awoody17

hey!

What a great idea!!
Well, even though i found this site recently ... i dealt with PCOS for awhile without all this support....but i am proud to say....finally i am getting regular periods generally....i have lost over 30 pounds i have more to go.....but it had made a huge difference....being 17 and being really overweight sucks....30 pounds made me more confident in my self which has made life easier....facial hair still need some work...along with acne but i did find Mary Kay acne cream and it has been working well for me....i guess PCOS has just become a huge part in my life but i am dealing with it the best that i can....i am so happy i found this site....it means more to hear things from people who are going through what you are going through! SMILE!

__________________
<3 Amanda
senior in high school and graduate in june 2004 to go on to be a member of the class of 2008 at RPI!!!! hoping to become a chemical engineer!
I have an older brother and wonderful supportive parents
I take birth control, merida (diet pill), and metaformin (3x a day)
weight loss status: -40 lbs
There is no better time than right now to be happy
Happiness is a journey, not a destination
So work like you don't need money
Love like you've never been hurt
And dance like no one's watching

~X~

For what it's worth, if this encourages sisters......my successes SO FAR (more to come):

Lost 112 pounds. Still some more to go.

Built muscle and energy and health doing the same.

Eat an amazingly healthy diet which will help me fight off lots of diseases and live a long time. Plus I am a better cook and I actually know how to make healthy foods I love to eat, woohooo.

I never get sick anymore. Ever.

Had fun, became more emotionally balanced and sane.....because it feels so good to get control of your body.

Restored hair TEXTURE. (Previously oily scalp and dry-hay hair, now wavy and nice).

Almost eliminated facial spots......still get a few blackheads sometimes and skin is still oily, but I don't break out except for maybe that one nasty one a month. But not even that, necessarily.

Chin hairs that used to need plucking nearly every day (twice a day? they were growing like ^*&#$#$ weeds!) ......now are almost non-existent. Still have to pluck those and stray eyebrow hairs....oh....once in a while....I don't know. Every week? Ten days? And there's much less of them.

Reduced body hair SLIGHTLY, enough so that, with smoothing creams, shaving when I'm in the shower will get me by for a day and waxing or depilatory will last quite awhile.

What's left? Well, I sometimes get spots on my body, still, strangely! Chafing and perspiration in workout clothes, etc.

I'd like to lift up my droopy breasts.....stll working on that and the loose skin from the weight loss. Might have to have sugery there, dunno.

Would like to ovulate consistently every month (I don't yet).

Would like to beat sugar cravings. I'm a slave to Haribo gummi bears, still. =) And Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby.

Would like to lose the rest of the weight and be toned and gorgeous!

Would like to get my adrenal glands and hormones in better balance and health.

Would like to grow back my former thick mane of hair and stop my eyebrows from travelling, LOL.


so I still have a lot I'm working on.....

but I feel great about what I've accomplished.

If nothing else, my faith in WOMEN has been restored by this amazing board where women come to befriend each other and support each other, giving information and help that is as good or better than we are finding from the medical system. And that convinces me of how amazing it is to be a woman and how great girls are. =)

Plus I've learned a lot of cool stuff about herbs, vitamins, health, and natural remedies and medicine, plus fitness.....and like many of the other women on the board, we've become mini-genius/experts on this stuff, without any kind of certificate or degree. Of course we don't know everything and make some mistakes, but it's so cool to be able to help friends and family with their problems based on the things I hve learned in my own process.


PLUS, I've learned a lot of stuff that DOESN'T work, hehehehehe. Hey, knowing what NOT to do does count for something, you know?

Hang in there, we're all making progress.

X

NEZA

Well, my signature reveals a lot of my success in spite of PCOS.

I am able to get regular periods if I can just figure out a way to take my met every day. And you'd think with the way it flushes out my intestines I'd be very thin! Ah, well.

Anyhow, I was diagnosed by a doc who had no real clue as to what PCOS really does to a body. I finally found Dr. Sills in Atlanta to get me on a regimen of met and on a carb-aware diet. I used clomid 50mg for one month to conceive my little girl.

Previous to the met and diet changes I had been on 150 mg for 4 months with no PG. (Some time before that I conceived a "blighted ovum" with the help of clomid, but that PG did not progress beyond 5 weeks development.)

