PCOS & Our Bodies
Apologies again for my hiatus. I hope everyone’s been well. ♥
I’ve recently been suffering major back pain (as in, I can’t stand for more than 5 minutes without excruciating pain) so my doctor decided to send me to physical therapy. I’ve only been to one session so far, but I thought I’d share the stretches my PT has me doing for the week. I don’t recommend doing these without consulting your doctor, though.. wouldn’t want anyone to hurt themselves.
All (3 stretches and 1 strength exercise) are done lying on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor (or bed). Do a handful of each.
1- Slowly drop both knees to the right, until you feel the stretch, hold for 20 seconds. Bring both knees back up, then slowly repeat to the left side, again holding for 20 seconds.
2- Bring your right knee up to your chest, wrap your legs around the back of your thigh or around your knee (whichever is comfortable), hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with your left.
3- Cross your right ankle over your left knee, grab your right knee with your left hand and pull to stretch, hold for 20 seconds. Repeat on opposite side.
& the small core strength exercise, lift your hips to completely flatten your back , hold for 5 seconds. Do this 10 times.
This, coupled with drinking more water, will hopefully have be able to start exercising again & bring my weight down. So.. for anyone else having trouble like me, small steps are perfectly okay.
As I stated earlier in the week, OurPCOS Weeklies maybe scattered due to the fact everyone is either starting college or going back. But if anyone would like to contribute, please feel welcome to submit your Sunday post and I will happily post it. I hope you are all having a good week so far, and that those who started school are enjoying it!
Infertility is a major issue that comes along with PCOS. In fact, PCOS is one of the leading causes when it comes to infertility and irregular menstrual cycles, therefore conceiving can become very difficult and overwhelming. I took a lot of time when thinking about this, especially because my mom has hinted at saying she won’t think any less of me if I cannot conceive and give her a grandchild.
I cannot speak for anyone other than myself, but I have decided that when the time comes that I do indeed want children, I am going to adopt before trying to conceive. Of course this will be discussed with who I am in a relationship when the time comes, but it is a decision I am very firm on. Now I understand adoption can be a long and stressful progress, but I do not want adoption to be the last option after months, if not years of trying to conceive. I do not want to spend thousands of dollars trying to conceive and fail, when I could save that money and put it towards adoption.
However, if I were to get pregnant before deciding it is the right time to have children, than I will be thrilled and overly-joyed. But I have to admit, part of me does fear I’ll fail at conceiving. It’s not something that weighs heavily on my heart and mind at this moment because I am still young and have college ahead of me, along with a career and savings to build. I would rather bring a child into my life, give them a wonderful, loving, caring, and heartwarming household to call home before taking on the step of trying to conceive because I know that will be a overwhelming and heart heavy journey on it’s own. I want to have joy, giggles, and pitter-pattering feet in my life before taking that on.
This is a topic I tried discussing with my mother but she wants a grandchild that comes from me. I can understand because who wouldn’t want that? But I need to think realistically, and no, I am not doubting or giving up hope, I just want to keep all options in mind. If I were to have a child of my own, I would still adopt along the line because it is something I want to do without a doubt, whether I can conceive or not.
What are your thoughts when it comes to PCOS, TTC, and adoption?
Apologies! I.. once again, nearly forgot the day. Or, rather, I slept the day away - which is why I want to ramble a bit about how important sleep is. I’m willing to bet a good deal of you suffer from some sort of sleep problem or another.
Being on birth control can help premenstrual insomnia, but there are a number of other steps you can (and probably should) take, as well.
Creating a routine is a good start, though not everyone has a job that allows for it. Other things that help: Don’t eat before bed, by at least a few hours. No caffeine, of course, either.. although if you’re like me, caffeine has no affect on your sleepiness anyway!~ :P
The biggest thing, though, that my doctor has told me (and the only thing that’s consistently worked for me) - is turning the electronics off. Ideally, you should only use the bedroom for actual bedroom-related activities, not as an office, or a study, or what-have-you. But if you’ve got an entire house in your room, like me .. well, at least turn the tv off and put the smartphone where you won’t be tempted to grab it and play a game in the boring moments before sleep!
