Seeking A Diagnosis

This might get long...I might break it up into two posts...

It's been almost two months since my last post. Since then not much has really been accomplished.

The specialist I was seeing at the time has greatly annoyed me, and I doubt I will be seeing him ever again.

The first time I saw him he seemed honestly concerned and I really liked that about him. He ordered a fresh ultrasound and I went for that right away.

A week later I went back to discuss the results of the ultrasound. There was a 8-9 cm cyst on my right ovary. Oddly most of my pain had been on the left side. We therefore agree that the pain is most likely not a result of the cyst. He prescribes me a low estrogen hormone birth control pill. Lolo, to hopefully help shrink the cyst and make my menstruation cycles more manageable. However, he decides we should monitor the cyst for two months to see what it does and go from there.

Say what? Again I say...we agree the pain is most likely not from the cyst. So why is it we decided to do nothing at all and just monitor the cyst and pretty much halt all other tests until then? I wasn't very happy about that, but I was in pain, pretty high on pain killers, and I agreed and left the office.

I went back a week later and begged for something more. The pain wasn't getting any better, in fact it was worse. The Naproxen wasn't doing anything at all and I couldn't function at work on Tylenol 3s and Percocets. He decides I should now take Toradol and take it 3 times a day whether I am in pain or not to keep it in my system. He then sends me for a CA 125 blood test. As I am leaving he tells me if the pain is still bad or anything else comes up I can call him and come back any time.

A few days later I am still in agony and things are worse. I am pretty sure I am having a bad reaction to the Toradol. I call his office to speak to him and find out my CA 125 came back and it was clear. Well this is fabulous news at least! Then I go on to say I am still in pain and that things are worse. He tells me that there is nothing else he can do for me until the second ultrasound is done. I am floored. This is very different from how I expected him to respond. I tell him I am having issues with breathing and cheat pains, most likely from the pain killers HE PRESCRIBE ME and he then tells me it's not his issue and I should call my family doctor. I am flabbergasted. I call my family doctor and she tells me to come in.

The family doctor immediately takes me off the Toradol (thank goodness) and gives me a prescription for Tylenol 3. I ask about any kind of middle pain killer that works but still allows me to function at work, but she can't think of any. We agree that specialist #1 as I now refer to him as is not a good fit for me and she personally refers me to her specialist of choice, a woman who works in the same building. I am relieved. I prefer a female anyhow.

The next day I get a call from specialist #2. She can see me the middle of May.

MAY??? That's almost 3 months away at this point! Are you kidding me? I politely ask to be placed on a cancellation list, hang up, and ball my eyes out.

The next day I am talking to a client of mine and she tells me about her specialist and how much she loves her. She speaks to her on my behalf and the specialist gives my client the name of a walk in clinic who has a doctor on staff that will refer me directly to her. I can't believe my good luck. I visit the walk in clinic the next day and just as easy as that he gives me the referral. I fax it to the specialist and she calls me the next day to book an appointment with her the very next week! Hold crap I cannot believe my luck!

The day of my appointment I am nervous and trying not to get my hopes up. The wait is long. I am sitting in the waiting room more than an hour past my scheduled appointment time. I am disappointed. Specialist #3 finally comes into the room and immediately apologizes for the delay but says she wanted to make sure she read my entire file history before she talked with me, and it was a large file. I am too shocked to say anything. I can't believe she took the time to be honest. Specialist #1 was actually reading every report for the first time as he sat in front of me, and was obviously very disorganized. She immediately takes me off some more medications she doesn't feel I need, and might actually be doing more damage then good (metformin) but also wants me to stop taking the harder pain killers and swap to stacking over the counter Advil and Tylenol. We talk about the possibilities of endometriosis and the treatment for this (more on this in my next post). She immediately tells me she is going to schedule me for a pelvic MRI (FINALLY!!!) and review my new ultrasound reports when they come in (I had just had the new updated one done that morning for Specialist #1). I will be going back next week to review the results of the ultrasound to see if (a) the cyst shrank and (b) if anything new is presenting itself. She also wants me to have a PAP because I have been so worried about abnormal pain etc. for so long that I haven't taken care of the "normal" procedures for quite some time.

Hopefully I will have some more news after next week's appointment. I also have another related post about the whole endometriosis and treatment subject.

So far, so (mostly) fabulous with specialist #3!

Health Regression

The past few months have been Hell...

