Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Test Results

I can't believe it but I got a couple of emails from my doctor today. I just had blood work done yesterday and I have the results today! Anyway, the results are I don't have PCOS, which is what I expected in the first place but it's awful nice to know. But now I still don't know what's causing the hair loss, screwed up periods and all the rest of the symptoms that don't seem related to anything. Oh well, I've been living with them for years anyway.

My blood work showed my BGL were a little high yesterday, which is more than a little disturbing since I've not cheated in over a month, but my Ac1 was within normal limits, although I can't find it on the test results anywhere! All my other blood work was with in normal limits and my potassium which was too high last time was back within the normal range this time. So that's all good. She suggested that I check back in with Dr. Peterson within the next few month to see how the allergies are doing, but other than that all is good.

Now if I can just find a reason for my hair loss and weight stalls I'd be a very happy lady indeed!

14 comments:

Patty said...

Hey girl, great news - no PCOS! I think you are in what they not-so-fondly call "Hormone Hell"...I'm sure I'll be joining you one of these days.

:-)

Patty said...

P.S. I love your new banner!

Vikki said...

Thank you ma'am. I decided I was in the Autumn/Thanksgiving spirit and I'd dress up my blogs a little. Unfortunately there's not much I can do with the other one.

I'm really glad the test for PCOS came back negative. Though from what I've heard and read it's not to terrible hard to control for some people. But I would really like to get to the bottom of some of these things, especially the hair loss. The front and sides are getting so thin it's unreal. But I'm beginning to think I may never know.

How's the back? I wish I could send you a secret family cure all... heck I wish I had a secret family cure all for all of us...giggle
Take care my friend,
Vikki

Twisted Cinderella said...

I am so glad that you came out negative for PCOS!

I do hope you get some answers though.

Love the fall look!

Vikki said...

Thank you so much. I was very happy with the news myself.

I was feeling very fall friendly..giggle I wish I could make my graphics come out clearer, Yours always look fabulous. Maybe one day you'll give me some tips. Wink wink...
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Vikki

. said...

"But now I still don't know what's causing the hair loss, screwed up periods and all the rest of the symptoms that don't seem related to anything. Oh well, I've been living with them for years anyway."

What about your thyroid? how is that?

Jennifer [To PIN/share a Post, Click the 3 dots or the Red SAVE Button] said...

Sherrie, I was thinking the same thing! I have asked Vikki before and she says the doctors say it is fine.

However, I wish I knew your test values, Vikki, as I don't trust doctors and their diagnoses when it comes to the thyroid. My doctor was so wrong, wrong, wrong! I would have gone on living for years with a goiter growing to who knows what size and feeling like....you know what! It makes me crazy to think about it. Also, I'm pretty sure you're getting enough protein. That is important as well as multi-vitamins and biotin is helpful for hair. Stress can cause hair loss as well as a huge weight loss. It happened to my girl friend as well. I have a vegetarian girl friend who started losing lots of her hair and it was because she was under stress but also because she was not getting enough protein and good fats.

I'm the first to suspect the thyroid struggling due to large weight loss. This would explain the weight loss stall as well. The thyroid not functioning properly made it impossible for me to lose weight at 20 grams of carbs a day. I documented everything I ate for three months (prior to being treated) and lost not an ounce. I was also eating less than 1500 calories a day.

Jennifer [To PIN/share a Post, Click the 3 dots or the Red SAVE Button] said...

P.S. It could simply be a temporary thyroid slowing down due to lots of weight lost, which also means calories need to be reduced quite a bit as the body's needs for energy will be much less. My girl friend who lost 90 lbs in 9 months lost hair along the top of her head. She does not have a thyroid problem as far as I know, however, she does have diabetes, but became a latent diabetic with the weight loss.

Vikki said...

Hey Sherrie,
I'm so sorry I haven't answered you before now, well actually I did, 2x but both went off into the great beyond somewhere.
I get the normally TSH test done 2x a year and while I know that can be misleading I had a couple of other test done this past summer. All proved to be fine.

But I do still wonder since I've come to know so many low carbs that went undiagnosed for so long.

Jennifer, I'll see if I can find the test results and email them too you. It will have to be after Thanksgiving however, no time for digging right now, besides I know you don't have the time, what with moving an all.

I've been losing the hair for so long now. I know it started at or before my 40th. The excessively oily skin started about that time too. Now I've always had oily skin so when I say excessively oily I mean I have to wash my face 6-10 times a day, wash the grease off my glasses a dozen times a day kind of oily. The kind where a bandage will not stay on my ear because of the oil.

And the funny thing is the rest of my body is so dry, my skin often looks scalely... I'm a study in contradictons...giggle

Thank you both for your concern. It is very much appreciated. Like all of use, I'm a work in progress :oP

Jennifer [To PIN/share a Post, Click the 3 dots or the Red SAVE Button] said...

Hi Vikki,

After praying for you, it came to me. I hope this will be an answer to prayer.

