PCOS/Insulin Resistance Support Support for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.

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Old 02-27-2011, 07:37 PM   #1  
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Default March 2011 - PCOS Support Thread

A new month! Yay!

The old thread is found here: Feb 2011 PCOS Support Thread with the old Feb Exercise here.

The March 2011 PCOS Exercise thread is here.

Let's round up!
  • Who's here this month?
  • How are you?
  • What are you working on?
  • How was last month?
  • How's your PCOS management going?

A.
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Old 02-27-2011, 08:14 PM   #2  
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I am going to join in here, because my PCOS has been on the forefront of my mind lately, and some support (from my favorite place to get support, 3FC) would be so nice.

* Who's here this month?

Amanda, maintainer and moderator. My PCOS symptoms completely resolved with my weight loss, but at 1 year of maintenance, they came back full force. Planning to start trying for a baby in July of this year (and married to a wonderful female partner, so luckily, if it isn't in the cards for me, we have a backup...but devoted to carrying a child at some point). Right now, the plan is to try on 4 consecutive months with high quality donor sperm and IUI. At that point, we will switch to Sarah, while also putting me on an injectable to get a bunch of good eggs, pull, fertilize, and freeze some embryos with the same donor, then implant via IVF for the second child a few years later.

* How are you?
Stressed. We've had some big time family stressors lately, and they're making it very hard for me to eat (which is foreign to me). I've lost 5 lbs, which while not entirely unwelcome, wasn't a healthy response to stress. So we are in the process of working on healthier ways, including scheduling a few visits with my old therapist. I don't want to go into the details on a public forum, but this involves a big change in our extended family that will drastically affect our lives and the lives of our future kids for many years.

* What are you working on?
Eating past the stress, and on a more general level, eating fewer carbs, even the good ones. Was planning to start SB when we got the weird family news, and abandoned that plan in favor of ensuring that we ate SOMETHING, even if it wasn't 100% what we'd wanted to be eating. Maintaining, weight lifting, and getting my body in good shape to carry a baby. And on a smaller scale, doing a darned pullup sometime this year!

* How was last month?
Stressful! Work was already exploding, and I was getting frustrated with my weight (not so much anymore, but again, not for good reasons). My eating and exercise were pretty good, and exercise has remained good throughout the stress (it keeps me sane). I love the fact that I can do such active things without hesitating.

* How's your PCOS management going?
OK, I guess. I'm on birth control and have been for 2 years, as well as metformin for the past 2 months (again, to prep for pregnancy...want it to be at full effectiveness in terms of helping hormones and reducing miscarriage rate by July, so we started in December). I don't have any periods on the birth control, which my Gyn says is more due to the particular pill I'm on than to my PCOS. Her experience has shown her that women on this particular pill with PCOS have a very good chance of getting pregnant in the first 2-3 cycles off of it, so we're basically trying to stack our odds in any way we can. I don't have side effects from the met, and it seems like it is already helping with some of my blood sugar issues (crazy highs and lows have leveled out) and even with the facial hair growth. I was hesitant to take it because I am not insulin resistant, but again, I read the research and am trying to stack my odds.

So that's me. Looking forward to chatting with you folks this month!
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Old 02-27-2011, 09:29 PM   #3  
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astrophe and mandalinn82!!!!



* Who's here this month?

I am here this month.

* How are you?

I'm really stressed out. I have so many things that are coming due at work or that I have to work on, added with school stuff, add to that social obligations and family obligations, and then just general life obligations like grocery shopping and weight loss and everything else, and I am a stressed out puppy.

I am generally high stress individual anyway and I've learned to cope and I have my strategies for it. But this time, I went too far and my regular strategies aren't working. I don't know what I need to do, but I need to find a fix fast. I feel the stress in my shoulders, grinding my teeth, and my stomach getting upset.

* What are you working on?

STRESS MANAGEMENT!

Well, and when I have that under control, I'm going to be working on sticking to 1500 calories a day. I've been eating 1800 and while that hasn't caused me to gain weight, it's not making the pounds melt off either.

Oh and to make sure I hit the 1500 calories, I need to work on planning my meals again and not resort to "maintenance" because I am eating out.

* How was last month?

Stressful, but weight wise, it was good. I didn't gain, which could have easily happened and while I didn't lose any significant weight, I am down 1/2 a pound.... which is better than a gain, always!!!

I ate out a lot and any sense of boredom with my diet is out the window. I have had enough variety.

