Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Lindsey's Story

To start off, yes, I think it should be public as long as we don't share anything that would put us or anyone we mention's safety in jeopardy, which I know is a given, but is worth mentioning. I think the benefits of sharing our experiences could help more people than we imagine.

Suzy and Kristina's posts have brought up a major point that I think is worth mentioning. Our Heavenly Father's role in our struggle and the spiritual guidance and comfort we can use are left out of many PCOS discussion boards and need to be brought to light. I've heard that up to 10% of women in the world, struggle with PCOS. Pulling some quick stats off a google search (sorry girls, the <geek> in me is coming out here), there are about 3,291,805,000 women in the world. 33% of the world's population claims to be Christian (and for simplicity's sake I'm going to assume that there are probably equal amounts of men and women that claim Christianity). So, about 33%, or 1,086,295,650 of the women in the world are probably Christian. 10% of Christian women is 108,629,565.

So, up to 108 and a half MILLION Christian women have PCOS (end </geekiness>). This is a pretty big audience that needs to remember the critical advantage we have in our struggle. So thank you for reminding us of this Suz and Kristina. Let us all remember that we are not alone in our adversities and we are welcome to call on the Lord any moment we may need the smallest bit of help, comfort, encouragement or courage to be our best selves.


K, so my story starts back in high school too, but I didn't know what was going on at the time. My mom and I assumed I was just a hormonal teenage girl going through the struggles of puberty. Little did I know. After family scripture study and before breakfast chores, I would wolf down my oatmeal and then take a nap until the bus came (or Mom called us down for our homeschool schedule to start) or until the last possible second before I had to walk out the door for school. Constant tiredness was a struggle since I was about 13 and continues to this very day. I've learned now that going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 9am will still leave me a bit groggy, but at least I can function normally. Any less than 9 hours of sleep and I am in a daze or pining for a nap by 2pm. Thus, my early years in college really do seem like a blur and only the frozen wind of Rexburg could pull me out of said daze.

As you may or may not know, I was diagnosed with an eating disorder my junior year of high school. I later found out that this is not uncommon for girls with PCOS to develop because of the extra pounds that won't go away. Thankfully the anorexia is, as my mom put it, "a million dollar experience, you wouldn't pay 10 cents to have again." If you have any questions for me on that, feel free to ask but I'll continue with more PCOS-relevant stuff for now.

When I was about 14 or 15 started noticing side-burns that were darker than most girls and someone (out of good-intention) made a comment that I should look into nair for it or talk to my mom. As much as I wish I could forget it, those words scare me to this day. My hormones have cursed me with dark hair and there isn't much I can do about it. So ever since that day, I've shaved my face and chin. It took a lot of effort to keep it a secret and my now husband didn't know about it until we were almost engaged. Thankfully he helped me realize that I was beautiful no matter what and that it was not a deal-breaker (despite what I had thought for so many years).

Since middle school, I've always weighed more than 145. In my high school health class, my desk was very close to the teacher's desk and at one point during the term, he had everyone come up to his desk and get weighed. I unfortunately saw too many 110's, 120's and a few 130 or 135's from the girls and diagnosed myself completely overweight. That instance is partially what I believe led to the eating disorder. However, I look back at that and realize that I was several inches taller than most those girls, and was a bit more endowed in the upper area than most of them as well, which apparently is a good thing I didn't realize at that time :P

Since then I usually stayed under 155 until about a year ago. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Periods - One of the biggest signs a girl can be sure of, is her periods. And mine were not regular in the slightest. Since I got my first one at 12 and a half, they have never followed 'the norm.' When I'd read about 28-36 days, I'd think to myself that they were wrong because I felt fine and was only having a period every 2-4 months. As a 13 yr old, the last thing you want to do is talk to your mom or anyone for that matter, about getting you more tampons. So I counted it as a blessing and moved on with life always carrying tampons and pads in my purse since I never knew when it would come.

In 2010, I got engaged and married and started life as a newlywed. The summer prior, I had gone to the university clinic to see if anything could be done about becoming regular, and I was put on birth control to regulate my period and spironolactone for the extra hair growth (because it had taken me 7 years to muster the courage to mention it to anyone, including a doctor).

