“I have panic disorder so it comes whenever it wants to and sometimes on live television it happens” the Lalla Land host said on the Fresh Breakfast Show on Metro FM.
The TV beauty once had a panic attack during a live TV show that DJ Fresh also happened to be on.
“You short-circuit so you’re producing a lot more of the stress hormone than you’re supposed to and your body just thinks it’s going through extremely stressful situations, so everything starts going really fast. Your heart, I go blind unfortunately and I start going numb, my whole body goes numb or [I have] pins and needles. I sometimes lose my eyesight,” the 30-year-old said speaking to Metro FM host DJ Fresh.
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According to WebMD women have double the chances of suffering from panic disorder compared to men and close to one in 20 adults between the ages 15 and 25 are more likely to suffer from this condition.
Then three years ago the former Craz-e presenter was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a fertility issue that even 44-year old English designer and super model Victoria Beckham had opened up about it in the past.
“When I was diagnosed with this I didn’t realize I had been living with it my whole life, well since at least when I was a teenager. I was 27 when I was diagnosed,” Lalla said speaking on the Fresh breakfast radio show.
It was only when her hair started falling out and she was experiencing extreme breakouts did she realize something was amiss.
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“I was really stressed out and I thought, ‘Well, I’m just breaking out. Well, my skin’s breaking out, I’m putting on a little bit of weight, I’m craving some weird food... and my hair is falling out... and I know I’m not pregnant – matter of fact I’m skipping periods. So I definitely know it’s been three months and I’m not pregnant ... there’s something wrong with me.”
According to Dr. Russell Cooper, Lalla’s uncle, about 10 to 20% of women – or about 1 in 7 – are likely to have this condition.
“Polycystic ovary syndrome is a syndrome that is primarily in women but believe it or not men can get it as well. Obviously men don’t have the ovaries but they get the whole body effect of it, which is insulin resistance so insulin is a hormone related to the moving... getting rid of too much blood sugar in our bodies,” Dr Cooper said on the Fresh Breakfast Show.
Although many women often dismiss PCOS symptoms as PMS, if this condition goes untreated it can often result in the inability to conceive.
“This is like PMS on steroids, literally, because there are so many steroids and hormones that are causing the body to put on weight and deregulate the ovulation and to even lose ovulation – making it very difficult for women to fall pregnant,” Dr Cooper said.
It was only after Lalla visited an endocrinologist (a doctor who specializes in all things relating to hormones) was she given a proper diagnosis on her condition, after years of being put on the pill to balance out her hormonal levels. “I was on the pill since I was about 14 or 15,” Lalla revealed.
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The endocrinologist informed the TV personality that “there are some serious issues with you”.
Dr. Mark Perloe, the director of Georgia Reproductive Specialists, created a PCOS awareness YouTube channel in which he described PCOS as a “not-one-size fits-all” condition and that women are likely to experience different side effects.
“But the symptoms I was dealing with were basically what most women are dealing with on a day-to-day basis, [women] that think its normal. So it’s part of your PMS symptoms,” Lalla responded when asked about the most common symptoms for PCOS on the show.
Speaking on the Fresh breakfast show, Dr. Cooper advised women who were perhaps experiencing severe symptoms to visit a gynecologist or an endocrinologist for proper testing.
“One of the clinical diagnostic features is multiple undeveloped follicles on the ovaries. So normally what happens very simply is every month one follicle is sort of selected to mature and then to be released and that follicle is the follicle that can help a woman fall pregnant,” he said.
“As a woman your body is your temple, a lot of stuff is going on every day that we deal with and sometimes there is maybe a heavy period or maybe you’re missing your period and we think, ‘Okay well maybe it’s just a phase’. And it gets to a point where you’re like, ‘Okay, hang on, maybe it’s not and now I’m really scared to go check’,” Lalla said.
Although Lalla had been “scared to find out what it is because maybe it’s something severe, or I’m just really embarrassed to speak to somebody” she also highlighted the significance of seeking medical attention.
“Sometimes you do feel a little bit like a test dummy . . . and that’s horrible, it’s a really horrible feeling, and unfortunately the only way to cure yourself is to know what’s wrong and get help.”
Sources: WebMD, MetroFM, InsuliteHealthPCOS, ShadyGroveFertility
