The Anti-Christ....

also known as PCOS.  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.  My Everest. 

PCOS simply means a condition/disease in which a woman's hormones are out of balance.  I decided to blog about it because I hate it more and more each day and writing helps me deal with things.  Let me preface this blog by saying I am well aware that I am blessed, PCOS is very, very common and I could have something much worse.  I am grateful that this is what I have to deal with opposed to something more serious.  But, it's my blog and I can complain if I want to. 

Symptoms that have effected me:

*Depression

Only for most of my 20's, I mean who wants to enjoy life anyway?

*Insulin resistance

This is a fun one.  What is it?  Insulin is a hormone secreted into your bloodstream by the pancreas.  After you eat, your blood glucose (sugar) rises and the pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which then transports the glucose into your body cells where it can be used as energy.  So, in my case, my cells don't open up and let the glucose and insulin in which means it's left in my body to be stored as fat.  The treatment for this is to take meds, not just any meds...pills the size of a donkey's ass.  I get to take 4 a day.  And sometimes, if I'm really lucky they make me incredibly nauseaus.  To the point that I take anti-nauseau meds they give to chemo patients.  There's also explosive diarrhea from the meds.  Awesome.  Told you it was fun! 

*Skin tags

These bitches hurt like hell to get removed, I don't care what anyone says.  I just had something like 8 or 10 removed last year.  The best part is that once you cut them, new ones grow back elsewhere.  

*Excessive pain in the lower abdomen and pelvis

This is my least favorite for obvious reasons.  Sometimes the pain is so unbearable, I don't think I'm ganna live.  Ok, so maybe I'm a little dramatic.

*Weight gain

Self explanatory.  Ass hat.

*Skin discolorations

This was so pretty when it happened to me.  I looked like a freakin alien.  I had a ring around my entire neck that was a greenish-black color.  People would always say, ooohh, I think your necklace is turning you neck colors.  Nope, not so much.  Just this fun little thing called PCOS.  It's actually a result of the insulin resistance, when there gets to be too much insulin roaming around in your body, it can turn your skin colors.  It has gone away since I started taking the meds which is super nice!  Alien is not a good look for me.

*Breathing problems while sleeping

Nothing big, I just stop breathing when I'm sleeping sometimes!  

*Tiredness 

I'm always tired, always.   This mostly has to do with my Vitamin D deficiency which is crazy low.  Another drug for that!

*Neck hump

It is sexy, sexy, sexy!  Doctors aren't sure it's directly linked to PCOS but it is common in people with PCOS.

*Ovarian cysts

These occur due to the fact that you have such an excess in hormones in your body, I'm not really sure what all happens but they attach to your ovaries.  Unless I would have doctors go in and take pics of my ovaries, I have no idea how many cysts I have or if they're there and when.  I did have one pop last year.  I had no idea what it was at the time and ended up in the emergency room.  I started with a really bad pain in my lower abdomen, couldn't sit, couldn't walk, very hard to breath.  I was so scared.  I always compare any pain I have to when I broke my tailbone, that is a 10 for me.  This was ranged between from a 9-10.  At one point an 11!  They gave me a shot of morphine which didn't touch it.  Then I had xrays, ultra sounds and the kicker an internal ultra sound (which by the by, I had my period).  Awesome.  All they could conclude was a cyst had burst.  The pain was still horrible so they gave me another shot of morphine...it didn't take the pain away either but I was so drugged up I didn't care!  I hope to never have to go through that again!

*Infertility

I have no idea if this will affect me since I've never been pregnant or tried to get pregnant.  I hope to Jesus that I don't have problems.  Although, it may not matter since I'll probably be too old to have kids soon. 

Those are my symptoms...everyone has different ones, sometimes none at all.  More than likely I was born with PCOS and it stayed dormant for a very long time.  Truth be told, I probably would still be in the dark had I not gotten the ring around my neck checked out.  That's what made me go to the doctor.  I'm glad that I know about it and can now deal with it.  I'm back on my eating plan that's beneficial for people with insulin resistance and will start working out...when I feel like getting off my ass!  I'm down 8lbs in my first week back on plan...I love seeing those lbs go down on the scale. 

Phew, I feel so much better after bitching about it!