general rant
Question:
Thanks everyone for your words of kindness. I;m feeling much better than I did when I originally wrote the post. I’ve decided that I’ll prepare for a new doctor by diggin up my old research and go armed with a list of expectations. My biggest concern is being able to continue seeing my Endo. She’s been fantastic and does keep up-to-date on new research. If you’re in the Frontrange region of Colorado, I highly recommend her (Dr. Susan Henley)! I made an appointment to see my GP one last time, and saw her this morning. Unfortunately, she was unable to give me any recommendations on who to look into as a new GP. She felt that there were so few doctors that keep current on new information, let alone female, that she honestly didn’t know of any here in town. But she let me know, in her own way, that she was thankful that I opened up her eyes to the seriousness of the syndrome. I hope her female patients will benefit from that in her new practice. Now that I’d decided to hold off on TTC, more medication options open up for me. I’ve been on Glucophage (Metformin) for 3 years with no positive effects other than regulating my blood sugar. Now that I’m not TTC I can have Actos or Avandia as options that will hopefully get me to menstruate. Since I’ve gotten some much needed therapy, I think I’ll be able to stand up and say ‘This is what I want, will you help me?’ I guess you can say getting all my issues out on the table gave me back my spine! Hehehe. Again, I wanted to thank everyone. ~Meg PS– If you know of any halfway decent GP’s in the Colorado Springs area, please let me know!
Response:
I know it is so overwhelming and I am sorry you have to go through it. I know it seems bleak now but I am hoping for you that things start looking up. I remember all too well the frustration of TTC and incompetent Dr’s getting in my way. Best of luck to you, Shelley
Response:
Hi Meggie, I’m very sorry to read about what you’re going through. It’s bad enough to suffer from PCOS, but to put up with incompetence and bad health care is infuriating. > My GP is leaving her practice, and only because of her I’m allowed to see my > Endocrinologist (insurance run by buttheads). Now I have to search for a > new family doctor and convince them that I need to see my endocrinologist.
Anyway that your GP can recommend anyone? If so, would you trust her recommendation? > It was a nightmare the first time, and I don’t look forward to doing it > again. I had to completely educate my current doctor who was VERY resistant > to learning that this syndrome is more than irregular periods and a little > facial hair.
All I can advise is that when you go to your new doctor, arm yourself with as much literature as possible, tangible material that your doctor can look at and read and keep. You can print stuff off the internet or buy a book on PCOS and photocopy info that you want him/her to know about. At least he couldn’t claim ignorance and might be interested enough to help you, or refer you to someone who can. As for the gyno, I won’t be seeing her anytime soon, unless a > meteor hits the Earth and kills off all the other gynos in Colorado. And > even then, I won’t go there unless its an emergency.
I can understand your anger. Again, if you were able to see an understanding endocrinologist, you wouldn’t necessarily have to worry about your gyn treating you for PCOS. Just the necessities (annual checkup, Pap smear etc.) And if you do see a new endocrinologist, give him/her the same literature that you give your GP. > The general problem is making somebody, anybody, listen to me. How can I > make a new doctor understand what hell I go through on a daily basis when I > couldn’t even get my old doctor to understand.
Depends if the new doctor keeps up on what is happening in medicine. S/he might be aware of PCOS and the need to see it as a serious health issue. I would guess, though, that gynecologists might be more current than regular doctors, though, since it relates to their field. >Because of these people, I’ve completely > given up on the thought of ever giving my husband a child. I can tell you > that was the hardest realization of my life, especially living in a town > where women seem to get pregnant at the drop of a hat–High military numbers > tend to do this.
Please don’t give up, yet. Clearly you haven’t been given the treatment that you need and deserve. Did your old GP and endo prescribe insulin-regulating medicine, like Metformin? Have you and your husband been trying to conceive? If so, were you prescribed Clomid-an ovulation-inducing medication? Clomid doesn’t work for everyone (myself included), but it works for others. Even better, Clomid taken with Metformin has a higher success rate for PCOS women (which I will be trying next). This is the type of information you have to arm yourself with when you see your new physicians. Let them know you are well informed about your condition and what is out there that should be tried. > I guess in the end, all I have is one question. How can I make someone hear > what I’m saying and understand that it effects me as much as it does?
