Finding low carb friendly doctor
MamaGLUe
Posts: 32 Member
Hello all -
I have PCOS and have struggled with weight and out of whack blood lipids for years. Ive been following a low carb diet for almost a year now. My "good cholesterol " and triglycerides have improved dramatically and I feel better so I want to keep this up. But my primary care just isn't on board. Any suggestions for finding a new doc? I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions!
I have PCOS and have struggled with weight and out of whack blood lipids for years. Ive been following a low carb diet for almost a year now. My "good cholesterol " and triglycerides have improved dramatically and I feel better so I want to keep this up. But my primary care just isn't on board. Any suggestions for finding a new doc? I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions!
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Replies
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Its not that your PCP is not 'on board', most Primary Care Physicians will never be educated enough because its out of the realm of their medical license of training...Its a topic that is 'mentioned but never taught' at the primary care level...
It often requires the referral to either:
OB-GYN
Endocrinologist
Dermatologist (for side effects of PCOS)
If your local hospitals have an "Ask A Nurse" hotline, they may be able to suggest a specialist in your area that deals with PCOS... You can also consider contacting your local health department.
Also - if you are covered by insurance, they can help you locate physicians in your area as well0 -
find an endocrinologist to be your PCP. My endo is fabulous, understands PCOS and actively treats women with it. He arranged for a nutritionist and they stay in constant contact re: my diet and A1C levels (I'm IR- insulin resistant). 40% of my daily intake comes from carbs, which is great for a PCOS diet.0
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find an endocrinologist to be your PCP. My endo is fabulous, understands PCOS and actively treats women with it. He arranged for a nutritionist and they stay in constant contact re: my diet and A1C levels (I'm IR- insulin resistant). 40% of my daily intake comes from carbs, which is great for a PCOS diet.
I already told my Endo that I was going to clone her and take her home - she is AWESOME! She held my hand as I shedded tears over the hell and frustration of dealing with physicians who just made things worse for me despite my total commitment to their medical advice... thankfully it didnt do any long term damage...
The endo I have though, has been REALLY on target with my PCOS, my metabolic disorder and IR wholeheartedly!
Im about to get some unique tests done (a few never have been done before and are new) and see if there are other things going on...
For me, she recommended 1600 Calories daily, with a maximum 120g of carbs daily - there are days Im lucky to break 80g of carbs I get so full!0 -
Hello all -
I have PCOS and have struggled with weight and out of whack blood lipids for years. Ive been following a low carb diet for almost a year now. My "good cholesterol " and triglycerides have improved dramatically and I feel better so I want to keep this up. But my primary care just isn't on board. Any suggestions for finding a new doc? I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions!
Is you dr. suggesting a high carb diet or just disapproving of your low-carb diet? When I deal with someone like a primary care physician, I just describe the diet I eat, but don't say Atkins or Low-carb. I usually just explain that I eat healthy protein, veggies, fats, fruit, and avoid sugar and refined carbs. They are always on board with that.0 -
Thanks so much for the advice and information - I got my PCP to give me a referral to an endocrinologist. I have an appointment with the endocrinologist in a couple of weeks. I'm really motivated to find out more about what I can do to prevent diabetes, heart disease, etc.. down the road!
CaraBeara1 - My primary care doc disapproves of the Atkins approach (equates it with eating nothing but bacon and butter even though I tried to describe the approach I was going to take in detail). When I initially asked her about it she said she wouldn't tell me I couldn't do it medically but she strongly recommended Weight Watchers and not to cut out fruit and whole grains. I went ahead with an Atkins approach anyway because of the articles I had read about women getting great results with trigicerides and HDL.
I want to have a doc that I can strategize with and share the "whole truth" about my diet. If there are other things I can do to get out ahead of the PCOS, I want to do that too. I had a great fertility doc who diagnosed the PCOS but my days of wanting to conceive are over. Now I want to stay healthy for the kids I've got, but I feel like I'm really in the dark here. My insurance won't let me have an endocrinologist as a PCP. So my plan is to find an endo I can work with and ask the PCP to defer to the endo on matters of diet and managing PCOS symptoms.
Thanks much to everyone for this conversation - it's great to be able to chat about this and get your opinions and advice.0 -
My insurance won't let me have an endocrinologist as a PCP. So my plan is to find an endo I can work with and ask the PCP to defer to the endo on matters of diet and managing PCOS symptoms.
That is absolutely correct - the Endocrinologist (or any specialty physician) MUST be credentialed and currently hold the licensing rights to treat patients as a primary care provider in order to qualify as a PCP...
