PCOS or Endometriosis?

Well good afternoon I have been up since two this beautiful morning and I am so tired I can't stand myself but I promised a blog and here it is.

Oh Friday what a day let me tell ya I had to make an emergency appointment to see my dentist. Emergency because I couldn't wait another week I was in so much pain and if I didn't see him Friday I wouldn't be able to see him till my vacation started.  I will be out of town seeing my Mommy and I ain't going to be in no pain. So I had a root canal done at 10 am that morning. Tried to eat a salad with my mouth still half numb it was fun NOT! I sat around the house and went through more of my oversized clothes which I think I will be doing this forever it's hard to give them up. I keep thinking dang I just bought that ugh! But anywho I was very impressed by the staff at Emerald Coast OBGYN. I was seen very quickly I sat maybe ten minutes if that and I was wisked back to the room. But my time with Dr. Ramey wasn't quick I was able to ask him almost all  my questions and a few I didn't even think of just came to me. He is very easy to talk with even though he is a man. I was a bit uneasy at first but quickly realized my shyness needed to beat it. I got to show him how much I have lost and why. He was shocked at my success and told me to keep at it. But he told me that I do in fact ovulate. If you have a period every month you ovulate. After discussing my problem periods with him he thinks I may have a blockage in my tubes. He didn't want to rule out PCOS but he was almost sure I have Endometriosis. To those who don't know what Endometriosis and PCOS is let me educate you the best way I can without confusing you.

Polycystic ovary syndrome  is a problem in which a woman’s hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS may also cause unwanted changes in the way you look. If it is not treated, over time it can lead to serious health problems, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Hormones are chemical messengers that trigger many different processes, including growth and energy production. Often, the job of one hormone is to signal the release of another hormone.
For reasons that are not well understood, in PCOS the hormones get out of balance. One hormone change triggers another, which changes another. For example:

• The sex hormones get out of balance. Normally, the ovaries make a tiny amount of male sex hormones (androgens). In PCOS, they start making slightly more androgens. This may cause you to stop ovulating, get acne, and grow extra facial and body hair.
• The body may have a problem using insulin, called insulin resistance. When the body doesn't use insulin well, blood sugar levels go up. Over time, this increases your chance of getting diabetes.

Symptoms tend to be mild at first. You may have only a few symptoms or a lot of them. The most common symptoms are:

• Acne.
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight.
• Extra hair on the face and body. Often women get thicker and darker facial hair and more hair on the chest, belly, and back.
• Thinning hair on the scalp.
• Irregular periods. Often women with PCOS have fewer than nine periods a year. Some women have no periods. Others have very heavy bleeding.
• Fertility problems. Many women who have PCOS have trouble getting pregnant (infertility).
• Depression.

Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful but lead to hormone imbalances
The symptoms of PCOS are caused by changes in hormone levels. There may be one or more causes for the hormone level changes.
PCOS seems to run in families, so your chance of having it is higher if other women in your family have PCOS, irregular periods, or diabetes. PCOS can be passed down from either your mother's or father's side.

On Monday I will go in for a test to see if PCOS is in fact my problem. Now onto what Endometriosis is.
Endometriosis is the development of uterine-lining tissue outside the uterus. Symptoms include abdominal pain, heavy periods, and infertility. Treatments include pain relievers, birth control pills, and surgery.

Endometriosis is usually a long-lasting (chronic) disease. When you have endometriosis, the type of tissue that lines your uterus is also growing outside your uterus. The clumps of tissue (called implants) may have grown on your ovaries or fallopian tubes, the outer wall of the uterus, the intestines, or other organs in the belly. In rare cases they spread to areas beyond the belly.

With each menstrual cycle, the implants go through the same growing, breaking down, and bleeding that the uterine lining (endometrium) goes through. This is why endometriosis pain may start as mild discomfort a few days before the menstrual period and then usually is gone by the time the period ends. But if an implant grows in a sensitive area, it can cause constant pain or pain during certain activities, such as sex, exercise, or bowel movements.

BOWEL MOVEMENTS??? Seriously this explains lots of things.

Some women have no symptoms or problems. Others have mild to severe symptoms or infertility. There is no way to predict whether endometriosis will get worse, will improve, or will stay the same until menopause.
Between 20% and 40% of women who are infertile have endometriosis (some have more than one possible cause of infertility).¹ Experts don't fully understand how endometriosis causes infertility. It could be that:²

• Scar tissue (adhesions) may form at the sites of implants and change the shape or function of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or uterus.
• The endometrial implants may change the chemical and hormonal makeup in the fluid that surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity (peritoneal fluid). This may change the menstrual cycle or prevent a pregnancy

Thank you Web MD for that info. Now you know what I may have I am leaning more to the Endometriosis because of my horrible periods. Every month is different some worse than others and if I didn't take Alieve I would be in a world of hurt and sometimes it doesn't work for me at all and I end up in the fetal position waiting for it too stop. Dr. Ramey asked me if I have clots and when I told him yes for like the first three days I have large clots that cause very bad cramps while I pass them. I told him about my periods when I was younger and how the only reason I went to the gyno at 14 was because I was passsing out at school every month from the cramps. I am now more than ever scared. Everything that Dr. Bullard said is crap and now I feel more lost. I realize this is just the beginning of finding out what is TRUELY wrong with me but I am afraid. I try hard not to be but I may end up having surgery to fix this and what if after the surgery I find out my eggs aren't good enough there are so many factors that are bouncing around in my head. Satan putting that doubt in me. I trust in the Lord and I lean not on my own understanding.
So I need everyone to pray for me this week as I go in to do the first test. I am asking for strength and for all my doubts to disappear. I know I will soon be pregnant if God wills it. IT WILL BE DONE. I love ya thanks for reading. Any questions post them on facebook I am more than willing to answer them.

