RE: Interesting PCOS article (Full Version)

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ladioffaith -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (12/22/2007 10:44:17 PM)

Nobody has checked my androgens, so I don't know if I'm type 2 or 3 ... The first doctor I saw did use the word "syndrome X" so that's why it's one of the six names I use for the syndrome ...



wendylady -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (12/26/2007 4:29:49 PM)

Okay, I have a question, but I want to put it in context.

I haven't tracked my cycles down to the day, but I think that for the last 9 months I haven't been more than a week later than I would normally expect. In October when I had my hormonal panel run, I started my period later that day. I also noticed that throughout October and November, the hair growth seemed to have slowed, my skin wasn't as dry, the swelling was down (which could have been due to the medicine), etc.

In the past few weeks, I actually took two long weekends, to try to both use up vacation and decrease my stress level. Which, it seems to have done so. I started a cake decorating class (which yes, eating more cake and frosting than usual) but really, I've been bringing them to work for others to eat.

Over the last two or three weeks, everything seems to be going back to "normal" or rather "abnormal", and I'm two weeks late, which means that the swelling is back with a vengeance in my hands and feet.

I suppose my question, is do any of you ladies have periods of being "normal"? If so, does anyone know how this would effect your bloodwork?



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/15/2008 3:32:55 PM)

I'm bumping up this thread for those who've got some good low carb recipes to post them to help those that are new to or are still learning to low carb....



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/15/2008 4:01:29 PM)

OK..I know you (Erin) said that you've got a lot of hamburger or that you get it for free...here's a much better recipe to use it for than Hamburger Helper (which has a HUGE amount of carbs and way too much sodium)..

I got a Tapas cookbook from my Joelie for Christmas and have been making various recipes from it...

Albondigas con salsa de tomate (meatballs in tomato sauce)

Ingredients:

8 oz. ground beef
1 egg (slightly beaten)
4 scallions thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp parmesan
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 tomatoes chopped (large ones like beefsteak tomatoes)
2 Tbsp red or dry white wine (if you don't drink I suppose you could use beef broth)
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
pinch of sugar
sald and ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Put the meat, onions, garlic parmesan and thyme, egg, salt & pepper in a bowl and mix well.

2. Shape the meat into 12 small firm balls.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan and cook the meatballs for about 5 minutes turning frequently, until evenly browned all over.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, wine (or broth), rosemary and sugar to the pan with sald and ground black pepper to taste.

5. Cover the pan and cook gently until the tomatoes are pulpy and the meatballs are cooked through. Check the sauce for seasoning and serve the meatballs hot, garnished with the thyme.

You could make a side of 'low carb' pasta or regular pasta but serve yourself 1/3 cup or less. Or you could have a slice of bread with garlic powder & butter on it with a small side salad with a low carb dressing like ranch.

edited for spelling...



SweetLittleErin -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/15/2008 4:05:01 PM)

That sounds pretty good!

Yeah, we have a lot of hamburger, and its free. Plus we will be getting a whole hog in a couple of week. (for the price of processing) Farming parents are fun! [:)]



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/15/2008 4:12:10 PM)

They are delicious!

Ooohhh...a whole pig! Yummy!!! You could substitute beef in that recipe for anything, including ground turkey, chicken, or ground pork.

Oh...and some other foods to avoid if you're LCing would be mac & cheese, whole fruit (like bananas, oranges, apples, pears) - have half of the fruit in a serving and save the other half for the next meal. Don't eat more than 14 grapes in a serving...especially if you're eating them with a meal (like at lunch with a sandwich).

Good fruit to eat are berries...pretty much any kind are fantastic in antioxidants and you could eat as many as you want. [:)]



agapetos -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/17/2008 10:01:33 PM)

I said this in post 69

quote:

I'm sorry, but isn't that seriously hijacking a thread? I can understand you not wanting to start a thread in H&F but you should at least start your own...

Low carbing may help PCOS but not everyone wants to go down that route...

You could always start a new thread for Low Carbing in the women's folder and ask the mods if it can be left there ~ or you can subscribe to it so that when/if you click on 'My Forums' it'll show if there are any new posts.


Ryanne responded with this

quote:

Don't worry... we moved our discussion to the dieting thread


I know that I'm sick right (and therefore not thinking as clearly as I might) now but I honestly don't understand why you can't create a low carb thread here in the womens folder as I suggested. You can easily mention in this thread that you've added some recipes without the need to have it all in this thread ~ and that may be a better idea also because there are probably women who could post their favourite low carb recipes who don't post in this thread.



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/17/2008 10:18:40 PM)

If anyone is interested...though this thread has been dormant for a while...I'm starting a new thread for Low Carb Recipes...



agapetos -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (1/20/2008 7:00:34 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: clag4christ

If anyone is interested...though this thread has been dormant for a while...I'm starting a new thread for Low Carb Recipes...

The link for that thread is here.



