Update -- Meeting With specialist tomorrow

[EmmyJN]

My name is Emily, I'm 16, and this will be my first meeting EVER with someone who can help me with this issue!

I'm kind of excited, to be honest. Terrified, but excited. This is the closest I've come to knowing exactly what happening with my body. Of course, we probably won't know at the end of this meeting tomorrow, but its a little closer than I've ever been.

We're going to be meeting with a nurse practitioner first tomorrow, who will decide if I need to keep going to AHS or if I should go up to Endo instead. The nurse is also going to do all the basic stuff---medical history, full physical work-up, discussing what the doctor "might do". If tests need to be ran, I've been told we'll meet with a doctor who can send me down for labs or ultrasound, whatever they want to do. This doctor may or may not end up actually being my AHS doctor, we don't know yet.

The ony thing that frustrates me is all the hoops we have to keep jumping thorugh to get to a diagnosis. But Dr. T (GI) said that he can't order any more labs beyond the hormone tests for PCOS because he's not an endo or anything like that, and obviously hormones can't tell us everything. All the hormone level tests can do is point us in the general direction of what could be going on.

I also know for sure there will be SOME kind of testing, I just don't know what kind of testing that's going to be just yet. They won't be done tomorrow unless the nurse really thinks there's a need for it, but I don't think the doctors think it's quite that serious, or they wouldn't have made me wait almost two weeks to get in to see someone. What Dr. T said is that they want to figure out how long I've had PCOS, or something like that. They also have to verify that, for sure, this is PCOS, and not something else.

So tomorrow, I'm taking off school to spend another fun-filled day in Milwaukee at Children's. I've got all my homework from my teachers for tomorrow, and I've got dates set to make up the two quizzes I'll be missing. (Thank God they're not really worth that much in comparison to my whole grade!) I'll be hauling all that down to the hospital with me so I can do homework in the waiting room.

I'll keep everyone posted after I know things tomorrow!

[Tuckamore]

I don't think it's so much the "inherited tendency" as it is what you eat with the medication. There's some good information in the Internet.... I am sure you are researching it.

My Best to You,
~Tuck

[EmmyJN]

We're taking it slow for now. I'm only considering it because my levels have verged on "insulin resistant" in the past as a result of the PCOS. I'm trying to get my barings now so that if it comes  up, I have an idea of what I'm in for and what I'd tell the doctor.

It's worked on my aunt for weight loss, but since my mom has never been on it, I don't know if I inherited that tendency or not.

[Tuckamore]

I wouldn't rush into taking Metformin (trade name Glucophage), of course at least until your Physician advises it.

Don't be under the impression that it is simply a weight loss medication. As you know it was initially developed to help control diabetes. I know it is also used in the treatment of your condition.

It has helped some ppl reduce their weight, under strict guidelines..... it has done nothing in the form of weight loss for my Mother or my Aunt.  For diabetics and many pre-diabetics, it does not take much for the benifits of Metformin's weight loss properties to completely fail.

I wish you the best... and again thanks for the update. I think you'll do well. I admire the fact you are taking responsibility for your medical challenges.  

Peace,
~Tuck

[EmmyJN]

I'm hoping the Provera pans itself out. I was so sick this morning, I felt like I was gonna keel over haha. But its better now. The doctors told me Provera causes PMS-like symptoms and that its okay to take Midol with the Provera, so I bought some 12-hour in an attempt to cut down how much medicine is in me at one time.

Otherwise, I'm pretty confident about this. I'm trying to work with my mom on the Metformin problem. My aunt said that even though it makes her sick, she likes its results and its really made her lose weight, which is what she needed. Hopefully, the good will outweigh the bad for me, as well. My mom's biggest problem is she knows I will be on the Metformin eventually, there's no way to avoid that, but she's trying to put it off. (I'm doing research in attempts to convince her).

Thanks for the response!

~ Em

[Tuckamore]

Thanks for the update fellow Wisconsinite.

I am so happy that you have a treatment plan. You're at a very good clinic.

It's my hope that you'll do well on the treatment plan and be feeling much better very soon.

My Best,
~Tuck

[EmmyJN]

I sent you a private message with more detail :)

It went pretty well. I've gotten a treatment plan laid out for me, blood panel set up regularly, and I go back in 3 weeks to check up on progress :)

Thanks for your concern!

~ Em

[timber253]

How did the dr appt go? I want to keep in touch and see how you are doing