After getting married, I felt that I wasn't adjusting to my new life very well and was crying a lot, as in several times a week, over stupid things. My poor husband didn't realize what craziness he'd gotten himself into. We decided to stop using pill birth control to see if that was screwing with my emotions and start charting instead. I had found a book called Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and started using the methods. I was very impressed at what I could learn about myself and my reproductive system in such an easy to understand way. Oh, if only they'd given me this book back in 7th grade, the misunderstandings I could have avoided! Anyways, it's a pretty big book, but got the general idea and I started taking my temperature every morning. When your waking temperature jumps 6 or 7 tenths of a point then you have supposedly ovulated and adjust your amorous activities accordingly (whether TTC or for BC). After 2 months of temperature taking, I hadn't ovulated at all.

At work, I was talking to a friend about what was going on and how I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me and she mentioned that my symptoms sounded somewhat like hers and how she was waiting for proper insurance in order to be tested for PCOS. That evening, I went home and looked up PCOS in the book I mentioned earlier and sure enough, there was a couple paragraphs that summed up my adolescence. I found a local Nurse Practitioner named Esme Anderson, in Orem who specialized in Women's Health and even PCOS specifically and made an appointment at the beginning of January this year. I highly recommend her and her clinic and I don't know where I'd be today if it weren't for her.


Esme met with Michael and I and from the first phone call, we were fans. She is loving, kind, understanding, optimistic and blunt when she needs to be. And to top it off, who doesn't love a good Scottish Accent?! I honestly feel like she is one of my guardian angels.

She had me fill out a questionnaire and looked over it on the first visit. After we had talked details, I asked if she thought I had PCOS and her response was, "Without a doubt, Deary, without a doubt!" She ordered a bunch of blood tests and we met again a month later to go over the results.

In addition to being such a wonderful doctor (because I really don't think of her as just a nurse), she is willing to work around people's schedules and has evening appointments. So on a Tuesday evening in February around 7pm, Michael and I sat on the couch in her office and she went over exactly what every single test result meant, why it was important and what it meant in terms of my symptoms, and what I should do about it. I left 2 hours later that night with quite a few prescriptions, a new outlook on my diet and a complete understanding of my diagnosis plus how to get rid of it.

I was put on Metformin for insulin resistance, Spironolactone to keep the testosterone down, Progesterone because I didn't have enough of it, Birth Control pills, Thyroid Armour because my thyroid wasn't doing a good enough job and Vitamins D3 and B12 because those were lacking as well. I also decided to take a Prenatal multivitamin for good measure because I had recently read that women who take prenatal vitamins at least a year in advance of getting pregnant, could significantly reduce their chance of preeclampsia.

Esme made it clear that night and appointments following that it was not an overnight cure. This would take a lot of effort on my part and quite a bit of patience in the months and possibly even years to come.


At that first appointment, I was 183 lbs and by june, I had lost 25 lbs.

So, here I am now, almost exactly a year later and although I am not 100 percent better, at our most recent appointment just before Christmas, Esme looked over my second set of blood work test results and said that whenever we were ready, I could go off my birth control and we could start TTC. It was not the diagnosis I was expecting to hear, but it made us very happy.

I had bunion surgery on my left foot right after Thanksgiving and you must be on birth control while taking several of the pain medications, so when I get my right foot done and am all healed up from that, hopefully we will be at a point where we can see what my body is doing on its own and see if we can start our family.

In the meantime, I need to keep my insulin resistance under control (which should be a lot easier after the holidays and our upcoming cruise ;) and I plan to do that with the help of a book Esme recommended and Michael got me for Christmas. It's called The Insulin-Resistance Diet and has a lot of great recipes and tips. Yay for healthy eating!!!  

Well, that's all for now friends, but I'll post more when I know more. Thanks Kristina and Suz for the tips and if you're interested, I also started a pin board on Pinterest to help inspire me to get rid of PCOS for good.



Friday, November 11, 2011

Sideswiping the Crave

Given that one major side effect of PCOS is insulin resistance (which I definitely have), my body constantly craves sugar, even though my blood is jam-packed with it.  To stifle the crave, and to help keep up metabolism, it's important to eat small meals/snacks throughout the day.  In one book I read, they suggested 3 small meals and 3 snacks a day.  I like eating, so I have no problem doing it often.  However, it usually takes some premeditation to prepare snacks and meals.  When I haven't taken time to prepare, I usually head to the cupboard and grab some cereal (which of course is a bad decision because cereal is loaded with sugar - and carbs, obviously).  So, here are some handy snacks to have around that I've found helpful:


Carrots - I love to crunch on crispy carrots, and their natural sweetness helps to satisfy part of the crave for sugar.  Another great "sweet" veggie are sugar snap peas.

