It's been a long time since I've posted to my blog. Over the past year, I experienced a major health-related setback with my PCOS fight. Last summer I began experiencing swelling in my right leg and just a general sense of fatigue and feeling unhealthy. I was also picking up even more weight--which was horrifying for me. I went for testing and received some pretty scary news regarding my heart. I don't want to go into details here, because I don't want to give it any power or glory in my life. At first, I was very depressed and very scared. I was in a state of paralysis from August to November 2010 and quite frankly felt horrible. Then I began to encourage myself in the Lord more and more. None of us knows how long our journey here will last, and worrying and living in fear will not add a day to our lives. This taken with the fact that I know I serve a living God who is more than able to heal and restore brought me out of this paralysis and into action.
I am happy to report that I have lost 21.5 pounds, and I am still in the fight to overcome PCOS. This is not just about weight loss anymore; it is about quality of life and feeling healthy. It is about working hard not to become a PCOS turned into heart issues statistic. With all that is within me, I am working to defeat PCOS.
I have to say the change I have made that has made the biggest impact for me is acupuncture. Those of you who know me know that I can be a big baby when it comes to doctors/needles, etc. When I went for my first acupuncture session in late August, I was at the end of my rope and was desperate for relief from PCOS symptoms. At that time it had been 6 months since my last cycle, and I had just received the aforementioned news regarding my heart. I also had some issues with mold and carbon dioxide levels in my office that were making me feel horrible as well.
I felt immediate relief after my first acupuncture session. Stress was alleviated, sinus pain, swelling in my leg reduced. I just felt better overall. Four weeks later, guess who showed up? Yep, good old Aunt Flo :-).
Then something really exciting started happening. I started losing weight. It is such a struggle losing weight with PCOS and to see the scale begin to move down was a blessing indeed. I can not say enough about acupuncture as a natural alternative to treat PCOS--and a host of other issues. I plan to keep going to acupuncture and to keep exercising to improve my overall well being.
I have in no way arrived. I still feel weak some days, and there are moments when I feel a sense of nervousness creep in, but I must continue to live every day to its fullest and do my best to combat PCOS. I am still here good people, and I am still in the fight.
All the best,
Paula
