Day Four

Well, I wasn't up to biking today.  My tummy was not very happy with me this morning.  Tomorrow, I am biking no matter what.  I have had two days off and I don't want to lose my momentum.

I have gotten several responses about various symptoms of PCOS.  I thought that today would be a great time to talk about the symptoms of PCOS.

Polycystolic Ovary Syndrome can include a vast array of symptoms that manifest differently for each woman.  Because there are so many variations of symptoms, it is difficult to diagnose.  Besides that, not all doctors seem to be on the look out for PCOS.  Most commonly, PCOS is diagnosed when a woman having trouble conceiving visits a fertility specialist.  The rough estimate is that 10% of all women have PCOS.  The problem with this number is that so little is known about PCOS and it's not very public, which means that the true percentage may be much higher.  It will take a lot more research and several more years of publicity to bring PCOS to the forefront of womens health issues.  Once that day arrives, we may be amazed to realize how many women have been struggling alone.  My goal is to work to educate the public until there is not one woman left with PCOS thinking that she is lazy or ugly or less than a woman simply because her body is fighting against her.  PCOS is a disorder that can be challenged only with a solid understanding of what it is that we are fighting against.

According to The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility, the most common symptoms of PCOS include:

• Multiple ovarian cysts
• Polycystolic ovaries 2-3 times larger than healthy ovaries
• Irregular periods or a lack of periods
• Infertility
• Acne
• Obesity, or an inability to lose weight
• Facial hair, excessive body hair
• Insulin resistance or diabetes
• Thinning scalp hair
• Velvety, hyperpigmented skin folds
• High blood pressure
• Multiple hormonal imbalances, including testosterone, cortisol, estrogen, follicle stimulating hormone, insulin, luteinizing hormone, progesterone, prolactin and thyroid hormones.

Depression, fatigue and anxiety are also side effects of PCOS.  It is not know if these are caused by hormonal imbalances or if they are a result of the loss of control of our bodies and just being worn out from struggling with the myriad other symptoms.   

You may look at this list and think, sure maybe some of that applies to me, maybe I even have PCOS.  I've already lived with it this long.  Big deal, right?

WRONG!  The stress on your body that is caused by PCOS can lead to some very scary long term effects!  The risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, seizures and high risk pregnancies are all greatly increased by PCOS.  This is way too serious an issue to be ignored!

If you think you may have PCOS, talk to your doctor, do your own research, find a naturopathic practitioner, whatever it takes.  Learn all you can and find a good support base.  You are not alone and you should not feel alone.  If you have PCOS, and you know 19 other women, odds are good that at least one of them also has PCOS.  If you don't have PCOS and you know 9 women, one of them may be struggling with more than you can begin to understand.  PCOS attacks your sense of self worth, your sense of womanhood, your appearance and your identity.  No one should go through this alone.


Food Log
Breakfast: a Livi sized fist full of cashews

Lunch:  2 medium slices of supreme pizza and 1/2 a slice of pepperoni.  I know this was a truly horrible lunch.  There was nothing good about it for me except for how it tasted!  We were exploring Edwardsville and wanted to eat somewhere we hadn't been before.  Normally, I have been eating 3-4 large slices of pizza per sitting, so although the food itself was not what I should have been eating, I was proud of myself for at least sticking with a healthier portion.

Dinner:  Payton wanted BBQ.  I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, without the bread, with coleslaw and broccoli salad.  I drank water with lemon in it.  The pork tasted the same as it usually does as we've been there several times, but I noticed the taste of the fat in the meat more than I used to.  I am definitely feeling the effects of the changes I have made to my diet.  I didn't even eat half of the meat.  It was yummy, but that sense of fat was kind of bothering me for a change.  I also ate four or five of Livi's fries and four or five pieces of Dan's fried okra.  The broccoli salad had yogurt in it, so it was dairy, which didn't click until I had already eaten it.  I felt like I had made all right choices, but after dinner, my tummy disagreed. 

Snack:  Banana and raw cashews

A day like today was a not so subtle reminder of why I need to eat the things I should.  It has only taken a few days of better eating habits to notice that I'm eating a lot smaller portions and unhealthy foods aren't tasting as good as they used to.  The implications for the long term are pretty good, but it kind of makes me sad to think of all the foods I won't be able to enjoy like I used to.  I have been enjoying my fresh fruits, but I'm going to have to find some more creative ways to enjoy the things I can so I don't have to eat unhealthy things to feel a little spoiled every now and again.

Vitamins
As usual, I had Vitamin D, fish oil, a multivitamin and B complex.  Since I forgot my vitamins until after we got home, I did not take magnesium.  It's not so good on an upset stomach.  Also, I have failed to mention that I take melatonin at bedtime.  Your cells need it for breaking down and rebuilding enzymes, although I need to study how a little better before I can explain it.  Mostly though, it helps me relax when I am tired so that I feel sleepy and it helps me to sleep through the night instead of waking up two or three times.

The moral of today's story:  If you think you have PCOS, find a good doctor and good friends to help you in your struggle.  If someone you care about may have PCOS, share this blog.