Cottage Cheese - Ryan thinks I'm weird because I use cottage cheese like salt or pepper, but I love it.  I buy fat free, but if you want a little more flavor, there's nothing wrong with 1% or 2%.  I'm happy just eating it plain, but often put it on a green salad or eat it with my carrots or peas.  If I want something 'sweet', I put a little cinnamon and maybe some blueberries or a few almonds in it.  Protein is always helpful to combine in a snack.  Julia's a huge fan of greek yogurt, which another good option (as long as it's low fat and nearly sugarless) if you're not big on cottage cheese. 

Speaking of protein - meat, nuts and beans are always a great go-to for a snack if you're insulin resistant.  If you're having a hard time doing no sugar cold turkey, try coming your sugar-loaded snack with some protein.  Kristina said she would keep beef jerky as a snack for that very reason.  I'm a big fan of nuts, which are more fatty so you can't go crazy with them, but I find them convenient and tasty to snack on.

Apples and Bananas - I'm a huge fan of apples, and try my best to keep the dentist away by eating them as often as possible.  However, a better substitute for me is a banana, because of the potassium.  Paired with some natural peanut butter, I find it becomes pretty filling.


One of the most helpful things I learned was to incorporate more fiber into my diet, and drink lots of water with all my snacks.  Fiber lowers the need for insulin and releases energy into the body slowly.  If I had a "miracle" food, it would be beans.  They have wicked amounts of fiber and of course protein.  It's been fun for me to incorporate more beans into my meals and snacks.  Occasionally I'll make a hefty pot of taco soup to have as a sort of snack to alternative to something sweet.  I like to blend up garbanzo beans and make hummus, too, and eat it with some whole wheat crackers or veggies.


Truth be told, I'm anxious for more ideas on good snacks to keep around and more ideas for healthful, sugarless foods.  Please share!!!

Monday, November 7, 2011

How She Does It

Thanks for the heads up about the chiral balance, Kristina!  I'm super excited to try it out!  Also, I have a good friend who's had to quit sugar multiple times for her own health.  Here are a few of her suggestions:


* Get rid of all the sugar in your house (apartment). It's easier to avoid temptation when it's not available.

* Sugar is an all or nothing deal. If you keep a little bit in your system, you will continue to want it. Take a few days to wean yourself off and then avoid it like you would a disease.

* Just say "No". The more you say no to eating sugar the easier it will become.

* Find a friend who will do this with you. Preferably someone much more disciplined than yourself.

* Pay attention to foods that contain added sugars such as tomato sauce, bbq sauce, teriyaki sauce, bread, cereal, muffins, etc.. ALWAYS check the nutrition label. ALWAYS.

*Put up signs in your room, sticky notes on the fridge, a reminder in your phone...the greater your resolve is to not eat sugar, the greater your chances are of kicking the habit.

*From all my research (and my own experience) it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to get your body completely sugar free. Take it one day at a time and rejoice in each small victory (you turned down Coldstone or you refused those homemade cookies).

*On average, when you are eating sugar, it should be no more than 15 grams a day. This will feel like a lot when you've been off sugar for several weeks. If you choose to include sugar back into your diet, be sure to take it slow. Try not eating it until after dinner. If you consume it in the morning, the greater your chances are of eating it more throughout the day. If you restrict yourself to something small after dinner, you have all day to look forward to it and are less likely to indulge.

*This is not easy. You aren't doing it because it's easy, you're doing it because you want to look better and feel awesome. Tell yourself this often.

I recommend:


"Cinch!" by Cynthia Sass - great book for helping you understand how cravings work and why sugar shouldn't be a daily thing

"I quit sugar" by Sarah Wilson - really helpful two month plan to get excessive sugar out of your diet

Don't be like everyone else! Do something different! Do something crazy! Quit sugar!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Journey

So I am very excited about this blog!! PCOS was something I had never heard of until my husband and I were struggling with infertility. After confirming the diagnosis with ultrasound and bloodwork I did some studying and found all kinds of information. I had several "AH HA" moments as I did my research. I could suddenly explain a few of my symptoms that I had just lived with - (weight gain, hair loss, facial hair, food cravings). I have always had regular periods and cycles so I never thought the symptoms could be connected.
Now that I knew what I was dealing with it made it easier to take action. I am a "go get it done" kind of person so I created a plan. I changed my eating habits and worked out more often. Yet it was frustrating that I still struggled to lose weight. I would lose some and then gain it back without me changing my weight loss routine. I tried Metformin three separate times for several months and it made me horribly sick. My doctors kept telling me there wasn't much else they could do. Soooo..... I knew that PCOS causes some insulin resistance in most women affected, which can greatly decrease the efficiency of your body's ability to burn calories since your insulin is always spiking but your body isn't utilizing it well. I did some more research, and found a great article on PCOS and using a supplement called d-chiro-inositol. It basically helps your body regulate your hormone excess (testosterone and insulin) and allows the normal process of burning sugar and not storing it to occur. Here is the article link.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199904293401703#t=article