I am the heaviest I have ever been, I am not sleeping, I am in constant pain and discomfort, I am basically being held in a wait and see pattern while the doctors keep me as numb as I can possibly be and still function at work at the same time...

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired...

Let's back up and start with a bit of history:

Ever since I was very young I always had very long, heavy and painful menstrual cycles. I didn't realize for a very long time that this was normal. Often I would stay home from school or work for 1-2 days when the really bad days hit me. I was prescribed birth control pills to help control my cycles.

I moved out on my own when I was 16 and started smoking. I quit taking the pill because I was advised not to continue taking them if I smoked.

I had my son with my first husband when I was 21. My cycles became even worse, so I went on Depo Provera (birth control injection shots) as I couldn't go back on the birth control pill because I was still smoking at that time.

During my second marriage we decided to try and have a child together. I went off the injections and nothing happened (no menstrual cycle). I was prescribed hormone pills to help re-start everything. They made me miserable, and I made everyone else around me miserable as well. After a few more months my cycles returned, but I was never able to have any more children. I began to discover then that my menstrual cycle troubles were a sign that things were not really all that well in the hormone and fertility department. The second marriage ended shortly after.

In 2010 my menstrual cycles were out of control. I was missing multiple days of work almost every month due to the extreme amounts of pain and bleeding. After multiple doctor visits and hospital emergencies a cyst was found that was causing the pain due to a twisted stalk. A laparoscopy was performed and the cyst was removed. It took me almost 2 weeks to recover from that surgery. I thought that was the end of that.

Less than six months later the pain returned and this time multiple cysts and fibroids were discovered and I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). One of the fibroids was quite large and I agreed to have a myomectomy performed to remove the large fibroid and anything else they could during the surgery. Over eight pounds of cysts and fibroids were removed from that particular surgery. It took two months to recover from that surgery. I was hoping that would finally be the end.

My common law husband and I changed out diet and eating habits and researched what we could find out about PCOS. Things seemed pretty good for a while, although eventually the cycles went back to their normal (for me) horrid self.

Starting in September of 2014 I could take it any more. The pain was horrible again, I was missing too much work again, and I was at the end of my rope. I was given ultrasounds, pain killers, iron supplements, medication to slow down the bleeding, everything. But everything was all wait and see. I requested a specialist but was told I didn't need one.

Finally, in December, after going to the hospital on three separate occasions, the hospital emergency doctor referred me to a specialist that works out of the hospital.

I really like my specialist. The first ultrasound we did showed a large, almost 9 cm cyst in my right ovary. As most cysts tend to resolve themselves in 1-2 months, he decided to wait 2 months and get new images done and decide at that point what steps to take next. I am still on a wait and see regiment, but at least I feel like there is some information and some movement. My specialist also requested a CA 125 blood test (which was not covered by OHIP) so I am just waiting for those results back right now as well. I have been prescribed low dosage birth control (Lolo) to help prevent new cysts from forming as well as to (hopefully) regulate my cycle. I take Metformin to help control blood sugar levels and weight gain, and I now also have to take Toradol three scheduled times a day to keep the pain at bay.

I have little to no motivation. I am not really doing any courses lately, I am trying to stay on task at my full time job, trying to build a business of my own on the side, and mostly just chilling out in my comfy home office chair with a hot water bottle, some Netflix and some knitting.

Fun right?

Well that ran a little longer then intended....

Basically my thought was to revive this blog to help track all my symptoms, tests, results, etc. for medical purposes and also to provide the information for anyone else out there is having similar issues so you know you are not alone and maybe we can share what is/is not working for you/me.

I started tracking my symptoms on January 10th, 2015 as follows:

Saturday, January 10th, 2015

• lower back pain
• lower left pelvic pain
• nausea
• no appetite, full easily
• headache
• having to urinate frequently, but not a lot each time
• constipated
• Extra medications today: Naproxen for afternoon pain, Docusate for constipation, Gravol for nausea, Percocet for increased evening pain and to sleep.

