PCOS Journey

xixshaiyaxix

I also have PCOS and insulin resistance. Would love to chat with others who suffer from these things, I am at a lost as to what to do. I have been prescribed Metformin and Birth Control pills, my doctor said those are the only meds that can help, but she says mostly what I have to is loose weight. My problem is that I had to stop the Metformin because it made me sick and the new diet/healthy eating is making me miserable. I am eating what I am supposed to but I am tired, depressed, and wanting to just sleep for days on end. Please feel free to message me if you too have these experiencing, I need the wisdom! xo

Miss_1999

Ok, I've got some time now to post! I read through all of your posts and am going to do my best to address questions and answer as I can! First, anyone who would like to add me, please feel free! I have most likely lived with PCOS my entire life, but was only given a formal diagnosis in 2003.

I had gone without a period for over a year, was sleeping for roughly 16 hours a day, and it wasn't REMOTELY enough, I had dark patches of skin around my underarms, between my legs, and around my neck, skin tags, I had lost so much of my hair that I was having to wear clip on hair, no matter what I ate- be it a salad or a Big Mac, I gained on average 10lbs a month, and I was constantly throwing up (NOT by choice, either). When my doctor ran my bloodwork, it was horrifying. I *literally* had enough insulin in my body for FIVE adults, and I absorbed none of it. My estrogen was extremely low, while my testosterone was extremely high. My body was slowly poisoning itself with insulin.

I began Metformin ER, first, in March of 2003. It made me violently sick. I often threw up after eating. It was helping my body to absorb the insulin that my body was producing. I HAD to be near a bathroom at all times, because this medication WILL make things come out one end or the other. For most women with PCOS, often times, Metfomin/Metformin ER is enough to help with IR (or insulin resistance). My body. where I had gone undiagnosed and untreated for so many years, was in horrible shape, and my pancreas was still pumping out just as much insulin.

In 2005, I was sicker than ever. My OB/GYN allowed me to be her guinea pig. We tried using the diabetic drug, Byetta, along with Metformin ER. The Byetta, makes my body ONLY produce the insulin I need to metabolize food, and then stops my pancreas from producing any more. Then, the Metformin ER makes my body absorb the insulin that is produced. With these two medications, for the first time in many, MANY years, my body properly metabolized food. It wasn't without side-effects. Byetta made me VERY, VERY sick for quite awhile. If I ate too much with it, meaning more than a very small portion of food, I became extremely bloated, would burp quite a bit, have an upset stomach for hours, or even throw up. If I could throw up, I'd feel a LOT better. I did get to the point where I wondered if the "cure" was worse than the disease, but I pushed on, because I knew I had no choice. I was going to die.

Gradually, things did get better. I learned to make sure to stay away from certain things that just didn't like me, but overall, I lived my life normally. I took my medications, I ate regular portions of food, keeping my carbohydrate count in check, stayed active, and over a period of 9 years, I've lost and kept off 175lbs. I was able to get pregnant without any fertility drugs, I didn't develop gestational diabetes, and gave birth to a full-term baby girl. I did a year's worth of research on Byetta and Metformin ER, both, before getting pregnant, and made the decision to stay on both throughout my pregnancy. I felt that was the right decision for both my baby, and myself, and she was born without any ill effects/defects from the medications.

For those who were asking about treatments-- there are FAR more treatments than birth control and Metformin. You can go from the natural route, which is Cinnamon Tablets/Pills, Flax Seed Oil, Chromium. and Vitamin E, to the medicinal route, which is not limited to: (Injections for IR)- Byetta and Victoza (Medications for IR)- Metformin, Metformin XR, Januvia, Janumet, Glumetza, just to name a few. Unfortunately there are a LOT of doctors that don't know enough about PCOS. Endocrinologist tend to know a little more, as this is an endocrine disorder, so if you have an endocrinologist in your area, and you're not happy with the care/treatment you're getting, I would look into getting an appointment with one.

As far as pregnancy goes, hang in there, sisters! It's definitely NOT impossible for us! Many times, what it takes is getting things in order- having all of your hormones leveled out will often do the trick. If you are currently having a monthly cycle, track it EVERY month. Even if you aren't, but you are having a cycle, track it when you're having one. Being here is taking a great, positive step, as everyone here is trying to do the best they can for their health by developing healthier eating and exercise habits. If after finding out your number (insulin, estrogen, testosterone, ect) and all of your hormone levels are normal, but you are still having difficulty, speak with your OB/GYN or RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) just to make sure you don't have any internal issues you're unaware of (such as cysts on the ovaries that are interfering with egg quality or ovulation. I know I saw someone mentioning they were unsure about Clomid. I moderated a PCOS support group for quite awhile and everyone who took it was different. There are some who simply praise it for how it helped them, and couldn't say enough good things about it. There were others who hated how it made them feel, but were simply thankful for the end results. There were others who hated it altogether, as it made them feel horrible, and it didn't help them. It's a case by case basis, and until you try it, you simply won't know.

Weight loss wise. If you have IR (Insulin Resistance) this is something, I cannot stress enough, that you need to be correcting in the process. You don't *have* to be taking all of the medications I do, by any means, there are natural alternatives, which I mentioned above. Try to incorporate these into your diet by either food or supplement, and watch your carbohydrates. Calories for us don't mean much. It's the carbohydrates and sugar that make us pump out the insulin. Do what you can exercise wise. When you're first starting out, any exercise is good exercise! Slowly work yourself up. The weight didn't come on over night, so don't try to work yourself so hard that you get burned out, hurt yourself, or do something you aren't ready for. Work at your own pace. Another BIG thing- don't be afraid of food, or look at food as bad, evil, of that because you have PCOS that you can't have things you enjoy. There's absolutely NOTHING you can't have. You simply have to change around your lifestyle. You can make anything fit into it, it's making it fit correctly. No, don't sit down and eat an entire pizza, but sure, there's no reason if you go out with your friends that you can't have a slice of pizza! Or, it's your birthday! What fun is it to have someone sit an apple in front of you? It's not. Have a piece of cake! There are ways to make everything fit, it's all about portion and planning, and staying active. Drink your water, too. I saw someone mention they didn't like water. That's hard for this camel, here, to imagine, but I know there are people out there that hate it. Try some of the sugar free flavor packets! I have friends who do that and LOVE it! It's a great way to get your water in without the sugar or carbohydrates.

You ladies can do this! You can be healthy, and overcome this! I'll be glad to be of support to anyone who needs it, or answer any questions you may have!

Magadelana

I always thought I was lucky. I was diagnosed 15 years ago, at age 15, with endometriosis, never really had many symptoms of PCOS except for gaining weight and not having a period. I havent ever tried getting pregnant so I never tried to fix anything. I worked out and I lost a little bit of weight. This past year has been hell! Pain, nausea, headaches, no periods, weight gain, rashes, more facial hair....all these things that I have heard of. With decision to try to right my body I also tried to fix my diet and change my lifestyle, knowing that this is the only way I am really going to take the weight off. So I did the no sugar 10 day challenge with a bunch of co-workers......:embarassed: :sad: .....I got so sick, I was getting dizzy, almost passing out, all I wanna do is sleep. But then of course I can't because insomnia is part of PCOS also. So i go back to eating normal for me and I feel fine. How frustrating!!! Ugh, okay....I'm done complaining now, back to my water and the rest of my shift at work. I'm glad to have found this group. Keep up the journey ladies!