Walking into Menopause with PCOS

 OK, so the bullshit of PCOS is that it doesn't go away and there is no cure. You can go into remission, by essentially taking care of your insulin resistance. Which means I am back to taking a ton of supplements, reading up more again on PCOS and now menopause, and I am start the fun part of weight lifting. I've read that the weights are essential to when you get older and add in the fact that women with PCOS typically have better results in losing weight and keeping it off with that is helpful.

But damn, one would hope that menopause would help somehow? But noooo, instead I am again losing hair, losing my libido, not losing weight, feeling more and more tired. Oh and the melancholy, good gods of all that is happy in the world, just random sadness that makes your heart just hurt...and the mood swings are fucked, because you go from happy to kill mode in like 3 seconds. 

With also have this stupid Chek2 gene that causes life to be slightly more cancerous, I want to get a full hysterectomy. I know it won't fix my PCOS, I know I will need to be on hormone therapy, but I much rather not risk ovarian cancer (my grandmother had that and it spread) and that tends to get diagnosed after menopause and usually once it's found it's later on and that sucks too.

I am already getting colonoscopy's every 2 years and of course mammograms. They want me to get a breast MRI like every year and I can't afford that. I told them last time I could do it every 5 years. But I do get the 3D mammograms every year. I also need to make an appointment with my general doctor, who is new to me since I moved and my last PCP was not always the best at listening to what I was saying during our dr. appointments.

My first coloscopy was just about 2 years ago, and I already had 7 polyps. It will be interesting to see what this next one shows, hopefully nothing bad!

A week after that is my pap and mammogram. That's when I'm hoping to convince my Dr to approve the hysterectomy. Assuming that happens, it will be the first time I've had surgery and I don't dread any of that, I just worry about recovery. 

Oy, so much and still not a whole lot. 

Happy Dance!

So, in a nutshell, the breast specialist says my % is much lower than thought and that I do not need to a boob job :) Happy Dance!!

Now, moving on with life <3

Chek2 Gene Mutation and what that means...

So a few months back I had genetic testing done at the direction of my doctor, mainly because my grandmother had breast cancer and died at the age of 50 (before any of us grand kids were born). My initial report came back clean, nothing wonky or out of the ordinary. Then last week I get a call from my Dr. saying there was an updated report, one that shows a previously gene variant has new info and that I need to come in for all of this to be explained to.

I go in, the Dr. says this gene mutation, Chek2, means I have a high breast cancer risk and he suggested I get a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy and gave me information on what additional doctors to call. My Dr said that my risk is basically 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 chances of getting breast cancer. I asked him about other options, but really it comes down to talking to the Breast Specialist.

So now I am going to be seeing a Breast Specialist at Mercy in Baltimore this week. I am taking a ton of questions, my last 3 years of Mammograms and my one breast MRI.

Because holy fuck, this is going to be so intense, life altering and painful. A double mastectomy. My breasts, just - gone. Yes, I am going to get reconstructive surgery, but I like my boobs. I like how sensitive they are. Thank that all that is sacred I have insurance and this is covered.

Here is hoping good things are discussed with this doctors appointment...