Unfortunately, you might very well have to "sample" different doctors until you find one that is willing to help you and work with you. I can recommend the Woman’s Day magazine’s website, www.womansday.com. They have been doing an excellent job on reporting on PCOS. They have about 5-6 articles you can print out and that you can show to your doctor. I hope everything works out for you. Best wishes, Michelle
Response:
Please Meggie – Visit some of the online forums such as soulcysters.com to find a good doctor in your area. Or you can try http://www.thyroid-info.com/ and click on top docs – it’s for hypothyroid but I found my doc through there and she worked out GREAT. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Meggie Woods wrote: > Hello > Well, first thing’s first, I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m a 24 > yo, fairly newly married (1-1/2 years), and have had PCO since I was 13. > PCO does run in my family though I have the severest symptoms of anyone by > far. I am severely IR/hyperinsulinemic, very low estrogen, normal > testosterone and have never had a menstrual cycle without the use of pills. > At this point I’m getting desperate. I was being treated by my family > doctor, endochrinologist and gynocologist and all three made me want to > scream. Now I’m in trouble. > My GP is leaving her practice, and only because of her I’m allowed to see my > Endocrinologist (insurance run by buttheads). Now I have to search for a > new family doctor and convince them that I need to see my endocrinologist. > It was a nightmare the first time, and I don’t look forward to doing it > again. I had to completely educate my current doctor who was VERY resistant > to learning that this syndrome is more than irregular periods and a little > facial hair. As for the gyno, I won’t be seeing her anytime soon, unless a > meteor hits the Earth and kills off all the other gynos in Colorado. And > even then, I won’t go there unless its an emergency. > The general problem is making somebody, anybody, listen to me. How can I > make a new doctor understand what hell I go through on a daily basis when I > couldn’t even get my old doctor to understand. How do you do it? I can’t > just keep going to a different doctor every week hoping against all odds > that one will actually understand that this is a problem and affects every > aspect of my life. I’ve been lucky that at least my endo keeps up with > treatments and research, but even she doesn’t quite understand that its more > than my LH and FSH levels are off and my insulin levels are high that it > makes me physically miserable. Because of these people, I’ve completely > given up on the thought of ever giving my husband a child. I can tell you > that was the hardest realization of my life, especially living in a town > where women seem to get pregnant at the drop of a hat–High military numbers > tend to do this. > I would LOVE to have just one doctor ask me WHY I’m not losing weight, not > order me to lose it. Maybe then they’d understand that the weight is > secondary to the problems regulating my bloodsugar, low sex drive, > masculinizing features and depression and that I would rather get THOSE > problems managed before I work on the cosmetic crap. Maybe I’d care about > the outside if the inside wasn’t such a mess. Or that if they listen to me, > just once, maybe I’ll take what they have to say with more than a grain of > salt. Perhaps I live in a dream world, but at least that gives me some hope > of ever having some kind of normalcy. > I guess in the end, all I have is one question. How can I make someone hear > what I’m saying and understand that it effects me as much as it does? > I apologize for the whining. Thank you for being here.
Response:
Hello Well, first thing’s first, I suppose I should introduce myself. I’m a 24 yo, fairly newly married (1-1/2 years), and have had PCO since I was 13. PCO does run in my family though I have the severest symptoms of anyone by far. I am severely IR/hyperinsulinemic, very low estrogen, normal testosterone and have never had a menstrual cycle without the use of pills. At this point I’m getting desperate. I was being treated by my family doctor, endochrinologist and gynocologist and all three made me want to scream. Now I’m in trouble. My GP is leaving her practice, and only because of her I’m allowed to see my Endocrinologist (insurance run by buttheads). Now I have to search for a new family doctor and convince them that I need to see my endocrinologist. It was a nightmare the first time, and I don’t look forward to doing it again. I had to completely educate my current doctor who was VERY resistant to learning that this syndrome is more than irregular periods and a little facial hair. As for the gyno, I won’t be seeing her anytime soon, unless a meteor hits the Earth and kills off all the other gynos in Colorado. And even then, I won’t go there unless its an emergency. The general problem is making somebody, anybody, listen to me. How can I make a new doctor understand what hell I go through on a daily basis when I couldn’t even get my old doctor to understand. How do you do it? I can’t just keep going to a different doctor every week hoping against all odds that one will actually understand that this is a problem and affects every aspect of my life. I’ve been lucky that at least my endo keeps up with treatments and research, but even she doesn’t quite understand that its more than my LH and FSH levels are off and my insulin levels are high that it makes me physically miserable. Because of these people, I’ve completely given up on the thought of ever giving my husband a child. I can tell you that was the hardest realization of my life, especially living in a town where women seem to get pregnant at the drop of a hat–High military numbers tend to do this. I would LOVE to have just one doctor ask me WHY I’m not losing weight, not order me to lose it. Maybe then they’d understand that the weight is secondary to the problems regulating my bloodsugar, low sex drive, masculinizing features and depression and that I would rather get THOSE problems managed before I work on the cosmetic crap. Maybe I’d care about the outside if the inside wasn’t such a mess. Or that if they listen to me, just once, maybe I’ll take what they have to say with more than a grain of salt. Perhaps I live in a dream world, but at least that gives me some hope of ever having some kind of normalcy. I guess in the end, all I have is one question. How can I make someone hear what I’m saying and understand that it effects me as much as it does? I apologize for the whining. Thank you for being here.
Response:
Filed under: PCOS Treatment
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