The Prayer Request Thread

[fuzzymel]

Praying

 

[snoochface]

Hey mel, how was your trip?

 

[snoochface]

Rebekka, what's the latest on Rosa?

 

[fuzzymel]

Hey mel, how was your trip?

Great thanks. Just got back today.

Got a sick cat though. She had two vet trips while at my in-laws. I picked her up this evening and she urinated all over me so we are taking her to the vets again tomorrow.

 

[snoochface]

Poor little thing! I hope she gets well soon and it's nothing to difficult to correct. Could she just be stressed from missing you? Or do you think it's a UTI? Good luck with her.

 

[Rebekka]

Mel, I hope your cat will be alright!

Rebekka, what's the latest on Rosa?

I see you got your job back - I don't see it in the control panel though. How did you get it back?

The update on Rosa is a bit complicated. The short version is that she is still sick, doesn't have cat flu (a feline disease not related to influenza) but some sort of actual flu, and her siblings keep infecting her (and each other) so it's a vicious circle. The foster family couldn't give us ANY idea of how long it would take her to recover (it's been going on for weeks, longer than they had told us), and they refused to let us adopt her before she was fully recovered & vaccinated. We wanted a kitten for our poor oversensitive Ada, who would feel far more threatened by an older bigger cat. Rosa is more than 12 weeks already (was old enough to leave the nest 2 weeks ago, if it hadn't been for her infection), and this infection could go on indefinitely.

When we asked the animal shelter to let us take her away from that infected environment (sick siblings who keep her sick, ad infinitum, and lots of other animals in the same room - the foster mother takes care of a LOT of birds, rabbits and dogs, too, all in the same room, which makes it harder to get rid of infections - I asked our own vet and she confirmed), they got offended and very rude. How dare we suggest such a thing. We were not allowed to even ask for their vet's telephone number - what's this secretive nonsense? All we want is what's best for our kitten AND for our Ada.

Anyway, they practically told us that we should find another animal shelter. They can't take any criticism. The lady who works for the shelter was very rude, and was blinded by her own egocentricity to see what was in the kitten's best interest.

We can't wait forever, and we want a healthy kitten, also for Ada, so yesterday we went to another shelter - one who doesn't have foster families for the nests of kittens - and we found a kitten that we liked, and took her home with us.

I feel bad for Rosa, but I know that there still is a pretty long waiting list for kittens in that shelter, so she will get a family too - just not us.

More about the kitten in her own thread.

 

[Rebekka]

nevermind about the job, I found it. I'm a fisherman now, good job.

 

[snoochface]

Oh, I'm so sorry about Rosa, but congratulations on the new kitten! I don't know what happens to people sometimes. They are obviously in that line of work because they want to help animals, so why do they become so belligerent and unhelpful? Anyway, I'm happy for you Rebekka.

 

[Amélie Unbound]

Hi everyone.

I have just been diagnosed with diabetes and hypothyroidism. This is on top of the PCOS that I was dignosed with a couple months ago.

The diabetes scares me; I have seen family members die of this disease. I thought with my healthy eating and exercise habits I would never develop it, but I was wrong. Ironically, being overweight can contribute to the onset of diabetes, and it turns out the reason I couldn't lose weight was because of the hypothyroidism. My doctor says with how out of whack my thyroid is, there's no way I could have lost weight. (So at least there's a bit of vindication there... try convincing people you're eating right and exercising when they can see that you're overweight, and they think you must be in denial.) PCOS, as well, can make it difficult to lose weight, and then in turn, is worsened by the weight at the same time. So my body has been working against me at every turn.

I haven't been doing well in school, because I've just been so tired and mentally foggy all the time. I've even been falling asleep in the afternoons while trying to study. I was really beating myself up over it, thinking, "What is WRONG with me?!" At least now I know. I'm going to take a medical withdrawal from school until my conditions are under control.

Please pray for me. I'm scared. But logically, I know my prognosis is good, because once the medications for hypothyroidism and PCOS do their thing, I will likely lose weight as those issues are resolved (yes, I will work at it too, of course... but I've been working at it all along with no success... at least now the issues hindering my success will be dealt with), and then the diabetes will be easier to manage. But I still feel pretty bad about this diagnosis. Although many people in my family have diabetes, I am the youngest to be diagnosed, which is not a distinction I'm happy about.

 

[LoisGriffin]

Awww hun I am so sorry.

Praying for you.

 

[trvlgurl]

Hi Amelie,

I will keep you in my prayers.

I was diagnosed with PCOS a year ago. Took 7 years to get a diagnosis. I finally found an endocronologist who was up on his research. One doctor mentioned something to me about it a couple of years ago, but said it did not need to be treated if I was not trying to get pregnant. Now, I realize that I had a right to be treated no matter what.

Anyway, my endo put me on metformin. It changed my life! Have you tried it? I also started weight training. But of course you have to get rid of the crushing fatigue caused by the PCOS and the thyroid problem before even thinking about exercising. The horrible fatigue is greatly underestimated. It's awful and it is NOT all in your head. Be gentle with yourself. Find a doctor you trust and hang in there, you are not alone!! It is possible to get your life back and feel good again.

 

[Amélie Unbound]

Thanks, LoisGriffin and trvlgurl.

Hi Amelie,

I will keep you in my prayers.

I was diagnosed with PCOS a year ago. Took 7 years to get a diagnosis. I finally found an endocronologist who was up on his research. One doctor mentioned something to me about it a couple of years ago, but said it did not need to be treated if I was not trying to get pregnant. Now, I realize that I had a right to be treated no matter what.