I started using d-chiro-inositol in conjunction with diet and exercise. The first 4 months I was using it I lost 30 pounds!! I had more energy and didn't crave sweets and carbs nearly as bad, also my hair stopped falling out. I was ecstatic!! You can find d-chiro-inositol naturally in things like buckwheat, carob, legumes, and soy lecithin. I found recipes for hummus and buckwheat cereal/muffins online that I tried but I liked chiral balance supplements the best.
During this process I was also diagnosed with a pituitary tumor that was also messing with my hormones. But after losing 30 pounds and taking a presciption medication to treat the tumor we got pregnant!! Our beautiful daughter is now 6 months old, and I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for trusting us as parents, and allowing us to care for such a sweet baby!
Now I am struggling to lose the baby weight and find a good exercise routine that fits into my work and Mom schedule. I look forward to learning more from others with PCOS. I believe that trials only make us stronger and we are supposed to WORK through the trial. I consider PCOS one of my trials, it allows me to work harder than most to lose weight. It motivates me to find the path that will lead me to healthier body, and not be discouraged by the process. I don't use PCOS as an excuse to give up or rationalize away the weight. It just takes work and determination. Some days are better than others, but it sure helps to talk to others who are struggling with the process. Let's get busy together!!

Kristina

Together

So, Julia and I have known about PCOS since high school.  But, for me, it only gave an explanation for why my periods were irregular.  In the past few years, however, I started noticing less hair on my scalp, more hair on my face, stronger and incessant cravings for sugar, and difficulty losing weight.  I was perusing the library one day and noticed this book: "A Patient's Guide to PCOS: Understanding--and Reversing--Polycystic Ovary Syndrome"  I found it incredibly helpful and hopeful.  I started focusing on substituting protein and vegetables when I normally would've craved enriched carbs (bread, rice, pasta), and started birth control to regulate my hormones.  I've always loved to be active, but it gave me extra motivation to exercise regularly.  The kicker, though, is sugar.  The biggest "ah ha!" moment for me was realizing that I crave sugar.  I've never been a big fan of candy, but I've always, always loved bread.  One chapter from the book mentions dieting 'smart'.  Some foods may be perfectly tolerable for one woman with PCOS and a sure-fail for another.  The example was this: One woman with PCOS may be able to take a bite out of a dinner roll and be satisfied, while another woman takes a bite out of the dinner roll and cannot satiate her craving until the whole bread basket is empty.   The latter is definitely me.  While that's an extreme example, it's true that I crave breads.  If I could, I would live off of carbs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  But the truth is, I can't.  Carbs are my sugar.  They're just a food I need to avoid.

So, I think it's true that we all now have the knowledge we need to combat PCOS.  But, the follow-through and motivation to keep doing the things we need to (exercise, keep a focused diet, drink lots of water), and avoid the things we need to avoid (sugar!) is the struggle.  Thus, the purpose of this blog.  I've briefly shared my story and my major weakness.  Please share yours, the things you've found helpful, the things you definitely have not found helpful, and how to live your life sugar-less.  That, for Julia and I, is the goal.

I'm so grateful to have others who know what I'm going through.  It's hard to feel in control of your womanhood with PCOS, but I do know it's possible.  As in all trials in life, it's truly impossible for us to overcome alone.  That's why we wanted to start this blog.  But I also know that if we truly want to succeed overcoming our mortal weaknesses, we must involve the Lord.  It's easy for me to think that my weaknesses are "mine".  Or in other words, that the embarassment I feel about my body is my own fault, and that I need to own up to the consequences.  But then I realize that we're all given weaknesses, and that I didn't bring this upon myself:


I truly believe that PCOS is another way for me to come closer to my Father in Heaven, to humble myself and remember that I need Him and the Atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ:


I'm praying for myself and each of you to ask for help in making our health a priority - it's a lot more work than most people have to do, I'd wager.

Let's be in this together!