Sunday, January 11th, 2015

• little to no sleep the previous night
• diarrhea
• upper and lower gas
• pelvic pain
• lack of appetite
• no energy
• passed out in the middle of the day for about 4 hours
• Extra medications today: Tylenol 3 for pain (barely numbed it)

Monday, January 12th, 2015

• lower left pelvic pain
• nausea
• extreme bloating and pressure
• Extra medications today: n/a

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015

• little to no sleep the previous night
• having to urinate frequently, but not a lot each time
• heartburn
• weak and shaky
• right leg glitches
• extreme bloating and pressure
• upper and lower gas
• dizzy
• heaviness of chest
• short walk to the bank almost made me pass out
• Extra medications today: n/a

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

• little to no sleep the previous night
• had to get up to urinate in the middle of the night
• bad tasting and burning upper gas
• bad smelling and burning lower gas
• constant tummy rumbling
• sharp pains in the lower left pelvic area
• extreme nausea
• lower back pain
• Extra medications today: n/a

Thursday, January 15th, 2015

• little to no sleep the previous night
• running on empty
• extreme nausea
• extreme heartburn
• lower back pain
• stomach pain (above the belly button)
• lower right pelvic pain
• Extra medications today: Gravol for nausea and sleep

Friday, January 16th, 2015 (as at 1:00 pm EST)

• almost no sleep previous night, maybe 2 hours
• exhausted
• nausea
• heartburn

30 Day Paleo Transformation

So today is the day I have been waiting for.

I have felt myself getting sicker and sicker, letting the PCOS take over my body, eating crap and treating it poorly  and not eve really caring.

Part of it was due to a very busy tax season this year. I was giver more work than I am typically given (which I loved by the way) and therefore had to work longer hours most days, which also led to me driving to and from work everyday.

I survived primarily on coffee, fast food and munchies.

It wasn't good...

By the end of April I was begging for a change. I felt horrible, I had no energy, and all the previous weight loss I had achieved was now gone...

My husband and I agree it was time for a reset, a 30 day transformation process, similar to the one Robb Wolf created, where we clean out the body and start from scratch again. We had done this before and it has worked very well.

The first week is the killer...

Sunday we woke up, bought our last cups of coffee (at least for 30 days) weighed ourselves, took some measurements, and made a food plan and shopping list.

I knew my biggest challenges were going to be breakfasts and lunches. I can get pretty lazy and not want to make anything the night before or morning of, so I specifically looked for things I could make in advance and just take with me.

After our shopping trip I set about preparing as much for the week ahead of time as I could.

Strawberries and Blueberries

Egg Muffins

Breakfast, Day 1

My sister (who lives in my basement currently) was a huge help. I also prepared some tuna salad for lunch which my sister chopped up some cucumber and bell peppers for snacking.

Lunch, Day 1

So let's do this thing! Let's eat healthy! Let's feel healthy! Let's BE healthy!

It's Been A While...

I'm not going to make a huge blog post today, but I wanted to at least address my whereabouts for the last little while since kind readers have been emailing me to see if everything is OK.
It wasn't...but it's better now.

I fell into a huge slump. I was feeling very ill, all the time again. I was at a loss what to do. I couldn't go to the gym because I felt so ill. I fell behind on diet as well because to be honest, I just didn't have the energy to care and put any effort into making healthy meals so we often purchased takeout or frozen foods that were easy to just warm up. I haven't weighed myself in months, but it can't be good.

Eventually the pain got so bad that I couldn't handle it any more. So I went back to the doctor. She sent me for a follow up ultrasound. It showed that the larger fibroid had grown. In 6 months. Not good. The doctor was slightly baffled because apparently fibroids usually don't cause pain unless they are in a bad spot. After talking between the doctor and the specialist that was finally appointed to me (the same one who did my previous surgery) we decided that it would be best to have the fibroid removed.

I went in for an abdominal myomectomy on November 15th. I had to live with the pain (prescribed heavy painkillers to help dull it) until that date. I missed a lot of work because of the pain. I hate missing work, so this made me miserable. To top it off I now have to take 6 week off to recover from the surgery before I can go back to work. The good news is they removed the large fibroid, plus 3 others, together with a cyst they found on my ovary. No wonder I was in agony. Man, I hope this worked.

Today marks the first day of my 3rd week of recovery. I am almost bored out of my skull. Luckily I have lots of books to read, homework to do, and crochet projects to finish. And of course my video game.

Hmmm...this post came out a little longer than I intended. Oh well...that's where I am at right now. I go back to work in January and I really hope I can slowly start back to the gym and change my eating habits so I never have to go through this again.

To end on a somewhat higher note, I wanted to share some pictures of the crochet squares I have been working on for the Bernat's Mystery Afghan Crochet Along project. Alas, the uploader doesn't work so well...so if you have Ravelry look up gwenythlove or if you are a Facebook friend I have an album there. I'll share one pic because that is all I can get to work right now. Enjoy!

