“Think of rest not as laziness but as an investment in your creativity, resilience, and overall well-being.”
― Ken Breniman, Subversive Acts of Humanity : A Survival Guide for Choosing Evolution over Self-Destruction
Disclaimer: Mention of seizures.
Diagnosis
When I was 15 years old I had the unfortunate experience of acquiring a viral infection in my brain which left me with harrowing symptoms, but eventually led to my diagnosis of Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS).
This ordeal began in 2021, when no one was travelling because it was peak COVID‑19. I came down with an illness I thought was COVID and decided to go to the hospital. After waiting for eight hours, the doctors informed me that the pain I was feeling was the result of a migraine, they then sent me home with some medication and said that this was going to be a lifelong condition that I’ll have to deal with. Not 24 hours after this hospital visit I had a seizure (so clearly not migraines.) After spending a 9 days in my town hospital they had no idea what was wrong with me and decided to fly me to London, Ontario. Three weeks of treatment went by and they noticed that I had traits that fit the criteria for PMOS like hirsutism, missed periods, skin tags and excess weight. Back in 2021 they still referred to the syndrome as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) so hearing that you have a higher possibility of cystic ovaries and issues with fertility really messed with my 15 year old brain. At an age where I should only be worrying about who to hang out with and what to watch next on Netflix I had to instead worry about my fatty liver, shedding pounds and the probability of being able to carry biological children. This is why renaming this syndrome matters so much to me, and hopefully it helps other women with the same condition feel that managing it is truly possible. The name change only became a reality this past May which feels like a lifetime for me, but I hope that it makes those who are newly diagnosed understand that they are not defined by this condition and instead are able to thrive despite it!
Welcome to mypmoshealth! Please do not hesitate to leave a comment below to share your thoughts and feel free to contact me on Bluesky. 🙂
