[moonkissed]

I am scared and nervous and could really use someone to talk to who has been there

Last night I had to go to the emergency room because of severe pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding. They said they were not exactly sure what caused it but said that they believe I have diabetes mellitus, type II & Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). And that somehow it is all related though unsure why it just happened.

They said my blood sugar was either 316 or 360 (I cant remember).

They gave me a prescription for Metformin Hydrochloride & told me that in 2 weeks I need to visit a doctor about the diabetes and an obgyn.

I have very little experience with doctors from a lack of insurance in the past where as I just recently got it. I am quite nervous and unsure where to go from here.

What kindof tests will they do to check? What questions should I ask and what kindof stuff will they ask me? Just any advice or wise guidance will be most loved Thanks!

[meowee]

Take a deep breath and try to stay calm . . . afraid I know very little about PCOS but lots and lots about Type II Diabetes since I've been living with that little gem about 20 years now.

Do you have a family doctor? If so, I imagine the emergency room techs will be passing along the information about your visit. Calling him/her is a good place to start.

Either 316 or 360 is way too high for your blood sugar level. An acceptable fasting (nothing to eat within the past 4 to 6 hours) level is usually between 90 and 125. If you had just eaten a large, carbohydrate stuffed meal, like a big plate of pasta or lots of pizza, within an hour or so, although definitely not good, a level of over 300 might be expected. BUT, stress can also cause some pretty high blood glucose readings, even for non-diabetics, and I would imagine you were pretty upset at the time the readings were taken, so, once again, try to to get too panic-stricken.

Usually Type II Diabetes is diagnosed by relatively simple blood tests so it won't be a terrible experience so definitely talk to your doctor as soon as possible to get those tests organized.

Metformin is a great medication and is the most often thing prescribed for either Type II or PCOS . . . but it can cause some stomach upset (most often diahhrea) when you first start taking it. Most people find the symptoms will settle down after the first couple of weeks.

In the meantime, you might want to look up the American Diabetes Association on the Internet and do a little research.

As mentioned before, stay as calm as possible and good luck to you.

[moonkissed]

Thanks so much for the reply.

No I dont have a doctor yet. They gave me some recommondations but eh I would so love to see a female doctor and it seems there are like none around here! So I might just visit the one they listed.

IDK the exact time I ate before visiting the ER maybe around 4-5 and I got there at like 7:45-8pm but I did eat a huge bowl of Mac & cheese. and I was super stressed lol

I have been checking online a lot to read what it was all about. Seems my love of carbs is not so good lol I think almost all of my favorite foods are pasta/bread. I am a total addict. eek!

[meowee]

Well, I've always been a carb addict too, and it's hard, but you really have to cut back there; especially on the white starchy ones like potatoes, rice, pasta, and sugar. You need to make sure that the starches you eat are as whole grain and slowly digested as possible. You have to learn to love vegetables, Chickie.

You might want to take a look at our Sugar Shakers forum which talks about a lot of the currently popular low GI/GL plans which are very healthy for diabetics. BTW, over there you'll find an explanation of the terms and some tiny reviews of some of the plans.

See you later . . . and get a doctor as soon as you can.

[dys24]

Blasphemie- so sorry for your horrible experience. I have PCOS I've been diagnosed about 6 months ago. I know you asked what test they will perform to check if you do indeed have PCOS, first they will run a bunch of b/w to determine your hormone levels and you will get a glucophage test to see if you'r insulin resistant. Insulin resistance is one major factor in PCOS althought not all PCOSers have it. Because your body doesnt know how to manage insulin its messes up your hormones and thats where you get missing periods, weight gain, hair loss, and facial hair etc.... Metformin is used to treat insulin resistance and is also used for diabeties. your OBGYN could also check your ovaries with an ultrasound to see if you have polycistic ovaries... I was put on metformin for my pcos last month and am noticing great results, Good Luck!!!

[Ufi]

From what I understand, PCOS may be a birth defect or genetic. I think they're still studying it to see why some women have it. Your body isn't processing insulin correctly, and diabetes can develop from that. Metformin will help with it. For me, Metformin really helped with the carb and sugar cravings. There were times when I wanted them so bad I felt kind of crazy. You will need to make some lifestyle changes to correctly manage what you have, but there's lots of information about it out there and lots of support. The tests were not difficult. An ultrasound likely to check for cysts in your ovaries, a blood test or two, maybe other tests to eliminate possible other problems.

It may be very important for you to have a female doctor, but I was surprised that my best doctor in dealing with all of this was a man. I was kind of uncomfortable talking with him about all of this female stuff, but it made me feel better that he was caring, helpful and really seemed to know what he was talking about. A lot of doctors have bios on the internet. Do some research into them, their education and activities. Find someone who really cares about you as a patient.

I don't know where you're at in relation to researchers and medical studies, but you might be able to participate in some of them and have that help with the expenses.

You can get through this! It's going to be OK.