I'm still fat and furry, but care less about it. It helps to have a husband who is an absolute prince. (Not my words, but those of envious friends!)

I have an elliptical trainer to make me less elliptical and am using the Aveeno facial moisturizer to reduce some of the furry. Someday I will be able to spring for laser treatment, but not on this year's budget.

__________________
God's love was demonstrated to me through the gift of Jesus, his son. His blessing extended through the gift of my daughter and now my little boy.

bandanna

hi x and all,


for those who have noticed an improvement with excess hairs, please share what did you do to gain this result? ie. diet, weight loss - please describe your diet i.e. low carb?

thanks.

~X~

I don't honestly know 100% which things have made the most difference! I think overall health made my hormonal balance somewhat better.

I have done the following things:

-Eliminated negative and toxic experiences in my life (e.g. harmful people)
-Practiced meditation and stress-reduction techniques
-Eaten a LOT more salads and a LOT more broccoli, specifically
-Eaten a LOT more fruits and vegetables and whole grains and fish and turkey and soy/beans/lentils and eggs
-Eating only ORGANIC animal-based food
(no pesticides, vegetarian feed, no antibiotics, no hormones, animals raised in humane environment)
-Getting lots of fresh air and drinking lots of water!!!!
-Listening to music and laughing a lot (both known to reduce stress, which reduces stress hormones)
-Taking multiple vitamin, extra B vitamins, extra vitamin C, magnesium, and milk thistle. I've taken a lot of other different supplements for short times but I've taken these the longest (7 years for all of them with no bad effects).....so I think they are the most important.
-The BC pill that helped me with furriness the most was Demulen. Nothing else worked. But I'm now off all pills.
-Eating lots of veggies and delicious vegetarian dishes
-Turning off the television and tuning into my creativity and spirituality
-Not counting calories, carbs, or fat grams, thus no actual "dieting", just eating healthy.
-When I DO eat carbs, choosing fruit before sugar (or with it) and whole grains before processed carbs whenever possible
-Working out really did help though.
-Tried Remifemin and TriCyclen for hormonal balancing with disastrous effects! Tried Saw Palmetto and it seemed to help slightly (not a lot) but am now concerned about the virulent cancer strains associated with long-term use of that, so I'm using that very little and tapering off of it completely.
-Nettle seems to help me with the hair/skin but it's high in iron so it's very helpful to take it with green tea, which prevents iron absorption, but I still try to just use it in moderation. (a couple of cups of nettle tea each week). It prevents DHT conversion!
-Eating more vegetables really seems to help me more than focusing on low carb. Many veggies have phytoestrogens in them (which balance your estrogen in moderation) but unlike soy, they don't block thyroid.
-I do drink Naked's Green Machine juice with spirulina and chlorella in it fairly often. And I eat or drink ginger in some form every day.
- I use stevia, blackstrap molasses (rich in chromium), Canadian maple syrup (not processed with formaldehyde), raw turbinado sugar, fruit juce, or NOTHING to sweeten things. I use honey only rarely because it's got such a high glycemic index. I try not to snack on sweet things but save them for dessert instead. And sometimes I cheat and I don't worry about it.
-I use lots of herbs and spices for seasoning food. In general, herbs and spices have many cumulative healing properties.
-I add extra flax seed and sesame seed and other things like that to many foods to increase the fiber content.
-I take Nordic Naturals essential fatty acids every day and HIGHLY recommend that brand.
I take Tyrosine and prescription t3 to support my thyroid.
-I've taken lots of different vitamins and supplements but the jury's out for me on most of them, if I haven't mentioned them here. Some I think Might be good but I'm still experimenting! with include: ginseng, ginkgo, vitex/chasteberry, potassium, MSM and I'm planning to try natural progesterone soon because I'm concerned about vitex raising LH levels too much.

Don't just copy what I or anyone does, okay? I'm happy to share info but your mileage may vary and you'll want to research all these things and their effects yourself.

