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!

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?

Wednesday Weigh-in

I'm up again, 0.9 pounds to be exact...but that's OK. It's OK for a few reasons, I'm not going to share them all, but here are a few:

a) My digestive system is completely nuts right now. I feel bloated and huge and tired and cranky. Thankfully I am going to see the doctor tomorrow so I can be assessed to see how we can rectify this again.

b) I haven't exercised much except for doing some extra walking to make my Gruve happy. Which as you saw in the last post has been sabotaged repeatedly by my need to complete schoolwork. But I hope that on top of talking to my doctor about digestive issues tomorrow I will also be able to get my clearance to start ChaLEAN. I know I could do some other things...but I want to do this SO BAD I have been kind of de-motivated to try anything else.

I still have been pretty good with food (except last night - it was Red Lobster - enough said). Mostly I have been binging on raw fruit, veggies and smoothies. Tonight we are having eggs and fruit, a favourite of mine.

So let's hope for a good checkup tomorrow and a clearance to start the new workout program.

Huzzah!

Education Is Bad For Your Health

...and here's the proof!

Can you tell which days I was forced to sit still and focus on writing my final essays? I bet you can! Now let's take a closer look!

I didn't get any real movement into my day except for brunch and from dinner on. That poor little Gruve was buzzing me like crazy!

So...in conclusion...I have to say that education, especially exams, essays, and any kind of homework is bad for my health. Where can I file a formal complaint?

Weigh In And A Review

Well, I'm up again. I am kind of weirded out by it because I spent four days yacking my guts out and keeping down little to no food, but I also didn't eat very well or get any exercise in...so I guess it is still to be expected. Of course having a horrible flu for four days means I am not going to beat myself up over it either.

Next Saturday I write my final exam for my English Prose Forms class. Thank the goddess! I will be so glad this course is over with and I can focus more on Taxation. Also, that means I will have more time to focus on exercise and diet etc. I am really looking forward to starting ChaLEAN!

Have I told you all about my Gruve yet? I didn't? Must have been the flu!

I got this cute little baby in the mail last week.


There was a special promotion on Twitter and I got this new tool at 50% off! At first I was a little worried that even at half off it was a little too costly for what I thought it was going to do for me.

Well I was wrong!

This weird looking item makes me get up and go. I think it goes well with my competitive nature. Let me tell you what it does so you understand.

You wear it like a pedometer, except this has no digital screen, no numbers, no step counts. All it has is a light that changes colours. So what you ask? Big deal? Well the first week it lulls you into a false sense of security while staying green the whole time as it analyzes your fitness/movement level. Then it sets you a goal and you go from there.

For example, after my assessment week I was set a "green goal" as they call it of 372 calories per day. So what happens now is you clip this little thing onto your belt or waistband and off you go. It starts off red first thing in the morning and moves through orange, yellow, blue and green. That in itself is pretty motivating. I press the little button, check the colour, and decide it's time for a walk!

Oh and did I mention the best part! If you sit still too long (you can set the time, mine is set to 50 minutes) it vibrates to let you know so you can get up and get moving! What an awesome idea! Everything is tracked online. You plug this into your computer via a usb cable and it logs you into a site to check how you are doing. (You get a subscription for a year when you buy it.)

Here's how my week looks so far, and remember I was sick for four days!


This screenshot was taken first thing Thursday morning, so ignore the data for that day (I did end up making it to green Thursday). Not too shabby for a sick girl!

I also like how you can click on any day and get the specific details for that day. This allows you to see when you are the most active, and perhaps when you can add a little more activity in.


Here is a detailed view of my best day. Nice right? Needless to say I am really enjoying this little Gruve. Much more than I thought I would, and yes, well worth the money spent.

Of course it also helps that we have had some really nice days lately...and who doesn't mind a nice walk outside on a great day?