A few months ago I mentioned that I made a choice to begin Bio-identical Hormone Therapy (<— this post gives a lot of the back story so please read it too)
I had been having strange symptoms for quite a while (looking back I can see signs as far back as 2005. I had been to many doctors trying to find help, but they all just blew me off OR looked at my age and said “welcome to peri-menopause.”
I must admit I had a rough time accepting this diagnosis. When the first doctor mentioned it, I was 39 and had terminated a Trisomy 18 pregnancy just 4 months prior. She MUST be wrong.
So I went to a specialist. The “specialist” called it “premature ovarian failure” which again…was hard to swallow.
I Finally Got Help
I just lived with it for a couple of years, but this past November someone mentioned that I should talk to her doctor.
I put it off (with everything going on with Maddi), but by March my body had rebelled so much that I had no choice. I had the blood tests done and went in to talk to the doctor about the results.
Of the things he tested, I only passed one test – thyroid – at least that’s ok. But as he went down the list of results, they got worse and worse. When I walked out of there, I had no idea what we had talked about for the last 20 minutes because when a doctor tells you you were right, you’re not in peri-menopause, but IN menopause – at 41 – you kind of zone out.
But, not only did he tell me I was in menopause, but also another BIG diagnosis – I am insulin resistant – basically pre-pre-diabetic.
What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance is when your body makes more and more insulin to respond to your intake of carbs and sugar, but your cells have a hard time taking this insulin in…therefore they think they’re starving – making you hungry and have cravings and eat more – eventually leading to diabetes because the cycle just keeps continuing.
Through my research I’ve learned that insulin resistance has also been linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. Actually they’ve not just linked it, but believe that Alzheimer’s is actually a 3rd kind of Diabetes. (For a much deeper, and more scientific explanation, check out this article.)
I have no idea why I have early onset menopause. This will lead to a whole host of medical issues for me, but I’ve chosen to take control and do something about it by starting the biodenticals.
What Really Scares Me
What really scares me more is the insulin resistance. This could ravage not only my body, but my mind and sooner than I’d like to think possible. Most of my symptoms are related to the insulin resistance, but having the two combined – it’s going to be a battle, but I have very young children, I HAVE to do something and I have to do it NOW because insulin resistance is curable.
Luckily, I found someone that believes me and is helping me. I want to encourage you to keep searching if you can’t find a doctor that will listen.
In the next few weeks, I’ll share some tips of what I’m doing to help get healthy.
In the mean time, I’d like to encourage you check out the symptoms of insulin resistance and see if they apply to you (trouble concentrating, trouble sleeping, excess belly weight)
If they do, ask your doctor to run an insulin test – not just blood glucose, but insulin. Because guess what – my blood glucose and my A1C levels (blood glucose over the last few months) are in the normal range.
Have you heard of the link between insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s?
