Today I got to spend some time with my favorite endocrinologist, Dr. M. Dr. M and I would probably be great friends if she weren't, you know, my doctor. Same sense of humor, her kids and mine are spaced about the same, and are ab0ut the same age, etc. etc. Her one downfall, which I mentioned to her nurse, was that it is a little tough to talk about weight issues with a doctor that I could literally bench press. Yes, she's that tiny.
Anyway, I swallowed my trepidation and made an appointment yesterday. I got lucky in that she had a cancellation for this morning, so off I went. My sugars and everything are fine, but since I changed from the mini pill to a full blown birth control, my weight has continued to climb, and despite my best efforts and visits to my beloved treadmill (no, seriously, I do love it) at ungodly hours in the morning, nothing has improved. I'm frustrated, to the point of tears. I'm sick of this.
So, I asked, against all of my better judgement, for Metformin.
Yes, this is the same evil stuff that I suffered with during my infertility days. I hate the stuff, at least when I'm amping up the dosage, but in the past it has made a difference in managing my weight, almost to the point of me not even trying. I'm at the point where I'm willing to pull out all the stops. I'm hoping that it is a step in the right direction. Now, I want to be clear here-I don't expect this to be some miracle cure. I know that I still have to be vigilant about what I'm eating, I need to keep my early morning appointments with said treadmill or Wii. I know that. But if my body is going to fight me on this, like it has on just about everything else, I want all of the tools in the arsenal. I've played this video game long enough to have amassed all of the weapons.
She wrote me the prescription, and then pushed back from her desk and gave me a look that made me know that she wanted to talk about something. She offered up the option that even if I am doing everything right, I follow the rules and things still don't change, that I may want to consider gastric bypass. Insert longish pause. I didn't know what to say. She quickly followed up that it does not mean that I have failed-its just trading one disease, obesity, for another, malabsorption. One that could ultimately kill me, for another that will inconvenience me, but let me not to have to see her on a regular basis. I never thought that I would be in the position, allow myself to be in the position, of even having this put on the table.
I asked her under what circumstances she would advocate me really thinking about this. Basically, whenever I want to. However, I need to give everything else an honest effort for six months, and then we see where we are.
I don't know what to say. I don't know what to think. I'm in such a state that I can't even cry, although I know that its lurking there. How did it all go so wrong?
3 comments:
(((HUGS)))
For some reason my blog reader wasn't picking you up - I'm sorry!!
As for the rest of your post... ((((HUGS)))) I'm sooo sorry you're struggling with this. Am I allowed to ask a bunch of questions - like has your thyroid been checked? That kind of thing? Maybe PCOS isn't the only thing going on? And maybe, that means you can get back on track without going through that kind of surgery? What about some other kind of birth control?
Give the new medication some time, see how the rest goes... but you know? Ultimately it's important that you are healthy and able to take care of yourself and your family.
If the thought of the surgery bothers you, you can either do two things... Put it aside, focus on other things you can do and see what results you get. The other thing you can do is some research to figure out whether the risks and complications are things you can live with.
(((HUGS))) I wish I could really give you a hug and make you feel better. However, I am going to try to fix my reader to make sure I don't miss you again - then, at least, you know one person is behind you!
*hug*
It's awful when you're working SO HARD at something.
But she's right, you know. IF you end up with surgery? It doesn't mean you've failed. Results are results.
I mean, I look at it this way. Now that I have O in my life, it doesn't MATTER that it took us three years and three fresh and frozen cycles of IVF to get him.
Keep plugging, though. Maybe the Met will kick start something so you can get some momentum.
xxx
I know I would have sat there slack-jawed as well and on the verge of tears. We want our doctors to be honest with you, but to come out of left field with something like that hurts. They say you shouldn't take criticism personally, but how do you NOT take that personally??
Definitely see what the met does, and I agree with Kristina about the thyroid.
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