Recently diagnosed and new to the boards! Please help!

[CLovely98@aol.com]

Hi everyone,

I hope this gets some responses as I'm at a loss of what to do right now. I'm not sure where to post so you might see this in a few places - I hope thats ok? I know this is a bit long but I wanted to be thorough.

My story goes like this: I was always a chubby girl and got my first period a week after my 11th birthday. My menstrual cycle was always very regular and had finally gotten to a comfortable weight when I was 17 (not super skinny, but at 5'2" I was a miraculous 128 lbs mostly in the boob area as I was a bit topheavy). That changed when I went to college and gained some freshman weight (mostly allover), fell in love, and discovered the art of dining out.

In a longterm committed relationship I decided to go on birth control at the age of 20. My OBGYN put me on Mircette. Unfortunately I'm terrible at taking pills and I would constantly forget to take them. But even with my forgetfullness I was mostly regular. Then I heard about OrthoEvra (around 2003) and my doctor recommended I switch. So I did. It was better for me because I didn't forget as often. Then my boyfriend (the same from before) and I broke up for a month and I went off the OrthoEvra. I was about 2 months late and went to discuss it with my OBGYN. She gave me some progesterone pills to bring it down and gave me another script for the patch. I was back on track and my boyfriend and I had gotten back together. We got engaged a year later and then married in January 06.

We didn't plan on getting pregnant right away so I was on the OrthroEvra until that June or July when my refills finished. I decided not to refill the script and went 3 months without a period. Back to the OBGYN office and a new doc (my longtime doc had left the practice) once again prescribed progesterone. This was old hat to me by then and I figured it was par for the course and once again started on the OrthoEvra. A year later I had lost my insurance due to job changes and had decided to get off the BC to save some cash and also to prep my body to TTC as I had heard it could take up to a year to get pregnant after long time BC use. I didn't get my period and bought some Pregnancy tests--no positives so I didnt worry too much. I figured maybe I would sort myself out on my own--Until 6 months had passed and still no period (CLUE!)! So I scheduled an appt at the OBGYN again. Throughout all this time I had steadily been gaining more and more weight (CLUE!). At 17 I was a size 6 or 8; from 20-24 I was a size 8-10; at 25 and 26 I was a size 12 and now at 28 I was a size 14--somedays even a size 16!

Meanwhile my husband had started pointing out the dark hairs that appeared magically one day on my chin which I dutifully plucked away daily (CLUE!). I thought the new chin hairs were the curse of my dark curly hair and hispanic heritage. My fast-growing midsection was obviously the legacy my diabetic paternal grandmother left me (CLUE!). But after meeting with my OBGYN she mentioned she thought I might have PCOS (something I'd never heard of). She took some blood and ordered me to get an ultrasound. She prescribed yet another progesterone to bring about my period, gave me scripts for Yazmin and mentioned I might have some trouble conceiving if that was in my plans. This was devastating to me as the hubby and I had just celebrated our 2 year anniversary out to dinner and discussing TTC this summer (of '08).

I tried not to panic, got the ultrasound and finally went back to my OBGYN after a bit of confusion she confirmed that while my bloodwork came back borderline, my ultrasound confirmed I had PCOS. I was to stay on the Yazmin and come back when I wanted to get pregnant. In a daze I left her office and tried not to panic.

After a few weeks of shock, denial, and avoidance I've since bought 6 books on PCOS and how to treat it to educate myself and have been scouring the internet for more info on PCOS. I still don't have insurance (I just got the bills for the bloodwork and the ultrasound and am just laughing at how I'm going to pay them) and I'm trying to figure out a way to "cure myself" so to speak. Can anyone here offer further guidance? I've been reading a lot of the posts and consider this message board a godsend.

I would still like to TTC this summer for a spring baby next year when I'll be 30. To that effect I've been reading up on Insulin Resistance diets and I'm sure that's the cause of all my troubles. Add to all the above-mentioned Clues that I too crash midafternoon (lately I've noticed I just totally zonk out) and after most meals.

I'm in the process of getting my medical records from my OBGYN so I can see my bloodwork stats. I'm going to start going back to the gym I've been paying for but not attending with the hubby who is committed to supporting me in this. I'm also planning on seeing a Naturapath a friend recommended on Tuesday.

In addition to the above I've started taking a Prenatal vitamin (Nature's Bounty) instead of my Viactiv flavorglides as well as 400 extra mcg of Folic Acid (Nature Made) which I usually take at night before bed (though I'm considering taking an extra tablet of the Folic Acid since I heard 5mg is the new standard and I feel I should up the quantity).

As I mentioned before I am on Yazmin which I take every day at 4 pm (the hubby sends me a text every day to remind me - gotta love him!) but I plan on stopping the Yazmin after 3 months (May will be be my first Yazmin free month) so I can see how my body is without it. The OBGYN mentioned I might get back on track without further assistance so I'd like to try that before I try the Metformin (even though I hear its practically a miracle drug) if its even needed.

Today I bought Cinnamon capsules (Nature's Bounty 1000mg) and Chromium tablets (Nature Made 350 mcg) I would like to add to my regimen as well since I've read those can be instrumental also. But I'm not sure when would be the best time to take them (with or without food) and how many to take a day and when? Some books say take 2 Cinnamon capsules a day and at least 1000 mcg of Chromium a day (3-4 of the tablets I bought)! Is this standard? Do any of you take these supplements? If so, how do you spread them out through the day, if at all? Can I just add these to my before bed regimen? Are there other supplements you recommend that will work with what I'm doing? Has anyone had any success with INSULITE? I'm considering adding the following supplements as well:

Vitamin E (300-400 IU)
B12 (50 mg)
B6 (50 mg)
Selenium (100 mcg)
Magnesium (300 mg)
Fish Oil (3-12 g up to 4X daily)

Please let me know your thoughts on the above and what would be the best time to take them and how.

