Well so far I'm doing ok.
But I am sick! I have bronchitis - so let's add some more meds to my list. Prednisilone steroids for the asthma, and antibiotics too! Yay!
Anyways so by the end of the day from my last post I was shaking and dizzy and could barely stand. I wasn't sure if it was because I was getting sick - or the lack of sugar. So i drank some lemonade and ate dinner and felt much better.
So I haven't been doing TOO well with the cutting out sugar, but hey, one thing at a time right? So the only wheat products I've eaten this week is a few slices of burgen bread which is full of grains, and we did have subway too twice because I'm not well and wasn't up to cooking. But I had multigrain bread. Couldn't face just having a bowl of salad! :( But apart from that, no pasta or anything so I'm getting there slowly I think.
I've been trying to have a good breakfast - Yesterday I had some shortcut bacon with no fat on it, and an egg on toast. This morning I just had toast though. And I'm still hungry. Amazing what that protein does isn't it?
I've been eating lots of fruit which is really yummy. And drinking heaps of water.
I haven't had any of the apple cider vinegar again - only because I'm sick and finding it hard enough to swallow all my medicine without gagging, let alone drinking a foul drink. I'll be back onto it once I feel better though.
Should be getting my period in the next few days since I finished taking the provera tablets yesterday. Right in time for holidays too. Fabulous.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Day 1
Well today was the first day of the new me! We shall see how we go!
I went to the shops and bought heaps of fruit and vegies - $75 worth, so I better eat it all!
Also I went to the health food shop and got apple cider vinegar, magnesium (it's meant to be really good plus I do get restless legs and it's worked for that before) and some vitex tablets.
The apple cider vinegar is revolting. I diluted it in water and it was still pretty gross. I think putting it in warm water with honey might help. Will try that tomorrow.
So right now the tablets I am taking each day are:
1 x prenatal vitamin (2 is the recommended dose, but as I'm not pregnant, I'm taking one)
2 x 500mg metformin - 1 twice a day
1 x 10mg provera (to make my period come, but I finish that tomorrow - meant to take 20mg but it made me throw up... so I put it down to 10mg)
2 x vitex tablets, not sure how big they are?
Then also I will be taking a scoop of magnesium powder, which I will take at night, as it helps really well with restless legs. And a capful of apple cider vinegar. Ugh!
So I think that's enough for starters, what do you think?
Also today for breakfast, I slept in, so I just had a banana. Then for lunch I made some chicken kebabs and had it with salad and a corn gluten free tortilla. It was quite nice.
I'm craving sugar though!!!!
Off to eat an apple after I finish this.
Dinner tonight is steak with a diane/mushroom sauce - simply because I have cream in the fridge that needs to be used. Plus my in-laws are coming for dinner. Along with a plethora of thinly sliced roasted vegies - potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, parsnip and zucchini. We'll also have some corn on the cob and green beans. Yum!
And chocolate cake for dessert, as it's my father in-law's birthday. Hopefully I will manage to just have a SMALL piece!
Better get to cooking!
I went to the shops and bought heaps of fruit and vegies - $75 worth, so I better eat it all!
Also I went to the health food shop and got apple cider vinegar, magnesium (it's meant to be really good plus I do get restless legs and it's worked for that before) and some vitex tablets.
The apple cider vinegar is revolting. I diluted it in water and it was still pretty gross. I think putting it in warm water with honey might help. Will try that tomorrow.
So right now the tablets I am taking each day are:
1 x prenatal vitamin (2 is the recommended dose, but as I'm not pregnant, I'm taking one)
2 x 500mg metformin - 1 twice a day
1 x 10mg provera (to make my period come, but I finish that tomorrow - meant to take 20mg but it made me throw up... so I put it down to 10mg)
2 x vitex tablets, not sure how big they are?
Then also I will be taking a scoop of magnesium powder, which I will take at night, as it helps really well with restless legs. And a capful of apple cider vinegar. Ugh!
So I think that's enough for starters, what do you think?
Also today for breakfast, I slept in, so I just had a banana. Then for lunch I made some chicken kebabs and had it with salad and a corn gluten free tortilla. It was quite nice.