-Pia
Before I start this weeks topic, I would like to apologize because I have been absent from OurPCOS Weeklies for two weeks now, and to be completely honest the weeks have been going by so quickly I forget it’s Tuesday and don’t get to post in time. From now on I’ll remember to type up my Tuesday post a day before and queue it so it’s ready.
I also wanted to let people know that Sundays Guest spot is always open and if you would like to be OurPCOS Weeklies Sunday Guest, just send a message a few days in advance, like Friday night, then submit your post Saturday night or Sunday before nine p.m. There are a lot of new followers in the past few weeks, so if anyone would like to be the guest, you’re more than welcome!
Now onto Today’s topic, which is going to be the discussion of Question of the Week 7/23/13 (although it’s over a week) I extended it so more can reply. And for those who do not know, a question will be posted once a week (re-blogged twice throughout) and during Weekly Roundup or on a OurPCOS Weeklies post, it’ll be discussed and some responses will be shared, so let’s get this started!
The responses were mixed on this question, but that really didn’t surprise me! While some said no because of the risks or no insurance, others said they would give it a chance to see if it worked because it could be a new discovery in the PCOS world and help others who are also struggling. A few wouldn’t take the pill unless it was guaranteed that it wouldn’t affect certain things such as fertility.
This is a question that I thought about a lot and it’s why I chose it to basically kick off the Question of the Week series. While I pondering about this, I just couldn’t help but wonder, what would others do? And it’s the reason as to why Question of the Week was started.
I am more so leaning towards no, I wouldn’t take the pill without it being approved and thoroughly researched and tested before ever putting it into my body. But then again I do not know if I would feel comfortable because who says it’s positive to work for everyone?
If anyone would like to response to the question, just click the link above and re-blog with your response, I would love to hear some other views on this!
Stay strong, positive, and keep going forward.
- Coleen
Amazing how I keep managing to forget that Saturday comes around once a week. For this.. today I’m going to get a bit personal, and I simply ask that you.. well, remember people react differently to situations, and what’s “right” for one person may not be “right” for another.
*Note* I don’t talk about adoption in this. I know it’s an option, but I honestly know nothing about the process, it terrifies me, so it’s something that (for the time being) I shy away from as a topic.
So, when I was diagnosed with PCOS I was absolutely devastated. My doctor at the time didn’t really tell me what it was, and the simplest explanation The Internet could give me was that it was infertility and a disease that gets worse with age. So, I panicked. After all, I was already in my early 20s at that point, and single, and not likely to find someone(* terrible self-worth, I have it) to date, let alone someone to hop in bed with me. Every passing day was (and kind of still is) pretty excruciating, another tick closer to my “expiration date” - I know I’m not likely to be able to afford much in the way of fertility treatments, after all.
My family joked with me about picking up guys at bars until I got pregnant, and for a while I actually considered it - but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, and for that I’m glad. I don’t think any child would like to hear “I slutted it up around town until I got pregnant with you because I panicked, sorry I don’t know your dad’s name” as an explanation, and I’m the type of person who isn’t keen on lying (though I have absolutely nothing against those who do - people who adopt but never tell the child, etc., I understand people have their reasons).
So I turned to sperm donors. This is something that’s actually still floating around my head as an option, though I currently do have a boyfriend (and he is aware of my fertility situation and fully supportive of any choices I make, considering he lives far, far away and we won’t be able to be together for over 2 1/2 years). This is an interesting thing, donors, and I think if the cost of sperm wasn’t so high, I wouldn’t still be on the fence about the whole thing.
