[Kalimalynne]

Hallo there dearies! I just joined and figured I would introduce myself and tell you a bit about my experience.

I am currently 26 years old. When I was 14 I had to have an emergency surgery to remove an ovarian cyst that grew from the size of a egg to a softball overnight. At this time they diagnosed me with PCOS. Because of my insane menstrual cycles (ranging from 7-70 days, with my periods ranging from 4-11 days long) I have been on birth control. Besides ovarian cysts I have always had a weight issue, I have also had issues with dizziness, headaches, and feeling ill after I wake up usually for an hour or two before I have been able to eat.

Unfortunately most of my doctors never thought to check for any sort of insulin resistance. Only one checked for insulin resistance, and had my blood tests completed while I had not been fasting. A few other doctors, Instead, contributed my problems to my weight. At one point after my complaints, my doctor at the time put me on phentermine to lose weight, and did nothing else.

Nearly a month ago I went into a local doctor with my complaints. Over the past three to four months I have been nothing but exhausted and constantly plagued with light-headedness, absent-mindedness, and headaches. It has been 8 years since I have had a regular doctor, so I chose one that accepts my insurance that is close to home. Unfortunately this doctor thought I had an infection of some sort because besides my issues, i also had a very mild temperature. He prescribed me a high dose of Amoxicillin and called it good.

One weeks ago I was still having my problems. When I went to my new found regular Gyno for my annual checkup, I explained what was going on and all that I have experienced. After reviewing my history she scheduled me for some lab work four days ago... about 6 different types of labs.

This doctor called me this afternoon explaining the lab results came back indicating Severe Insulin resistance. I am now being driven crazy having to wait another week for an appointment, that fits in with my work schedule, to talk about whats happening and get a treatment plan.

I joined here, to see what others experiences are... and for any thoughts or advice. I am just happy my blood pressure is decent (103/73 when i went in for my bloodwork). I am 302lbs and 5'6", I usually walk 30-45 minutes a day. I think the biggest worries I have are my diet and what I will be able to do on my budget... I am currently feeding myself and my partner on $50-$65 every two weeks, so my pantry contains mostly pasta-roni and other low cost foods.

Thank You!

[appyfizz]

Hey, Kalimalynne, and good luck on your journey!!

[FiftyFive]

Hi Kaly, I`m 30 y/o and also have Insulin resistance. I was diagnosed a few months ago and my Dr gave me two orders: 1.- Take metformin religiously (I bet your Dr will prescribe this to you too) and 2.- A LOW CARB DIET!
Insulin is related with glucose consumption so everything goes off when you eat carbs (sweets of course, sugar, pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, etc.) so you have to restrict those, my diet consists of green veggies (lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, zucchini, broccoli, etc) and protein: meat, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.
I`m a student right now, Iīm doing my Masters in Spain and my boyfriend his Phd so we have a tight tight budget and canīt afford to spend much on groceries so I basically eat lettuce, eggs, tuna and some chicken. I make rice and pasta for my boyfriend but I canīt eat that.
I know your dr will give you a diet to follow but in the meantime if you want message me and I can give you some outlines on what I eat.
I recommend reading a few books to understand the effect of glucose in your body and what is really happening to you, I found that very interesting and it helped me stick with my diet, some books I`ve read are: Atkins New Diet Revolution, The Ketogenic Diet by Lyle Macdonald, Why We Get Fat And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes (I would start by this one).
Good luck and hope to hear from you!

[Kalimalynne]

Hello! Thanks for your response. I will see what I can do to change our diet cheaply. I have no problem with the change, I just can't afford it right now. ( for two of is together, we can spend about $15-20 a week on food for two people, and then $5-10 on drinks.. And those fund allotments won't be able to change for another couple of months. So we usually eat once a day, and it has to cost us less than $2.50 for that meal for two). I get lettuce and het some fresh vegetables and fruits when I can, but its not as often as I hope. Do you have any ideas on what I can look for within my budget?

[LuckysWife]

Hi Kali,

It's really easy to go the pastaroni route when you're on a tight budget, but you do have options. For instance, even though you would rather eat steamed fresh veggies, canned veggies are a lot better for you than pasta, and you can find some amazing sales if you keep your eyes out. You can also find some pretty amazing sales for frozen veggies on occasion. Sometimes, i think it's just our mindset. We think because the budget is tight, we have to resort to boxes, but if we use a little imagination and thriftiness, we can do better.