Total Health Tuesday... You can't Fix it if You Don't Know its Broken

*Disclaimer*- This post is a little "personal". And it might get a little soap boxy. Just so you are aware.

The more research I do on PCOS, the more frustrated I get. Not that its confusing (because it is), not because there is a lack in clear cut progress in treatment (because everyone treats differently), but because the real reason doctors and women have trouble working together to create a solution is because no one knows there's a problem. The idea of talking about something so personal as our menstrual cycle has become very tabu in our society. I remember in High School a group of kids grabbing my pack to look for a pencil or pen and happening upon my "supplies" and totally freaking out. Embarrassed me to death, but hey its a part of life right? Right. Once a month we are suppose to keel over in pain, wear our baggiest clothes and pray for it all to end as we "die" through our legs, right? That's why they created such Godsends as Midol and Tylenol and Advil right? Because this was our curse. This was part of the punishment set on us because Eve ate that blessed apple, right?

WRONG

Did you know we are not suppose to writhe in agony each month? That this special "time of cleansing" is not to be marked with large dark deposits known as clots leaving the body? Did you know that is a sign your body is having a hard time cleansing itself? Did you know that after a woman has gone through puberty that her periods should really not last more than 7 days? Did you know that extreme mood swings before and during your cycle are NOT considered normal working order?

I didn't.

And that is why I am 30 years old and just now figuring it out. Because I didn't know anything was broken because NO ONE talks about it. Including me. NO ONE knows what is normal and what is not because there has not been a verbal consensus and we are not talking to those people who can help us. Yes I am talking medicine here. I am not a big fan of doctors, I have very strong feelings about medicating and vaccinating everything. On the other hand I have utmost RESPECT for the medical community as a whole. I saw them take a dying mother and her unborn child and save them both eight weeks premature and suffering from massive amounts of infection raging her body and pull them through and both are alive and well today. I have seen them take an HIV patient doomed to death and prolong his life. I respect medicine, I acknowledge its boundaries and rejoice where it exceeds my wildest ambitions.

That is why I feel the need to say here, talk to your doctor. If you suffer, talk to them. It may be a range of normality, it may not. You may not know. This has always been "normal" for me, "normal" for the women in my family (who not so surprisingly suffered all the same afflictions I do). Putting it out there is the first step in establishing health in uncertain times. You can then make the decision if the treatment seems reasonable to you or whether it has given you the information you need to pursue other avenues. Or whether we live in a totally over medicated world. But the first step is to talk, not suffer.

These thoughts were inspired by this website as I was researching the "validity" of my diagnosis.

Not So Fat Tuesday....

Well it is confirmed... at least according to my Dr., that I have Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
And because every book I read and "professional" I talk to seems to have a different theory on the why's and how's of PCOS I won't even try to explain it.
I have an imbalance of sorts which causes a lot of things to happen or not happen in my body, ie: it's very difficult for me to lose weight.
Which to some seems like a poor excuse, but I am actually glad to at least have a reason. When you're heavy and you "try" to lose weight everyone just assumes you aren't doing enough. I've had trainers tell me this, I've had Dr.s tell me this, I've had family tell me this all my life.
It's rough physically but the physical has nothing on the emotional especially when you were spending 10+ hours a week in the gym.
I have decided to work with the Drs to create a treatment plan that involves both the medical aspect and the Lifestyle aspect of this issue.
They have me on meds to equal out my insulin levels and I have an appointment to meet with a dietitian to work out a food plan for me. There are different schools of thought on what diet regime actually works so I will study and do my thing until I can get in with the "Pro" and see what she has to say.
Because weight loss is and will be difficult for me for a while I don't think its really helping me to continue publicly updating whether I have lost according to the scales or not (the scales did not move this week btw).
I do want to hold myself accountable for taking control of the situation, even if its to my imaginary readers ;-)
So I was thinking I would like to turn this into a TOTAL HEALTH TUESDAY post from now on and talk about the positive things I am finding to do for my body, my mind, and general sanity!
And because the scales do play a part in my health I plan to celebrate my successes when they come and not on a weekly time line that seems to leave me on an emotional roller coaster steered by the numbers on the scale.
So if you are reading and want to play along, feel free to celebrate your successes in the comments box or link to a healthy post on your blog.
If you still want scales inspiration check out my buddy Nicole where she does her thing losing baby weight at Ramblings by Nicole
she has also found inspiration weight wise through one of her fav blogs
Me, I'm gona take this route until I can get a handle on things and feel more confident.