Jess77 -> RE: PCOS (2/24/2008 8:27:03 PM)

I was diagnosed with PCOS about 7 years ago. I just went to my Gyn. and she did some blood tests and looked at my symptoms (acne, irregular periods, hair in wrong places, weight gain, skin tags) and decided I had PCOS. The only thing on my tests that came back abnormal to my knowledge was my Testosterone levels were elevated. She put me on Desogen which send me into horrible mood swings and gave me severe, excrutiating cramps. She switched me to Loestren which was better for the cramps, but still left me somewhat moody. I took myself off the pill altogether because 1. it made it impossible for me to lose weight and 2. it seemed counterproductive to take something to treat the symptoms without getting to the cause. I put myself on a low-carb attkins-ish diet and began exercising 30 mins a day. Lost 50 lbs in about 6 mos. time and all my symptoms went away. Over the last few years I have added the carbs back in and eventually the symptoms all came back. Now I am back on my diet and I have had 2 periods in the past two months after skipping several months. I can definitely say that the diet is the way to go to get everything back on track to normalcy.

One thing I am curious about though with all of you ladies... do you find yourselves feeling less "girly" than you think is normal when your symptoms are not under control?



daughter_of_faith -> RE: PCOS (3/18/2008 9:40:58 PM)

Hmmmm....so low carb is the way to go?

I've heard mixed reactions on this. Ie: I know a woman who went on a low carb diet.....and has ended up being sick a lot because of it. Do you get all of your nutrients?

Maybe I'm crazy...and I know we've kind of gotten off topic of PCOS....but is this something I should be doing now? It sounds like doc thinks this is what I have. Not sure what treatment he is going to advise. It sounded like he was going to ask me to go on birth control. I don't want to do that as my DH and I are trying to conceive....



ladioffaith -> RE: PCOS (3/20/2008 9:05:05 PM)

OK, here's my mini rant on PCOS, sickness, met and low carb ... not necessarily in that order:

I am currently not low-carbing. (I know, I know.) That said, I have found it to be the most effective thing to do when I am trying to lose weight. I follow more of a South Beach kind of thing. I'm all about balance and do not COUNT carbs. When I am on the program, I just try to eat right.

In other words ... veggies are good, white starches are bad. Brown rice is better than white.

The medication I am on is Metformin, which has the added side effect of making me sick. However, that is a thing that varies so I'm not worried about it. But sometimes I find myself avoiding that second daily dose because I'm not feeling well as it is.

Any diet change will also serve as a "shock" to your system.



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: PCOS (3/20/2008 9:30:55 PM)

Ladioffaith, is your sickness from the met better/worse when you avoid/eat certain foods? I have trouble with popcorn, chocolate, and milk if I eat them within about 3 hours of taking my Met.

Also, you can switch to the ER version so that you only take one dose, not two.



agapetos -> RE: PCOS (3/20/2008 9:50:45 PM)

quote:

Also, you can switch to the ER version so that you only take one dose, not two.
I'd agree that you try that if you can, or, if you haven't discuss it with your doctor. I've come close to kicking myself a couple of times for struggling with taking meds and med side effects and finally got round to speaking with my doc to discover there was an alternative which was much easier for me to deal with[&:]



SweetLittleErin -> RE: PCOS (3/21/2008 11:41:04 AM)

My Metformin made me very sick when I ate greasy foods (KFC). But it went away after a couple of weeks. ((hugs)) during that time it was bad, but it did the trick and I adjusted. Hope it gets better for you soon. Remember, you are LOW Carbing, not NO Carbing, so dont be too hard on yourself. I had to remind myself of that often. Just do what you can, every little step is in the right direction.



ladioffaith -> RE: PCOS (3/21/2008 5:51:14 PM)

My previous doctor had me on the E.R. version. Current doc QUADROUPLED my dose and had me on the regular generic (which is now available in ER but wasn't then.)

I take two, 1000 mg pills twice a day. I don't think that would change even if I'm on the XR version.

For a while I was OK because I also took a cholesterol med that had the opposite side effect.

I have learned that my stomach is like the weather in Ohio ... wait a minute, it will change. I'm a big believer in regulating symptoms like this by diet. There are days I crave veggies and other days I avoid them like the plague. Days I reach for cheese and days I shun it.

Thanks for the reminder to reschedule that doc appointment ...



artemis -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 8:17:44 PM)

I wrote a question in the other PCOS thread before it got locked and I'm going to repost it here if that's OK. Sorry for using the wrong thread... I thought this one had disappeared into cyber-space by now [:D] My post was:

quote:

Well, here's a question for all you PCOS experts. My doctor did bloodwork last week and said that the results looked pretty consistent with PCOS. She wants me to come back in about 2 weeks if I haven't had a period by then (I haven't had one since my D&C in December) and rerun the bloodwork just to make sure. She said we'd start talking about Clomid or other meds if the results still point to PCOS.

So here's my question... If I started doing low carb right now, would it change my hormones or whatever and give an inacurate reading on my bloodwork in a couple of weeks? If I do have PCOS, I want to be diagnosed so I can do something about it. On the one hand, I want to do low carb and anything else that might help me start cycling again. On the other hand, I don't want to mask any symptoms that might lead to a mis-diagnosis. Does that even make sense? Would you recommend trying low carb now or waiting 2 weeks until I redo the bloodwork?