I'm craving sugar though!!!!
Off to eat an apple after I finish this.
Dinner tonight is steak with a diane/mushroom sauce - simply because I have cream in the fridge that needs to be used. Plus my in-laws are coming for dinner. Along with a plethora of thinly sliced roasted vegies - potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, parsnip and zucchini. We'll also have some corn on the cob and green beans. Yum!
And chocolate cake for dessert, as it's my father in-law's birthday. Hopefully I will manage to just have a SMALL piece!
Better get to cooking!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Welcome!
My name is Bethanie.
In early 2008 I was diagnosed with PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I had no idea what it even was!
I'm sure if you're looking at this site, you probably have some idea.
The reason for this blog is so that I can write down my journey.
Some background about me.
In January 2009, my husband and I decided to start trying for a baby. I stopped taking the pill and my periods got more and more irregular. I started temperature charting to no avail as my temps were so erratic and I wasn't ovulating. I'd put on a lot of weight while on the pill and I was only on it for a year!!! Even off the pill, I lost the bloating but didn't really lose any weight. I've always had a big belly and I just felt it was getting bigger and bigger.
We tried for a year before my doctor finally gave me a referral to a fertility specialist. Fantastic we thought! We'll get pregnant. Nope! He said go away, lose 30kg and don't come back!
Now I've always struggled with my weight, and hello, did he think I hadn't TRIED to lose weight? Anyways, I was most upset, especially as I knew other people with PCOS who'd seen specialists and gotten treatment who were even bigger than me! So I wasn't too happy.
Just before we went to the fertility doctor, a friend of mine suggested going to the naturopath. So I did. I saw her, and she gave me horrible tasting herbs to take, which were fantastic. All last year (2009) I had been so incredibly sick. I had chest infection after chest infection, and tonsillitis, gastro, just generally felt icky, and had taken off so much time from work because I just had no energy at all! It wasn't nice.
So the naturopath gave me meds and for the first time in a long time, I felt better! In February this year, she gave me a liver detox - and that month we fell pregnant! My friend who suggested going to her, also fell pregnant after the liver detox too. It was great.
However, it wasn't meant to be. At 11weeks, I started spotting. I went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. Unfortunately, my baby had died at around 8weeks gestation. I had a d&c at 12weeks. It was a horrible time for us.
At the hospital, the gynecologist offered me a referral to her clinic, which I took up. Did you know that the miscarriage rate for PCOS sufferers is nearly 45%? That's crazy, and something else I had no idea about until it happened to me.
The gyno put me on metformin - a diabetic drug, and sent me off for a myriad of blood tests. Most of my hormone levels came back quite normal, which I was really pleased about, as previously they had been up the creek, which is quite common for PCOS. I think the naturopath played a big part of that, as when I first started seeing her, my hormones were very abnormal, but she had been giving me herbs to help that. I also was tested for glucose tolerance, and I have insulin resistance - another very common thing with PCOS.
Anyways, so I'm currently on metformin tablets - It's been 7 weeks since I lost the baby, and I'm now taking provera as I haven't had a period! The next thing is that they want me to have one cycle and then after that, start clomid to induce ovulation and help me fall pregnant.
So that's me and a little bit of my story.
The plan for this blog is to show where I'm at, where I'm going, and how it's working for me. I'm not all that convinced that all the drugs will help me in the long term - sure, it might help me fall pregnant, but is it going to help my PCOS at all? Really?
So I've been doing some research about natural remedies for PCOS. So many of the sites, you have to pay, and my plan is that if what I do works - I won't charge!
From what I've read, these are the main things that need to happen:
1 - DIET - low GI for sure, low in wheat products mostly. The wheat/carbs is what causes the insulin levels to go crazy - and I do have insulin resistance. Also cut down on other sugars too - especially refined sugars and artificial sugars.
2 - exercise - this is obvious, but I am looking into what types of exercise are best!
3 - detox or supplements - I went to the naturopath and I really feel that was a huge step for me. I wouldn't have got pregnant without it I don't think. Unless we'd tried the fertility drugs earlier. But even so, I was very pleased with my naturopath results. I am also seriously thinking about going back, although I'm a little embarrassed to go back because I lost the baby. :(
They are the main things. I also read that apple cider vinegar is really good, so I'm going to buy some tomorrow!
