I'm starting a new thread, AGAIN. I'm sorry to say that all posts from Nov 18-Jan 7 are gone, due to a severe hardware crash that our host encountered, which unfortunately included backups. We had our own back up from Nov 18, so that is the best that we could do.

This has caused a lot of heartache for us, and I apologize. There is nothing we can do to fix it.

Now, onto January - I'll start with a happy reminder, that I lost 25 pounds last year on South Beach, and my PCOS symptoms are a lot better leaving 2003 than they were entering it.

How did everybody else do?

Hi Everyone!!

Yea...happy thoughts!! Positive thinking!!

Here is my calendar quotes of the day...

"I find it strange, O God, that food can be a source of such pleasure and sorrow. Help me through this contradiction so that I can still have the pleasure of food but in a healthy way."

And....

Lighten Up Tip

Set realistic goals and remember that weight loss can be unsteady and vary from week to week.

I lost 45 so far Jennifer!! And my PCOS symptoms are almost gone THANK GOD! I made a major diet and exercise change, along with surgery.
I am SOO Glad I got that hysterectomy and ovaries cauterized! I swear it seems like not even a day after he opened up the ovaries that my skin cleared up.
Stupid acne!! Stupid hot flashes! Stupid Hair growth! Ahhhh...all gone. I hope for good! Well I doubt I will ever not have the disease but the important part is I finally am the one in control..not it in control of me.

Well after a 10 lb gain in 2 mts time - I've given up on ACTOS. I already feel less 'starved' at all times. I go back to the DR on tuesday and start all over.....AGAIN!!!!

I'd love to have a hysterectomy - but can't yet due to insurance (they rejected my poor little sick ovaries for 2 yrs)

I started over yesterday (after throwing the ACTOS in the trash) and today is my 2 day OP (on program)

For 2004 I'd like to lose the 20 lbs I gained over 2003 and lose an extra 10.

must go, DH is ready to watch a movie.
- jul
(glad the board is back )

Hi Jul, what kind of diet are you on? I was on WW and gained weight right before I was dx as PCOS. I ate lots of potatoes and pasta, stayed right in line with points, but gained because of the kind of food I was eating. Life with low glycemic foods is so much better for me.

Noodles, what exactly did the doctor do to your ovaries? I am sure I will have to have something done. Both are hurting lately. I do want to have them fixed if not for the pcos, for the stomach pains. I need to know for sure it is abdominal and not intestinal/bowel pain.

Does diverticulitis run in families? Both of my parents have it, and that worries me.

Well, when I was trying to get pregnant, the DR. put me on Clomid to stimulate the ovaries. Didn't do squat for me. What would of helped but I refused to do at the time was for him to go in and cauterize my ovaries (pop holes in the ovary and cauterize the hole so it stays open) so the eggs could actually exit instead of staying stuck in there and causing more problems. I was freaked out by this..but alas, when I had my hysterectomy in June 2003, my DR. did this anyhow because my poor ovaries were just full of cysts, junk, etc. BEST THING I EVER DID!!!!

I am not sure about the Divert...I'll ask hubs grandma. She has it...but the good news is she turns 85 in March!! I love her...She's a sweety...

Jennifer, I'm not good at following one specific diet. I knew the ACTOS could cause weight gain and at first I did fine on it but the last month...I was hungry all the time. Nothing filled me up and I usually feel full very quickly. Just being off of it for 4 days now and I can feel a difference already as far as the feeling full enough to quit eatting goes.

I've really cut down on the amount of pasta, potatoes, rice over the last year -but I do eat them every now and then.

Good luck, Juls - I know it is frustrating. You will find your magic combination!

Noodles - how much Milk Thistle do you take a day? I saw some Celestial Seasoning Wellness Tea with Milk Thistle and I wonder if it even has enough in it to do anything.

I do need to get my liver checked again. I feel pain in that area every once in a while. I saw some holistic info on the web, but it includes drinking a bottle of oil and laying down for a few hours, and then something like saltwater, etc. Yuck! I don't think I can handle it, and I don't know if it will do any good, anyway. I don't see anything about 'curing' fatty liver except weight loss. I've dumped 30 pounds since diagnosis, but the occasional pain is still there. Any suggestions, oh liver-knowing one?