I think when you get right down to it, I find it terribly unfair. Unfair that a single woman should have such trouble starting a family by herself. I know the general agreement is that “a child needs both parents” but this is something that I don’t wholly agree with. There are too many things to take into consideration. Maybe the woman is single, but has a huge supportive family (like mine), or maybe she’ll find Mr. or Mrs. Right while she’s pregnant, and they won’t care that she’s pregnant, or how the child came to be, they’ll raise it as their own all the same. Or maybe she’ll do a better job of raising a child alone because she works from home and has the resources to do it. Maybe the woman has a huge network of supportive friends.
I suppose my point is, if you’re single and you’re panicking.. be smart, but don’t let society’s idea of “what’s right” sway you too far. 150 million people CAN be a little bit wrong.
And don’t think any less of yourself because of the disorders and bodily problems you have. You’re you, and you’re amazing, and whether you start a family alone or with an entire village rooting for you, I’m sure you’ll raise the kid(s) perfectly.
Hello wonderful ladies!! :) I hope that your past week as been good! And even if it’s been a struggle, you are strong and will have better days! We all will! We will all have better days, where PCOS doesn’t run our lives!
On this note, I’ve decided that I’m going to start giving you guys songs that are inspirational to me and why they are inspirational to me. I have a playlist in my Itunes that is solely inspirational music. Music speaks to me unlike anything else. When I’m down, belting out a good Wicked song is sometimes the best medicine for me!
I heard this song about 3 months ago. It was the opening song of one of the final Glee episodes this season. And I literally started crying while the song was playing. The only thing that kept going through my head was “This is my PCOS mantra, this is my song.” And to this day, three months later, I listen to this song often, especially when I feel like PCOS is becoming too much to handle.
So now the name, “I Won’t Give Up.” It was originally done by Jason Mraz but I love Glee’s version way more!! Here is a link to the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ7NkBWO3jc
This song means so much to me. Yes, it is technically a love song from a boy to a girl, but as played in Glee and how I look at it, it is a song of love to yourself, and the relationship between body and soul. The line that speaks most to me in this song is “I don’t want to be someone who walks away so easily I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make.” It is easy to choose to walk away from PCOS. Making the choice to take control of your life is hard. So much work has to go into conquering PCOS, but I don’t want to be that person. I don’t want to take the easy road. I want to make a difference in my life. I want to make the changes I need to in order to make my life better for good.
Another line that really speaks to me “And when you’re needing your space, to do some navigating, I’ll be here patiently waiting, to see what you find.” There will come times when you’ll want to take a break from thinking about PCOS, almost just forget it exists. This happens for me. And its ok to allow this to happen. During this time, we may forget about our diet, forget to workout, but no matter what our body will wait for us to come back. Our body will wait to see what we discover about ourselves. During these times is when we potentially discover most about our soul.
I listen to this song when I need a reminder that I won’t give up. I won’t give up on myself and my body. I won’t give up on my future and my happiness. I deserve it all. We all deserve happiness. We all deserve freedom from PCOS. We all deserve healthy bodies. And we all can achieve this!
Keep going awesome ladies! You guys are so inspirational to me! <3
Michele!
pcoswontwin.tumblr.com
If you’re anything like me, you have a serious lack of motivation & support when it comes to eating healthy and exercising. I know a good number of the ladies around here use My Fitness Pal, but I’ve never been able to hook to it, other issues of mine kind of keep me from really connecting with most people, and actually jumping into forum discussions and the like freak me out. Sooo.
Recently I found Noom in the Android store. I have the free version, but there’s a subscription version - $9.99/month, and unfortunately, yes, the free version tries to get you to jump to the paid version, but it’s pretty easily ignored.
What I like most about Noom is that it gives you 4 simple goals every day. That’s it, just 4. My 4 goals today, for example, are to do my scheduled 7pm workout (which is just walking 1 mile, as that’s about all I can do while still recovering from surgery), log my lunch, read the artlce (for the umpteenth time) about why Noom Pro is better, and eat a meal without sitting in front of a screen.