Good luck !
X

IHATH433

I was diagnosed in January 2002. I started 1000mg of Metformin. I lost 25 lbs without doing anything at all and started haing normal periods and I believe ovulating regularly as well. In August 2002 I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid and put on syntroid. In May 2003 I had lost another 15 lbs bringing my total weight loss to 40lbs...yippee. In May 2003 my homrones were slighlty elevated again althought I had no idea as I had absolutely no symptoms. I increased my dosage of Metformin to 2000mg. ISo, it has been about 4 months since I've been on the increased dose and I have lost another 5 lbs, and I notice dramatically a decrease in the hair...actually, no, I think that the difference is that the testure has changed. At first I thought it was because I was tan all summer and it wasn't as noticeable, but I'm white as a ghost right now and I still can barely see them. I can feel them a little but any improvement is still improvement. I'm definitely thinking that this doseage is the right one for me!!!
I feel fantastic, more confident, and I look great. Everyone tells me so - and my head is starting to swell!!!! And, I like that...I haven't felt good about myself for so long.

So, for anyone out their still struggling - hang in there. It can take a long time but you will see improvements.

I also started using Biore hair minimizing lotion in the last few weeks and I think that has also helped dramatically.

kristylyn

Hey Cysters:

I am so THRILLED to read about success stories..I tend to get a bit emotional reading info on our condition..Usually, i get a bit choked up and start to shed a tear..because there are sooo many of us in deep emotional and physical pain...But, now, I see there is joy amidst, the pain..

Diagnosed, with PCOS and Impaired Glucose Tolerance ( pre-Diabetic), Feb 2003, a week prior to my 33rd birthday...Some present..actually, there really was some relief..I just thought I was abnormalweird... and all these years, totally ignorant to what this condition was all about!

My symptoms are being overwweight and excessive hair..

Have I been successful, oh yes, and more to come, ladies..

Weight Loss: Low carb and low sugar..have lost around 35, but started, about 3 1/2 months prior to being diagnosed..I have about 30 more pounds to go, one pound at a time..

Hair Removal: Ladies, I had been doing electrolysis, off and on, for about 12 years..saw only minimal results..Know, I have found the answer...It is called..EPILIGHT..it is a special type of laser, it promises..permanent hair reudction, and it WORKS!!! Please, go to a search engine, and type that word in, and I am sure you will be enlightened and impressed. The hair regrowth, is minimal, and I am so pleased, with the results...Warning: it is rather pricey, initially, so keep that in mind..I want to encourage others, with this info..I had it all, guys, hair everywhere...and everywhere...

If anyone, wants to chat further, my e-mail:Siegelk@msn.com

I am happy to have found this thread on this wonderful website..Keep up the good work, gals..we are going to beat this thing!!!

Kristy

kristylyn

Hey Gals:

I neglected to mention the meds, that I am currently on..

Glucophage - 2000mg

Spironolactone - 100mg

If anyone is in the NYC Metro area, I believe I see, the BEST Reproductive Endocrinologist in the New York area..Please contact me, if you need his info..He gives you loads of time, and he is one of the leading physicians on PCOS..Two different people, recommended me to him..and I did my research on him, on the net..

My e-mail:Siegelk@msn.com

Keep up the good work, ladies...


Kristy

the_lioness

Hi ..I am from India...posting this after ages of lurking... : )


am now 30 years old and now that I think back, I can make out that I started PCO around 15 years,the same time as the pubertal growth spurt. I just kept piling on weight and everyone,even the doctors we went to just told me that I must be eating too much ,disbelieving me when I told them how much and what I eat.They just waved it off airily - diet and exercise....nothing is wrong with you.When I didnt lose weight even inspite of vigorous exercise,I was told I am not exercising.All this led to depression,stress,binging and a vicious cycle started.

Unfortunately,indian doctors dont seem to be aware of the epidemic of PCOS that there is just beacuse they dont know of the existence of the problem. And believe me on this as I am speaking from both sides of the fence - I am a gynaecologist myself !! I completed my MBBS from one of the premier world famous institutions medical colleges - but went through that entire period overweight and hairy ...and I was told I have nothing wrong with me !! Ha..ha...ha... they went....here is another case of 3rd year syndrome ....whatever diseases you read,you think you have them ...ha..ha...ha !! Then,beacuse I had regular periods,I was told you cant have PCOS though now I know that is not true.

Then when I stared my post graduation in Gynae in another city,another instt I was finally told I have pcos and was put on Novelon, an oral contarceptive pill . By this time, my periods had also become irregular....now I know this was a natural progression of the disease....that my hormones were going more and more haywire.... Now what happened was that the Novelon worsened the insulin resistance that is now known to be the root cause of the entire hormonal disbalance that characterizes PCOS . With worsening insulin resistance , I started putting on more weight and in about 3 months had put on an alarming 10 kgs !! I went off the pill,beacme depressed and decide no more treatment - as what I knew till then was that there is no cure for this. I became fatter and hairier till a time came that I just stopped looking into the mirror ....... this went on for quite a few years ....

