Week 3.25: Priagnosis

Week 3.25: Priagnosis

Week 3.25: Priagnosis is a photo of lovely eggs from Farmer Jim. And the word, Priagnosis is courtesy of my stepdaughter who invented the gem. Priagnosis is a cross between prognosis and diagnosis. And, I think, combining the two words probably makes it more serious.

Now, why would a girl post a fun word like Priagnosis with organic, natural eggs? Well, it's a bit tongue-in-cheeky. Because I have to confess I recently received a Priagnosis that has been eye-opening, humbling, frustrating and encouraging (in a somewhat twisted way).

For those of you who are not interested in my personal health, now is your time to tune out. Just wait for the next blog. I promise this isn't going to turn into a blog about my medical journey. I'm not a fan of gory details myself.

And even though I don't feel like I owe an explanation as to why I haven't blogged as often as I could, I DO feel like maybe saying out loud will take some of the sting out. Because all my life I've had these seemingly random symptoms...I mean, all my life. Sensitive stomach, weird skin issues, oily hair, dry cough, gorilla hair growth, muscular pain after working out, sleeplessness (despite being totally exhausted), headaches, fatigue, wide weight swings (usually upward), allergies, and fairly concerning hormonal fluctuations with accompanying issues. Just to name a few...

Over time and through a process of elimination (and with the assistance of a kinesiologist) I managed to figure out soy, milk and gluten are not my friends. Still, at the end of last year my symptoms were getting worse instead of better.

I shared my concern with a few close friends. I went to the doctor. I started to look for a naturopath. Then, one of my new friends in my new town confirmed a similar experience of her own and suggested a naturopathic doctor I had already been considering...

My first visit to the naturopath was 2+ hours. She confirmed and explained all of my experience and gave it Priagnosis...a name. After all the years of thinking I was half crazy and imagining symptoms the naturopath tied all the loose ends into four letters. Four small letters. PCOS. My new four letter word.

The naturopath said it might take a while, but this IS a manageable issue. This week I go back for my three month checkup.

It's been a challenging three months since I started making even more changes, but I feel soo much better. It's been worth it. Now my enemy has a face and a name, I'm giving it a good fight. I feel better knowing what I'm dealing with and how to combat it.

PCOS affects more people that you might think. Here are some sites that give details:
Mayo Clinic
WebMD
Women's Health (Gov)