So after my last *ahem* slightly depressing and complaining filled last post, I'm back with an update from the doctor.
After meeting with Dr. B this morning, it's official. I have metabolic syndrome with causes the PCOS. I didn't get exact numbers, but my insulin is lower than it should be. In a nutshell, my body doesn't have any problems producing insulin (like diabetics,) but my tissues are not able to absorb the insulin my body is producing. The PCOS is my ovaries' response to not being able to absorb the insulin.
So, treatment. Dr. B put me on Glucophage (which is apparently been changed to Metformin according to Google) which will force my body's tissues to absorb the insulin it needs. I'm also now on birth control (Mircette) to get my body into a regular cycle. It's a special kind that has 21 days of BC, 2 days of placebo pills and 5 days of straight estrogen. Dr. B says that hopefully this kind won't trigger my headaches to start up again. I'm also on a multi vitamin.
Along with the drugs comes a whole new lifestyle change. I have to basically act like I'm diabetic which means that carbs and sugars are now the enemy. I have a meeting with a dietitian who will help me start eating a high protein, low carb diet. Goody goody gumdrops (or not, since gumdrops are sugar.) If you know me at all, you know that breads and candy are my two favorite food groups. Not the healthiest, but the truth. Now I'm on the hunt for lunch options that will fit this new diet of mine. I'm pretty picky about my meat consumption (I was basically vegetarian up until I was like 17) so I need to find lunch options that don't take a lot of preparation and are still appetizing after sitting in the work fridge / my bag all morning. I don't like sea food or lunch meats (or really sandwiches in general,) I've never had a hot dog (and I don't want to try one) and I'm not a huge fan of pork at all. So unless I suddenly am able to cook steaks every day for lunch, I feel like my options are limited. Investigating I must go.
Hand in hand with my new spiffy diet comes a workout plan. My doctor wants me to work out 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. Obviously since it's 7:45, I'm blogging and haven't eaten dinner yet, working out isn't happening today. Working out has never been a favorite past time of mine, so I need to find something I enjoy and am able to stick with. I was getting up in the mornings and doing the 30 Day Shred with Jillian Michaels before the wedding, but I value my sleep too much to get up at the buttcrack of dawn. If I work out at night, I always come up with a million excuses why I I'm too busy to put in the 30 minutes. I'm thinking that I need to join a class or two at the Y. Something that will make me accountable and I'll feel bad about missing. One reason being on the swim team worked so well for me was I didn't want to get in trouble for skipping practice, so I just went. I need to find something like that again. A real life Jillian, perhaps.
After explaining all of this to me, Dr. B said that if I stick with this plan (and him) for at least a year, our chances of conceiving "naturally" increase. Normally, once a couple starts actively trying to get pregnant, my doctor will give them a year before recommending medical interventions. Those can be anywhere from medication to IVF. Keegan and I decided we'll probably want to start trying about this time next year, so hopefully this new lifestyle plan will prepare my body for that.
Overall, I'm feeling *ok.* Of course, this isn't the worst thing ever, it'll just take a while to get used to. I love baking cookies on the weekend and having Keegan take most of them to work, but now, if I can't have cookies, no one gets cookies. Hopefully the guys don't mind too much. I hope that the dietitian is able to give me some suggestions on things to make for lunches. They've always been hard for me to plan out which means that I fall back on fast food more that I should. Since I'm the one that normally makes dinner, Keegan is going on this diet with me. Again, if I can't have mashed potatoes, he can't either. I'm just mean like that. I'm hoping that just the change in diet, plus the medications will make the weight fall off easier than it has before and I won't need to work out *as* much. Wishful thinking, I'm sure.
But really, the medications should make it easier for me to lose weight. I always wondered why I never saw changes when I cut out small things like soda or started working out 3 times a week like other women did. I realize that everyone's body is different, but I've heard so many women say they lost 5 pounds just cutting out soda and I never did. This kind of explains it all now. It also explains why, even when I was swimming 5 hours a day, I never was really as skinny as other girls on my team. Because of the metabolic syndrome, it takes a lot more for my body to lose weight.
So that's basically the update. As soon as I meet with the dietitian, I'll be starting this life overhaul. Until then, since I don't really know what I'm allowed to eat, I'm just going to continue on normally. We're going to Missouri this weekend and there's no way I'm missing out on Shakespeare's pizza or El Rancho's nachos. I'm sorry future babies, but momma loves her some nachos.
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