“Water is Life” – Drinking water could help lower the risks of diabetes.

According to a recent claim, water could help lower the risks of diabetes.

This is good news to all who are at risk for diabetes, and especially for those of us who have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), a common cause of infertility, with one of  its symptoms being diabetes, as this could help to better manage this condition.

Read more:-

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/really-the-claim-drinking-water-can-help-lower-the-risk-of-diabetes/?src=me&ref=health

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ARE YOU AN EMPOWERED PATIENT???

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand

Psalm 127: 3 & 4

"HOPE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE"

The empowered patient, in my opinion, is one who does not depend on their doctor alone to make the decisions and give all the information regarding their treatment. They do their own research (even though many doctors do not like this) and they take part as much as possible in the direction that they want their treatment to go.

I have been meeting a lot of empowered patients online, since I have been blogging. On the subject matter that I blog about (infertility), there are a lot of people sharing information about their infertility challenge and I find that this helps many who are dealing with the same condition, as it broadens the light that they currently view their condition in, and allows them to make more informed and practical decisions, as it relates to their treatment. This does not only help others medically, but it offers a bond, because, even though people may be complete strangers, there is some amount of familarity, as people know right away that they are not alone in their struggles.

I was not an empowered patient when I was struggling with infertility, or it would not have taken me over a decade, to triumph over this condition. This I believe is largely due to the fact that I was not internet savvy at the time and did not know that a whole new world of information and support was waiting for me, by way of the internet. I was just content with following my doctors lead and relied only on information he gave me. Later in my struggles, however, when I saw that my age was also becoming an infertility factor, I made some adjustments to how I was dealing with my treatment process, and that was when everything changed for me, as I then was forced to take on the role of the empowered patient.

Please find below a link for a presentation from a survey done by Chris Schroeder, CEO Health Central and James Burroughs, Associate Professor of Commerce, University of Virginia, April 8, 2010, DTC Conference, Washington D.C., on their findings about the empowered patient.

This presentation is geared at persons dealing chronic conditions like diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, but I do believe, by extension, it can be applied to every patient dealing with a condition over a prolonged period of time.

http://www.healthcentral.com/about/the-empowered-patient/

From the presentation:-

“Making treatment choices and selecting health care providers are high stakes decisions for people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Finding the right doctor who can in turn find the right therapeutic regimen often makes the difference between a high quality of life and a low one for these patients.


Some of these people who are faced with ongoing treatment decisions take a more active role in their health care plan, while others are more comfortable following a doctor’s lead.”

Here’s to you, the empowered patient.

Are our doctors selling us short????

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hand.”
Psalm 127: 3 & 4

I know I might get in some hot water for this post but I am fine with that, it will only be giving me the total blogging experience because I am told that comments can be brutal and I am yet to see any such.

Seriously though, are our doctors selling us short? When a couple battling infertility ends up in a doctor’s office for help, they go there with all intentions that they will get the help they need to make their dreams of having a family a reality. Why then are some couples having such a difficult time. Shouldn’t their doctors do a thorough diagnosis as is possible, instead of giving them a diagnosis of only some of the issues they face, while seemingly ignoring the other possible ones. The reality is when these issues are deemed fixed and the couple still fail to become pregnant, they can become so disillusioned and discouraged because I am sure they are thinking that their troubles are over when in fact, they have only just begun. I know I have been there, because after my surgery for my PCOS and my six months within which my doctor gave me to get pregnant had passed, I went to another doctor for a second opinion and what she discovered was that the walls of my cervix was not building up enough to receive any fertilized eggs. Iar menstrual cycle. I felt disillusioned and discouraged that here I am thinking I was close to my goal of having a family when something new suddenly pops up to set me back. I was even thinking why couldn’t my doctor asked me to come in after this six months had elapsed with no pregnancy resulting just to maybe see what new development there was that was still causing me to be unable to get pregnant instead of telling me to consider other alternatives. I felt like I was been tossed overboard out of a ship, to the sharks.

A friend of mine who did surgery in hopes of having a family told me that after her surgery, her doctor told her only God can help her now. I am sure she probably thought nothing of the comment at the time, and her doctor probably had very good intentions in saying this, because in essence, nothing is really wrong with the comment, but in my opinion, it seem a little cold, like he was actually throwing her out of the ship, instead of offering to still monitor her post surgery.

When I had my son, it was only after suffering a agonizing failed labour that I was told that I had an inverted pelvis why attempts at labour had failed (an inverted pelvis is when your pelvis is too narrow to allow for the passage of your baby). I was very perturbed, probably naivity again, thinking could'nt this have been diagnosed earlier saving me, my baby and my family all this anxiety. What if something had happened to me or my child while they were attempting labour. I am still to check with my doctor just to see if they could possibly have known this earlier.

I am someone who encourages people to read up on their conditions so that they will be able to interact with their doctors in an informed manner, but shouldn’t we also expect that our doctors will do what they are supposed to do and willingly give us any vital information we need as well? After all, they are the experts, not us, the patients.