Then from this year,I have been trying to get a grip on myself ....... I think the most important thing that happpened to me was that I discovered Lightsheer diode laser in my city. I have taken 2 treatments over tha face and neck since June and believe me it si like a miracle.Now I hardly have any hair on the face and neck whereas earlier I used to look just like a man with thick dark facial and chin hair. I have also been having Metformin and Aldactone regularly for the past 4 months and my periods,that had stopped for more than 2 years have come back. I have lost some weight too....though I have a long way to go.

I would strongly recommend that you visit a gynaec or a reproductive endocrinologist in your city and have regular medicines. Ask about Metformin,Pioglitazone and Aldactone[only if u r hairy].

I think this has been a very long post....but I do so want that no one should go through the pain and the hurt and the difficulties that I have had to go through .... I would love to help you out in any way I can.....feel free to mail me with whatever queries u have...however trifling they maybe .... I would be only too happy to help you.

With best wishes and lots of love...

I LOVE THIS SITE ....heartfelt thanks to Kat and to all other wonderful cysters ..... MORE POWER TO ALL OF US ....

WE SHALL OVERCOME....SOME DAY.....

love

bandanna

hi,

i also have one to tell....

a year ago, i felt really badly about the hairs to the extent that it affected my self-esteem. but now, a year later, i am happy to say that i am feeling like my old self again.

i think that having gone through those feelings of huge insecurity about my own appearance and knowing that i have hair problems brought about many positive changes in my life. it gave me the opportunity to assess and recognize my worth as a person. at the end of the day, hair or no hair, i am still the same person and i like myself so much more now than ever.

it also made me realize that appearances, like working for a better career, takes work. if you want to look a certain way, it's all within your control - it just takes eating healthily and living a healthy lifestyle. everything is within my control - i just have to be disciplined about it.

now, i can finally see that hairs are really just a cosmetic issue and luckily it can be removed. but the character it helped me build in the process, will stay with me for a lifetime.

i hope that more of the women who surf this board will realize their own sucess stories soon.

bandanna

Dotsia

Hi ladies,
I am a newbie here. This is my first message.
I have been diagnosed with a mild case of PCOS about a month ago. My OB said it is a mild case because I am only displaying the external symptoms - hair loss, acne and excessive hair, due to hormonal imbalances caused by PCOS (so doctor says, and I want to believe her). I have had this for almost 10 years and dermatologists were never able to diagnose until this year when the last derm I saw looked at my symptoms and asked me to se an OB to be tested for PCOS. Before that everybody kept telling me that my acne is a bacterial problem (and treated it unsuccessfully with antibacterial drugs - Dynacin), that hair loss is genetic (and even normal according to some), and that hair growth is also normal (hello?). I have been using Rogaine but can't say that I had much success. I started using it and stopped several time. When I start using it, it works for the first 8 months in that the shedding stops and some minimal regrowth happens but then hair loss begins again. May be it doesn't work well because I waited so long to use it. The last time I started shedding again after I thought that my hair was growing back, I got sick of it and desperate and saw a general doctor who referred me to the derm, who referred me to the OB.
When I read about PCOS after I was diagnosed, it scared the hell out of me because of all the risks (especially diabetes). I am healthy now in that I have a healthy weight; I exercise, eat well and don't have diabetes. I also menstruate regularly. But, even though PSOC sounds scary I was at least happy to have been diagnosed with something no matter how difficult the treatment can be.
My OB started me on Yasmin (BCP) and told me that it should help balance my hormones and help alleviate my symptoms. I never took BCPs before and have to say I was very disappointed during the first 2 weeks I was taking them because my acne and hair loss got worse. It was pretty frustrating. Every morning after I had showered and brushed my hair I was so cranky that it made my relationship with my husband a bit difficult, but thank god he is understanding, although I have to say that I am still paranoid that he might leave me if I lose my hair, especially because my once long curly hair was one of the things that attracted him to me.
Now, I have been taking Yasmin for 3 weeks and this week after reading your messages I started taking flax seed oil and biotin, washing my hair with Nizoral, and noticed that my acne cleared up and my hair stopped falling out. I used to have 40-60 hairs fall every day and this past couple of days I didn't lose more than 10. I know you will say I am crazy to think that losing 40-60 hairs is not normal, but when you had been noticeably thinning hair for the last 10 years you can't afford to lose more than 20 every day, especially when the hairs don't replace themselves so well.
So, I don't know what happened. Either the BCPs started working, or the supplements started showing their positive effect. I am also afraid to say that this is a success story so soon. I am very superstitious. But please keep your fingers crossed for me and I promise to update you on my progress whatever it is. Now if I can only regrow the lost hair...
Also, can any of you ladies tell me how did your doctor diagnose the cysts. Mine said that it is not even worth doing an xray because they won't be noticeable. And also, if I have periods, how come I don't ovulate regularly (if I have PCOS) and where would the cysts come from? I am course going to ask my doctor all these questions when I see her next but wanted your oppinions since often you know more than the doctors.
I am also wondering if any of you has similar symptms and has been taking Yasmine.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Dotsia

