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Technorati Profile

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

This is just one of my many problems... I am beginning to think that I have always had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (POS Stein-Leventhal Syndrome or Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD), but that it did not get completely out of control until I had my last child (he is now 9). Shortly after he was born, I started having menopausal symptoms. Before this time, I never got sick. Other than a cold, the flu, sinus infection once a year. Now, I am always getting something and it takes forever to get over. This is especially true during the school year, the summer is not as bad. Is it the POS or something else? I don't know, that is one reason that I started this blog. If you have POS, please post your story.

Like I said above, for years I have been telling doctors that I thought that I was going through menopause. The majority of them just looked at me like I was crazy! In the beginning, I was only 31 and I knew that it sounded crazy but that is how I was feeling. At first, it was hot flashes and just constantly feeling like I was having PMS. In the past two years or so, thing have been much worse. Constant...painful monthly periods. By "constant" I mean periods 19 days apart start to start and then lasting 5 to 7 days. You do the math, this is all the time.

Finally, I went to my endocrinologist (2 years ago, I had thyroid cancer) to get the results of blood test that she had done. She had run several hormone tests and an A1C (blood sugar) among others (every time I get blood test they use just about every color and size tube). Anyway, she told me that I was not in menopause but, with the results of the A1C and the other hormone tests that I had POS. My blood sugar was high and low and my testosterone was 20 and should be 40. She put me on Metformin, I did not want to take "the Pill" I am too old and I smoke and my mother had Diabetes as an adult. I need to quit smoking but that is for another post...

Back to the Metformin, I have been on it for less than a month and for the first time in years, I have passed the 19 day mark for a new period!

Here are some links to POS that I have come across, let me know if you have any good ones that I have not come across. Either email them to me or post them here:

• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Support
• WomensHealth.gov
• MedicineNet.com
• A personal web page
• PCOS in Connection
  

Locks Of Love

Recently, I received an email on donating your hair to Locks of Love. This is a wonderful giving program. Here is some information about the program taken from Locks of Love.

WHAT IS LOCKS OF LOVE?

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

For FAQ's about giving and hair qualification click here.

Autism Reading Program

We have a son with Autism; he was in school here in Texas for 5 years. He is high functioning and is verbal. Yet, the school's (he attended 9 schools here) here in Texas could not do anything with him. When he was 10 years old we sent him to live with family in New Mexico. At the time my husband had found out about a program in New Mexico for children with Autism and with us getting not being able to get him the services that he needed here, we felt that sending him to NM was the best thing. He was not reading at all, he could recognize words but could not "read" them. The school's and the local ISD "professional's" told me that he would never read at best he would sight read.

Well, after he started school in NM we found out about the Wilson Reading Method through a family member who is a Special Education teacher. He started the program at school and a home with a tutor. WOW, viola!!! He began to read, I mean really read and understand. He is now 15 and reading almost at a 4^th grade level. Hopefully, some day he will be reading at the level that he should be at for his age. But, even a 4^th grade level is a lot better than nothing at all.

Here are some links that I have found for the Wilson Reading Method. I just learned that it is used for dyslexia, poor spellers, ESL (English as Second Language) students among others.

• Wilson Language Training
• LD Online – this is a really good website for all kinds of info and lots of LD’s
• IDA Discussion Forum – From “The International Dyslexia Association”

I will add more links as I find them. Hope this is helpful =)

Here are some new links:

• FAPE defined
• This is a really good link to Autism and IDEA information from the Autism Society of America

A great idea that I received from one of my eBay friends

When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following: 

A Recovering American Soldier 

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue, NW 

Washington, D.C.  20307-5001 

If you approve of the idea, please pass it on to your friends.

Before you send your Christmas cards, read this soldiers blog first.