Make Me Smile Monday

Today's guest post is by someone really important in my life. Melissa is my cousin and very good friend and we're only a couple of years apart in age. I was indeed quite confident I knew what she would want to share here today (as she alludes to in her post) and I'm really glad she did! Knowing the journey she and her husband have been through it has been incredible to see God work this out in their lives. It has been incredible to watch and honestly...I couldn't be happier for the two of them! <3


I've followed Brenna's blog from the start, so when she asked me to do a guest post for "Make Me Smile Monday", I wondered if she had any doubt about what I'd post about.  Probably not.  I am the mom of a 3 month old little boy, and he continuously makes me smile.  In fact, he's learning to smile, and he's learning to find his laugh.  So, while it is somewhat cliche that I blog about my little one and him being the biggest joy in my life, I thought it would give me the opportunity to raise some awareness to a cause close to my heart and one of the many reasons this little guy makes me smile.

Speaking of cliches, another one is tossed around quite often is that of a 'miracle baby' and I'm going to say it... my son is, in fact, a miracle baby.  All babies are miracles, and I learned in such a real way how true it is right from conception to every day of their little lives.  My son has given me a purpose that I never knew possible, a smile that lights up my day, but he also found a way to give me a higher level of self esteem and has helped me restore my health.  


It seems as though I always knew I wouldn't be able to have children.  I was told this at a young age but never really knew why.  I accepted it and embraced the fact that my life would take a not-so-traditional route.  Over the next decade, I'd find my health deteriorating in a way that I couldn't understand.  It was also in a way that any doctors I had didn't understand.  Little symptoms would come and go and I packed on weight at an alarming rate.  I would be tested for diabetes and thyroid conditions to no avail.  Each doctor would advise that I should restrict my carbs and increase my level of exercise.  It wouldn't be until just a few years ago, working out over two hours a day with no results, that I would realize that something was really wrong.  I doubted my own perceptions, I thought that maybe my issue was psychological and found help from a psychologist who couldn't find any underlying reason that I would sabotage myself in a weight loss effort.  My self esteem and my trust in my own abilities and health deteriorated immensely.  


Once I started looking into my fertility issues, I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and my world started to make sense.  About 10 years after I first noticed my symptoms and about 5 years after the disease was discovered, I had my answers.  While this disease is now quite over-diagnosed and there are severe and moderate levels of it, there is still not a lot of knowledge about it floating around.  Only a few doctors seem to have the right knowledge to treat it, rather than just identify it, and I happened to have found one.  I began aggressive and experimental treatment and my life lurched into a bit of a spin.  Instead of symptoms, I dealt with side effects but I persisted.  I found support groups full of women who had become depressed with their diagnosis, frustrated and unable to cope with the aggressive treatment and full of despair.  But I was happy, I was simply happy to know that something was wrong and that I could now do something about it.  The weight of feeling like there was something wrong with me had been lifted and I had a new lease on life.  The diagnosis was the light at the end of my tunnel.  My treatment would continue for almost 2 years and then I'd get pregnant.


My son was my miracle though it all.  Once pregnant, I had to discontinue treatment which carried with it a 40% chance of miscarriage.  The days and weeks went by at a slow rate but he persevered.  Weeks turned into months, and I gave birth to my healthy baby boy.  He was strong, so was I, and it saved us both.  Weeks after giving birth, I realized that my journey to having him was bigger than I would have ever thought.  Three years after feeling discouraged, unhealthy and overweight, I was a mom who had lost 70 lbs through the ordeal and I can't stop sharing my story


Some statistics put PCOS as affecting 10% of all women.  There are many theories about how it comes to be, what all it encompasses and how to treat it, but it is prominent.  One can have all of the symptoms or only one, but finding the diagnosis is key.  Symptoms can include fertility issues, weight gain, irregular menses, acne, excessive facial hair, balding, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and the list goes on.  Untreated, PCOS can cause heart disease, seizures, diabetes and even cancer.  While many people keep these issues private (including celebrities with the disease like Victoria Beckham and Jillian Michaels), I decidedly want to scream them from the rooftops if I can help just one person.  My son changed my life and maybe he'll change yours.  Either way, I'm sure he'll make you smile too!  Happy Monday!

Could you have PCOS?

PCOS and Self Esteem