[dodielynn]

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW GREATFUL I AM TO HAVE FOUND THIS SITE!!!!!!!!! I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2000 after 15 years of dealing with weight and heavy periods and missed periods and feeling like crap and weight gain for no reason. I, too, have dealt with doctors telling me to stop eating so much when in truth, my husband eats more than me.
I was refered to a "PCOS specialist" who, get this, told me i was going to die in 10 years, and that i was being unfair to my parents by not wanting to loose the weight and have a baby. This comment came after he told me I needed gastric stapeling surgery. I WAS FURIOUS!!!!
So, I refused to pay his bill, chewed out my doctor that sent me to him, reported him to the medical board and got on with my life. I was not prepared for the difficulty of this disease though I have been dealing with it since i was 15 ( am 33 now). I lost an ovary at 24 to canceruos cysts and was told I dont ovulate and getting preg was pretty much out of the question due to my body and reproductive system.
The one thing I must say is that my husband has been wonderful. WHile he doesnt understand all of it, he has done great at accepting us never having children and at dealing with me and my moods. I am still resentful I cant have kids but it is getting better daily. I am just glad to have a place to come for support!!
I am taking Aygestin (hormone used for cancer patients- had cancer at 24) and my periods are supposed to be regular but they arent. They wont take out my uterus because of my size BUT this idiot specialist was willing to put me under to staple my stomach. Made no sense to me at all.
I am exercising and trying to get on with my life but it has been theraputic to vent here. Thanks for listening!!!!!! God bless!

[HopefulSpirits]

I am so sorry for all you have been through. HUGGERS!!!!

A few things.

Are you cancer free now??? Do you have the other ovary? Is the rest of your reproduction area ok? If so, the posibility of having a child is still there, but it will take effort and medical technology to accomplish this. You could also produce an egg and use a surrogate if your uterus is not optimum for conception. Your egg and hubbies sperm. Costly but something you can look into if you havent already. There is always adoption too. May not be yours by biological standpoint, but definately YOURS. (I am adopted and also did the adoption thing but it didnt work out for us financially)

Docs told me impossible to get preggers too until I saw a very educated RE. He is confidant, along with 2 other docs, I can conceive.

Get more opinions. A lot of docs dont know didly about this disorder. If you tell me your area, I may be able to find you a good PCOS doc.

There is always hope.

[dodielynn]

I dont ovulate at all. When i do have periods it is just the lining of my uterus I am loosing. My ovary (left one) still has cysts on it. I currently am cancer free- have been since 1995.
My uterus is very thick and the odds of my getting pregnant with drugs is very low due to the "set up" of my reproductive system. They arent even sure I have "productive" eggs.
Thanks for your kind words- I appreciate them and needed them.

[dodielynn]

I live in East Texazs. I have finally found a wonderful doctor in Houston who is a charm. He has tested me and tested me in hopes of fertility but so far- no dice. We are looking into adoption now- though I am a little sceptical at this point and selfish. God forgive me but it is the truth.

[HopefulSpirits]

Adoption is hard. Dont feel bad. Having been through everything (PCOS, infertility, adoption, etc) I have to say that the adoption one is the most difficult, emotionally and financially draining than any other process I have been through. Issues with adoption last a life time, where as infertility issues are temporary.

Adoption issues are every single day for the rest of your life. Not to scare you off but it is reality. You have to make sure you are emotionally strong to handle the public, schools, the child, the child when its older, birthfamily for the rest of the childs life (even in closed adoptions), etc. Its a lot to take on. I dont want you going in with rose colored glasses, course it seems to me like you are well aware.

Adoption can be VERY rewarding and its worth it for the love of a child.

Dont forget, theres always surrogacy too!

[dodielynn]

I know how hard adoption can be. I have two uncles that adopted and one had success and the other had ****!! Hubbie really wants to adopt and maybe one day I will but it scares me to death.! Thanks for you advice!!

[HopefulSpirits]

No prob! Yes, very scary. We are the "adoption" from ****!

[Jennifer 3FC]

Dodie, I am sorry that you had so many problems with your doctor. You will find a better doctor that will listen to you and take good care of you. How did your doctor decide that he could do one surgery but not the other?

[dodielynn]

Well to tell you the truth the only explaniation he gave me was that it was "too risky to do the hysto on you since your size is large". When I asked him why- he replied," Blood clots could set up and go to your heart."

When I asked him why that mattered since he was suggesting I have stomach stapeling done, and they would still have to put me under to do that and the length of the surgery would be about the same he simply looked at me and replied- and I qutoe:
"Look, bottom line is this; if you dont have the surgery you wont live another 10 years and i think it is unfair of you to be so selfish as not to want to do something to prolong your life. Once you loose the weight you will have a better chance of getting pregnant but you will not be able to do this on you own and you need this surgery to help you loose."

To that I replied to him that I didnt think he was God, I knew I was fat and I knew the risks. I was not being selfish- i was looking for answers to my PCOS problem. Like what exactly is PCOS and what does it mean and what can I do with it and so on. Then i got mad and told him that he had no right to shame me into surgery first off and second I wanted to know his suicide rate of his patience.

Needless to say, I didnt have the surgery- the referring dr was very upset with this dr and talked with him and i refused to pay him more than he got from my insurance and threatened to turn him into the physician board if he pushed me. My mother was a witness to the conversation between us in the office and she was upset with him as well.

Thanks for the support. Your guys are wonderful!@@@