Posts by coppernomad7

Was that actually meant for weight loss?
I mean, it feels like such a drastic move, and I'm guessing it’s really only done for people dealing with extreme obesity (like someone like Jacques Houdek) anyway. Where does this even happen?🤣
Well, right here, about a hundred yards from my place at the specialized Mayo Clinic😬 (though I assume they perform it in other places too🙂)
Jack was actually treated over at Mayo Clinic😬

Jamie Johnson6 said:It doesn't even sound like those pills work for what you're describing. That's more like diabetes medication. Who's actually managing your treatment—your OB-GYN or an endocrinologist?
Get all your labs done first, then figure out the therapy.
Honestly, reading your post, I can't even tell if you actually have PCOS or something else entirely.😕
If it's just high prolactin, what was the basis for that diagnosis?
Having ovarian cysts isn't the same thing as having PCOS. And neither is just having irregular cycles.
Prolactin isn't even really linked to PCOS; it's more about your FSH and LH levels (their ratio) and everything else involved.
I've tried herbal stuff and teas before; they aren't bad, I guess, maybe they help clear out your urinary tract. I have no clue if they actually work for hormonal stuff though (maybe they just helped with inflammation).

Well, my OB-GYN told me I have PCOS, but I’d already pretty much figured that out myself since my periods stopped coming and my skin turned into a total disaster, even though I'm way past puberty.
The doctor sent me for hormone testing, and we found out that out of everything we checked, only my prolactin was slightly elevated, so I'd say I don't really have any major hormone issues.
Since I don't have any issues with my blood sugar, that's honestly why I wasn't familiar with Metformin. I had no idea what it was used for, but now I do.🙂

So, what even is Metamorphan? I’m honestly kind of baffled that I haven't heard of this before—I mean, my doctor didn't even bring it up as a possible treatment option, which is weird, hmmm
Does it come with harsh side effects like typical birth control pills, or is it more on the milder side?

Lisa Barrett22 said:My OBGYN and dermatologist told me straight up right away that there’s no real cure—you just have to manage it—so I guess I’ve just accepted my fate. 😬
Since I'm dealing with some hormonal imbalances too, I’ve got other issues on my plate, which makes fixing this one even more of a priority for me. 👎

Wait, what do you mean by doing things "the right way"? Do you only have cysts on one side? Because I’ve got them on both. 😢

Come on, tell me more about those herbal teas you mentioned. It definitely wouldn't hurt to give them a shot! 😉

Honestly, I haven't a clue; the last time before I started back on Diane, I hadn't had my period for maybe three or four months. I went in for a checkup, and the doctor looking at my ultrasound thought I was actually ovulating and predicted my period would show up in about ten days because she thought one of my ovaries was still functioning normally.
And sure enough, my period arrived exactly when she said it would, but I decided to start taking Diane anyway because having my cycle happen once every three months just wasn't an option for me.
I don't know much about those teas yet, though. I'm planning to dive deep into researching them over the next few days. I did come across some stuff in herbalism books about calendula, chamomile, marigold, and some other tea that I can't quite recall right now. I'm basically just waiting for someone on this thread to expand my botanical knowledge, but if that doesn't happen, I'll just hit up the library or Google. I really feel like nature might have something that comes close to being as effective as the pharmaceutical stuff (like the pill).
I also think a huge part of this is mental—if you believe something will help, whether it's God, some spiritual force, or just a specific tea, it probably will. I've really set my mind on the tea thing lately; I've dropped almost all my extra weight recently, and over this past month, while I'm transitioning off the pill, I've been trying to pivot toward a healthier lifestyle, so we'll see how it goes.
I have a feeling this thread is going to stay pretty active since so many of us are dealing with this exact issue, so it'd be great if we could all swap advice and update each other on what actually works.
In what way are you having hormone issues?
Mine is just that my prolactin levels have been slightly elevated for years now, and I mostly attribute that to the fact that I'm a high-stress kind of person.😬

Lisa Barrett22 said:I’m really hoping they’ll let me stay on Diane for at least six months.