I bought some new cookbooks (I love to cook and collect cookbooks) in order to try and eat more healthily:

Healthy Eating: Using the Glycemic Index for optimal health
and
The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger

Both are great but somewhat limiting. I don't always have the time to make lamb shank or coq au vin even if they are delicious looking and tasty sounding. Any other cookbooks I should pick up? Anyone have any suggestions on great meals under an hour (30 min would be better) to make for dinner and lunch? Any suggestions for breakfast would be great too (I'm so over the oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts!) Also, any recommendations of restaurants that provide insulin resistance friendly meals?

I've bought flax seeds and barley and quinoa and Mueslix cereal to try and better all the dishes I'm making at home but I'm having trouble finding good recipes that make sense and won't cost an arm and a leg. I also love food websites but am having a hard time finding some which are focused on low glycemic index cooking--any suggestions would be really appreciated. I am drinking more water, eating more fresh fruit and drinking less fruit juice (though I love fruit juice!).

All the books say to eliminate stress in your life also but unfortunately that is not going to happen anytime soon. Just a few weeks after I came to term with my PCOS I learned my mother has Stage 4 Cancer. Since I am currently unemployed (something I had hoped to change in the next few weeks but is now considered a blessing in disguise) I am now her daily nurse and companion. I am keeping my PCOS from her while she is undergoing her treatments because I want her to fight to see her promised first grandchild and not be distracted by my condition. I am committed to getting her through this trying time with love and patience and curing myself as naturally as possible as well. The exercise especially has been helpful in decompressing the stress levels though.

Thats it so far. This has all been very difficult for me to handle. Only my husband and some friends know about my PCOS diagnosis and I'm trying to get through it with my head on my shoulders. I had always imagined 3 kids in my future - I always loved kids and infertility had always been one of my biggest fears. At first I thought the worst - I would be barren and unable to give love to the children I knew I was meant to have. I feel priced out of the other options: Adoption and most fertility treatments. But luckily I found this site. Your stories of perseverance, success, and strength have helped me regain my positive outlook and hope for the future. Hopefully someone reading this incredibly long post will be able to help me with my specific questions. But even if that doesn't happen I feel better having written about my experience and putting myself out there. I can only hope my story will ring true to another newbie also.

Sincerely,
Christine

[Ajani]

It looks like you're off to a great start. You could swap out the 2 B vitamins for a full spectrum B in the 50mg strength if you wanted. Probably cheaper. But I think if you follow the glycemic index diet you'll see some pretty great results. Let us know now it goes.

[DaisyGirl83617]

Looks like you are off to a great start! The rule of thumb to remember is there is no one perfect method or cure for PCOS. Everyone is different. It is finding what works best for you and running with it. I am taking cinnamon with chromium and a handful of other "stuff". It has so far worked well for me, and I feel good. that means everything to me!

[AnotherDreamer]

Hi, I'm still kinda new to this, and I know what you mean about insurance and paying out of pocket!

I was on BCP for four months because I wasn't having AF, so I can relate to that to. The doctor, when I found out, told me she'd put me on it to regulate me... and then said that when I was ready to start TTC that I should jump right into it after I went off BCP. She thought that would give me the best chance.

The cinnamon, I take 500mg with breakfast and dinner. I was taking 1500mg, but it was a bit much for me. I downed it back to 1000mg a day.
It's helpful to take it a little bit before a meal.

Oh, and allow your body to slowly adjust to each new thing. This way if you have an adverse reaction to something you will know what the reaction was from.

It sounds like you're off to a good start so far. Good luck with everything!

[BasilandLight]

Props to you for educating yourself and planning a course.
"I'm considering adding the following supplements as well:

Vitamin E (300-400 IU)
B12 (50 mg)
B6 (50 mg)
Selenium (100 mcg)
Magnesium (300 mg)"

A good prenatal vitamin should have all those + all the B-vitamins + chromium

I wish you all the best in your journey. This is a great place to come for support.

[CLovely98@aol.com]

Thanks for everyone's comments! I'm getting used to all the vitamins though I wish there were one pill that had the right amounts of everything I needed. I've replaced my fruit juice with Green Tea that I found that has no calories no carbs no nothing! So its like water only with some flavor and antioxidants! YAY! I'm on my last week of Yaz and am considering going off it a bit early and starting to be BCP free in April and give my body sometime to adjust itself on its own. Is there a regimen I should follow in addition to wat I'm already doing? I've been reading up on Soy Isoflavones and am interested but worried about getting all the details right. Any help on this would be much appreciated. Best to all!

-Christine

[KatCarney]

I've replaced my fruit juice with Green Tea that I found that has no calories no carbs no nothing! So its like water only with some flavor and antioxidants!

If possible, you might want to start brewing it yourself. It's better for you.

[ReginaIL82]

Just to let you know if you would want to know more about using Soy to help you Ovulate you can join a group of us cysters who use it. There is a great deal of info on our first post and then feel free to ask any questions you may have. *~Hopeful Conceptions~*TTC w/ Soy in March! Part 2!!