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Post by ouchy on Oct 29, 2006 0:58:30 GMT -5
So, I've been kind of mum on this, but I guess it's time to post it. My LH and FSH hormone levels came back pretty screwy and pointing to PCOS. Luckily, my thyroid, cholesterol/fats, sugars, etc., came back normal. Recently, I've been having quite a bit of abdominal pain, so I went for an ultrasound. I had the regular abdominal ultrasound and everyone's favorite--the infamous trans-vaginal . I thought I probably had a cyst on my left ovary, as I had been having (still having) the most pain on the left. Well, wound up that my left ovary appeared fine on the ultrasound, but there was a fairly large cyst inside my right ovary--basically an egg that just kept growing and growing and would never rupture/ovulate (And even if it had ruptured, it was too big to fit in the tube anyhow!). I decided to go for a round of birth control pills to shrink the cyst. I guess the cyst didn't really make me too upset, but the fact that the cyst wasn't on my left--where the majority of my pain has been means that it is most likely my sigmoid colon tacked back over! I'm debating whether or not I should go have it lasered before trying to get pregnant. That would make for some uncomfortable pregnant moments w/ my intestines all tacked every-which-way! Anyway, I have had continuous bleeding for the entire three weeks I have taken the pills. I guess the flow will get heavier now that I have taken my last pill. I start Metformin tomorrow, so I hope it will regulate my FSH/LH and get me back on track, regulating my cycles so I quit being an incubator for giant eggs! Metformin. It's all just so surreal. I wonder if I'm lucky and the Metformin does regulate my hormones and menstrual cycle if the endo will somehow be less painful? I know it's highly unlikely, and I'm not getting my hopes up, but it would be awesome! Maybe I'll lose my last 10-15 pounds on the Metformin, too! I'll keep you guys posted!
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Post by ouchy on Nov 10, 2006 17:59:43 GMT -5
Well, it's November 11th now, and I've been on Metformin since Oct. 29. I have to say that I am SHOCKED at the results so far! I have lost about 4 pounds without doing anything differently--well, maybe eating slightly less, as w/ the Metformin I don't get cravings. Other than that, my normal walking about 20-to-30 minutes a day. The best news, probably, is that my LH level has dropped signifcantly (according to my test strips). Yesterday (cycle day 12) I saw a moderate rise in the hormone level--could that mean that I will actually ovulate on time??? Somewhere near day 14 would be totally awesome! I'm not really getting my hopes up, but it looks like the Metformin is actually helping. To think I was insulin resistant this whole time?
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Post by ouchy on Nov 15, 2006 22:06:48 GMT -5
I dont' think anyone really cares about this, but in case there is anyone out there w/ ovulation issues due to PCOS, this might be a little spark of light. The metformin actually worked?!?! WOW!!!! I missed 4 doses, and this is day 18 of my cycle, and I just got a + ovulation test, so that is a BIG difference from just going on my own. Good news--Metformin actually worked for me...bad news--another confirmation I have PCOS...ANNNND now I know I'm insulin resistant! ...so I guess it is a and a . Hope this helps someone.
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apple
Full Member
Posts: 214
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Post by apple on Nov 16, 2006 12:55:10 GMT -5
I will ask to my doctor tomorrow when I see him if he has tested me for PCO. He gave me a bunch of blood work but he always said it was normal. But I know that I have cysts (chocolate cysts) on my both ovaries, and since I am tracking my temperature I can see that is all over the place, same with ferning, but I was never diagnose with PCO. Thanks for the info, I may be handy if I do have PCO.
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Post by ouchy on Nov 16, 2006 13:07:27 GMT -5
^Chocolate cysts are endometriotic cysts--not the ovarian-type cysts in PCOS, but your other symptoms could be checked for PCOS.
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Post by macymoo on Nov 27, 2006 17:07:19 GMT -5
Hi, Just thought I would add I have endo and pcos.....endo on my left ovary and pcos on my right.