I honestly have no clue how long it actually takes to see a difference with my hormones. And obviously, I need all these side effects to finally clear up. I just feel like three months isn't going to be nearly enough...👎

I usually hit the tanning salon a few times before summer hits, and then I spend the whole season down at the beach, and somehow, miraculously, my period comes in perfectly while I'm there! But as soon as I get back home to Chicago, it just disappears again. Maybe it’s finally time to pack up and move! 😁

haha, maybe it really is time for a change of scenery🙂
I don't want to rain on your parade, but I seriously doubt Diane is going to totally fix the PCOS issue—just like I know it hasn't fixed mine and probably won't either. Still, taking them for only three months seems kind of pointless. If I were you, I'd stick with it for at least another three (which would take us right up to summer😉 ) and then decide what your next move is.
Personally, I think I might try experimenting with herbal teas since my syndrome doesn't seem quite as severe; apparently one of my ovaries is working just fine (or so my OB-GYN told me).
Now I'm just torn between finding some really experienced herbalist to guide me or just buying stuff myself and playing chemist with different blends until I find the magic combo.....

Lisa Barrett22 said:I was on Cilest for about a year, and right after finishing that pack, I went in for an ultrasound and everything still looks totally clear. 🙄
Mind you, my hormone levels aren't great either... So now I’m going to give Dianamam5 a shot. I just finished the first pack and I'm on my break right now. My skin has honestly never looked worse, and don't even get me started on my appetite! My endocrinologist told me I should stay on them for three months. I guess I'm not sure if that's actually enough time to see any real movement. He just told me to keep a close eye on how I'm feeling.

And yeah, there isn't really a magic cure. It's mostly just trying to keep my weight in a healthy range—or maybe an ideal range, if we're being picky—and pivoting toward a healthier lifestyle. Other than that, nothing...

Dianamam5 is actually amazing for acne, though you really have to be patient. Don't expect your skin to magically clear up in a month or two, but things should start looking better after the third cycle.
The downside is definitely that fear of stopping the pills just because your skin clears up, but honestly, I figure once the weather gets warmer and we get more sun—and swimming season is right around the corner—that usually helps my skin issues a ton.
For me, tanning beds were actually a huge help; if you aren't strictly against them, maybe try hitting one a few times and you might see some improvement.
As for PCOS, I'm not sure what to tell you. I barely even realized I had it myself because I spent so much time on birth control, and when I'm on it, my ovaries look absolutely perfect on an ultrasound.

Lisa Barrett22 said:How long have you been on Diane? Have you managed to squeeze in an ultrasound lately?
I was on Cilest for a whole year and honestly, it didn't do a single thing for me!

I actually started taking birth control even before I turned 15, which looking back, feels like such a massive mistake.
But I’ve had some pretty long breaks too, sometimes up to a year at a time.
The weird thing is, while I'm on the pill, everything seems totally fine—ultrasounds look good, everything stays in balance—but the second I stop, the chaos starts. First, my cycle gets super long, and then after a few months of having a period, they just vanish completely. I end up waiting six months or even longer without one. Usually, during that stressful waiting game, I get so anxious that I just give in and start the pills again, and it’s basically this endless loop.
Anyway, I've decided that while I'm still on them, I'm going to focus on dropping some extra weight and doing a deep dive into herbal teas that might actually help, so I can try that approach next.
I guess there isn't really a "cure" for PCOS; the pills just sort of mask everything and keep it under control, but as soon as you quit, everything just reverts to how it was.👎

Btw, I've been on Diane for five months now (starting my sixth cycle soon) after a long break, and before that break, I was using Yasmin for a while too.

So, I’m actually on a diet right now too, mostly because I’m dealing with PCOS. It’s honestly such a struggle since I’m currently taking Diane, which just makes my appetite absolutely massive. I’ve still got about a month left until I hit my goal, but man, having to keep up with all these pills is such a grind. I’m really hoping that if I cut back on the fats, I can get my cycle back on track. I’m also planning to start sipping on some herbal teas that are supposed to help with ovarian function—I think they recommend things like calendula or sage...

Michelle Cook83 said:Oh man, come on, don't be like that—it was just a joke!😬

Well, shoot,😈
I guess I totally misread the room there.😬

😘

Donna Anderson19 said:Here’s another little hack if you’re dealing with greasy hair:

The Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon aloe vera gel (just squeeze it straight from an Aloe Vera plant)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
The Instructions
Mix everything together with about 1/4 cup of whatever shampoo you usually use. Wash your hair like normal, then just give it a really good rinse.
Found this recipe on this site: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/oilyhair1.html

I haven't actually given this a shot yet, but I'm definitely planning to. If any of you end up trying it, please let me know how it worked out for you! 🙂

Wait, where am I even supposed to find aloe vera?😕
Like, what does it even look like?
And where does it grow?