Hi,

I am new to this board and was happy to find this area tonight. I have problems with my fatty liver. I am wondering if your liver enzymes were elevated or if the diagnosis of fatty liver was made by an ultrasound scan?

I have purchased milk thistle but haven't taken it yet. These hormones - if it's not the ovary, it's the liver or the hair on my chinny, chin, chin! Darn it... I'll be interested in hearing how you have been managing. I also heard that there have been some research studies that show metformin has a positive role in depleting the fat around the liver. What do you know about it? Scared the heck out of me. My diagnosis was last January. My enzyme levels are fine. I have lost 25 lbs and have another 125 to get to goal.

Jenaya
297/275/150

Hi there Jenaya! My liver enzymes were elevated, but not by much. I think it was only ALT that was up. It was outside of the normal range, and that was enough to scare me. I was diagnosed with fatty liver from a CT Scan I had for chest pains, which showed nothing wrong with heart, etc, but the fatty liver did show up. I don't know to what extent it was - I didn't even have a single doctor (out of 4 that read the results to me) tell me what to do for it. Nobody seemed concerned, but I am!

The met lowering the fat level sounds vaguely familiar...I actually had more pain on the met than I did off of it - I'm not sure if it was the medication or coincidence.
I would like to get another liver panel done next week at my annual physical to see if there is a drop from last year. Hopefully the weight lost last year had some impact on it.

Thanks Noodles, for the info - does your doctor practice holistic medicine, and was this a general doctor, or a gastroenterologist?

No. my Doc is a Endocrinologist Specialist. Sharp lady!!

WELCOME JENAYA!




Boy do I know how you feel. It all sounds all too familiar. ESP The HAIR part. Bleah!!!

IMOP I think that girls with PCOs should always have their livers checked every so often to see how the liver is doing. I had no idea I had a damaged liver until I got liver tests done. My Endo Dr. now checks my counts every 6 months. I am on metformin and I think it has helped me in many ways...I dont know if it has helped my liver but I wouldn't count it out either. Mabe it's a combo of things. I'll ask her at my next appointment and let you know. Feel free to post often and visit often!! You have a great support system here...we all know what it feels like to have PCOS and know you aren't crazy or lazy.

Hi guys,

Thanks for the welcome. It is really nice to come to a place where people know what I am talking about. I was so frustrated after have the u/s technician freak out over my liver and then I had no place to go with my anxiety. I called the Dr. for an interpretation of the results but had no success. It was true that there really wasn't much concern. I switched doctors and have had great education provided. From my understanding, fatty liver is classified as a benign disorder and it typically does not have any negative impact. Many folks have it but have no idea because they haven't had a scan or any medical testing that would highlight it. However, in a minority of folks it can lead to stenosis which is a problem and can cause liver damage. We are really lucky to have "loving livers" that are so forgiving and will "heal thyself" given the right conditions. I wasn't sure if weight loss was enough to cure the problem and one Dr. told me that the problem related to hormores (yeah, and we all know about those, right?!?!). My plan is to get the weight off and hope for the best. I have seen a naturopathic dr and western drs. I tend to lean toward the western trained but I remain open-minded enough to listen to alternatives. Milk thistle, from my understanding, is a very mild non-toxic drug (yes, some call it herb but it still is medicinal so I refer to it as drug). The only time I had elevated enzymes was during my two pregnancies and I think it was at this time that I really started to store fat in the liver. Enzymes have been fine but I am not fine to know that I am storing fat in my liver because of my ample girth. If that is indeed the reason. I need my liver to focus on doing the other eight million jobs it needs to do without being plagued by fat. Glad to have found you and thanks for letting me ramble. I am not sure if I have the facts and certainly have not had the benefit of a endo specialist. You are fortunate to have such good people to work with and sounds like they care and want to help. Have any of your physicians or specialists advised that weight-loss will resolve the problem? I do not have much information and sure appreciate the knowledge that you all so kindly share!

Jenaya