I'll start from the VERY beginning. I got my AF when I had just turned 11 and it was painful from the start. I always had terrible cramps. I never get sick but the one thing I would miss school or work for is my cramps. Thank goodness I would only get my AF a few times a year. It never mattered much that I got it so infrequently because it was so dreaded when it did come.
About 3 years ago I had an AF that wouldn't stop. It lasted about 2 weeks and I became sooo tired from all the bleeding. It was heavy the whole time too. I was on holidays at my husband's family house (then boyfriend) so he took me to a clinic and I got started on birth control. From then on I had a year and a half of wonderful short and non painful regular periods. I lost 35 lbs before my wedding on weight watchers. We got married on August 14,1999. Over the winter that year I started getting terrible migraines and high blood pressure. I started taking a low dose of amytriptyline (antidepressant, also for pain)for the chronic pain I was in. It helped after 3 weeks but I gained 15 lbs and I wasn't eating much. So I went off of that. I then decided to go off the bcp's. (I gained a further 15lbs) And we started doing natural family planning as a method of birth control. (Temps every morning, charting and abstaining mid cycle). I ovulated the first two months and had fairly normal periods and then stopped. I had an 80 day cycle and convinced myself I must be pregnant. We wanted to wait a couple years for kids but I got very excited. I went to the doctor for a pregnancy test. I had just started with a new female doctor but it was a locum doctor. The urine test was negative so she sent me for a blood test along with tests for a whole bunch of hormones to diagnose what was wrong. When I met with her again all those tests were normal. I then went for more tests and this time she tested the testosterone and things to rule out PCOS. The next time I met with her she gave me that diagnosis (August 2000). I was devastated, I went in thinking I was pregnant and came out with a disease! I'd never heard of it before. I have very few symptoms other than being overweight and I have a bit of hair on my face but it's blond so it doesn't bother me. When I got home I cried and cried. Then I buckled up and started onto the internet doing tons of research and getting involved in different message boards with woman who had this syndrome. The Dr. had told me the only treatment was bcp's. She knew nothing about metformin but she did know enough to refer me to an endo. The soonest I could get in was Dec 16th!
I called her back and got her to order things like the fasting glucose tolerance test. I then called the endo's office and told them I was desperate, I asked them to get me in on a cancellation list. They called me back in an hour and gave me Nov 7th!
So now after doing all my reading on the internet I wanted metformin. My doctor was back now. I met with her. She knew nothing about PCOS and she didn't know why the locum would have referred me to an endo. She refused to give me metformin and she said I had to be on bcp's if I was to go on it because you could not get pregnant on it. But she said she would contact the endo and find out more info for herself before my appt.
So I was still very upset and even more so after that appt plus confused by the information she gave me. I decided to do what I had control over and started a strict sugarbusters diet on Sept 22, 2000. I started feeling better right away. It felt healthier too. Then my doctor called me and told me she would give me the metformin but she wanted an ultrasound first to determine my diagnosis. She had also learned that people did indeed use metformin to assist in conceiving so I didn't need bcp's. I got the script from her and I called to book an appt for an ultrasound and the waiting list was 4 weeks! It was at the hospital I work at so in desperation I told them I was staff and they squeezed me in on my lunch break the next week. I never heard back from my doctor about the ultrasound but I had the metformin prescription so I cashed it in near end of October. I started out really slow on it 500mg/d for a week and slowly upped it to 1500mg/d. I experienced little or no side effects. I went to my endo appt and had lost 12 lbs by then. She was great and confirmed my diagnosis even though the ultrasound had shown nothing. She gave me a script for a year of metformin and she also gave me prometrium to induce my periods every 60-70 days. (Supposedly less side effects then provera but more expensive.) She said it may take 6 months for the metformin to regulate my periods. In the meantime my total weight loss is 20lbs. I feel a lot more balanced emotionally. I feel healthier. My husband and I decided we would let "what happens happen" regarding children because of the infertility possibilities with PCOS so we are using no birth control. I haven't gotten an AF on my own yet. It is day 50 of my cycle so no luck yet. And that's my story.
Btw when I met with my doctor two weeks ago she was so nice and thanked me for all I taught her about PCOS. She said that since she learned about it she has found a couple other women in her practice that have it!
Let me know if I left anything out. My husband is feeling neglected after all that typing so I better get going. Talk to you another time!
-Brenda in BC
P.S. Congratulations on the 10lbs Josee! You started the met Jan 2nd this month? Wow! Doesn't it feel great. I got into a pair of jeans yesterday I hadn't worn since last summer. hehe It's like a shopping spree in your own closet when you lose weight.