PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
My main goal is to make more time for myself. I never have enough time to plan! When I plan, everything else falls into place. Better health, a more relaxed life, a more organized and cleaner house, etc.
I'm starting the thread this month. Noodles is still feeling under the weather! She has had a few setbacks after surgery and she's pooped and recuperating. She'll be back soon. Get better Noodles!!
Goals: Just keep trying what I'm doing, since people that are close to me tell me that I look different and my shape has changed. Try to keep my head on straight when everybody at work is losing their minds. And, try to keep my apartment cleaner than the mess it was: I spent the last week cleaning it up!
Got a question for all of you here...
I saw a regular endocrinologist in December. She did the typical bloodwork, including some specific tests for Cushings. She got the results back and talked to me briefly today: I can't *see* her to discuss things until MARCH. I really fail to understand why its so hard to get appointments around here, even once you're an established patient... But anyway...
She actually wasn't going to see me again, and send me back to my reproductive endocrinologist in Virginia. Which I'm not at all against, mind you, just a bit disappointed. The first appointment went really well, and I was encouraged that maybe we could do something. At least maybe figure out why I don't respond the way other women with PCOS respond when I'm on the medication, why my testosterone levels don't go down, and why I have such a horrible time losing any weight at all despite all the exercise and eating properly. And why I still don't have any menstrual cycle at all, ever. Nothing.
Anyway... the blood results were better according to her, but I've not seen the lab reports so I don't really know. The only thing she said was high was my tesosterone, still. So, she thinks maybe changing the birth control pill I'm on and upping the spironolactone dosage would be a good idea. She suggested Yasmin, which I refused after reading all the stories here... I have enough drug related issues to definitely not need anymore. So, then, she suggested demulen. I tried looking it up on-line, but I just get the standard information about birth control pills and contraceptives.
So... two things... one, should I just give up on this endocrinologist as well and tell that to my reproductive endocrinologist in Virginia... and two, what do any of you know about this other pill?
All I really, really want is to lose some weight... just some... as quickly as it was put on, especially since I didn't do it by eating junk! I'm not the guy on the CBS news tonight chowing down on a 1420 calorie burger with 107 grams of fat, with a side of fries and a regular soda! I go to Fuddruckers and eat an OSTRICH burger... and don't even eat all of it. I have the leftovers the next day!
I've given up regular Pepsi completely; the last real soda I had was the beginning of December when I was really sick (I drank part of a flat Sprite so I could feel better), and before that, September! I buy sugar-free ice cream. I exercise! What MORE am I supposed to do!? Other people lose weight so damn quickly, even when they have PCOS... 30 pounds in 4 or 5 months. I don't know what more I can do.
Hi Mouse, I'm sorry you're still not getting answers. There is a really interesting article you should read on the Maintainers Forum. Meg, the moderator, went to a seminar about research into obesity, genes, maintenance, etc. Basically, the research shows that the formerly obese person has to exercise more to maintain the weight than the person at the same weight that was never overweight. Ok, while you and I are not maintaining our goal yet, we are on our way - so this somewhat should still apply to us. I'm guessing there isn't a switch that says 'You're at goal, work harder' - so maybe you have hit into this point?
I took a look at Meg's article. It works, but the problem is that I DO eat less than I need. The nutrionist says I should eat no fewer than 2000 calories per day, because my body needs 3000 or a bit over. I exercise a minimum of 1 hour 4 days per week, frequently more (my average is 5-6 days per week, but there are weeks that I can't get there because of student commitments) time or more days. I swim. I've been really bad about lifting weights because I definitely prefer swimming, and because of a lack of time.
And I really, really don't eat. I'm not making it up or lying about it. I went to dinner tonight with friends. All day I had 1 whole slim fast shake (I drank parts of 2 different low-sugar ones), and a cheese danish (small one, 230 calories). For dinner I had a grilled salmon club sandwich with low-fat havarti cheese and a piece of bacon. I didn't eat the fries. I had iced tea (unsweetened) to drink... and during the day drank my usual diet Hansen's soda. I'm eating some tomato soup right now and some mashed potatoes because I had to take my pills and if I don't eat something more than the salmon sandwich I'll be really sick tomorrow.
But I'm doing EVERYTHING I'm supposed to do. In fact, I'm doing it a lot more now than I was even last Spring and definitely more than Fall 03 because I was still drinking regular soda and eating white rice and bread then. I don't do either of those now. I eat salad everyday, with fat- free dressing.
I lost more weight then than I have now... and I just started exercising in Fall 03. When I lost most of my weight, I had a cast on my foot and couldn't exercise!
Anyway... I talked to my reproductive endo today. Instead of changing both the contraceptive and the spironolactone dosage, we're doing the spiro dosage first (increase), and in a month or so, we're going to look at some bloodwork and see if its lowered the testosterone a little more. If so, then there won't be a need to change the birth control pills because those aren't the cause... if there isn't a change, we'll know its the birth control pills increasing my levels.
Obviously, in most cases, calories in and calories out is the truth. But since I already eat significantly less than I should, and exercise quite a bit... I'm not sure that completely holds true.
As for the doctor, my reproductive endocrinologist just sighed and said we'd keep trying. She's going to try and talk to the other endocrinologist and see if she can't convince her to stay on-board.
Just checking in so you all know I'm still alive!!
As most of you know, I had my ovaries out on December 10th. Well, things went bad from there and I suffered major complications, collapsed lungs, infection set in, intestines were damaged, etc. So I'm still trying to get over all of this crud, and for the most part I'm doing much better thank God!! I just have to get the intestines back to normal or else I'll have another surgery which I am trying to avoid like the plague. Right now they aren't back to normal but they're trying and hopefully by the end of Febuary this will all be behind me and I can get my life back to normal again. I am also now battling walk-in pnuemonia. Ugh... But at least I am HOME and not in the hospital. I swear...you go there to get better, but it seems like you come out worse off sometimes. I do better at home.
I hope everyone else is doing good, keeping warm, and enjoying life to your fullest. I'll tell you...after being sick it sure makes me realize the things in life that are important and the things that aren't. I can't wait to get back to normal so I can actually enjoy the things that are.
I'll be back soon!! I'll try to get on here and post more often now that I can sit here for a bit. You post too, and fill me in!! Let me know how things are going. Even if its just a quickie, it's still nice to hear from you.
PCOS Monthly Chat January 2005
I don't know what more I can do.