L
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Post by ouchy on Nov 27, 2006 22:50:54 GMT -5
^Sorry, macymoo. That bites that both ovaries have stuff wrong w/ them. I guess the good thing is that the polycysts can be shrunk.
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Post by ouchy on Dec 24, 2006 11:42:28 GMT -5
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Post by ouchy on Jan 4, 2007 23:52:52 GMT -5
Here is a short, short article on a study about androgenized finger length and PCOS. _______________________________________ Women With PCOS Have Masculinized Finger Length Patterns Information from Industry Angeliq® (0.5 mg drospirenone/1 mg estradiol) Learn more about HT with drospirenone-estradiol for women experiencing moderate to severe menopausal vasomotor symptoms. Read: Important Safety Information Full Prescribing Information. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jan 11 - Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have finger length patterns similar to that of men, suggesting that early androgen exposure during fetal life can result in permanent developmental changes, according to a new study from Australia. Finger length patterns differ between men and women. In men, the second finger is shorter than the fourth finger, while in women this difference is not evident, note Fleur R. Cattrall from Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, and her colleagues. The disparity might be explained by different androgen exposures in utero between genders, the researchers explain in their paper in the December issue of Fertility and Sterility. This idea is supported by the fact that women with conditions characterized by elevated androgen concentrations during fetal development often have masculine finger length pattern. To determine whether women with PCOS have masculinized finger length patterns, Cattrall's group conducted a case-control study that involved 70 women with PCOS and 70 women without the condition, ages 18 to 40. The investigators measured the second to fourth finger length ratio on the ventral surface of the left and right hand of the patients using Vernier calipers. They found a significantly reduced ratio in the right hand of the women with PCOS compared to the controls. "The geometric mean right finger length ratio in the PCOS group was 98.3% that of the controls." The team suggests that the masculinized finger length pattern they identified "could be considered evidence of androgenization of the fetus destined to develop PCOS." Fertil Steril 2005;84:1689-1692. Taken from: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/521265 on 1/4/07
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Post by ouchy on Jan 28, 2007 21:00:20 GMT -5
This was taken from an article e-mailed to me. ______________________________________________ Patient gains from loss By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer 1/28/2007
Removal of 93-pound cyst has woman on recovery track
Taquela Hilton lost 137 pounds in 10 days, but her weight-loss method is not one she would recommend to anybody.
Most of the weight was removed through surgery Jan. 10 in the form of a 93-pound ovarian cyst.
"This was like having a C-section to deliver a 12-year-old," said Dr. Jennifer Cameron, Hilton's primary-care physician at SouthCrest Medical Plaza. "It was a very dangerous situation."
A cyst is an abnormal membranous sac containing a gaseous, liquid or semisolid substance, according to The American Heritage Science Dictionary.
Hilton of Kellyville said she began seeing Cameron three years ago after being dismissed by other doctors as someone who simply could not stop eating.
"Dr. Cameron is the only doctor who saw beyond what she looked like," said Toni Carson, Hilton's mother.
Hilton, 32, had begun gaining weight around age 15.
Three years ago, she had reached 563 pounds. She had trouble breathing and walking. She no longer could drive or work. Her high blood pressure was out of control. And she had dangerous cellulitis in her legs, which were dry, cracked and weeping.
"I would just get
so beat down about it," she said. "The more I got beat down, the more I stayed home."
She wanted gastric bypass surgery, and Cameron told her she needed to lose some weight before the surgery could be safely attempted. Hilton's target weight was 440 pounds.
Not knowing that a gigantic cyst was putting pressure on her body and causing her intestines and stomach to flatten up into her chest, Hilton set to work walking and eating more healthfully.
"I already eat healthy," she said. "People wouldn't believe me, but my favorite thing to eat is a salad at Mazzio's. I love salads."
Through determination and hard work, Hilton brought her weight down to 480 pounds. But that still wasn't enough to have the surgery.
