Being an advocate for your health

**If you have read this first paragraph already from the previous blog post, you can skip over it! **

September is the month of spreading awareness of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), so for the entire month of September, the topics will be geared towards PCOS every Wednesday because not many people know what it is and I was one of those people who didn’t know. I got diagnosed with PCOS back in December of 2019 and I have been sharing my journey way before I found out what I had. I have an entire Pinterest Board that has all the blog posts I have written about my PCOS Journey and you can find it here. I have written about my own symptoms, the bloodwork I had done (it was a lot of rounds), my experience with Doctors telling me birth control was my only option and how it was either that or just suffer with my syptoms. I have expressed my concerns about birth control to the Doctors and I stood my ground. I have also been to a naturopathic doctor only one time and I haven’t talked about that experience because it was an unusual experience. Plus, I ended up taking a different route. I talk about getting other tests done, getting acupuncture and adjustments done at the chiropractor (that has helped me physically and mentally), I also have seen another chiropractor who is also a dietitian and he helped me with the supplements that I needed to take, and I explain everything that I have tried, so I encourage you to read the blog posts that I have on the Pinterest board I have for my PCOS Journey.

Four weeks ago, we talked about what Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) was, I talked to y’all about what I struggled with physically about having PCOS three weeks ago, I talked about how PCOS affected me mentally two weeks ago, and the dietary changes I made since having PCOS last week on the blog!

This blog post I am writing right now is the very last post about PCOS because PCOS Awareness month is finally coming to a close!

For this last blog post, I’m going to talk to you guys about how important being an advocate for your own health is. You would think I have learned this by now… I need to do something, but I keep putting it off. I did the same thing before I got diagnosed with PCOS. I would have things happen to me that hasn’t happened to me before and I kept telling myself that I would see if it would happen the next month. The next month would roll by, and I would tell myself that I would see if it happens again the next month. The cycle would never end until my body scared me to the point I ended up taking myself to the Doctor to receive some answers.

The thing about being an advocate is that you have to fight so hard to receive the answers you are wanting and you will not leave until you get them. You won’t walk away when someone tells you no. You have to keep on fighting for what you deserve!

You only have one body and it’s your job to take care of it the best you can. You are also the only one who knows your body best.

No one else is going to take care of your body for you.

No one cares until you start caring about your body and that is when you go to the Doctor.

If you have a gut feeling that something isn’t right and that you need to go get it checked out, do it. Please do not wait it out for months because it could get worse as the months pass by.

It’s surreal to think that if I didn’t go to the Doctor when I felt like something was off with my hormones, I doubt that I would have gotten diagnosed with PCOS; I wouldn’t have known that is what I have today if it wasn’t for taking myself to the Doctor and wanting to know what was wrong.

Being an advocate for yourself doesn’t mean only about your health, it can mean so many other things.

For example, I was in a situation recently where I had to become an advocate for not only myself, but for my colleagues because we weren’t receiving the answers we deserved. It took having to make a few phone calls and emails in order to know what was going on. It took a lot out of me to do that and I’m so proud of myself for stepping up!

I used to be the girl who would wait and wait until someone would tell me the answers to my questions themselves, but this time, I was the one who got tired of waiting and I was out there looking for answers myself no matter what it took to receive them. The same way should go for your own health. You should be at the Doctor telling he or she what has been happening and that you will do whatever it takes to receive the answers you are looking for.

Yes, being an advocate does take so much out of you.

It takes bravery, stepping out of your comfort zone, using your voice, asking questions, telling whoever you are talking to about what has happened and how you are feeling.

Don’t be afraid to speak up because most of the time, when you do speak up, you will finally receive the answers that you had been looking for.

Once that happens, every little thing you went through will be so worth it in the end.

No one else can do this for you but you.

You have to finally say, “enough is enough” and start to take action right away.

Don’t let someone be the reason why you’re not getting any answers.

It’s your body and if you haven’t already, you need to start fighting for it.

For those of you who are new here, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in December of 2019. I have been documenting everything that I have been through and experienced – from discussing my symptoms before I knew what was wrong, all the way to what I am doing now to help my body. My goal is to balance my hormones naturally without taking birth control. I want to give other women with PCOS hope that birth control isn’t the only option. All of the details about My PCOS journey Pinterest board can be found here.

Thank you so much for stopping by on the Kylie’s Corner & More blog! If you would like to, you can purchase your personalized, signed copy of Kylie’s Corner and a complimentary bookmark I designed, here! Kylie’s Corner is a devotional for anyone who is in High School and up – you can read more about Kylie’s Corner. I talk about beauty in God’s eyes, society, anxiety, and so much more in the Kylie’s Corner book. If God has someone on your heart that you feel the need to give this inspiring book to, please listen to Him. The individual may need to hear the words God put in my heart at the time when I wrote the Kylie’s Corners that are in this book.