I Kept My Smile, From A Girl To A Woman With: PCOS

By Keshena Patterson

I am Keshena Patterson and I've been through the emotional journey of PCOS(polycystic ovarian syndrome). Living trapped in a body with your hormones out of whack is an experience that I would never wish on anybody, but it taught me something important too: To keep my head up, to keep positive, and to stay spiritual as I surpassed my goals and turned my life around more than I ever thought could be possible.

And you know what? So can you. You have the power inside yourself to overcome anything that you face. Follow me in my trials and my successes, and learn how I was able to overcome the burdens of PCOS in this book. Part memoir, part advice book; you are guaranteed to learn something that you didn't already know.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Keshena Patterson
• Release date: Apr 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311951847

Keshena Patterson

Hello I'm Keshena, a 30 year old Author that's excited about releasing her 1st book "I Kept My Smile...". It is my passion to spread the word about PCOS and raise awareness. I truly support those who suffer from this condition. You are not alone.When I am not promoting the book, I am saving lives as a CT Technologist in Houston, Texas. I love the Green Bay Packers, Houston Rockets, Chipotle, and I'm a woman of Faith. Thank you for checking out my information. Let me know what you think of the book!

Book preview

I Kept My Smile

From a Girl to a Woman with: PCOS

Copyright 2016 Keshena Patterson, all rights reserved.

Disclaimer: This book is not intended to be used to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease, and is no substitute for medical attention. If you believe you suffer from PCOS or any other disorder, seek the advice of a medical professional.

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: What Is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Again?

Chapter 2: How Did It All Start?

Chapter 3: Point Blank and No Period?

Chapter 4: Weight a Minute, Three parts?

Chapter 5: At the Center of It All

Chapter 6: If I Can Do It, so Can You!

Chapter 7: Today and Beyond

Introduction

I thank you for taking the time to gain information, insight on the condition of PCOS, how it affected me, and my mission to support those who also have it or ANY condition that can change the energy or confidence in one’s life.

What is PCOS?

Don't worry; all will be explained in due time. If you don't know what this illness is, or anything about its treatments and medical statistics, you will soon enough. The goal of this book is to give you some perspective and to help you gain some knowledge and insight about PCOS, and perhaps to even help you gain some confidence and genuine support if you are facing the disorder yourself. I will also explain intermittently how PCOS has affected my own life, both in negative and sometimes positive ways.

If you suffer from PCOS, I think you'll find that this book is a refreshing and broad take on said topic, while at the same time hopefully serving to remind you that you're not alone in your pain and that you can rise above it.

Now, I do not claim to be a physician or to have any kind of certification that would make me a medical expert on PCOS. But what I do have are my own life experiences suffering from this illness, and my own interpretations of these experiences. I think my life story is valid enough that you may be able to relate to it in your own special way.

That being said, sit back, get comfy, and keep an open mind as you journey through the sometimes confusing, frustrating, strangely enlightening world of PCOS.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior for putting it in my heart to write my first book and share my journey with PCOS. Sometimes, we don’t know the whys and hows of our lessons and experiences, but eventually God will show us when the time is right.

I want to thank my mother Jeanette and father Jeffrey for creating me; I love you both dearly. I want to thank my godmother, sisters, nephews, niece, and my loving Patterson family and all of my extended family as well. They mean a lot to me and I hope I make you proud! To my grandparents, Mildred, Peter, and Alma; my aunts, Mildred and Elaine and my cousin Rosalind, Rest in Peace.

I have to thank my wonderful best friends, Kenyetta, Danteya, Andrea, Amy, and TyCora, for being there for me and supporting me when I needed it. Love you, ladies! I also want to thank the Porters; anyone and everyone I worked with, went to school with, was a student with, or even trained with. It’s much appreciated, thank you. I want to give a special shout out to my Houston friends MD Anderson who have welcomed me with open arms and fed me with knowledge or food!

Last but not least, I must thank all of the women and girls who are going through PCOS with strength, courage, and tenacity, finding their way in this society when faced with many debilitating challenges that are hard for people without PCOS to understand. You are part of the reason I wrote this book; to have a voice, speak up, and support one another. Salute.

Chapter 1: What Is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Again?

"The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind." - Paracelsus

PCOS, the Basics

Imagine that you just never had your period—or, if you did have it, she would come around only once in a blue moon. Sounds like a great deal, right? Well, what if this lack of period was accompanied by excruciating pain in your pelvis, infertility, elevated male hormone levels, and a collection of tiny, little cystic tumors all over your ovaries?

Doesn't sound like a great deal now, does it? In fact, it's no fun at all—trust me, I know.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, whose root genetic cause is currently unknown, is a disease in which a female experiences higher than normal levels of androgens in the body (male hormones), which can stop the natural cycles of the reproductive system dead in their tracks. It's natural for a woman to have some androgens, but testosterone and other such hormones are extremely powerful, and, as such, most women only need a few of them. Too much and they begin to negatively affect the body.

As you might imagine, this can result in all sorts of hormonal processes being thrown out of whack, since the reproductive system is so central to a person's