Thanks!



daughter_of_faith -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 9:19:37 PM)

I know what you mean by that, Amy. That's where I thought this one had went...as periodically a new thread takes over an old one. And sorry...but I honestly have no advice as I'm pretty new to this. Ryanne or Erin would be good sources on that one (I think?).....

Anyway...I didn't find out anything more with my appt. today. I asked about medicine...doc didn't sound like that was his approach...so IDK. He mentioned going in with a scope to remove the cysts. I told my mom this (a nurse) right after I got home and she said....you do realize that means they would remove your ovaries? Is this right?!?! I really really really want MORE kids & I do NOT want my ovaries removed!!!!

Now it's just a wait & see to see what the results from the ELB (endo lining biopsy).



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 9:46:29 PM)

quote:

Ryanne or Erin would be good sources on that one (I think?).....


Or me [;)][:)]



artemis -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 9:50:10 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: clag4christ

quote:

Ryanne or Erin would be good sources on that one (I think?).....


Or me [;)][:)]


So... do you have any thoughts? [8D]



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 9:54:17 PM)

Low carbing isn't going to effect your hormone test results and IMO it would be a good thing to start doing. Also, arm yourself with some info on Metformin as it usually works best alone, or it can be used in conjunction with Clomid. Clomid on it's own, with PCOS, rarely produces the desired effects.



clag4christ -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/25/2008 9:56:34 PM)

LOL...I was thinking about your question from the other thread all day actually...

I think you should start low carbing...I know my system needs more that just low carbing to get under control...it takes Metformin for me as well. But then again, my system was gunked up from over 8 years of not knowing what was going on with my body and not low carbing...

I don't think that cutting down on your carbs for two weeks would drastically alter your test results. If you've got the other symptoms your doc can go on that...you should also mention, should you start low carbing, that you've been doing it for the past two weeks. You can also keep a food diary for every meal and take that with you and show it to your doc. If your symptoms lessen while low carbing that will be another indicator to your doctor *of having* PCOS. [:)]



agapetos -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/26/2008 7:28:29 AM)

There are a lot of things that we can do to help ourselves with many health problems and I know there is a general impatience (at least there is with me[&:]) of wanting to be better sooner rather than later, but perhaps it's worth taking things one step at a time?

Sometimes changes in our lifestyle can help enough that we don't need meds. Sometimes the lifestyle changes have no effect, but meds work wonders. Sometimes both are needed to have any effect. Doing everything at once may sort things out, but (and again, this is my opinion and I'm biased because of the amount of meds I have to take[:'(]) who in their right mind wants to take medication when there are alternatives? Watching your carbs and then starting meds in such a close timeframe may muddy the waters as to which is helping.

quote:

Anyway...I didn't find out anything more with my appt. today. I asked about medicine...doc didn't sound like that was his approach...so IDK. He mentioned going in with a scope to remove the cysts. I told my mom this (a nurse) right after I got home and she said....you do realize that means they would remove your ovaries? Is this right?!?! I really really really want MORE kids & I do NOT want my ovaries removed!!!!
Firstly, what's the chances of you seeing a different doctor? Secondly, no, removing cysts is not the same as removing your ovaries. Cysts can be removed without removing the ovary ~ it's very important that you talk to your doctor about this though and make it clear that you want more children and don't want your ovaries removed under any circumstances. I'd suggest that if you did decide to have an op you put your wishes writing and hand it to the surgeon and stand over him while he reads it, agrees to it and puts notes (in his handwriting, not simply the letter) into your file. Most doctors will do their best for their patient and they should discuss with your all your options and the risks well before any surgery though.



daughter_of_faith -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/26/2008 10:01:05 AM)

I could PROBABLY start seeing another doctor....they are a dime a dozen around here. It's just this doctor is affiliated with the only clinic that has treated our family as HUMANS and not just a paycheck.

I'm just having a hard time with the waiting game! This morning the spotting has mostly stopped. I still keep questioning whether we're pregnant or not. I know with my pregnancy with my ds (almost 5)....my levels didn't show a positive until I was 2 weeks late on a urine test. If I switch docs now, aren't I starting over? As far as getting a diagnosis of what is actually wrong? The doc is trying to eliminate things one by one. But I would think with the cysts & other symptoms I have...I would think he SHOULD start me on probably the Metformin...

Does it matter how many cysts one has? As far as in removal and/or treatment? Because I saw multiple areas where there were cysts on both ovaries...



SweetLittleErin -> RE: Interesting PCOS article (3/26/2008 1:50:03 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: clag4christ

quote:

Ryanne or Erin would be good sources on that one (I think?).....


Or me [;)][:)]

quote:

Ryanne or Erin would be good sources on that one (I think?)....


Everything I know I learned from Kim! [:)] I'll let her weigh in![&:]

ETA...I'm behind, she already answered!



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