Anyway, my endo put me on metformin. It changed my life! Have you tried it? I also started weight training. But of course you have to get rid of the crushing fatigue caused by the PCOS and the thyroid problem before even thinking about exercising. The horrible fatigue is greatly underestimated. It's awful and it is NOT all in your head. Be gentle with yourself. Find a doctor you trust and hang in there, you are not alone!! It is possible to get your life back and feel good again.

Thanks for sharing this. So have you lost weight while on the Metformin?

My doctor is going to put me on Metformin next week. The only reason she hasn't prescribed it yet is because she doesn't want it skewing the results of my next round of blood tests.

I've had the PCOS symptoms since puberty, but in spite of seeing many doctors about my symptoms, nothing was ever done. My current doctor told me that (just like your experience) many doctors won't treat PCOS unless the patient wants children, but she believes in treating it anyway because 90% of women with PCOS eventually develop diabetes and other health problems (if left untreated), and she wants to prevent that. Of course, she said that before she knew the diabetes had already arrived. (At that point she just thought I was insulin resistant, not full-blown diabetic.) She's still putting me on Metformin, of course, but now it will have a dual purpose, since it's also used to treat diabetes.

Thanks for what you said about the fatigue. You're right, it is awful. But before this diagnosis I was beating myself over it, thinking it was a character flaw, rather than a medical problem. I've always been a low-energy person, and I thought I was just getting lazier and less motivated as I got older. (And my MIL kept telling me how "idle" I am, which wasn't helping.) It's a relief to know there's a legitimate cause for it. It turns out I'm not morally deficient or mentally ill or anything. Who knew?

Fortunately, I love my new doctor! She's so much more knowledgable and helpful than any doctor I've seen before. I'm so glad we moved to this city and I found this new doctor. That's the one positive in this situation. I really think my former doctor was asleep at the wheel.

Thanks again.

 

[LoisGriffin]

I've had the PCOS symptoms since puberty, but in spite of seeing many doctors about my symptoms, nothing was ever done. My current doctor told me that (just like your experience) many doctors won't treat PCOS unless the patient wants children, but she believes in treating it anyway because 90% of women with PCOS eventually develop diabetes and other health problems (if left untreated), and she wants to prevent that.

Interesting because my doctor has only talked about treating it if I wanted children. I might talk to her next time I visit. Thanks for putting that.

 

[Xinnamon]

Praying for you, Amelie.
Sounds like you have found a supportive and knowledgeable doctor!

 

[127.0.0.1]

Prayers, hope you get your condition under control.

 

[snoochface]

Hi everyone.

I have just been diagnosed with diabetes and hypothyroidism. This is on top of the PCOS that I was dignosed with a couple months ago.

The diabetes scares me; I have seen family members die of this disease. I thought with my healthy eating and exercise habits I would never develop it, but I was wrong. Ironically, being overweight can contribute to the onset of diabetes, and it turns out the reason I couldn't lose weight was because of the hypothyroidism. My doctor says with how out of whack my thyroid is, there's no way I could have lost weight. (So at least there's a bit of vindication there... try convincing people you're eating right and exercising when they can see that you're overweight, and they think you must be in denial.) PCOS, as well, can make it difficult to lose weight, and then in turn, is worsened by the weight at the same time. So my body has been working against me at every turn.

I haven't been doing well in school, because I've just been so tired and mentally foggy all the time. I've even been falling asleep in the afternoons while trying to study. I was really beating myself up over it, thinking, "What is WRONG with me?!" At least now I know. I'm going to take a medical withdrawal from school until my conditions are under control.

Please pray for me. I'm scared. But logically, I know my prognosis is good, because once the medications for hypothyroidism and PCOS do their thing, I will likely lose weight as those issues are resolved (yes, I will work at it too, of course... but I've been working at it all along with no success... at least now the issues hindering my success will be dealt with), and then the diabetes will be easier to manage. But I still feel pretty bad about this diagnosis. Although many people in my family have diabetes, I am the youngest to be diagnosed, which is not a distinction I'm happy about.

You know you have my prayers.

The Metformin will help both the PCOS and the diabetes. If you've never taken it before, be forewarned -- it can really upset your stomach in the beginning. You do get used to it, but if your doctor doesn't warn you to expect a lot of diarrhea and cramping for the first couple of weeks, it can take you by surprise. But it helps and it's a good medicine. My husband and I both took it in the past to control our diabetes, and it does a good job.

If there is anything I can help you with, I'm here. I've been diabetic for about five years or so, my husband for about six/seven years, and my mom and sister both have had it. I know you have experience with your family already, but if another perspective on any issue would help at all, I'm here.

 

[Amélie Unbound]

Snooch, wow, I had no idea you had diabetes. Yet another thing we have in common. (Well, not that this is a good thing to have in common, of course.)

 

[snoochface]

Snooch, wow, I had no idea you had diabetes. Yet another thing we have in common. (Well, not that this is a good thing to have in common, of course.)

Heh, I knew what you meant. We really do have a lot in common.

My diabetes has been under control with medication and diet for most of its duration, so other than a few stressful times when things got out of control, I've mostly gotten off pretty lucky.

We did a ton of research when my husband got it, a year before I did, and we've basically decided that diabetic nutritionists are full of bunk. They will tell you to eat things that increase or spike your blood sugar, instead of things that will keep it steady over the course of an entire day. All research shows that those spikes are what do the most damage to your organs. It's mind-boggling, the diet I was given by the nutritionist. Full of sugary fruits and carby breads, but it was all "wheat" or "multi-grain" or some other buzzword, so I guess it was supposed to be healthy as a result.

/vent

We read an excellent, truly remarkable book called Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. His research is absolutely amazing. We've recommended it to everyone we know who found out they were diabetic, if for no other reason than to see some sound, scientific research that the nutritionists won't show you.

 

[snoochface]

Book link:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins...d_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216511145&sr=8-1

 

[Amélie Unbound]

Thanks Snooch.