🧫💉Testing, Testing 1,2,3 - My PCOS Story💉🧫

Here we are again! 👋🏼

This story started the first week of December...

I have really struggled for the past year with weight gain, acne, bloating, and acid reflux. I seem to lose a pound and put 2 back on. Constant battle. I have always been self-conscious about my weight after losing 7 stone a few years ago but it was slowly spiraling out of control, out of my control. I knew what to do to lose weight and nothing I did was working, eating salads, doing intense boxing sessions and swimming for hours on end. Weighing myself and still seeing no results.

I had gone to the doctor in November 2019 with the acid reflux symptoms because I was having to take medication after every meal, red flags started appearing then! The doctor simply said ‘you need to lose weight, you have put on a lot of weight in the past year or so’ Off I went and worked out every day sometimes in the gym 10 hours a day! Swimming, running and cycling - No results, it actually ended up making me exhausted and feeling even worse!

I was putting my body under constant stress and thinking should I stop eating? I have struggled most of my life with going to extremes, from binge eating to not eating at all and fainting everywhere. It is a horrible cycle that has spiraled out of control.

After constantly being bloated and struggling with Acne I headed back to the doctors to get some answers, I wasn't letting it go this time. The doctors had sent off for blood. 6 blood tests later and I had been told my liver levels weren't quite right, they wanted more tests. I should have rented a bed in the blood test area of the hospital because I was there almost every other day!

I finally had results at the start of December 2020, PCOS.

That name Polycystic Ovary Syndrome scared me a lot when I first heard it come from the doctor's mouth, mainly because I was expecting to learn a lot about the condition which had been undiagnosed for over a year.

"You are overweight, last time you were here you were a lot smaller and a lot more active"

Yes, doctor PCOS causes constant tiredness and weight gain.. Didn't tell me that.

I have been boxing for years, always got energy for one more round, one more press up, or even 1 more minute on the treadmill. Just recently getting out of bed to catch the train for work on time has been a struggle let alone go to the gym or do a workout!

Of course, I was going to gain weight not exercising every single day like I used to but I needed a break because my body just physically couldn't take it. After being hurt during sparring in 2018 I had injuries which meant I couldn't go back straight away anyway so the recovery process for that took priority. I was constantly tired as well so sleep took a lot of my time up.

I had called the doctor and asked for advice on PCOS, I had a lot of questions, I mean who doesn't when they have never heard of something they are being diagnosed with.

The simple answer I got was "it is not life-threatening but you will have it for life"

Something which I later went on to learn was not true at all!

The mention of metformin had come up in conversation with the doctor and I had simply said I had done my own research on it. Long term use can cause liver and kidney problems, I had researched into vitamins and supplement replacements which do a lot more for the body and do the same job! The doctor had already said there were a few issues with my liver function and i did not want to damage those any further.

I have started to do lots of research into PCOS, things I can do, things I can try and just how to manage it in general. I know a few people with PCOS but there are 4 different types so following the things they do to control their PCOS may not benefit me. So far it has been down to trial and error, however, I am on the right track to controlling it now.

There are 4 types of PCOS:

- Insulin-resistant PCOS

- Inflammatory PCOS

- Hidden-cause PCOS

- Pill-induced PCOS

I have a few symptoms from all of those types so I couldn't really put myself into one exact category. I have purchased books, followed social media accounts, collected leaflets, and tried different ideas and tips from sufferers so far.

One social media pages I follow in particular belongs to a PCOS dietitian and nutritionist.

Her ideas included going gluten and dairy-free as well as trying to do weighted and slow workouts as opposed to running and high-intensity workouts. This is because running and high-intensity workouts put a lot of strain on the body causing the body to be stressed and hold weight, this explains my questions on how I haven't lost weight even though I have been working out multiple times a day..

Everything I read and watched on her page made all my problems slowly make sense.. the constant acid reflux due to gluten and dairy intolerance. I started implementing Gluten and dairy-free into my diet the moment I left the hospital with the news of PCOS, I have not had acid reflux since. I have stopped bloating and my face looks like it has deflated (My cheeks were so swollen I could barely see). I have noticed how much energy I have and want to do more, I am still struggling with my sleep however the doctor is researching sleep apnea. That's a story for another day..

2 weeks I have been doing the gluten and dairy-free diet, I have invested in recipe books to make new and exciting meals, I have purchased a book on PCOS and how I can help manage my symptoms naturally without taking birth control and metformin. I have even joined Facebook groups with other people who have the condition to pick up tips and tricks, I feel amazing already!!

It has been hard to go completely gluten and dairy-free as I do love my cheese and bread but the outcome when I eat it is so not worth it. I have been out for dinner since my new diet and something I had must have had a bit of gluten in because my belly bloated so badly, the feeling is like a balloon being pumped up.

I am so excited for the new year to learn new things about my condition and how I can help others through my blog and my experiences as well as trying new things that I love.

I am going to work hard to lose weight and become more healthy as well as take vitamins and supplements to help me manage my symptoms. I am excited to take you all on this journey with me into the new year!

New year, new me I guess!

Thank you for reading this blog and the constant support and love you all give to me.

Take care and look out for my next blog soon!

Chloe x