Ladies... Don't touch Yasmin!

It's been a while since I've posted on here. That last couple of years have been a rollercoaster ride, but I've been doing alot of research on PCOS and feel I've got my weight to a healthier state (I've lost 35 pounds since being diagnosed in 2010).

When I was diagnosed with PCOS the doctor put me on Microgynon 30. It was the same pill I was on for years prior to coming off it and it didn't occur to me that there may be other pills that are better for dealing with PCOS symptoms.

It was only a few months ago that I started looking into different pill options, and I read that Yasmin was good for dealing with PCOS symptoms. I researched into it and read some good reviews from women with PCOS, but then I also stumbled accross a forum called "Yasmin Survivors" where a lot of women had really bad side effects being on it and also after coming off it.

At the time I was naive and thought perhaps it wouldn't have any effect on me, that maybe with me having PCOS it would affect me differently to those who don't, and maybe I was one of the ones that it would work for.

That site should have sent off alarm bells in my head, but I went to the doctors anyway and asked to be put on it. He told me that I should've been prescribed Yasmin in the first place after being diagnosed with PCOS, but didn't give me any sort of warning about side effects going on or coming off it.

I think I took that as a sign that perhaps Yasmin wasn't so bad. Oh, how wrong I was.

The first 3 days of taking Yasmin I had really bad headaches and nausea. After that it didn't seem so bad. I had a few hot flushes every now and then which I could put up with. About 3 days before I was due to stop taking Yasmin for my period, I fainted. At the time I'd turned my head in a weird way which I think caused me to faint, but now I'm not so sure.

Anyway, the week of my period I had really bad dizzy spells. I went out with my other half and I'd get this feeling of falling and I'd need to find a place to sit. I'd also get really hot. At the time I thought it was my bodies way of dealing with not being on Yasmin for that week and that when I start taking it again my body would settle down.

I told myself I'd give it a few months to see if it was just my bodies way of getting used to this new pill.

However, 3 days into the next months pack and I still felt really dizzy and light headed and I just wanted it to stop. So I decided to stop taking Yasmin. I didn't wait until I finished the pack until I stopped - I just stopped 3 days in. A few days later I had another period (which I suppose was to be expected) and I still had dizzy spells.

It's now been 11 days since I took my last pill and I've been having really horrible side effects. Not only do I get dizzy spells but I get a weird sensation all over my body and then I start to get anxious. The last couple of days I've been getting tingling in my arms and legs (and my hands and feet get really cold). Today I'm still getting that but they also feel really achy and weak.

I've also been getting blurry vision. It's not so bad that I can't see, but if I'm looking at something for a long time I lose focus on it.

It's driving me crazy. And from what I've read on the Yasmin Survivors forum there may be worse to come, and I may be like this for a long time. Looking back now I really wish I'd decided against using Yasmin, especially after reading all the bad stuff about it.

If you're thinking of trying it PLEASE DON'T. You might be one of the lucky ones that has no issue with it, but if you're not it will be the worst decision of your life. And one that I'll regret forever.

Good Mornin'

I didn't post about what I had to eat yesterday. I actually did pretty good but I still felt hungry shortly after each meal. Luckily I didn't cave in and have a snack or anything. I know it's ok to have a snack, but my snacks usually consist of chocolate and crisps and stuff that's not good for you :) Haven't tried any of the fruit I bought the other day so perhaps I'll have that as a snack today.

So, yesterdays food consisted of:

Breakfast: Special K Cereal (30g with 125ml of Semi Skimmed Milk - I measured it. That's the first time I've measured anything. Usually with my cereal I'll fill the whole bowl - 30g is not alot. But it was good for me 'cause I didn't feel as bloated around the middle as I usually do with my bowl of Shreddies)

Dinner: Fresh ham sandwich on wholemeal bread with a bit of lettuce. I hate lettuce and in the end took most of it off, but I managed a little bit :\

Tea: Grilled Salmon with boiled potatoes. This actually wasn't that bad. I would have it again so at least now I know I can have boiled potatoes instead of roast potatoes. I guess I'll save the roast potatoes for a treat every now and then :)

I had a couple of glasses of milk throughout the day, and some water too. By the end of the night I felt a bit light headed so I made myself a cup of tea with 2 sugars in it. It was the only cup of tea I had yesterday so I didn't feel too bad about having it.

