I've been meaning to write an entry in here, but haven't had much motivation.
The endocrinologist was nice and thorough. She went through all of my records, did a complete exam careful not to skip over anything. She sorted through all my bloodwork and recent lab tests. She doesn't think I present with Cushing's (And she was familiar with it) and she thinks I much more mimic the signs of PCOS. The PCOS indicators I have are the missing periods, weight gain, and the small cyst observed on my right ovary four years ago.
Since July I have lost around 10-12 pounds just from monitoring my food, but not even really making a lot of food choice changes (Just more portion sizes) She wants me to see a nutritionist, and monitor my diet and find some exercise I feel comfortable. She also put me back on birth control, hoping that will stabilize out my hormones. I get the blood work back she did next week sometime, then I'll start the birth control. If that all goes okay, then we'll do another check in appointment in 4 months. If I'm not dropping the weight and my symptoms are worsening, that I guess I'll decide which step to take next then.
So that's the update.
If you feel comfortable with this plan, then go for it. But if not, don't start BCP again. A good endo won't test you for Cushing's without waiting at least 3 months after you stop taking BCP.
ReplyDeleteIs she going to order a new ultrasound to see if your cyst is still present or you've developed new ones? Missed periods, weight gain, and cysts do not equal PCOS. Hopefully she ran the appropriate blood work that would clarify that diagnosis (FSH, LH, testosterone, DHEA, etc).
Good luck!
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice. I do feel comfortable with it, it's just so hard to know. Part of me is scared because of stuff I've read on the internet that's like "EARLY DIAGNOSIS is key!" for Cushing's. She hasn't said anything about an ultrasound, but ordered bloodwork the day I was there and told me not to start the BCP until I got the results from the bloodwork.