"I wasn't able to be active. I was living on inhalers and Advair," Hilton said.
Cameron said Hilton's health was becoming critical. Blood clots were found across her abdomen, and she had a terrible allergic reaction to the medication she was given to stop the clotting.
"Everything was such a stress for her. I knew she was right on the line of being in danger," the doctor said. "She was so good at following my recommendations, but things just didn't add up. Her belly was hard as a brick."
So Cameron scheduled Hilton for exploratory surgery. What she and the surgeon found during that operation was astounding.
"It was a small adult she was carrying around in her. It contained 12 gallons of fluid, and we removed it intact," Cameron said. "If she had ever gotten into a car accident and the cyst had burst, she would've died."
With all of Hilton's health problems, the surgery was delicate, the doctor said.
"We just had all these obstacles, and it was really scary," Cameron said. "We didn't give up. We were a team, and now we are celebrating a miracle."
Bigger cysts have been found inside people, but not by much.
"I'm just glad to get the thing out of me," Hilton said.
Before the surgery, Hilton's girth was 71 inches. She now weighs 359 pounds, has lost 20 inches in the waist and has dropped from a size 6X to a size 2X in clothing.
"Now I can see my feet when I lie down. I can see my toes wiggle. And I have a lap. I didn't have a lap before," she said.
Cameron said that since the cyst's removal, Hilton's body is getting back to a normal state, and she no longer needs gastric bypass surgery.
"She has a 100 percent healthy prognosis. We're expecting a complete transformation. She'll be a healthy, normal person," Cameron said.
As for Hilton, she is longing for that normalcy. Her goal is to go to college and get a degree in medical billing and coding. She looks forward to driving again, and, mostly, she is eager to help her family with its horses.
"It feels odd. My back has to readjust. I can actually stand up straight, and I'm taller than my mom," she said.
"If people look at me and assume I'm just fat because I eat too much, that's OK. I think, 'You didn't see me before.' "
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Post by erzulie on Mar 5, 2007 19:18:18 GMT -5
Wow, the poor woman! I'm so glad they were able to get that out of her! She'll probably lose weight really fast now, because she's actually able to move! Geez, I wonder how a cyst can get that big?!?!?
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Post by ouchy on Mar 5, 2007 19:44:34 GMT -5
LH/FSH problems. It lets the cyst/egg just keep growing and growing and growing. It's nuts! She is also from Oklahoma, and I've heard that the medical care there isn't so great. She probably sought out more doctors than we have for our endo diagnoses.
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misa
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by misa on Mar 28, 2007 9:19:43 GMT -5
I have been diagnosed with endo stage II, and PCOS. I didnt have PCOS until I came off the pill. Now I have all the signs of PCOS as well as the appearance of polycystic ovaries
I am trying to help myself by losing weight and eating low glycemic foods. I do not get a lot of pain with my endo, I am so lucky for that. My supplements help me.
I want to get pregnant next year and Im so worried I wont be able to. I had seven regular monthly periods when I came off the pill and got pregnant immediately after stopping, before my first natural period, but miscarried at 7 weeks. I then put on half a stone and now the PCOS has started, I havent had a period since my lap in January
Can someone please tell me how this will effect my endometriosis?
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misa
Junior Member
Posts: 57
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Post by misa on Mar 28, 2007 9:26:25 GMT -5
I just wanted to add, my glucose is normal, so is my LH and FSH, I have eliviated testosterone levels and irregular periods.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 28, 2007 10:34:12 GMT -5
If you havne't had a period since January, you're probably either pregnant now or probably need to have your LH and FSH checked again. If you're not having a period, your endo probably isn't getting any worse. I've read that PCOS and endo work antagonistically of each other, each keeping the other at bay a bit. How true it is, I have no clue.
Out of curiosity, when was the last time you had your hormones checked?
Oh yah, and were the hormone tests you had performed done on the correct cycle days?
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