I was going to go to the gym last night but we had tea first and afterwards didn't feel like going, so I just went on Wii Fit for half an hour. It's something, right?

This morning I've already had my breakfast - some Special K (30g with 125ml semi skimmed milk). I feel like having more 'cause it didn't fill me up - but I'm not going to. I can wait until dinner. By the way, is the "Special K Diet" worth trying? I'm just wondering how to cut out bread altogether and having another bowl of Special K for dinner could be a replacement. Hmm.

Anyway, I didn't get round to calling my doctor yesterday. The nurse at the hospital told me to wait a week so I waited until today to make an appointment. I've managed to get myself one at 4.30pm today. However, my regular doctor is on holiday, so I'll have to see a locum (sp?) doctor. I'm not sure if that'll go in my favour. I actually like my doctor and can talk to him about anything, and he listens. Now I'm worried this locum doctor isn't going to be much help. If he isn't, I can always make an appointment with my regular doctor when he's back off holiday :)

xx

Food Stuff

I went shopping today. I was going to wait until I got my PCOS book and figure out exactly what I'm supposed to be eating, but there wasn't alot in the house that I could muster up that would be good for me.

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I don't like fruit or veg. I am a very fussy eater and it isn't just fruit or veg that I don't like. However, I realise I need to incorporate alot of stuff into my diet that I don't like.

Here's a quick list of stuff that I wouldn't usually have that I don't like:

Special K Cereal (I've never actually tried this so can't really say that I don't like it).
Kiwi Fruit
Melon
Lettuce
Natural Yogurt

I also bought some things that I do like that I am allowed to eat including fresh chicken, fresh salmon, and fresh ham.

I also bought some potatoes to have boiled with the salmon. I don't like boiled potatoes either (I prefer roasted) but my boyfriend insists I have them boiled as they're healthier.

My boyfriend has been amazing since I found out about this and he is very supportive. I don't know what I'd do without him. We went for a walk together before in the park. It was only for about half an hour but it made me feel a bit better about myself. We're also going to do a bit of "boxing" on the Wii later. He is great <3

I'm going to try and make an appointment with my doctor tommorrow as my report from the hospital should have got to him by now. I'm hoping he'll give me more information instead of just prescribing me with the pill and telling me to lose weight.

So, what I've had for food today is:

Breakfast: Cornflakes, Orange Juice
Dinner: Cheese on Wholemeal toast (no butter)
Tea: Scrambled egg on Wholemeal toast (the plan was to have the salmon with potatoes but by the time we got home from our walk it was getting a bit too late in the day to cook something for a long period of time, so we opted for the eggs as they're quick and simple).

Thanks again for reading x

Tired

Woke up today and didn't feel in the mood to do anything. Is tiredness a symptom of PCOS? I have had days like this in the past but I don't want to blame every ailment I have on PCOS, but if this is a symptom of it then it explains all the other times I've felt like this.

I had some cornflakes for breakfast today. I was struggling to find anything for dinner. I didn't want a sandwich as that would mean eating white bread again. My boyfriend suggested Super Noodles. Not the best thing in the world, but they were delicious. Not sure if they're good for me, but I think I'm going to try to make the best of what we've got in the house, and then when my PCOS book comes I can make a proper routine of what to eat, what not to eat etc. and then go shopping.

I've been told to eat 6 small meals a day so I'm hoping the book I've ordered will provide info on what these 6 meals should contain and how small a portion they should be.

I've had a glass of water today and will be having a second later. I will be having some more bacon today but that's only because I want to use the rest that's left in the packet from what I opened yesterday. I will be having it with wholemeal bread this time though (toasted).

Damn I could eat a big cream cake right about now. Don't worry, I'm not going to :) When I found out I had PCOS all I can think about is not putting anything in my body that can do more harm than good. I don't think I'll ever cut out cakes completely, but I think it will be something I treat myself with every 3 months or so. I do have a very sweet tooth though so I'm hoping I can find something to eat that will satisfy this need :)

I had a bit of a walk before and have done a bit of housework. I still feel tired though.