* How's your PCOS management going?

I think it's going well. I am still taking my supplements, I'm exercising and I am eating low-carb (very easily too!!!!). I do feel better on this type of eating and usually it keeps me out of trouble hunger wise and I feel equally energetic.

It's also allowed me to eat more calories (damn those restaurants) and lose a little bit of weight.

--

This month, my plan is to focus on food, food, and food, and of course, reduce my stress. Wish me luck.
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Old 02-27-2011, 09:32 PM   #4  
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* Who's here this month?
I'm here this month :P
* How are you?
Could be better, tonight was a completely off night. Overall I think I'm doing well, but not as good as I could be.
* What are you working on?
Eating better, not giving in to temptation, and taking my Pill when I'm supposed to.
* How was last month?
Overwhelming, to say the least. Started my weight loss journey again, so we'll see where this month takes me.
* How's your PCOS management going?
Same as always, though I'm thinking of switching to a different BCP, and will try to eat some foods with anti-androgen properties.

Let's see where this month takes me. I think it's safe to say it can only get better from here
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Old 02-27-2011, 09:47 PM   #5  
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Hey there, mandalinn82 , Rana! and Laneyy !

Ok... here's me.

Who's here this month?


Still present and accounted for!

How are you?

Pretty good in general. Just over a wicked cold, so looking forward to more normal life. Feb in general was fine though.

What are you working on?

On the fitness side, I will be finishing my first PALA in a long time. I just wanted to get back to regular exercise. I did not care what! I have two more star pieces to go and then I can order a certificate.

I had also registered for Idita-walk. I'm close to midway on that one. I also subbed to the strength challenge thread since for my next PALA I want to do a mix of walking and weight training. Still nothing like a formal schedule, but getting a bit more structure than the previous PALA. I'm trying to baby step it along and these little challenge things get me moving.

I'm putting in my kitchen garden and doing some major house declutter -- I'll call those my mental health goals.

How was last month? How's your PCOS management going?


Mostly ok, but some frustrating bits.

Saw the endoc last month and we changed my goals. I'm struggling a bit with making that work and I found I couldn't deal with a calorie drop AND cooking more, so I went back on Bistro to help me get a smoother handle on it til I build up my own freezer stash back up.

I lose my "housewife" pal and I'm still screening cleaning people. So I've been feeling the hit -- I can's spin the cooking plate and the cleaning plate along with everything else! I miss my pal -- we use to swap housework days where I'd help her with hers and she'd help me with mine. I hit a major stall in declutter thing without her aid.

I'm noticing more energy taking the vitamins endoc suggested, thyroid is fine, BCP is fine, etc. I don't see her again til April and I'd love to see the scale budge DOWN a bit more.

March Goals:

So my focus areas this month are the food and exercise bits. I'm feeling like the med/supplement scene is pretty stable. And just make any kind of progress on the house bits.

A.

Last edited by astrophe; 02-27-2011 at 09:54 PM.
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Old 02-28-2011, 02:11 AM   #6  
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Hi there, my name is Jenny. I'm new to the forum and new to PCOS. I've had messed up mensies as long as I've had my period. They put me on BCP and shoved me out the door without a word about what the problem was exactly. It continued like this for years until my husband was going on shore duty and we were ready to have a baby. We've been completely unsuccessful. I haven't had a period in almost a year so we started seeing doctors about it. I swear I am so tired of having people Jab me with strange things, LOL. They pput me on Clomid for about three weeks, did some blood tests and internal ultrasounds and said I didn't have PCOS but I had endometriosis and a fibroid. they took me off all meds and told me to wait three months and come back. I got tired of doctors doing nothing and just telling me to wait for months at a time so we switched doctors. The new one put me on Metformin and a slew of vitamins. She retested my blood and told me that I DO have PCOS but never mentioned the fibroid or anything again. She said I also have insulin resistance problems. They want me to go to a nutritionist, but I'm a little leary to. They intend to send me to the same woman they sent my husband to who really kind of treated him like sh*t and told him he needs to eat fish and zucchini and drink water. I can handle the water, but we hate fish and all the squashes. I feel bad enough about being fat as it is, I don't need to pay someone with a pissy attitude to berate me for 30 minutes and treat me like and idiot because I don't eat seafood. LMAO.

