Doctors willing to Diagnose in Virginia Area?

pamplemousse21

Hi all! I have had the worst time with doctors on my PCOS journey. I’m sure many of you can relate. Most of my doctors haven’t believed me that my rapid and extreme weight gain was not accompanied with binges, bad eating, and lack of exercise. I ate health consciously through my undergraduate years and still gained 150 pounds in 5 years. They have lectured me condescendingly on the absolute basics of healthy eating (eg. you do know that asparagus is better for you than cheez it’s, right?). Writing in my chart that I have a binge eating disorder when I explicitly told them that I don’t have a problem with this. Not believing me when I tell them I’ve never been hospitalized for blood clots. Ignoring abnormalities in my blood tests that would indicate a possibility of PCOS. Etc etc.

My last doctor told me that I probably do have PCOS and that it was important for me to lose the weight but that my current method of losing the weight (low carb) wasn’t going to keep working. When I asked her if metformin would help she told me yes but then when I asked if I could get a prescription she dodged the question and said we will see at your next appointment (a year from now). She is perfectly able to prescribe it and I have no other medical concerns that would discourage her from doing so.

I have lost 40 pounds on low carb after not being able to lose weight for 5 years no matter what I tried. I’ve also been getting fewer migraines, less ovarian pain, more regular periods, less acne, less fatigue, and my depression and anxiety have gotten better. However recently my weight loss has completely halted and these other symptoms are coming back slowly with no change to my diet. I still have plenty of weight to lose (over 100 pounds to the “healthy” range).

All of this to say, has anyone been diagnosed and prescribed metformin by a doctor in the Charlottesville, VA area? I would be willing to drive 2+ hours to see someone who I know would take me seriously and help me solve this, so any suggestions in Virginia, Maryland, DC, northern North Carolina, or eastern West Virginia would be appreciated.

KnitOrMiss

@pamplemousse21

There are doctors who will send you to local labs and do consults online. I can't remember if the lady at PCOS Diva is one of those who does online stuff ... or if she has a list of folks, but that is one place I would look. Also, my primary care doctor did not Rx me Met, but my Endocrinologist did. If you don't currently have an endocrinologist, I would request a referral to one. Tell the doctor that if you "probably do have it" that you want to get a second opinion, from an Endo, and you'd appreciate a referral (unless you don't need one), and the worst that can happen is that you don't have it, you're out a few $$, and you'll see her next year... Also, you can pay for independent lab testing without a doctor referral. PCOS Diva and sites like "Stop the Thyroid Madness...." have links to independent lab locations you can order labwork from yourself. You may not need the thyroid panel, etc., but there are female hormone panels and such there, too...

However, I will say - my PCOS isn't confirmed with blood work. I was confirmed through ultrasound of ovarian cysts, though that doc didn't tell me. My Endo confirmed it, and my insulin resistance, and such later. I do NOT have the traditionally high testosterone, but I do have estrogen dominance, so mine, like many cases, is "non-stereotypical," etc.

If your low carb was working, then it didn't, I think it may, in part, be mind over matter. You believed the doctor that it would stop working, so it did... At least in some part. Even with low carb, calories still matter, plus we have to keep mixing it up for our body, our metabolism, always. The body likes to get comfy and stay there. It's biologically driven to do that.

Calorie cycling, changing your foods/exercise times, incorporating short periods of fasting, getting more sleep, etc. - all these things can really help keeping the body guessing.

Artificial sweeteners are notorious for slowing weight loss, too, so it might be worth combing through your diary looking for land mines like that.

I will tell you though, that Metformin is a mixed bag. I both love and hate it. It may or may not be what you need. However, there is a OTC herbal treatment that is reported to work similarly is Berberine. If you can't find articles on this, let me know, and I'll find you some links. Additionally, the other most recent post about d-chiro-inositol may be of some significant help to you, also. @MariahMichaels may have some insights, too...as well as @Dragonwolf and others...

I wish you luck, and I'm sincerely sorry that you've waited so long for a response. I'm in the middle of a move that isn't going well amidst a whole host of medical tests and mess at home, and so I've been lax in watching my groups... Feel free to message me or any of us...

