Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome AKA PCOS – My Personal Story
For most of my life I have been in good health. As a child, he occasionally succumbed to the common cold or maybe even the flu, but for the most part he was as healthy as a proverbial horse. However, I was a bit chubby. Everyone from my pediatrician to my mother told me I had “baby fat” and would get over my double chin and chubby abdomen. When I was a teenager, my weight started to stabilize and I was healthy and active. I had a normal menstrual cycle where I could set my watch. Mother Nature was so kind to me that I didn’t even have to worry about acne.
Well, that was life in a nutshell as a teenager. By the time I reached my third year in college, I had gained a whopping 75 pounds. I had the luxury of attending school in Knoxville, Tennessee, a beautiful city at the foot of the Smoky Mountains where the sun shone more than 300 days a year. Since the campus was so hilly and classes were so far away, it was not uncommon to walk more than 3 miles a day. However, I kept gaining weight. Having been warned about the Freshman 15, I took pride in eating well and avoiding junk food. I even looked at my portion sizes and counted the dreaded miserable calories. However, I gained more weight.
Convinced that my problem was due to inactivity, I began an exercise regimen in addition to walking to and from my classes. Exercising, while improving my mood and energy stores, did not make the scale rock. I didn’t gain any more weight (thank goodness!) But I didn’t lose weight either. In the meantime, my best friend could stop drinking a can of soda and maybe even her daily serving of mashed potatoes and lose five pounds in a week (I hate her!). However, I was convinced that my problem was due to my lack of willpower and my inability to control my carbohydrate (sugar) cravings.
It wasn’t until I graduated from college and came home that I realized something was wrong with my body. I started missing my period (I was abstinent, so I wasn’t pregnant), I was growing unsightly facial hair (what the heck?), And for the first time I had acne. My discomfort with symptoms and my shame about my growing physique led me to search for some answers. I was finally diagnosed with PCOS last year at the ripe old age of 29. Until last year I had no idea what I was up against. I have accumulated a great deal of knowledge about this chronic disease and my mission is to educate the greatest number of women (and men) about how devastating this disease is to women who suffer from it. But there is always hope. Although there is no cure at this time, there are ways to control bothersome symptoms that arise.
Until next time, stay strong and keep your head up.
Teneshya Miller (T.)
