Hello everyone! As you probably have noticed, my site has undergone a facelift. I decided it was time for a change. It’s been two years since I installed my last theme, so I thought I should spruce things up a bit.
With the new look comes a new topic of discussion….PCOS.
A few months ago I was tentatively diagnosed with the disorder, but my official diagnosis from my OBGYN came about three weeks ago after I had some bloodwork done to check my hormone levels. As my husband and I expected, there were some issues with two of my hormones, in addition to the plethora of symptoms I’ve been battling, one of which is excruciating ovarian and uterine pain.
Some women never experience pain from the cysts on their ovaries. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people. I experience it frequently. And it is so bad, at times, that I can’t walk. and even laying down hurts. (Not my menstrual cramps are normal.)
I’ve actually gone to urgent care and the emergency room, convinced something was horribly wrong with me. At one point UC even thought I was dealing with appendicitis and then sent me to the ER only to find out I had a cyst on my right ovary that was causing all the pain. I only found this out AFTER I went through CT Scan. Fun fun!
Another time I went to a different ER while out with my husband because of severe pain once again only to find out I had a hemorrhagic cyst on my left ovary.
During both ER visits I was asked whether or not I had been diagnosed with PCOS. Up to that point I had not been.
Although, there was a time in my late teens that my old OBGYN was concerned that I had PCOS due to symptoms I was experiencing. And at one point said doctor even said to me that she wouldn’t be surprised if I was diagnosed with PCOS one day.
She was right. I was.
Dealing with PCOS isn’t easy. There are many issues that I have to deal with because of it. The pain is one of the worst and often debilitating, which I hate. We have four kids, which means a hectic, busy schedule. I don’t have time to be laid up.
The pain is so bad my current doctor prescribed me Tylenol 3, as well as prescription strength Ibuprofen to help deal with the pain. Some days it takes the edge of. Others day, not at all.
In addition, my OBGYN prescribed me with prescription strength naproxen. Again, sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Another way that I deal with the pain is by using a heating pad. While it can definitely help me cope, it doesn’t help the hot and cold flashes that I’m dealing with because of my PCOS. (More on that in another post.)
Do you have PCOS? What are some of the ways you deal with the pain?
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(Side note: While most women with PCOS have small cysts along the edge of their ovaries, I’m not a typical case. And if a doctor tells you there’s no way you can have it because you don’t have those type of cysts, I recommend seeing a different doctor. I’ve found out that there are nonclassic cases like myself whose cysts are different.)