Is it naïve of me to think that we should be able to find doctors who are thorough and who really care about their patients and their needs, who are not profit driven. When I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, when I did my surgery my doctor at the time only told me that if I did not get pregnant within six months of the surgery, I should consider alternatives like invitro-fertilization. Nothing was said to me that the cysts would return or that I will have other issues like heart disease, diabetes or ovarian cancer to think about. Little wonder I left the doctor’s office feeling that all my problems were fixed.

The other doctors I saw, I must say they were not at all bad, but thankfully, one in particular caused me to rethink how I felt overall about doctors. He was so unselfish, so caring and each miscarriage I suffered, he had nothing but encouragement to give. He did not even charge me for some of my visits relating to my miscarriages. I am truly blessed to have met him.

I have been following up on this tragic case where a mother died in child birth due to complications arising from a c-section. The story is so sad. The mother apparently has fibroids and developed a blood clot during surgery. Her husband is saying, the doctors knew her condition and should therefore have been able to prevent it. Why do I feel we are being sold short by our medical system which is put in place to help us when we are sick and save our lives as much as possible. This is why many people spend the time and money for second opinions because you cannot just rely one as this could cost you your life.

Is it that if doctors become who we really want them to be, we could not really pay them to see us. Just wondering.

I am at a lost so some medical personnel please enlighten my naivity. Please do not let me look bad on the world stage. My readers are counting on me.

Until next time, my readers, keep clinging to hope.

POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS)

A typical polycystic ovary

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned briefly about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I now find it necessary to dedicate an entire post to this condition as I am now hearing everyday of someone with this condition.

When I was diagnosed with PCOS, being a stutterer, I could not pronounce the name properly and so apart from not understanding the condition as much as I would have wanted to, I used this as my excuse as well, not to talk about it.

WHAT IS POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME?

For my readers who do not know what this condition is:-

“ Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the main causes of infertility in women. It affects anywhere from five to ten per cent of women between the ages of 20 and 40, making it the most common reproductive syndrome for women of this age group. However, a further 30% of women may have some of the symptoms associated with PCOS although they won’t be diagnosed with the syndrome. Women who suffer from PCOS have cysts (fluid-filled sacs) on their ovaries that prevent the ovaries from performing normally. PCOS affects regular reproductive functions, like the menstrual cycle, as well as fertility. Ovaries of PCOS suffers tend to be from 1.5 to 3 times larger than normal ovaries.”……………………..

You can read further by visiting:- http://www.fertilityfactor.com/infertility_PCOS.html


GETTING PREGNANT WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

I was reading an articile the other day that women who are diagnosed with PCOS go on to having the same amount of healthy children as women who are not diagnosed with the condition. This really encouraged me.

“Many women who are trying to get pregnant may experience problems trying to conceive. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, known as PCOS for short and also known as PCOD or Polycystic Ovarian Disease, is one of the leading causes of infertility among women. While research has not yet determined how to cure for PCOS, it may be possible for a woman with PCOS to get pregnant with the right treatment or treatments.”……………….

Read further by visiting:- http://www.thelaboroflove.com/articles/how-to-get-pregnant-with-polycystic-ovarian-disease/


N.B. Since my PCOS has now returned, my doctor has prescribed a course of low dose contraceptive to be taken for over three months to dissolves these cysts. If this is proven successful then she advised that if I wish to become pregnant, then she recommends that we start trying right away.

When I was first diagnosed with this condition many years ago, a laparoscopy ( a surgery where a small incision is made in your abdomen and with the help of gas your ovaries is accessed and the cysts scraped from them) was done but sadly after the birth of my son, it has returned. I was perturbed at first that I might have to do surgery again but thankfully my doctor advised that she no longer does surgery for this condition for the reason that the cysts do return, and after paying so much for this surgery, who wants to know that they will again be faced with this issue.

I recommend therefore to anyone with this condition who is contemplating surgery, to have a talk with your doctor about the possibility of using contraceptives to dissolve these cysts. The only draw back with this, I might add is, because women who are diagnosed with PCOS have irregular periods due to lack of ovulation, and this procedure has to be done with the onset of menstruation, it might prove difficult. We just have to hope for the best.

MANAGING POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

If you happen to have PCOS but you are not comtemplating having children for whatever reasons, this condition should be monitored and managed because there are other serious conditions that is associated with this. For example, diabetes and heart disease just to name some.

“Most women with polycystic ovary syndrome should have an oral glucose tolerance test at diagnosis and at five-yearly intervals thereafter, and measurement of fasting lipids at diagnosis and at two- to three-yearly intervals. The exception would be a woman aged less than 20 who is not overweight and who does not have a family history of diabetes mellitus, gestational diabetes or large birth weight.”…………..

For further reading visit:- http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/nov16/kidson/kidson.html


I sincerely hoped this information helped you and do not hesitate to let me have your comments or any questions you might have regarding Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Having been someone who is struggling with it for over a decade now, I should be able to shed some light on your concerns and questions. If I do not readily have the information, I will research it or you.

Please feel free to click on any relevant links on the right of page.

ALL THE BEST


Please do not forget to join me for my next post