The Cure

I sat in Dr. Wheeler's office, filling out the all too familiar "first office visit" paperwork:  Medical History, Current Medications, Reason for Office Visit, Current Symptoms, etc.

I gave as many details as possible, leaving nothing to chance.  I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.  Within minutes of turning in my paperwork to the receptionist I was walking back to visit with THE DOCTOR!

And the conversation went something like this:

"Hello Sharee, my name is Dr. Wheeler.  I am so sorry for what you have experienced over the last year but I have read your paperwork and I have a cure for you."

That's it.  There it was.  A cure.  No blood work, no psych medicines, no psycho-babble silliness. Just a cure.

As you can imagine I was a bit skeptical...I had heard those arrogant words before.  But this time the outcome proved different.  This time the doctor actually knew what he was talking about! This time the doctor cared more about me than he did his precious ego.

The day I met Dr. Wheeler, I was given a shot of Lupron.  Lupron is used with infertility patients to shut down the ovarires and in my situation it was the shutting down of my ovaries that saved my life. The simple shot of Lupron saved my life.

I never again (not even once) experienced the depression or anxiety that once ruled my world and threatened to take my life. And in fact, I now sleep better than I ever have in my whole life.

In the most simple explanation (because that is what I needed to help me understand) of my disorder and it's cause goes something like this: "my hormones had been fluctuating so RAPIDLY after Sydney's birth that my brain couldn't keep up."

It was the rapid fluctuation in my hormone levels that accounted for the depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and over-all craziness I felt that year.

When both Chip and I heard the explanation, it all made perfect sense to us. How many times had I told a doctor that something was just "not right." or that something had "shorted out" in my body and I had gone haywire. Now we knew that it was my hormones that had gone crazy not me! 

Approximately 3 months after my first shot of Lupron, I under-went a full hysterectomy (both uterus and ovaries) .  The Lupron was only a temporary fix to my problem and a hysterectomy was the permanent solution to shutting down my ovaries.

To date, there is no name for my disorder.  Dr. Wheeler likes to call my disorder "Life Threatening PMS." But he quickly admits that those words don't do it justice. In fact, if you have read my story, you already know that most doctors don't even believe that my hormone disorder exists.

I once asked Dr. Wheeler what would have happened to me had I lived 200 years ago. His answer quickly made sense, "You would have been burned at the stake," he replied.


Dr. Wheeler, a graduate of both Harvard and Yale, and a former teacher at Bailor Medical College, is the most brilliant doctor I have ever met. He saved my life and I will never be able to repay him.  Fittingly enough, the first time I thanked him for saving my life he quickly shot back with "It wasn't me that saved you it was God and you know it."

And in case you are wondering, NO I am not the only patient Dr. Wheeler has treated with this so called life-threatening PMS.  He has treated a dozen or so other women and I hope and pray that other woman facing the same challenges will find their way to his office.

Warning: If you don't like soap boxes or don't like it when someone gets really passionate about an issue, just turn the computer off NOW or go on to the next blog on your reading list.  Cause' this is NOT going to be pretty!

I may be stepping out of my bounds by saying this, but this is my blog and I will say it anyway!  I know for a fact that Dr. Wheeler has tried to tell other doctors in the medical community about the truth of my disorder and the relationship that exists between hormones and depression.  I know for a fact he has tried to educate others but few if any have listened.

My story is living proof of a generation of ignorance in the world of doctors and the health of women. The medical community, as it relates to us women and our hormones, is plagued by pride and greed.  My true story, my depleted bank account and my permanent memories are living proof that can't be explained away.

Sadly, to date, I know not of one other doctor that believes in the power of hormones, ovaries and depression the way Dr. Wheeler does. I have met tons of doctors claiming to be experts in the field of hormones, some claiming natural ways, some claiming conventional ways but all ways lead to a common outcome...they were all expensive and left my pockets empty.  Dr. Wheeler was on my insurance plan and cost me only the appointment deductible.



But I don't think that the medical community alone is soley to blame for the ignorance found in the realm of women's health.  I think women should start demanding better care and increasing their expectations of health care providers.

The day before I first met with Dr. Wheeler, I also had a last-ditch effort appointment with a local FEMALE Obgyn.  I still recall Dr. P's answer to me after I implored her to help me with my hormones and depression. "Doctors don't treat depression with hormones, they treat it with anti-depressants," exclaimed Dr. P confidently and without hesitation.

When I asked her point blank if she would  be willing to shut down my ovaries or "turn off" my period (as I understood it at that point) she all but laughed me out of the office.

She did finally humor me enough to write me a prescription for the Nuva ring.  I new enough from TV commercials that the Nuva ring stopped a woman's period. I knew my period was somehow related to the cause of my problem so I asked for a prescription.  Dr. P quickly wrote me one and wished me good luck.  I am not exagerating she actually said "Good Luck!"

While the Nuva ring did not work and actually made my periods happen more frequently, I knew enough about my own body to be on the right track.  Women know their own body's best so don't ever sell yourself short.

Dr. P  is a well-liked doctor in my area and remains a favorite even among some of my own friends.  Friends that know my story and friends that walked with me through some of my toughest days.  Yet these women still give Dr. P their business.  Why is that?




Why is it that we women spend more time choosing our hair stylist than we do our doctor? Why is it that we women will choose a doctor based on parking availability and not skill level? Don't act like you haven't done that...I know I have!


Why is it that we women don't stick up for each other?  Why is that we seek ease and comfort over that which might cause inconvience for ourselves or others.  When will we woman believe the power that we have both as individuals and as a collective whole? 

We deserve the best hair stylist and the best doctor!  So don't ever settle, especially for the sake of convenience.

I visited many doctors during my year-long search for help and at the end of the road, the solution ended up being a simple shot of Lupron.  But my soul was ultimately healed by realizing and accepting that I was not ever the crazy one! 


All those other doctors, the ones that told me it was all in my head, the ones that sedated me and told me I was bi-polar, the ones that told me I needed to hold my baby more, the ones that told me that hundreds of dollars of vitamins would heal me, the ones that looked at my tongue to "diagnose" the problem, the ones receiving kickbacks from the drug companies and  prescribing me medicines that  ultimately benefit their own pocket, the ones that told me that I needed to divorce my husband, the ones that put me on up to 8 different medicines at one time, the ones that told me that we treat depression with anti-depressants not hormones...they are the CRAZY ones!

Ladies, if you are going through any degree of post-partum depression or other health crisis, you are not crazy, it is not all in your head and you deserve more than the latest drug being peddled by sales reps. You deserve for doctors to take you seriously and most of all you deserve for doctors to do their job; to be educated and to be smart, to think outside the box and to be guided by their intellect and not their wallet, you deserve a lot.

But because we live in a crazy world where we don't always get what we deserve, we may have to put up with some crazy people along the way. But take heart my sisters, cause' God is not crazy and he knows exactly how to heal you. He knows exactly what you need. He knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb. He knows all of the unique quirks that make you who you are and he longs to help you. God did not make women crazy, we were created in his image.

For God knows how to rescue the righteous from trials... 2 Peter 2:9

So get out there, go see as many doctors as you can, keep searching until God brings the right physician or the right solution into your life.