Fixing me...

I recently sought out the help of a naturopathic doctor.  For about 2-3 years, I've been suffering from ovarian cysts.  Anyone who's experienced these knows that they SUCK.  Big time.  In addition to the cysts, I have a litany of other "girly" symptoms:

• headaches
• PMS
• skin issues (yeah, acne)
• unwanted hair (yeah, girlstache)
• inability to lose weight
• severe exhaustion
• sleep issues (sorta surprising given the bullet above, eh?)
• and so on...

I read somewhere that a woman goes through a new hormonal cycle approximately each 7 years.  So, you can imagine how irritated I was when my Midwife (who I see for my annual exams) was ready to refer me to an endocrinologist for diagnosis of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).  The treatment was to be on a diabetic type medicine for the REST. OF. MY. LIFE.  I didn't go through with any visits (save for one to a LAME-O doc that had the personality of a sponge) to any specialists.  Instead, last summer I tried acupuncture.  LOVE IT!  And, it really helped me for about 8 months.  No cysts at all during those 8 months, when before I'd have them at least every other month...if not more.

But, then in April, I had some cyst activity.  Enter the Naturo.

I've seen her 3 times now.  The initial visit, a follow up for blood work, and a follow up for a saliva test.  Fascinating stuff.

I'm low in:
Iron
Zinc
Cortisol
Progesterone
Vitamin D
Vitamin B

So now...I'm on a tote bag worth of supplements each day.  The doc says that the plan is to have me on all of the supplements for 3 months and then "reawaken" my adrenal glands to do the job they should have been doing all along.  Not sure of how we're going to do that.  <shrug>

The good news:
I have not had any recurrence of cysts since April. Yay!
I have not take a single Zantac (a staple in my diet before) since May 1.  Instead I use the natural supplement the doc gave me, Zypan. And, I only use as needed - which is now only about 2x per week.
VERY few headaches since May.
I have more energy during the day!

The bad news:
My skin is still a mess.
I'm still exhausted in the morning.  As in DEAD. TIRED.  (I cannot possibly exaggerate this.  Imagine the most tired you've EVER been. EVER.  Yeah, that's me, every morning.)
I'm still fat.  But, working on it.  Still.

I guess my plan is to give it another 3 months and see what happens.  If I don't feel 80% cured, I'm bailing.  Not sure what the hell I'll do then, but one bridge at a time.

Anyone have any experience with naturopathics?  Or with PCOS treatments?  Fill a girl in!