And tomorrow marks day 1 of my new and improved eating plan! Can't wait!!!
In early 2008 I was diagnosed with PCOS - Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I had no idea what it even was!
I'm sure if you're looking at this site, you probably have some idea.
The reason for this blog is so that I can write down my journey.
Some background about me.
In January 2009, my husband and I decided to start trying for a baby. I stopped taking the pill and my periods got more and more irregular. I started temperature charting to no avail as my temps were so erratic and I wasn't ovulating. I'd put on a lot of weight while on the pill and I was only on it for a year!!! Even off the pill, I lost the bloating but didn't really lose any weight. I've always had a big belly and I just felt it was getting bigger and bigger.
We tried for a year before my doctor finally gave me a referral to a fertility specialist. Fantastic we thought! We'll get pregnant. Nope! He said go away, lose 30kg and don't come back!
Now I've always struggled with my weight, and hello, did he think I hadn't TRIED to lose weight? Anyways, I was most upset, especially as I knew other people with PCOS who'd seen specialists and gotten treatment who were even bigger than me! So I wasn't too happy.
Just before we went to the fertility doctor, a friend of mine suggested going to the naturopath. So I did. I saw her, and she gave me horrible tasting herbs to take, which were fantastic. All last year (2009) I had been so incredibly sick. I had chest infection after chest infection, and tonsillitis, gastro, just generally felt icky, and had taken off so much time from work because I just had no energy at all! It wasn't nice.
So the naturopath gave me meds and for the first time in a long time, I felt better! In February this year, she gave me a liver detox - and that month we fell pregnant! My friend who suggested going to her, also fell pregnant after the liver detox too. It was great.
However, it wasn't meant to be. At 11weeks, I started spotting. I went to the doctor and had an ultrasound. Unfortunately, my baby had died at around 8weeks gestation. I had a d&c at 12weeks. It was a horrible time for us.
At the hospital, the gynecologist offered me a referral to her clinic, which I took up. Did you know that the miscarriage rate for PCOS sufferers is nearly 45%? That's crazy, and something else I had no idea about until it happened to me.
The gyno put me on metformin - a diabetic drug, and sent me off for a myriad of blood tests. Most of my hormone levels came back quite normal, which I was really pleased about, as previously they had been up the creek, which is quite common for PCOS. I think the naturopath played a big part of that, as when I first started seeing her, my hormones were very abnormal, but she had been giving me herbs to help that. I also was tested for glucose tolerance, and I have insulin resistance - another very common thing with PCOS.
Anyways, so I'm currently on metformin tablets - It's been 7 weeks since I lost the baby, and I'm now taking provera as I haven't had a period! The next thing is that they want me to have one cycle and then after that, start clomid to induce ovulation and help me fall pregnant.
So that's me and a little bit of my story.
The plan for this blog is to show where I'm at, where I'm going, and how it's working for me. I'm not all that convinced that all the drugs will help me in the long term - sure, it might help me fall pregnant, but is it going to help my PCOS at all? Really?
So I've been doing some research about natural remedies for PCOS. So many of the sites, you have to pay, and my plan is that if what I do works - I won't charge!
From what I've read, these are the main things that need to happen:
1 - DIET - low GI for sure, low in wheat products mostly. The wheat/carbs is what causes the insulin levels to go crazy - and I do have insulin resistance. Also cut down on other sugars too - especially refined sugars and artificial sugars.
2 - exercise - this is obvious, but I am looking into what types of exercise are best!
3 - detox or supplements - I went to the naturopath and I really feel that was a huge step for me. I wouldn't have got pregnant without it I don't think. Unless we'd tried the fertility drugs earlier. But even so, I was very pleased with my naturopath results. I am also seriously thinking about going back, although I'm a little embarrassed to go back because I lost the baby. :(
They are the main things. I also read that apple cider vinegar is really good, so I'm going to buy some tomorrow!
And tomorrow marks day 1 of my new and improved eating plan! Can't wait!!!
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