some thought. The other thing that puts me off is finding a great GP here that understands PCOS and then going back to the crappy NHS and finding no support again.

However, fresh fruit and veg here are great, so many options and that has been a great help for my diet and all.

I don't know maybe the diet and exercise along with the supplements made me think that I could do without doctors at least for a while.

Like you I have been putting up with PCOS symptoms since I was 12, but it has been only the last year or so that I have actually started feeling in control and healthier.

DH is a lot better now and I think that after a bad rant a couple of days ago, he's finally beginning to understand how this is affecting my health and my mood. So, on that side, it's alright.