We started revamping our diet a while ago when we started to try to conceive. We try to eat very little pork or greasy foods, we cut out McDonald's completely (boy that was hard! lol), we started shopping at the organic store, eating whole grain breads, doing two meatless meals a week, whole grain pastas, etc, etc, etc... I'm even down to about one soda a week. I also started intensly exercising, but sometime at the begining of Feb I slacked off with the workout. I do good about sticking with the right food... I just have a hard time eatting when I am supposed to. I don't eat breakfast (and never really have), I rarely eat lunch and then we eat a normal dinner. One of my doctors put me on 1500 or fewer calories a day so even though I haven't had any new instructions I have tried to stick with that. I wish I could have stuck with the exercise because I lost 10lbs the first 3 weeks I was doing it, but I was getting so tired. Then we got snowed in and I started getting... not depressed, but down. I started to feel stifled and tired and blahhh. I just need help staying motivated to keep with the workout.
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Old 02-28-2011, 10:13 AM   #7  
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Who's here this month?

Oh, hey there everyone! It would appear that I'm back!

How are you?

Well, it seems like everyone on here is super stressed, but I'm having the opposite problem ... my motivation has completely waned. I just feel like I've been putting so much effort into PCOS management, school, relationships, work, organizations, etc., that I'm a little burned out. It's like pulling teeth to get me to wake up and do anything. I know it's largely because of the SAD, but I'm ready for February to be over (like I am every year)!

What are you working on?

I'm working on losing this 5 lbs. for my mini-goal so I can get a sassy new hairstyle as a reward.

How was last month?

February stinks. Let's just throw that out there. I'm ready for the sun to come back, and I'm ready to get some more energy.

How's your PCOS management going?

Unremarkable. I'm staying within a 3 or 4 pound range (169 - 172/3), largely because I've been eating entirely too much sodium lately, so I'm swollen up like a balloon. Gross. Anyway, I'm working with my friend who's a personal trainer to improve my exercise routine, but I'm not sticking to it all that well ... although I'm doing OK, considering my current mental state! I feel like I'm doing just OK ... but I could really improve. I so desperately want that 165 mark on the scale, and I think I just have to bust my butt more to make it happen. Also, this month, I need to get myself ready for the 5K I'm looking to complete during the first week of April. Whew, lots to work on. Having you ladies around makes a huge difference!!!
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Old 02-28-2011, 10:19 AM   #8  
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•Who's here this month?
Me hehe

•How are you?
Im good thanks still tired and sleeping is on and off. Doctor put my thyroxine back up to 100mg

•What are you working on?
Loosing weight and councelling going through issues of the past.

•How was last month?
Was up and down medical and depression wise but i got through it and i lost 4.5lbs last month which im happy with :d

•How's your PCOS management going?
I am still waiting for an appointment to see the gynechologist they said i may not seethem until july im so annoyed with them my doctor is ringing me tomorrow about it.

I hope your all well xxxx
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Old 02-28-2011, 12:19 PM   #9  
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* Who's here this month?
Hi! I'm here. I generally lurk in this area but I figured I should check in

* How are you?
Other than dealing with a sinus issue, I am doing pretty good. I do have some stressors but they aren't major.

* What are you working on?
My main issue has been food. I feel back on track though and just need to keep cruising. Winters are generally more difficult for me and I just need to power through.

* How was last month?
Last month was... do we have to speak of it? Traveling, getting sick, etc threw me off. I had been exercising regularly but my exercise has been minimal due the last month. Some of the challenges also threw me off foodwise. The last week or so though I've been doing good foodwise.

* How's your PCOS management going?
Fairly well. I am on BCP and no other medications but I switched BCP last year and I'm not sure I'm on the right one. I may have to talk to the gyn again but I hate switching around. I wanted to wait until I had a little time with the food issues under control before I went crying foul though When I'm eating well though, I have minimal cravings and I feel energized. When I let myself eat crappy food, I feel crappy.
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Old 02-28-2011, 02:02 PM   #10  
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I had a regular doctor's appointment this morning (yes, I try to keep them all together, so I only have to remember once a year to hit all of them!) and she was pretty happy with my weight loss. I hadn't seen her in a year and since last year, I've lost over 10 lbs. She was happy. She tells me all the time that I needed to lose weight and I think she's glad I finally did!

We also talked about my supplements and she was happy with the ones that I am taking. She's concerned about how much calcium I'm taking (not enough?!) but with all the dairy and green leafy vegetables, I think I am.

Oh and no blood will be taken, because she's just going to use the endo's bloodwork instead.