The other thing I like about it is the food log. It doesn’t ask you to count calories, it just asks you to identify what you ate, and how big the portion was (for example when I click veggies, portion sizes are: golf ball, tennis ball, base ball, and soft ball). Foods are divided up by colours, as well - green, yellow, and red, so you really get more of a visual idea of just how healthy you are eating.
The app is also connected with a forum (sometimes one of your goals might be to post asking for support & motivation), it keeps a 7-day & 30-day history of your exercise, and a log (7 days, I think,) of your past meals.
So.. if you’re in the market for some sort of weight-loss help, if you find other sites a bit bothersome or what-have-you, I’d say give Noom a try. It’s definitely been helping me out, even if I have been slacking considerably on the exercise (it’s TOO HOT TO WALK -melts-)
So today, I was absolutely stumped about what to write about. It took me a really long time to find a topic, but I’ve found one! Summer is a time of road trips, eating out a lot, having fun. That kind of stuff. And something I’ve noticed is how ridiculously hard it is to eat out or on the road while having PCOS. The quickest, cheapest stuff is always the worst for you! But I’ve done some thinking and come up with a few ideas to help you make eating out a more successful adventure!
1. If your only options are fast food joints, that’s okay! Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s more important to nourish your body, especially with PCOS, than to let it starve and mess up your insulin. I usually look for the grilled chicken sandwiches. It’s cheaper than getting a salad, most of the time, and there is usually a lot of substance to them. I take off the top of the bun and throw it away and then enjoy the sandwich. Also, ask for no mayo. Mayo is a hidden culprit restaurants use to add quick flavor but it is packed full of calories and fat. And if they have apples or carrots as a side choice, get those! You have to put a little more thought into what you’re eating but its totally doable.
2. If you have other options that fast food joints, take those! Here in the US, Panera is one of my favorite options. Their salads are so good! And yes they can be packed full of calories, but if you ask for no cheese, no bacon, and dressing on the side, you can have a pretty great salad in less than 20 minutes. Look for the words “grilled,” “roasted,” or “baked.” Those words are good indicators that whatever you are looking at doesn’t have a lot of extra added calories from fat or oil. Also, find things that have veggies in them! Always your best bet!
3. Pack snacks. For me, snacks are my biggest culprit. I get in the zone when I’m driving and before I know it a whole bag of Chex-mix, which has 4 servings, is gone! And then I moan about just having eaten 1000 calories! Packing snacks will allow you to keep your starving hunger at bay, help you keep your insulin regulated, and keep you happy! And healthy!
Don’t fret summer trips. They are meant to be fun. And yes with PCOS, we ladies have to put in a little extra time into thinking about where are meals for the day are going to come from but once you get the hang of it, you’ll notice how easy it is.
Hope y’all enjoy the rest of your summer! Keep going strong ladies :)
Michele, pcoswontwin
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Good Saturday.
I’m going to outline a bit of info on laproscopic cyst removal, which I had done on the 12th, because I feel my experience has been full of suck, and I hope that others who have this surgery might benefit from my story. If you follow my personal tumblr, you’ve already seen me whining about this.
Just keep in mind this has been my personal experience, and your hospital staff (and family/friends helping you at home) might do things a little differently. Your body might not suck as badly as mine, too.
First and foremost: Don’t be surprised if you’re wheeled out the hospital doors the second you’re able to hold up your head. Also, don’t be surprised if the paperwork you’re given has absolutely no helpful information, what-so-ever. The only paperwork I was given said, simply, “follow your doctors instructions”… I was barely awake and highly medicated while the nurses were giving me instructions, and my mom didn’t think to write anything down, and everything was kind of forgotten by the time we got home.
So here’s what I can tell you, things I (unfortunately) learned the hard way, or wasn’t told until a week after my surgery.
- After about 2 days of laying in bed with your legs elevated, (and probably sleeping most of the time, thankyou painkillers) you’re probably going to want to get up and do things. Don’t. Trust me, as bored as you may be, you really don’t want to over-tax your body too early. If you have friends and family offering you help, accept it!