Thanks for reading. If you have any advice or just want to talk about your own experience please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from anyone who is in the same boat as me. x

What I had for tea

Well, for tea tonight I had 2 slices of grilled bacon on... white toast :\ I know it wasn't the best thing for me but we haven't been shopping this week and I'm just trying to make the best of what we've got in the house. I'm still researching what foods I should be eating and plan on buying the correct stuff when we do go shopping.

I also ordered myself a book earlier about PCOS and how to diet etc. so hopefully I'll find that useful. I'll post anything I find useful too, for my benefit and yours.

I drank way too much tea today as well and plan on cutting down to maybe just 2 cups a day and cutting down on the sugar (I usually take 2 sugars in my tea). Hopefully I can cut down altogether and maybe just have one as a treat every now and then. But it's going to be difficult cutting out most things that I like straight away. I am determined though.

I haven't done any excersise today though due to work. But I plan on doing some walking over the weekend and once I've been to see my GP next week I'll work on planning gym classes etc.

I created a "ticker" to show how much weight I need to lose to get to my ideal size. This is based on my weight being at 13 stone, although I could weigh more now. It's been a month or two since I last weighed myself so I'm just going to go off that for now.

Created by MyFitnessPal - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Food stuff

I'm still not really sure what exactly I'm supposed to be eating but I've been on a PCOS forum and have asked a few questions on what I need to cut out of my diet.

Usually for dinner I'd have a sandwich with white bread but I've been advised that I shouldn't eat white bread anymore. We don't have any brown bread in the house at the moment so for dinner I had a bowl of cornflakes. I also had a bowl of cornflakes for breakfast.

I'm not sure if that was a good idea but I haven't had a chance to figure out what I'm supposed to be eating yet so I haven't been shopping for some proper food, so I'm just trying to make something of what I have in the house.

I've also been advised that instead of having 3 normal meals a day, I should have 6 small meals a day "as it reduces the highs and lows that you can get with pcos as well".

Here comes the big problem with me. I don't like fruit or veg and hardly touch the stuff, but now I know I'm going to have to incorporate alot of it into my diet and I just don't know if I'm going to be able to. I'm going to have to try, I know that much.

I just wish I had found out about this earlier. Perhaps if I'd found out when I was 16 I would've kept my weight low and would've tried eating better. I was a UK size 8 when I was 16 years old. Now I'm a UK size 16.

I'm also trying to drink more water every day. I don't want to start drinking 6 glasses a day, rather lead up to it. So for now I'll drink 2 glasses a day for a week, and then work my way up to 6 glasses a day.

Sorry if this post is a bit mumbled but I just wanted to get it off my chest.

Welcome to my journey

Hello. My name is Olivia and on 10th August 2010 I was diagnosed with PCOS. This is a blog about my journey as I try to deal with it, try to lose weight, and eventually try to conceive.

I am 27 years old and when I was 16 I went on the pill. I came off the pill 20 months ago and that's when I started noticing the symptoms. I have had about 5 periods in that time, I've grown a little facial hair, my hair on my legs seem to have grown darker, and I've put on quite a bit of weight. I'm not obese, but my BMI classes me as overweight and I am definately not ther person I used to be before I came off the pill.

Being on the pill for so long must've masked the symptoms. Obviously it gave me regular periods, but it's odd that I didn't have the facial hair or the weight gain when I was on the pill. I'm not sure if the pill is supposed to help in these areas, or just helps in giving you regular periods.

This is all the things I need to talk about with my GP. When I went for the scan to test for PCOS, the nurse who did it wasn't very helpful and basically told me that I needed to speak to my GP about what to do next. This disheartened me as she wouldn't even answer the basic questions. She told me to make an appointment with my GP for next week to give time for the report to be sent back to him. Obviously, when I go I will be asking all sorts of questions, like what foods I should be eating, what excersises I should be doing etc. I may even go back on the pill for a while if it helps regulate my periods again and helps me lose weight.

My boyfriend and I have spoken about having kids and we've always said we'll try in a few years. This gives me time to lose the weight and get my health back up to speed so when the time comes it should hopefully be easier to conceive.

I'm not sure how much I weigh at the moment but I will be trying to go to the gym at least 5 times a week so the next time I go there I will get weighed so I have a starting point.

Thank you for reading. I hope you will find this blog helpful. x