my hormonal and gastrointestinal disorders
When I was 15 years old, I was loosely diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) due to my excessive body hair growth and irregular menstrual cycle. PCOS is a hormonal disorder in which the female body produces an excessive amount of androgens (male hormones) and/or not enough female hormones.
I have learned by doctors that my PCOS was caused by the placement of my Ventriculoperitoneal shunt. This is what is placed in my brain to treat Hydrocephalus. It puts pressure on my pituitary gland and hypothalamas, causing severe imbalances of my hormones. I was put on birth control at a young age to control PCOS symptoms, yet I was never given any information about why or how this fully affects me.
Fast forward to 2020, when PCOS started taking over my life. 2020 was the start of a very slow, yet drastic decline in my health and things started happening to me that I had no idea were linked to this terrible disorder.
For months, I experienced an abnormal amount of infections on my knees, feet, and toes from just minor cuts or scrapes, that would take so long to heal, I would be on antibiotics months at a time. These infections were caused by the lack of hormones in my body and the inability for my body to fight off infection.
Due to the imbalance of hormones, my body went into early menopause causing me to loose menstruation. I than developed endometriosis as many with PCOS do. Although I am on hormone therapy, my hormones are not regulated due to the fact that my issues are caused by a physical object in my body, rather than any natural causation. My brain and body are constantly fighting a man-made object. Years of hormonal imbalances have distrupted many things throughout my body. I have lost a lot of my scalp hair as well as all bloodflow to my toe nails. I suffer from severe joint pain, and I have developed Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). SIBO is a chronic disorder in which too much bacteria grows in the small intestine. This causes me to struggle daily with excessive bloating and stomach distention. No matter what or how healthy I eat, my stomach bloats so big that it becomes hard to breathe and my stomach looks like that of one that is 9 months pregnant. I experience constant pain, weight gain due to inflammation, bloat, and water retention (even though it is hard for me to eat a lot). These conditions also affect mental health and can lead to anxiety and depression. I share my story in hopes to help others with PCOS, Endometriosis, SIBO, Hydrocephalus or any disorder they are dealing with. I am lucky enough to be able to work with clients with many disorders, to encourage them to keep fighting. If you are reading this and you have a chronic illness or are dealing with a health challenge, keep going. YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.
Fast forward to 2020, when PCOS started taking over my life. 2020 was the start of a very slow, yet drastic decline in my health and things started happening to me that I had no idea were linked to this terrible disorder.
For months, I experienced an abnormal amount of infections on my knees, feet, and toes from just minor cuts or scrapes, that would take so long to heal, I would be on antibiotics months at a time. These infections were caused by the lack of hormones in my body and the inability for my body to fight off infection.
Due to the imbalance of hormones, my body went into early menopause causing me to loose menstruation. I than developed endometriosis as many with PCOS do. Although I am on hormone therapy, my hormones are not regulated due to the fact that my issues are caused by a physical object in my body, rather than any natural causation. My brain and body are constantly fighting a man-made object. Years of hormonal imbalances have distrupted many things throughout my body. I have lost a lot of my scalp hair as well as all bloodflow to my toe nails. I suffer from severe joint pain, and I have developed Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). SIBO is a chronic disorder in which too much bacteria grows in the small intestine. This causes me to struggle daily with excessive bloating and stomach distention. No matter what or how healthy I eat, my stomach bloats so big that it becomes hard to breathe and my stomach looks like that of one that is 9 months pregnant. I experience constant pain, weight gain due to inflammation, bloat, and water retention (even though it is hard for me to eat a lot). These conditions also affect mental health and can lead to anxiety and depression. I share my story in hopes to help others with PCOS, Endometriosis, SIBO, Hydrocephalus or any disorder they are dealing with. I am lucky enough to be able to work with clients with many disorders, to encourage them to keep fighting. If you are reading this and you have a chronic illness or are dealing with a health challenge, keep going. YOU. ARE. NOT. ALONE.
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