Peony

I have been on spironolactone for most of the past 10 years. About 7 years ago I went on Atkins very strictly, used rogaine and took 200 mg/day of spiro and my hair came back in on my head almost back to normal. I don't know if it was one, two or all three efforts combined that produced that result.

Only the 200 mg/day of spiro has ever been effective for me. The spiro definitely helped with body/chin hair for me. Less, lighter or in some cases disappeared.

My doctor put me on blood pressure medicine a couple of years ago that she said was good for diabetes and will not let me take the 200 mg/day of spiro. The hair on my head has been shedding and I have more body hair.

Good news is that I switched doctors and my new doctor is sending me to an endocrinologist. I am going to ask that my testosterone levels be checked and maybe it will provide a clue as to whether my hair loss is from high levels of testosterone or maybe it is just high sensitivity.

In the meantime, I am going to give saw palmetto a try. I am also interested in more information about flaxseed oil and biotin - anyone have additional information on how it helps with hair loss?

The really good news is that I am losing weight and slowly I have figured SOME of this out!!

*Kaotic*DrEaM*

What a great post! I had to join in!

So I was diagnosed in May 2001 because of constant breakouts happening...

The breakouts are GONE!

The upper lip hair still grows but it is lighter now, so I just wax it off every 5-7 weeks. (Thank you aldactone ). The rest of body hair is still a problem, but I feel okay about it so it's all right.

My weight kept changing, but it looks like it finally got on track as w/in the last 2 months I've lost about 7-10 pounds

So I'm definitely happy where the PCOS road is taking me!!!

God Bless!

- J

__________________
~*~ Sometimes we do things, or sometimes things happen that we don't quite understand...don't worry...let it happen...that's GOD ~*~
***********************
21 y/o
Diagnosed May 2001
Meds: Provera, 05/01 (NEVER AGAIN!), Glucophage 05/03-06/03
Ortho Tri-Cyclen 05/03-08/03; NeCon 1-28/35 since 08/03; Spironolactone (aldactone) since 05/03
Symptoms: abnormal cycle / light case hirsutism
Down to size 7's! (Cheers!)
***********************

VivC

I've known I had PCOS for probably 4 years, but never got tested/treated (until my hair started falling out!). Here are my positives:

*I've started low-carbing and exercising. I'm stuck after losing 25 pounds, but I know that even if that's all I lose, I'm healthier for it.

*I've found a great doc who knows all about PCOS. She's an OB-GYN, but she specializes in PCOS.

*I've learned to listen to my body. I'm not letting myself get as stressed as I used to (my blood pressure's up, so I have to). I nap when I need to nap (usually as soon as I get home). I eat when I need to eat (every few hours). I exercise daily because my body feels draggy and out-of-sorts when I don't.

*Best of all, I've learned that I'm NOT CRAZY! All those years of my mom, who's a nurse, calling me a hyperchondriac, and now there's vindication!

p.s. I'm so glad I found this thread - I'm feeling really bad today, but this perked me up a little.

__________________
VIV

Miracle baby boy Rivelino born too early to live on October 6, 2004 at 24 weeks and 6 days. Never to be forgotten...always to be remembered...forever my source of inspiration.

Dominici (May 3, 2006)

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Dotsia

What do you tak for your acne: pills/ creams?