Summer15 Update

What a great weekend I had! For once (in a long time) I felt like I was productive! I didn't accomplish everything I wanted, but I did accomplish more than I usually have lately.

First off, I'm down another 0.7 pounds! How is that for awesome?

That's right...that's me! 10 pounds lost from January 1st, 0.7 pounds lost from last week, and 4.6 pounds lost since the start of Summer15. Pretty sweet. I'm not sure if I'll make the 15 pound goal for Summer15, but I am super happy with what I have accomplished to date.

I am still struggling with the diet aspect quite a bit. There are so many things I am not supposed to eat, and I am having a really hard time sticking to it. But I do feel like I have tried to wean out as much as possible, when possible. I have picked up some books to hopefully help out with these issues, including The PCOS Diet Cookbook. I am eating the tomato and onion salad right now while I am typing this up!

I started a new course at school. I am forcing myself to stay focused and remain on schedule. I highlighted each portion a different colour and wrote the date beside it that it should be finished. The course "technically" starts September 1st. I managed to complete the whole first lesson this weekend. Lesson one didn't have to be done until September 14th so I am already about 23 days ahead of schedule. Booyeah!

I thank the carnelian bracelet. Michael and I stopped in at the Fifth Wheel in Bowmanville for breakfast on the way to pick of my son from his grandmother's trailer. I ran into the variety shop there to pick up a Birthday card for my mother. I saw these little gem bracelets and immediately became intrigued by the carnelian one because it said it helped with creativity, concentration, energy and motivation. Yup! Sounds like things I could use!

I know it most likely isn't really the bracelet, but every time I look at it I am reminded to do what I must do...so maybe it does work!

Summer15 Update

I am sooooo close to being the lightest I have been in a long time. I am .2 pounds off my previous lightest weight of 158.5. I know I can do this!

So this puts me 9.3 pounds since January 1st, 3.9 pounds down since the start of Summer15 and 0.9 pounds down form last week. Rocking!

Some of the food choice changes I have been making are obviously working very well, as much as I grumble about them. I haven't done much exercise, and I have made some poor food choices this week, but overall I think I did really really good, and I guess it shows!

I have really started enjoying preparing some healthier meals ahead of time for work. My favourites are the breakfast grains from The Biggest Loser Simple Swaps: 100 Easy Changes to Start Living a Healthier Lifestyle and the Tabbouleh from The Low GI Handbook: The New Glucose Revolution Guide to the Long-Term Health Benefits of Low GI Eating (New Glucose Revolutions).

After having a week off from exercise due to illness I went super hardcore when I went back to the gym Tuesday (after having a long holiday weekend). I went a little too hard...not only did I raise my heart rate over the point where the treadmill could read it (it screamed at me 199%+) but I also damaged my knee. I should have known better. I really wrecked it back when I was 16 and doing parades with my Drum Corps. I was told since I refused surgery that it would always be sensitive and I would have to take care of it. And here I go jogging out super hard on a treadmill with about 50-60 extra pounds on me from when I originally hurt it (I was maybe a good 90 pounds soaking wet back when I was that age).

So yeah...duh...and hence the no further workouts for that week. I was in agony just walking up some stairs to get to work. Ugh.

I also sucked out at my goals. I had only 3 goals this weekend, and I didn't complete even one. But on the other side I did spend quite a few hours shopping with the other half to help him put together some nice new ensembles for work (more updates on that soon, just waiting for the official news). I'm telling you, men complain about shopping with women...but shopping with a picky man is no picnic either!

I also had a nice conversation with the other half about my education and am pleased he agreed to let me go back to taking two courses at once since I really only raid once a night now. There were of course some specifications:

1) No more costly extensions.

2) Course must be staggered so as not to have their finals close to one another.

3) Only one of the course may have both a final and a midtem, the complimentary course must be all assignments or assignments with a final only (so as to avoid overlapping of exams).

I am quite happy with this. I will be signing up for my next course (Computers and Management Information Systems) on Wednesday. It is an assignment only course. I can't wait! This will give me some brain breaks from the hideous Taxation course (which has to be completed my November - ugh).

Summer15 Week Six

Well that sort of worked out better. Odd considering the week I have had, but I'll take it as it comes.