- Let people help you sit up, from laying down. If no one’s close by, don’t be afraid to shout (or pick up the phone and call) until someone comes. Sitting up without help is hell on your wounds and really freaking painful in the long run.
- Wash your incisions twice a day, gently, with soap and water. At the hospital, I was told simply to wash when I showered, but this isn’t exactly the best advice, as not everyone showers the same amount. I, for example, do not shower every day - I have no need to. Washing once a day would probably be sufficient, though.
Most importantly, though: DON’T BE AFRAID TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR AND ASK QUESTIONS. I didn’t do this, it’s an anxiety thing, and I really wish I would have, or would have bugged someone to call and ask for me.
Next up is staple removal. This was done for me two days ago, and.. well, it sucked. Of course it sucked. I could see that one of my incisions wasn’t ready to have the staples removed, but I kept my mouth shut.
Now I have a gaping hole in my abdomen that I’m trying to keep together with steri-strips, gauze, and tape.. but (and I am assuming this is due to my weight) it just doesn’t want to stay together and heal. My doctor hasn’t really been helpful in this area (they patched me up with more steri-strips and glue, when I went back, and my wound was open again by the time I got home). I am seriously considering just going to the ER and asking them to stitch me up, but I’m giving the gauze and stuff one more chance.
That’s about all the information I can think to offer. If you have any questions, feel free to ask as always. (:
-Pia
Hope you ladies are having an amazing week! <3
Hey y’all :) Hope you guys have been having a great week! Each and every one of you is an inspiration to me and I’m so thankful for this community. This week I had no trouble choosing what topic I wanted to discuss. Over the past couple of days, I was seeing a lot of posts in the PCOS tag about how people hated their bodies, thought they were disgusting, or how they would rather die than continuing to deal with PCOS. I’m not going to lie at all and say that I haven’t been there. I have been so far in the dumps about my body that I’ve thought about taking drastic measures. I’ve been so far in the dumps that I’ve attempted starving myself to lose weight.
But I’ve come past that point in my life, and I promise without a doubt so can you! Depression and anxiety just seem to come along with PCOS, but you can change it! There came a point in my life where I knew that I deserved to be happy. I needed to live a better life. Thinking back on my changes and journey towards self-love, I’ve thought of some things that really helped me and you should try :)
1. Surround yourself with people who make you happy and challenge you to become a better person- If I didn’t have my best friend and my roommate in my life, I would not be where I am today. These two wonderful ladies have been my rock! They have listened to me cry, bitch, moan, complain, and have offered some of the best advice. They know me, sometimes better than I know myself. Your community doesn’t have to be in person, it can be here on tumblr, or somewhere else. But find those people who make you a better person!
2. Tell yourself one thing you love about yourself each and every day- This was seriously so hard for me in the beginning. I would stare at the mirror for hours and tell myself everything that was wrong with me, but then I would get one nice thing out. And before I knew it that nice thing came sooner, and then it was the first thing I said to myself when I looked in the mirror. I certainly still have my days where I struggle to say one nice thing about myself. And sometimes, the one nice thing is that I like my pedicure. But I can honestly say now, in spite of PCOS and all the challenges it has handed me, I love my body! Just start with one good thing. You can say the same thing over and over. But each and every day, remind yourself that your body is beautiful and soon you’ll actually start to believe it and then you’ll know it!
3. When you’re feeling down, talk to someone- One of the worst things us ladies with PCOS can do is keep our emotions inside. This becomes stress and stress wreaks havoc on our bodies. Even if talking to someone it talking to your journal. Get it out! Once your feelings are down on paper or out in the open, it is easier to process them and easier to find the best solution.
It’s not at all an easy process, learning to love yourself and your body and your PCOS. But we deserve it! We are some of the strongest, most amazing women on this earth. PCOS is not at all an easy thing to deal with but it makes us strong, awesome, inspiring, powerful women! You all are worth it :)
Keep up with everything! You guys rock!!
-Michele (pcoswontwin.tumblr.com)