Best of luck!

pamplemousse21

Firstly, you are so sweet for taking the time to write this. I posted this in the main community of MyFitnessPal and got drug across the coals for looking for a doctor to give me a magic solution instead of just working harder *big eye roll*.

Thank you so much, I will look there! Finally thankfully my weight has started to budge a couple days after posting this and after about a month of being stagnant. I have been keeping track of calories as well as carbs but I think like you said my body was trying to get comfy. I’m going through a “woosh” now where my body is getting rid of all the pounds it should have before. Even though the weight loss is under control now my ovary pain has been getting worse, migraines have been coming back, my last period was irregular, more painful cystic acne, more fatigue, etc. so I’m still looking for a doctor to give me an answer. These things all shot down when I started eating low carb but maybe my body is just getting comfy in this way now? Whether it’s PCOS or something else, I just want a doctor to solve these things and it’s so annoying! It would be one thing if it were just the weight but I’m in pain. Anyway, that was just a little vent there lol.

I will look into those! For my friend with PCOS metformin was the ticket so I just assumed it was that way across the board. Whatever solution is presented is fine with me, I was just so frustrated with the answer that was essentially “you need to lose weight to feel better but your current method of losing weight isnt going to work and I have no solutions for how you could go about losing weight.” I know that there are things I can be doing I just didn’t know what, so I will look into that.

Don’t worry about it at all. I am just grateful for a helpful response.

KnitOrMiss

Another thing I can tell you, @pamplemousse21 is that so many of my vitamins were massively depleted.

My B12, D3, and others were at the lowest measurable levels.

Having gotten these up has really helped how I feel on a day to day basis, even if it hasn't helped me get to the core of everything. And even though my TSH test was at the borderline when I was first thought to be hypothyroid, TSH is actually a hormone from the PITUITARY GLAND, not the thyroid gland, telling the thyroid to MAKE more thyroid hormone. You can have thyroid problems for 10-15 years before it shows up in a screening that only includes TSH.

TSH is almost a worthless number unto itself (unless its screaming high), without the context of Free T4, Free T3, and Reverse T3 numbers. Antibodies tests are important too. For me, my levels of iodine and selenium were also really low. So was my iron... I have no gallbladder (had it removed in December of 2000), so I have trouble absorbing a lot anyway...and then once thyroid function dips, you absorb even less, and it becomes a self-fulfilling process...

So, D3 is one of the things that helps with pretty much most any disorder with blood sugar issues or hormonal issues, which PCOS is considered to often include both. So if your D3 is not at the top 75% of range, I'd definitely look into supplementing D3 with K2 (D3 absorbs the calcium we eat, K2 tells it where to go, magnesium and potassium transport it there, and zinc and boron keep it in our bones and muscles)... My zinc and magnesium were really low too, but I'll tell you, Boron was a game changer for me...massive radiating bone pain and constant muscle fatigue/discomfort/cramps, etc. And so on. All gone with the boron...

So, sorry, long story too long, don't rule out thyroid issues, too, just because someone didn't test enough of your vitamins and blood levels. Thyroid is hormone related. Diabetes is hormone related. PCOS is hormone related. Infertility is (often) hormone related. And so on... Hormones are just signals in our bodies...but they can create chaos and havoc!!!

Being depleted of a number of vitamins makes you feel like crap, too, even if the other stuff is going well...

I think the low carb number recommended for PCOS/hormonal sufferers (having migraines, irregular cycles, ovarian pain - which is hands down one of the worst pains ever, acne, fatigue - these are all hormonal issues, even if they aren't PCOS - just make sure you rule out cancer through screenings, etc., as a super rare possible trigger, too) is 75 grams of carbs a day. They recommend you ditch fructose altogether, and grains altogether if possible. 75 grams of carbs a day should come from veggies, low carb fruits (berries and stone fruits), and a small bit of starchy veg (like sweet potatoes over white potatoes, etc.). A very small amount of grains might be tolerated in some folks.

Whatever I do, I try to just opt for less carbs anywhere I can...

If I forget to check the group and respond here, feel free to hit me with a message, too. We stay sane by staying in this fight together!!!