Last week if you remember I posted I weighed in at 162.4. I am down 2.8 pounds!

I didn't go to the gym at all this week! This is so weird. I always seem to lose weight when I DON'T go to the gym? Is it just a coincidence?

My food choices were not always the greatest either. My son was out of town for the week and this left me the option of eating crappy dinners (which I did most nights). But I was really really good with my lunches, following the food list as best as possible. So maybe that is what helped.

Hopefully this week I can add in better dinners too. The other half wants to start improving his diet as well, so hopefully with us both feeling the urge to be better we can encourage one another.

I have started reading The Low GI Handbook: The New Glucose Revolution Guide to the Long-Term Health Benefits of Low GI Eating (New Glucose Revolutions) and it has some really great low GI recipes included, together with full weekly diet plans. This week alone I have already tried 2 of the recipes. I especially enjoyed the tabbouleh (pics to follow soon).

I am still interested to learn what everyone else does to stay on track with eating and avoid all the yummy temptations out there. So don't be shy! Leave a comment and let me know, because I am still having way too many weak craving moments.

Food Issues

I haven't blogged for a while. No duh right? I've been having issues. I have been frustrated by my weight gain (even with the addition of all the time I have been spending at the gym) and I have had some low feeling days where I barely wanted to get out of bed (both health and depression wise).

But I think I have finally realized what my main problem is. It has taken me a while to figure it out, but now I know.

I went to see my Naturopath who specializes in PCOS on Friday. She provided me with some supplements to help me out. First off she prescribed me something called Healthy Hormones (which hopefully will not give me the same nasty side effects the one from my Doctor gave me) and a Glucose Regulation supplement. She also created a food list for me outlining the things I should, and should not eat. There is a whole lot of should nots, let me tell you! I am really upset about a lot of the foods on the should not list, but I understand the reasoning behind them. I just don't know how I'm going to survive not eating the foods I am used to.

For example:

bananas
mangoes
wheat
balsamic vinegar
potatoes (of any kind)
rice (of any kind)
oats
caffeine
pork
scallops
fruit juices
butter (or any dairy really)
pumpkin seeds
etc...

I mean seriously? That was pretty much my diet right there! What the heck am I going to do for breakfast? I love my hot oatmeal! Man I feel like crying!

So that of course is issue number one. Obviously I have been eating all the wrong foods for my disorder. The second issue is that I can't seem to make myself NOT eat the not list even knowing now that I am not supposed to eat it! I seriously argue with myself at every meal time about what I want to eat, what I'm supposed to eat, and what I'm actually going to eat. And I am failing miserably here!

I have still had my oatmeal every day since the appointment. I can't seem to break myself of that habit. I don't know what to do. At dinner I have the best of intentions and then on the way home I tell myself "screw it" and I grab chili from Tim Horton's or something. I feel like a great big failure.

Oh and here is how the weight loss issue has been going:

Week 1: 159.9
Week 2: 162.0
Week 3: 160.8
Week 4: 161.8
Week 5: 162.4

I wouldn't feel so bad if at least my body fat percentage was going down...but it's not...it just stays at 30.5% mocking me. I am so close to just being done. Resigning myself to the fact that I have PCOS and eating what I want, when I want and coming to grips with the fact I will get larger.

But then I remember the pain that I had both before and after the surgery to remove one of the cysts. It was excruciating. I don't want to go through that again, not if I know I can do something to stop it from happening, and I can. I just have to stop being so damn lazy.

So my question is what do you do to help yourself stay on track with food? I have heard not to treat it as a diet, but as new eating for life...but honestly that makes me feel worse. I have started journaling because I was told that would help, and I can see how in a way because I feel very guilty every time I have to write something down I know shouldn't be in there. I bought this wonderful diet and fitness journal that is just perfect for what I need. I found it at Chapters.

I also heard some people take pictures of every meal and post them to their blog because it makes them more accountable to the people who read their blog. That might work...if I remembered to take a picture of everything I ate. Oh well, here's lunch:

Half a tuna sandwich on brown with a sweet orange pepper, 8 cocktail tomatoes, 6 green beans and Gardennay Asparagus soup (but I didn't eat the soup because it was nasty). The only thin in this picture on my NOT list would be the bread, so not too terrible.

Please share with me your techniques for staying on track with food. I am very interested in hearing them because if I can't find something that works soon I fear I might cave in...and that's not a good thing...

