HORMONE IMBALANCE

[deeb34]

I HAVE A PROBLEM.......I HAVE BEEN UNDER A TON OF STRESS AT WORK FOR THE PAST YEAR.......I AM ON AN ANTIDEPRESSANT AS WELL.....WELL, I BEGAN TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY PERIOD......FOR THREE MONTHS I HAVE BEEN IRREGULAR, LIGHT FLOW, LATE A WEEK OR TWO, VERY HEAVY, CONTINUOUS SPOTTING.....ANYHOW, I WENT TO MY DOCTOR WHO IS FAMOUS FOR PILL PUSHING.........SHE DID BLOOD WORK AND A URINE TEST......MY NERVES WERE ABOUT SHOT AT THAT TIME AND MY ADRENALIN WAS REALLY FLOWING FOR A FEW WEEKS FROM THE NONSENSE AT WORK AND WORRY ABOUT GETTING A JOB TRANSFER........I TOLD THE DOCTOR ABOUT MY PERIOD AND STRESS AND SHE SENT ME TO AN OBGYN.......WELL, THE OBGYN FOUND NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY......HE SAID THAT I HAD A HORMONE IMBALANCE DUE TO STRESS........HE SAID THAT HE WAS POSITIVE OF THIS AND GAVE ME PROGESTERONE TO TAKE FOR FIVE DAYS........HE WAS RIGHT........EVERYTHING IS BACK ON TRACK AND I WAS CALM AFTER THAT.........WELL, MY DOCTOR WHO DID THE BLOOD WORK AND URINE TEST BEFORE THE OBGYN VISIT AND HORMONES, HAD HER RECEPTIONIST CALL ME AND SAY THAT MY BLOOD SUGAR WAS A LITTLE HIGH AND THAT THE DR. WAS PRESCRIBING 2 MEDICATIONS FOR ME......I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING OUT OF SHOCK AND SHE THEN SAID "WELL, IF YOU WANT TO COME IN TO SEE THE DOCTOR, YOU CAN"........SO, I WENT FOR A VISIT, SHE SAID "WELL, YOUR TOTAL CHOLESTORAL WAS 130 AND YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL WAS READING 122......THIS IS VERY HIGH FOR BOTH.  YOU HAVE DIABETES"........IRONICALLY, THE RECEPTIONIST WAS TELLING A FEW PEOPLE THAT THEIR SUGAR WAS VERY HIGH, OUT LOUD WHEN I WAS IN THE WAITING ROOM.....THEY ALL SEEMED TO BE SURPRISED TOO AND EMBARRASSED........I'M NOT SAYING THAT I CAN'T POSSIBLY HAVE DIABETES, BUT COULD THE STRESS AND HORMONE PROBLEM FROM WORK HAVE CAUSED THE FASTING TEST TO BE OUT OF WHACK?.......I DID GAIN SOME WEIGHT FROM THE ANTIDEPRESSANT AND WAS INTAKING A LOT OF CARBS FOR ABOUT 2 OR 3 WEEKS PRIOR TO ALL OF THIS.....NOT SLEEPING........UP ALL NIGHT WORRYING.........IT'S MY JOB THAT'S DOING IT TO ME.....STRESS.......ANXIETY.....I'M PRAYING SO HARD FOR A TRANSFER AND TRYING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE......THE LAST TIME I HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY PERIOD WAS WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE........VERY HIGH STRESS, BUT WHAT I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR THE PAST YEAR IS FAR WORSE.........BACK TO THE WHOLE DOCTOR TESTING, I THINK THAT THE DOCTOR COULD HAVE HAD ENOUGH COURTESY TO RETEST ME AFTER THE HORMONE TREATMENT.....I TOLD HER THAT I CUT 2/3 OF THE SUGAR OUT OF MY DIET AND WAS GOING TO MAKE LIFESTYLE CHANGES......GOING TO JOIN WEIGHT WATCHERS, SINCE I WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH GETTING INTO MEDICATIONS............SHE SAID THAT SHE WANTED TO SEE ME BACK IN 6 MONTHS.......I ASKED IF I NEEDED TO STOP EATING SUGAR AND JUNK FOOD AND SHE SAID "NO. JUST USE COMMON SENSE. HAVE A BALANCED DIET AND MAKE WISE CHOICES.YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTROL YOUR LEVELS WITH THAT I'LL GIVE YOU 6 MONTHS TO WORK ON IT"......... ....PLEASE ADVISE....I'M REALLY SCARED AND FEEL ALONE NOW.........

[Damronsj]

Stress will not raise or lower your blood glucose reading when fasting. If that was your blood glucose when fasting it is slightly elevated.

I have severe ptsd and still deal with extreme abuse. It does not change my blood glucose.

What stress can affect is insulin resistance, high levels of cortisol from constant stress won't cause it but it can make it worse. If you were insulin resistant for some time it may be what lead to diabetes.

Diet and exercise are great life style changes but if you are dealing with high levels of stress and anxiety. Seeing a therapist can go a long ways in helping you help yourself.
Try meditation, yoga etc.
When you feel anxiety rising over worries try grounding yourself by finding 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can smell, 2 things you can taste and 1 happy thought even if a moment you enjoyed something. And then just breathe.

Stress leads to anxiety, it isn't the stress you feel because stress is the thing or situation affecting you, we react using different mechanisms and one of yours could be anxiety. But only a licensed therapist or psychologist would be best to talk to about that. A doctor can acknowledge you are stressed but only therapists have the expertise to tell you more about it.

Also a gynecologist isn't not a hormone specialist. They specialize in a generalized department of the reproduction organs almost like a primary care doctor does.
Please see an endocrinologist not just a gyno.
I went to a gyno for 2 years telling me I was fine and once I saw the endo he knew what tests to run and he did find what was wrong. And sometimes it also takes finding the right doctor if you feel like the doctor isn't listening to you.

[SooooooStressed]

Hi!
First of all, can I tell you to TAKE A BREATH!
Gosh, from reading your post, I got a little stressed out and I can only imagine how this is affecting you!  

I feel as though I can maybe offer you some direction as far as the diabetes numbers are concerned. I would say that a BS reading of 122 is just a bit elevated.  Not like the 380 I was when I went to the doctor and was IMMEDIATELY put on medication.

I will be the first to tell you that each person with diabetes is affected by different things.
I myself can not eat carbs without my sugar going thru the roof.  I can however have a candy bar and it will not effect me the same way.  Go figure, I am Italian and would MUCH rather have the pasta than the candy...life is cruel!  LoL!!

Also, please know that STRESS & WEIGHT GAIN & of course not eating properly nor sleeping well can ALL have an affect on your sugar levels.

I am going thru a very stressful time right now with my health and I am not sleeping well, not exercising, not eating correctly and I am emotionally drained.    This is all having a negative effect on my BS numbers which have been excellent for months previous to this new situation.

On a side note, your cholesterol number does not seem high to me, but I am not very familiar with that aspect of your issues.

If your doc prescribed Metformin (Glucophage) for diabetes, it is a good medicine.  It can help to get your appectite under control (in some people) in addition to getting your BS numbers under control.  

I am not a fan of popping pills, but after doing my research, I found that this is a common medicine.

Sometimes you can get this under control with diet and exercise but it takes a firm commitment and perhaps with your other stressful situations going on right now, the pill you were prescribed would not be a bad idea, if even for a while.

Don't feel alone...there are lots of us right there with you, especially when first hearing the words, "You are diabetic."

Keep in touch and hope I was of some comfort & help....

Love & blessings... ~V