Credentialing physicians was a major job task I once held as a Medical Accts Receivable Manager...0 -
My Dr - who's on board - is a bariatric specialist. I don't have 100 lbs to lose, and i don't have a lap band, but i do need to follow a diet to lose weight.
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My bariatric dr is totally OK with a low to no carb (except from veggies) diet. Of course, weightloss is his specialty, but he is great with PCOS also. My fertility specialist recommended him, but now I'm not trying to conceive, just like going back to him.
Cheers!0 -
You could also try a weight loss Dr. I got in with mine as she is my OBGyn as well. She really understands things and I love going there for the support once a month. The practice I go to really likes the low carb high protein plan. My husband and I have done great on it. You can see if there is one near you by going here:
http://info.centerformedicalweightloss.com0 -
My bariatric dr is totally OK with a low to no carb (except from veggies) diet. Of course, weightloss is his specialty, but he is great with PCOS also. My fertility specialist recommended him, but now I'm not trying to conceive, just like going back to him.
Cheers!
Thank goodness there are doctors out there who truly do enjoy what they do, and treat patients like human beings... I dont know where I would be right now if it werent for my Endocrinologist... she has been wonderful to work with despite the stronger more intense tests I am going through.. she keeps me informed of everything before anything gets done, and is a wonderful woman to visit with!0 -
Jimmy Moore's website "Living La Vida Locarb" has a directory of Low Carb docs all over the US. Check out your state.0
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Ask about taking a very safe and common drug, metformin.
It is a sugar management drug that has started to be prescribed for women with PCOS and it helps with weight management
Good results for many!
Just an idea. I know someone in that boat that it is working for. It seemed to be the key to getting weight loss rolling forward. Cheap $5 a month prescription.
I see her at the gym pretty regularly and it has been a few months now, and she is shrinking steadily. I will ask her how it is going over the weekend.0 -
I wish I could help but most fully qualified docs in WV begin and end with me being fat. Seriously, eat right and exercise is about all I get, while completely ignoring my efforts. It took a resident doctor (student, for those unfamiliar with teaching hospitals) to diagnose my diabetes and the midwife I see for OB to start me on Metformin. I was told my blood work is too good for the endo so therefore "eat right and exercise!" Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I hope you find a good doc!0
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Hi there-- personally I put very little trust in a doctor being able to help me. I think the thing that's helped me the most is NOT going to any MDs and taking supplements along with an organic diet/managing stress , etc. If you're interested here is a link to supplements on amazon-- some of which have great reviews from those with PCOS. Who knows maybe there is some nutrient you're missing or an herb that will help you.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_23?fst=as:off&rh=n:3764461,k:pcos&keywords=pcos&ie=UTF8&qid=1435416809&rnid=29411200110 -
Considering this thread is 4 years old, I doubt the original poster is still around to read this advice.0
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Didn't even notice the date of the OP.0
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My pcp is an internist with endocrinology as a sub speciality, recommended by my gyno about 10 years ago. She (pcp) is the one who diagnosed IR, and put me on metformin and recommended a low carb eating plan. Alas, it has taken me only until 2015 to listen and stop making excuses. The result is a 30 pound loss to date, 30 more to go, and ongoing self-education through reading about various approaches and studies about this way of eating...a major portion of the study credit goes to the various heroes on this forum who share what they have learned and experienced, ditto dan being one of several, whose thorough information has directed me in a non-judgmental way. Sorry for the run-on sentence (I'm an x eng teacher), but want to encourage you to keep searching for the right physician to support you on your journey to health.
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I wish I could help but most fully qualified docs in WV begin and end with me being fat. Seriously, eat right and exercise is about all I get, while completely ignoring my efforts. It took a resident doctor (student, for those unfamiliar with teaching hospitals) to diagnose my diabetes and the midwife I see for OB to start me on Metformin. I was told my blood work is too good for the endo so therefore "eat right and exercise!" Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I hope you find a good doc!
YES. This was exactly the experience we had. Every doctor we went to see saw the fat and nothing else. We finally started seeing a new young doctor and suddenly, my wife has a diabetes diagnosis, we're on an actual eating plan, and suddenly we're feeling better. It's like if a doctor had actually listened to us in the first place, maybe we could have been getting healthier for years.
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Anyone looking for further info on PCOS specifically, I'd suggest you check out this group.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3070-p-c-o-sis
Lots of info on supplements, WOE, and all manner of tips, tools, and tricks... Best of luck to us all!0
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