Summer15 Week One

There we go, right out in the open to start with. That was my weight this morning before I got dressed to go to the  gym. That's a loss of 2.7 pounds from last week. Colour me impressed!

It's been a great week. My doctor recommended reading The G.I. Diet to help with controlling my nutrition and eating habits to match my diagnosis of PCOS. I am really enjoying it. It's really not that complicated. I have been pretty good with it (minus the McDonald's melt down last night). I have pre-packed my lunch every night, usually with chicken leftovers and carefully counted out servings of things like carrots and nuts that are good for snacks, but only in smaller amounts.

My boyfriend decided it would be great fun to wake us up early Saturday and Sunday to take the dogs for a nice walk around the block and a run in the park. I thought weekends were for sleeping in? I guess he missed the memo...

I also got extremely lucky when a local women's club (like four doors away from my office) came around and offered free, no strings attached, 3 month memberships to try their club. It was like a glowing sign from weight-loss Heaven and I off course jumped on that offer quick.

Friday was my fit test, and the results were...well...not too fit at all...lol...but that was expected.

Yesterday I spent some time doing cardio, 22 minutes on the elliptical followed by 10 minutes on the treadmill (doing 2 walk / 1 run - hoping for another crack at a 5K one day soon).

Today I met with a trainer for one of two sessions to set me up with a program. Today was upper. Can I just say I hurt now? Oh...and I could use a nap please...

The good thing is at least I now know WHAT to do when I go to the gym. That's the one thing I have always hated about gyms...sure you can ride the cardio machines until you are red in the face (literally) but that's not enough to lose all the weight. There has to be at least SOME weight training....and until now I had no clue where to begin.

Tomorrow I will do cardio again. I was supposed to go for lower training Friday, but thanks to the G20 circus we have been given the day off so we won't have to tackle protesters and tear gas. I hope to be able to keep up this momentum at home...and get back on the ball (or treadmill) Monday.

Summer15 Starts Today!

It's been a while again since I posted. There are some really traumatizing, I mean exciting reasons for that, but I will share them in a future post. Since the words pain, hospital, vomit, surgery and stitches are all included, I feel it deserves a post all on its own!

But this post is strictly for the Summer15. What is the Summer15 you ask? Basically it's a contest for Bloggers to try and lose 15 pounds over the summer. It goes from Tuesday June 15th (today) until Tuesday September 7th. I really hope this helps motivate me to get with the program now that I'm pretty much all healed (minus a few stitches).

So start off this contest with a bang, I have to post my starting weight today.

162.6...it's a bit more than I would like, given the weight I had lost previously...but due to circumstances (involving the traumatic words posted above) I can certainly understand how it happened. Being stuck on bed rest for almost a week certainly didn't help. Neither did my lack of wanting to do pretty much anything which led to me eating way too much takeout and went back to drinking coffee.  These past two days of trying to return to my healthier ways are killing me! (Can anyone say caffeine and sugar withdrawal???)

So yeah, that's what's going on with me right now. Look for more exciting news again soon! I hope I'm well enough soon to get back into some hardcore exercise programs because I really really want to achieve this 15 pound weight loss...not for the contest...but just for me.

M.I.A.

First of all, I want to thank all of you wonderful readers who have emailed me over the past week or so wondering if everything is OK with me. It means a lot to me that people are reading enough to realize when you have been gone to long and are genuinely curious as to why.

Since my last post I have gained exactly 5 pounds back. The very same 5 pounds I was so proud to have lost as it put me at the 10 pounds lost marker.

But I'm OK with it.  Why?

1) I have been eating like crap! (When I felt like eating at all that is.)

2) I have not been exercising AT ALL!

Why you ask again?

Because I have been sick.

I have been VERY sick.

I have been going through medical tests and doctor's appointments like crazy to find out why I am sick (and am in constant agony).

I was so stressed out, not just with the pain, but also because I was having trouble working, walking up and down stairs, sleeping, and doing just about anything really. I was so freaked out trying to figure out what it could be.

Luckily we pretty much have the answer now, also luckily it seems like something that should be easy to take care of without extensive surgeries and medications.

I have a few more tests that need to be run before the doctor can refer me to the specialist, and then they will be the ones to decide how to proceed.

Here is what we do know so far: (WARNING - This is very personal and involves women's cycles, etc and might be too much information for some people. Continue reading at your own risk!)