She also told me that my endoc is crazy to tell me that if I start taking metformin, it has to be for life. She said that a lot of doctors hope that it becomes the Sword of Damocles for people to get their diet and exercise in gear. I told her everything I was doing and how much and she was happy with everything.

I like her. I'm glad I went and I'm glad she was happy with my progress.
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Old 03-01-2011, 01:18 AM   #11  
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* Who's here this month?
meee heheeh
* How are you?
Pretty ok, Tings in life could be better...but whos couildnt ?
* What are you working on?
Losing fat and getting healthy
* How was last month?
It was ok, a lot of new challenges it was the month I took charge and really ramped up my resolve to lose the weight
* How's your PCOS management going?

For the longest time I wasnt but I want to have a kid or kids in the future maybe in 5-10 years and I need to make my body and mind ready for that. I have started to manage it with weight loss, fish oil and peppermint tea. I dont have health insurance so I need to do things on my own for now. It seems to be getting a bit better. I can tell I am getting less cysts already because I have less pain!
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Old 03-01-2011, 02:17 AM   #12  
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Quote:
She also told me that my endoc is crazy to tell me that if I start taking metformin, it has to be for life. She said that a lot of doctors hope that it becomes the Sword of Damocles for people to get their diet and exercise in gear. I told her everything I was doing and how much and she was happy with everything.
Rana, my GYN has definitely presented Metformin to me as a temporary option, to decrease miscarriage rates in early pregnancy and to make ovulation easier. She plans to take me off of it after the first trimester, with no need to go back unless I become insulin resistant or want to have another one. So not all doctors believe it's a lifetime thing!
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Old 03-01-2011, 09:52 AM   #13  
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Mandalinn, thanks for supporting that. Nothing I read ever said Metformin was permanent but when the endoc wanted to give it to me, I asked. He said I would need it for the rest of my life and then started ranting about how people distrust medicine, that Metformin has been used for the last 60 years and it doesn't have any bad side effects (if you can stomach it) and it's great for long-term use, blah blah blah.

So, I decided I wasn't going to start taking it if he thought I had to be on it forever.

I get the craziest endocrinologists. My GP is great. The specialists? crazy, all of them.
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Old 03-01-2011, 10:25 AM   #14  
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I would like to join you ladies if it's alright

[*]How are you?
My eating has been going well- I cut out most processed foods along with bread, pasta, and rice. My sugar intake is WAY down (except for my fat free Coffeemate, which you can pry from my cold, dead hands). I had ovarian drilling on 12/22 and it has made a world of difference. I've lost about 15lbs since surgery and everyone is commenting on how much weight I've lost. I think it's more obvious because as a pcos-er, it was all weight from my midsection. I'm starting to feel like "me" again. My cycles are normal (for now) and the pelvic pain I was having has decreased significantly. I wanted to give up the sugar and processed stuff with my surgery as I wanted to give it the best shot of working and it seems to be, so I'm going to keep at it!
[*]What are you working on?
I haven't so much as entertained the notion of working out since surgery. I have to admit, now that I'm losing again I don't feel the need. But I DO need to. I would like to take that scary, big first step back in the gym. My body is starting to crave it.
[*]How was last month?
Last month was rough. I had a chemical pregnancy, which after over a year TTC is about as close as I've gotten to letting myself entertain the thought of being pregnant. I am taking it as a sign that my body is starting to get back on track and that that one wasn't meant to be. Since my cycles are normal for the first time in my life I'm trying to relax a little before I delve back into that roller coaster that is infertility treatment.
[*]How's your PCOS management going?
It's going well! I hope the surgery provides more than temporary relief, which is why I changed my diet. There's no guarantee of it working for more than 6 months, so I want to give this my best shot.

Last edited by junebug41; 03-01-2011 at 10:25 AM.
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Old 03-01-2011, 10:29 AM   #15  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mandalinn82 View Post
Rana, my GYN has definitely presented Metformin to me as a temporary option, to decrease miscarriage rates in early pregnancy and to make ovulation easier. She plans to take me off of it after the first trimester, with no need to go back unless I become insulin resistant or want to have another one. So not all doctors believe it's a lifetime thing!
Agreed! I think the pcos-er and Met is different than the diabetic and Met, so perhaps for a diabetic and longterm management, being on Met for life is something to think about. But most pcos-ers who take Met take it exactly like Mandalinn does. Even if you don't have IR it can be beneficial for TTC and miscarriage prevention, but may not be required long term.
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