Michelle Cook83 said:I mean, honestly, that’s basically just something you'd say to those old ladies over in Florida who have pretty much given up on doing their own laundry!😁

Look, I’m sorry, but you honestly seem totally out of the loop here. You really don't have a clue how permanent Akamoli works anymore, or even how much everything has shifted lately regarding what all this stuff is actually used for. It's like you're missing the whole picture.
I honestly feel like for any sane person, being a regular guy has absolutely zero to do with how much you care about hygiene. I don't know who exactly taught you that, but they were definitely wrong.👎

Michelle Cook83 said:There is seriously nothing worse than perm waves! Afterward, your hair just ends up looking like peach fuzz. Gross!😲

hahaha, wow, what a reach. For me, it almost never turns out like that.

I mean, obviously, you’re supposed to get a perm on unprepared hair, and besides that, you actually have to know how to work with it—you know, like, properly maintaining and caring for the hair once it's been treated.

Honestly, I deal with greasy hair too. I'll wash it in the morning and by the evening, it’s already feeling heavy and ready for another round, though I try my best to stretch it out for at least two days. Things always seem to get way worse during the fall, so that’s usually when I decide to just go for it and hit my roots—maybe an inch or two of regrowth—with some perm solution to change things up. And believe me, I have cycled through probably twenty different "miracle" shampoos specifically for oily hair, but this is the only thing that actually does the trick😉
When I do that treatment on my scalp, I manage to stick to washing it every three or four days for about three months. But then, sadly, everything goes right back to how it was because that greasy new growth is already there again...
But hey, if there's any silver lining... I guess those of us with super oily hair can actually handle chemical treatments a bit better. Somehow, our hair stays surprisingly bouncy and shiny despite all the grease and everything else we put it through😉

Ugh... I’ve been through this whole "testing" thing myself too. Anyway, I just got back from a quick follow-up with my OBGYN today to go over those prolactin levels, and she basically sent me back for another nuclear scan for the third freaking time. And honestly? She still didn't bother to mention that I actually need to schedule it for a specific day in my cycle. Like, seriously?

Btw, I know this isn't really what we're talking about here, and I don't really feel like starting a whole new thread (though maybe I should), but I wanted to mention something. I was hoping to get switched from Diane-35 back to Yasmin since I've been on the former for three months now and Yasmin feels way easier on my system... but my doctor totally shut that down. She told me that just recently, two girls over in San Diego had some massive health scares specifically because of Yasmin—one of them even ended up with an embolism. So, she's insisting I stick with Diane for a while longer if it's working okay for me.
So, yeah, just a little heads-up for anyone else taking Yasmin (and I know there are plenty of you out there since I just found out about it on this forum). I don't know if it's some kind of manufacturing defect or a bad batch, like when you see those recalls with other products in the US, or if it's something else entirely, but it's pretty scary stuff to hear.

Taylor Swift said:From what I understand, you have to go during days 3 to 5 of your cycle.🙂

Honestly, it’s kind of all over the place. I don't think it's quite that black and white, though you definitely need to know where you are in your cycle. (And obviously, your OB-GYN needs to know exactly which phase you were in when they ran those hormone tests.)
Basically, when you get your lab results back, you'll see your numbers on the left and the standard ranges on the right. But since those ranges are broken down specifically for each different phase of your cycle, you have to look at the specific value that actually matches up with where you were at the time.

At least, that’s how my results looked, and both times nobody really told me exactly which days I was supposed to show up.

Honestly, it looks more like a panic attack to me, and I’m pretty sure it’s purely psychological in nature.
I actually deal with those kinds of episodes myself, though I’ve gotten pretty good at managing them by now. My body usually does a decent job of masking it so nobody notices on the outside, while on the inside, I’m just kind of muttering to myself like, "Oh, here we go again," and then it passes in a few minutes.
But man, I know keeping all that under wraps isn't exactly easy, so if you feel like it's starting to throw you off your game, maybe look into getting some professional help.