PCOS has pretty much been confirmed via ultrasounds, but we are still waiting on the final blood work to come back on that.

Two uterine fibroids have been discovered. One is about 2 cm and the other is around 5cm. The larger one is in the lower back area and the reason for most of the pain and the inability to sleep.

I have an excess of ovarian follicles which is also a symptom of PCOS and may be rupturing which can also be causing the pain in the abdominal areas.

Until we can get more test results back and speak to a specialist I have been placed on prescription painkillers to manage the pain so I can at least return to a somewhat normal lifestyle. I have also been placed on birth control pills for three months (starting with my next cycle) to manage the hormone levels and make the menstrual cycles more bearable as that is what is aggravating the fibroids.

Fun stuff right! At least I got in lots of reading and video game time! I even made a Shelfari account! Feel free to add me.

At least it's not cancerous...that's what I keep repeating to myself over and over again...

Next week I hope to get back to healthier eating and some exercise (pending how the painkillers work of course).  I have already been told I had to drop out of my dancing with ROTC for the season as well as drop out of my first 5K race I had planned.  I'm pretty bummed but I am hoping once my health gets back on track I can return to those things I enjoyed!

Weekly Weigh-in

This has been a pretty great week overall. After reading The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose Weight, Boost Fertility, Clear Skin and Restore Self-Esteem I started feeling better about how to deal with my weight gain and other health issues in a natural way, without hated medications, surgeries, etc.

This week my boyfriend put us on a mostly raw fruit and vegetable diet with only eggs and fish being allowed. This was to not only help with my weight loss goals, but also my digestion issues.

Wow! Look at that! That's my new lowest weight achieved since this year started. I am so excited! This puts me at a total weight loss from the beginning of the year of 9.2 pounds! I am so close to that ten pound goal I can taste it! Last week's weigh-in was 161.7, so that's a loss of 2.9 pounds for the week. Amazing!

I actually took the time to weigh myself every day this week to see how things were going, and almost every day (with the exception of one) resulted in at least a minor loss from the day before. Here is how it looked:

Mon:  160.2
Tues:  159.8
Wed:  159.2
Thur:  160.0 (the only up day)
Fri:     158.8

How great is that? And this was all done strictly through diet. I haven't changed my exercise situation at all yet. But that of course is the next step now that I am feeling super motivated again!

Curious what I ate? Here is a sample:

Nomnomnomnomnom!

Wednesday Weigh-in

I know, I know...I have been missing in action for a while. This is due to a mixture of uber business and depression.  Let me explain...

The last time I posted we thought there might be a bun in the oven. We had never really thought about having a child together. I have a boy who is almost 12 from my first marriage, and my partner (Michael) is 11 years older than me and never really thought about having a child of his own. Actually he said he didn't really want one.

This all changed the moment we thought it was happening. He was so excited, I was so exited, we picked out names...you can see where this is going right? Well it turned out, even after 2 weeks late, I wasn't pregnant, or maybe I was and lost it. We'll never know. What I do know is this...now we kind of want to have another one...but now it turns out I might not be able to.

Why?

The doctor thinks I might have PCOS (Polycycstic Ovary Syndrome). We think this is why I am struggling with things like weight gain (even though I eat really small meals) specifically around my belly (which my demonic kindly coworker was evil nice enough to point out looked like I was 3 months pregnant). Other symptoms are things like acne on my face and back (check) extra and darker hair in regular areas as well as places like the chin, chest and nipples (check). Oh and let's not forget digestion issues, which we all know from previous posts I definitely suffer from.


How does this effect baby planning? Well low fertility is also a symptom. Perhaps this is explains why in almost 12 years I have been unable to have another child...


The good news is now that I know there are many treatments, most natural and fits my diet/exercise plan anyhow. It just makes me even more motivated to try harder now. I am reading this great book called The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose Weight, Boost Fertility, Clear Skin and Restore Self-Esteem. It has some great information in it and I hope to post a review when I am done. I am about halfway through it now.


So that's that...

I am down one whole pound from the last time I weighed in. So that's good. I have been really focusing on diet and exercise a lot more. My Gruve is really helpful in reaching at least my movement goals, forcing me to take the stairs more and longer walks at lunch, etc. I love it.


A girl at the bank just yesterday asked me if I had been losing weight. I almost jumped onto the counter and kissed her. It may only be one pound on the scale but I do feel a difference and I am feeling happier with myself, and that's where it all starts, right?