So this is how you SHHHHshhssssshhOOOOoooooPPPPpppp.???

I have so much right now on my brain it is just flooding in and out. So I am going to try to make as much sense as possible. Well first Easter went wonderfully so grateful for my church family and for the many lost that have now been found. Just an amazing Sunday and it's just going to get better! I had a great weigh in today as well down another six pounds. 3/4 an inch off my waist. I feel better and I am so thankful for that. But a lot has been on my mind these last few weeks. I had a lot of set backs where I didn't lose barely anything. I try to look at the good side I didn't gain in that time but I am really good at dwelling on things. I have set a goal for this month. I will be seeing my Mom is less than three weeks. I want to get to my 90% goal weight. I have 26 pounds to lose. Half that would be my 90% So 13 pounds is my goal in a little over two weeks. I know I can do it! I lost 6 this week I just got to stay focused and keep my eye on the prize. I want my Mom to be like OMG EVE!!!!!!!! Which everyone keeps telling me I am already at OMG EVE stage. I look back at my pictures that people took of me and I am like no way is that me? Yesterday at church in the countdown video it was cilps of volunteers and people from all over that have impacted the church. My husband was in the clips and then I saw a full body up close of me I was like OMG WHO TOOK THAT!!!! I was shocked at how big I was. I am still in shock at how small I am now. Let's just say that shopping has never been a favorite of mine and it still is a problem. I don't know how to shop for this little me. I still think I am in a 22 and that my butt is still to big to fit into regular sized clothes. I went to the mall last Saturday by myself and I went into the shops that I knew I went to JC Pennys didn't find anything cute then to Sears didn't find anything worth looking at. Then I went to Dillards and got price tag shock!!!! That's when I said enough is enough I give up! I went home self defeated. Monday the next week my friend Brittney wanted to see the movie Beautiful creatures with me and it just happened to already be in the dollar theater. So we met up and watch the movie and after she decided to shop. She knew I was looking for an Easter dress to wear and so was she. Now Brittney is a size 4 very tall and very beautiful woman. She is beautiful inside and out. But deep inside I knew I needed to follow her into these shops I had passed by the other day going to Sears, Dillards, and JCPenny's.  We started at a shop called Charlette Rouse. I was looking around but I was still shopping for big Eve not small Eve. I started to get deflated as I found very few XL. The ones I did find I took to the dressing room to try on. That's when I freaked out in the dressing room when of all places the dress was too BIG??!!?? My boobs area what the heck?!?!?!?! NO way so shyly I asked Brittney to bring me a Large. One of the dresses that I liked they only had it in a large so she grabbed it off the rack and brought it too me. It fit and I was excited again plus the shop we were at didn't have outrageous prices. I bought a cute Easter dress for $32.00! I found a new place to shop. My spirits were lifted again!!!! My weight loss couch wants to do a shopping trip with me when we reach my goal. I told her it is hard to shop when all your life there has only been two shops maybe three in town that have age approperate clothes to wear that don't cost a small fortune. It makes shopping a pain. I don't know how to shop. I told her I need an image couch now and she agreed. So this next week I am getting my hair done for my San Antonio trip to see my mom. I am hoping to get a bit of sun too I am one heck of a white girl. My legs are blindingly white. :)
But enough about clothes shopping now we have to talk about gyno shopping. I am sure you remember last month I explained how I need to find a new Dr. The closer I am to my goal the more nervous I am getting about this. I feel that if all this hard work I have been doing is in vain I am going to crash. I don't want to think like this but my weight loss isn't just for me it's for my baby. It upsets me and I am getting teary writing this. I fear that there might be something worse wrong with me. I try not to think about it and have faith that Dr. Bullard wasn't completely blowing smoke up my ass about my weight being my only issue. But there is that small chance she could've missed something. I keep what if what iffing. I need to cut it out. Talking to my aunt she told me I need to just go to my new Dr. and let them start over with the skinny Eve and everything Dr. Bullard ran be whatever not important. But then I think of all the money I wasted on all the tests and I don't want to run all those again. I am sure Chris isn't too fond of the plastic cup test and I am sure he won't be thrilled to have to do that all over again! I guess what I am trying to say is I am scared very scared and I shouldn't be. My fear is that being a mother will never happen for me. I know that I don't need to wait any longer to find my answers. I ain't getting any younger and with my birthday just days away my procrastination is not getting any better. Maybe I should just make the appointment already? Pull the bandaid off quickly get it over with so I can go about the rest of my life? What do you think?