Diagnosed 3 weeks ago

ladybugz · 08-23-2006, 07:47 PM

Hello all,
I was diagnosed three weeks ago with PCOS. Up until then I had never even heard of PCOS. I guess right now I am just feeling very overwhelmed. I must say I am very confused about which diet is best. There seems to be loads of information out there but a lot of it contradictory. My doctor put me on an appetite suppressant and low starch diet. I go back next week for a check up and to see how the weight loss is going. So far I have lost 10 pounds and I have at least 20 to go. That may not sound like much but I have not lost in over a week and now I fear the hard part is coming. I feel very frustrated over the fact hat "food" is constantly on my mind. I don't mean in a "I want to eat!" way, I mean in a "what can I eat?" way. I'm so afraid of throwing my hormone and insulin levels off balance now that I know that has been the cause of so much frustration and pain in the past.

Long story short, I am relieved to find out WHAT is wrong but I need some support from people who actually understand how this feels. I think the fact that I have PCOS and the whole lifestyle change is really starting to hit me and I can feel myself slipping into a depression over it. Any support would be greatly appreciated. I feel really sad at the moment. I have a wonderful boyfriend that I love dearly. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me but I am struggling with the fact that I may be taking children out of his future and robbing him in a way. He has been very supportive through all of this, especially the time I was not getting answers and knew something was wrong. He tries to understand but of course he can't really. i just need to get in touch with people who "get it" all of it.
Many thanks in advance. You all seem very supportive to one-another and that's why I chose this site to write.

Jashobeam · 08-23-2006, 07:53 PM

Welcome to SC! There are a lot of different diets out there, but part of that is because different women react differently to different foods. I have severe problems with grains and caffeine, other cysters can eat low carb grains and they don't gain weight. The first step is to look at what is healthy, then look at what works best for your body. If you are insulin resistant or diabetic that will also limit your food selections. I am on Metformin for IR, which is supressing my appetite.

Please check out the Mommy and Pregnancy boards to see how other women have gotten pregnant even though they have PCOS. Just having PCOS isn't an automatic diagnosis of infertility, and some cyseters have more problems with secondary infertility (difficulty getting pregnant after their first child).

Check out these links:

5 Types of PCOS

SURVEY: What else have u been diagnosed with?

ladybugz · 08-23-2006, 08:24 PM

Thank you...I really appreciate your response. I have a lot to learn and will look into the site you asked me to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jashobeam

Welcome to SC! There are a lot of different diets out there, but part of that is because different women react differently to different foods. I have severe problems with grains and caffeine, other cysters can eat low carb grains and they don't gain weight. The first step is to look at what is healthy, then look at what works best for your body. If you are insulin resistant or diabetic that will also limit your food selections. I am on Metformin for IR, which is supressing my appetite.

Please check out the Mommy and Pregnancy boards to see how other women have gotten pregnant even though they have PCOS. Just having PCOS isn't an automatic diagnosis of infertility, and some cyseters have more problems with secondary infertility (difficulty getting pregnant after their first child).

Check out these links:

5 Types of PCOS

SURVEY: What else have u been diagnosed with?

Eva37 · 08-23-2006, 10:30 PM

welcome to sc
eva

MommyJenny74 · 08-25-2006, 12:10 AM

Hi ladybugz,
Welcome to Soulcysters! I know you're feeling overwhelmed right now, but we're here for you!

I lost 102 pounds in the year after my diagnosis, by watching calories and carbs. Many cysters have good results from the Insulin Resistance diet, I haven't done that one, but if you are interested there are lots of cysters here who can give you info.

Right now I'm working on losing the weight I put on when I was pregnant w/ my daughter (yes, she's 2, and I'm still working on it!) I lost 15 pounds since July, but now I'm kind of stuck where I am. So I guess I'm in the same boat as you right now!

One good thing about being diagnosed w/ PCOS, now you can begin to treat it, and that may increase your chances of conceiving later on. Met helped me to conceive my daughter.

Best of luck
Hugs
Jenny

mandy27 · 08-25-2006, 12:27 AM

Welcome! This is the place to be. Everyone here was great to me when I first found out. They are full of such amazing wisdom! Best of luck with the diet.

SuzanneStar · 08-25-2006, 04:00 AM

A very warm welcome to SC!

davilara · 08-25-2006, 04:26 AM

Welcome o soulcysters Ladybugz.

I can relate to how you feel, before I knew I had PCOS (or what it was), I was told that I might not be able to have children. I vividly remember going about my day and seeing babies and pregnant women everywhere. I cried for days and was depressed for weeks.

It's okay to feel down sometimes, but don't let this defeat you. There are many things available now for women with PCOS, we just have to work a bit harder - That's okay though, it builds character and personality right?

Also, my doc said that women with PCOS have a higher rate of depression than women without....

Good luck, we'll be here if you need us!

k8p · 08-25-2006, 05:36 AM

Welcome!!!

MiracleMom · 08-25-2006, 04:36 PM

I just wanted to pop in and say WELCOME and Good Luck! You have come to a great site for info and support!

Pocogirl2006 · 08-27-2006, 05:30 AM

Welcome My name is Martina and i live in british Columbia Canada, i was
officate diagonsed with PCOS last Wed i am on 1000mg of Metformin
twice a day and 50 mg of Spironolactone for the unwanted hair

Hugs
Martina

MommyJenny74 · 08-27-2006, 06:26 AM

Welcome Martina!

Are you going to be working up to that dose of met? I think most of us started out on a smaller dose and worked up (I started on 500 mg and then worked up to 1500 mg). Sometimes that really helps to have less side effects.

So glad you're here at SoulCysters. If you need to talk anytime feel free to email me or pm me.

Hugs
Jenny

missamakissa · 08-28-2006, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MommyJenny74

Welcome Martina!

Are you going to be working up to that dose of met? I think most of us started out on a smaller dose and worked up (I started on 500 mg and then worked up to 1500 mg). Sometimes that really helps to have less side effects.

So glad you're here at SoulCysters. If you need to talk anytime feel free to email me or pm me.

Hugs
Jenny

That scares me a little bit, my doc put me on 1500 mg a day to start with, should i be worried?

MommyJenny74 · 08-28-2006, 06:09 AM

I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you! Most cysters I've talked to started on a lower dose and then worked up.

How are you feeling on 1500 mg? If you're feeling OK then I'm sure it's all right. The reason I was put on 500 mg and then worked up was to help the side effects not to be so bad. I had some nausea/diarrhea/vomiting the first few days of taking 500 mg, then once I began taking the met in the middle of my meal those decreased. I didn't have any trouble making the transition up to 1000 mg, and then up to 1500.

Hope you are doing well on your met.

Hugs
Jenny

jsr72 · 08-28-2006, 12:52 PM

Welcome to SC! Just wanted to offer you some support. Feeling overhwelmed is very natural bc there are so many components to having PCOS. For me, it was a relief to be dx, bc it explianed so many things that I was having trouble with: fatigue, slow and steady weight gain, infertility and lack of AF, excessive hair, low energy & bouts with depression. I never thought that all of these were symptoms of a disease/syndrome...I just thought that's how I was; I thought it was normal for me to have all of those problems. So getting my PCOS dx became empowering bc I could now, finally, take control of my health and well being.

As far as a diet is concerned, my RE suggested South Beach and that worked great for me. But like the pp said, you have to figure out what works best for you and your body.

I know that when I was on met while TTC, I felt great! In fact, it was the best I had ever felt. My body just seemed to be working better...who knows, maybe it was all in my head. LOL!

Best wishes!