I think perhaps your friend, Patty, is correct. It could be a hormonal imbalance, i.e. too many androgens or too much testosterone (that would explain the hair loss too - as it is too much of those hormones in men that causes male pattern balding) from the sounds of the oily skin (on the bright side, you won't be getting many wrinkles!).

A while ago in a Time Magazine there was an article as to what to do to stave off diabetes. There were three things healthy people could do: 1) Diet 2) Exercise and 3) Take Metformin pre-emptively.

Metformin is used to treat PCOS and diabetes - it works because it addresses balancing the hormones and it helps decrease insulin resistance as it helps with glucose metabolism - both of which should help you begin to lose weight again with ease and also grow your hair back. They actually put overweight teens on Metformin to help with weight loss. Anyhow, not everyone can tolerate Metformin. I would take no more than 1000 mg to start with, if I were you. Because your blood glucose was a little high this last time, you should be able to get a prescription for Metformin. If you can't and you still want it, contact me and I will let you know where you can source it without a prescription.

I'm in the middle of making breakfast for the family. Have to run, but needed to share this. I was excited to tell you!

Vikki said...

While I agree I do think it has to do with hormones (seems they are in control of every part of our bodies) I did just have the test done and my androgens and testosterone levels were normal. Or at least what they read as normal.
That's exactly what I was thinking. High levels of androgens would explain most of the symptoms. But they were normal.
Thank you so much for praying for me. I just don't know how to express just how much that means to me. Pray is the answer to all of lifes challenges, both big and small.

I've read that about the metformin too. I'm going to make an appointment with the new doctor after the first of the year and see what stratogies she wants to put into place. I want to have my BGL's rechecked then too. While I normally run higher in the morning when I first wake up, it's not normally 112. That's a higher fasting level than I'd like to see. Especially since I'm already eating in a way that should keep them down. But it's not so high as to freak me out. I've done other checks since then and it seems to stay right between 85-93 most all day long. So I don't know, but I will be keeping an eye on it very closely. Blood pressure too, which was high at the eye doctor a few weeks ago and completely normal at the doctors office... Life, what you gonna do? giggle
Thank you again so much for the prayers Jennifer. Know that I do return the favor. Your a good friend,
Vikki

. said...

"I've been losing the hair for so long now. I know it started at or before my 40th. The excessively oily skin started about that time too. Now I've always had oily skin so when I say excessively oily I mean I have to wash my face 6-10 times a day, wash the grease off my glasses a dozen times a day kind of oily. The kind where a bandage will not stay on my ear because of the oil."

Vicki that is how it all started for me, I was showering twice a day! My skin and hair would be dripping with oil, and the pimples it was horrible! I found stopping the pill helped as the pill and ketosis did not seem to get along at all. I took coconut oil, zinc and large doses of B5 which helped a little also. About a year later I was diagnosed with a goiter and then later chronic fatigue. It cleared up some when I fell pregnant and has been coming back since but my skin and hair is still okay, so far!

Vikki said...

I think I will discuss this again with my new doctor and see what her take on it is. She can look back over the old test results and give me some guidance here. While I don't want to spend my time and energy beating an old horse, I sure as heck don't want to find out a year from now that I've got adrenial fatigue and could have done something about it if only I had presued it a bit farther. I've got to go see her soon anyway, I've developed a rash that acts very much like Fifths decease in that it fades until I get hot and then turns bright red, but this one isn't lacy like fifths typically is. Besided I don't really know where I would have come in contact with it.

I really do appreciate all the feed back both you and Jennifer have given me. and I will give the B5 a try. I started taking zinc soon after I started losing my hair but it didn't make one bit of difference. I can't take the pill for fear of clots and my body doesn't do well on hormones. So I don't have to worry about that, and since I'm old, fat and perimenapausal I don't have to worry about getting pregnant either...giggle.

If you don't mind would you give me a list or the name of any test I might suggest my doctor run? I'd much prefer walking in armed with information before broaching this subject with a new doctor.
Thank you so much and I almost said happy Thanksgiving...giggle but I don't suppose you celebrate Thanksgiving there. Have a great week just the same
Vikki

. said...

Not sure if that went through, sorry in advance if it did!

Vikki I just saw a doctor on Monday and he thinks I have adrenal exhaustion but may also have thyroid problems as I have symptoms of both. He did this test with my pupils, I think it goes something like when you shine a torch in a persons eye the pupil will shrink but in adrenal exhaustion it will shrink and then expand again or something like that.
Anyway he gave me a supp for my adrenals, this is what it looks like: Adrenoplex as well as a prescription for some mineral solution that contains iodine, zinc, chromium and not sure what else. I will be picking it up today as it had to be made up from a compounding chemist. He also wants me on probiotics just in case. I see him again in mid January and may go on thyroid meds then. I also have to get my neck scanned again.

Otherwise to confirm it you need a cortisol test, I think Dr Peatfield in his booked recommended a 24hr urine test.