PKD with cysts on the Ovary and Birth Control Options.

Amanda has been experiencing several problems with her menstrual cycles including extreme cramping, back pain, heavy flow, and irregular cycles. (Some cycles are barely 2 weeks apart.)

Normally, her doctor would simply prescribe birth control to help ease and regulate the cycle, but prescribing birth control to someone with PKD can have its own risks, and with the unanswered questions regarding her other health issues, she felt that Amanda should see a gynecologist to rule out any undiagnosed health problems.

A visit to the Gynecologist resulted in another pelvic ultrasound. I think the staff at the medical imaging center knows us by sight now. Anyway, the ultrasound showed multiple cysts on the ovaries, another complication of PKD, and freestanding fluid in the cull de sac. The free fluid is most likely the result of a cyst that burst which would also explain the extreme cramping.

The Gynecologist suggested a form of birth control that she felt was the safest for patients with a kidney disease, low dose, less likely to increase her blood pressure, so we will how that works out.

Amanda is not thrilled about taking another pill everyday, so if anyone has suggestions on other options of birth control that may help regulate her cycle without raising her blood pressure we are open to any and all ideas.

Score One for the Insurance Company

About the same time that I received the lab work back indicating the need to reduce my weight, I also received a call from my health insurance company introducing a program called Cigna Well Aware. The Cigna Well Aware program is designed to provide home support for a variety of health issues through personal phone calls from a trained nursing staff, a website, and written materials mailed to my home.

I explained that my goal was to reduce weight to avoid the risk of diabetes, and to eliminate the strain on my kidneys. It was also in the back of my mind that if the need ever did arise in the future for a kidney transplant, that I may not be eligible based on my excess weight so I guess there is no time like the present to avoid a potential problem in the future.

I read the results of my last blood test to the nurse, and she explained what the results meant. She also set some small goals for regular exercise through out the day even if it meant getting up from my computer and walking around the office, block, etc, she arranged to mail me some weight loss material, and setup another phone call to check in with me.

Most insurance companies have a website available to review a variety of health issues, but taking the extra step to call members and offer support was nice extra touch.