My Struggle with PCOS

At the beginning of the year, a lot of stressful things occurred. My son was confined on New Year’s Day and a few weeks later I was re-assigned to a new client who had more demands than my previous one. The stress kept piling up over the following months and I noticed how I gained a lot of weight, how my acne increased and how I felt down a lot. I found myself just wanting to stay in bed the entire day and just eat, work and sleep. I lost interest in my usual hobbies including blogging, which explains why you haven’t seen anything new here lately.

Just this summer, I convinced myself to start changing my lifestyle by exercising more often and eating well. It was tough because I continued to feel the pressure from work and I carried the stress with me even after work hours. Exercising helped me feel a bit better but at the end of the day, my mind was always clouded with thoughts of my being a failure at work. A few months into my “lifestyle change”, I decided to weigh myself and realized that I gained more pounds and I also noticed some clothes got tighter. You can imagine my disappointment. I knew I was supposed to lose weight at that point, but for some reason by body was not responding to my weight loss efforts.

Bothered by my inability to lose weight, I decided to see a doctor. I figured it might be hormonal because of my persistent jawline acne and my delayed menstrual cycle. After a few consultations and tests she determined I had PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS and that I was having a hard time losing weight because I was insulin resistant. I was told that being insulin resistant comes with PCOS, like a ‘package deal’, and that it means that my body is not processing insulin properly. Although I felt frustrated upon finding out something was wrong with me, I felt somewhat relieved that I could finally put a “name” to everything I’ve been going through. I wasn’t just “not trying hard enough” or “Stressed lang” like most people around me would say. More importantly, now that I am working with a doctor to manage my condition I don’t feel so alone anymore and I am finally getting proper care.

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I didn’t realize though that treating my PCOS symptoms would be tougher. You see, my doctor wanted to address my delayed menstrual cycle first above everything else, so we set the acne and weight gain issues aside and worked on regulating my cycles and for this she prescribed me some good ‘ol pills. I’ve never taken birth control pills before for a prolonged period – I lasted about five days and gave up because the side effects were terrible. I raised this concern with my doctor and she told me I had to deal with the side effects and give my body about a month to adjust, plus the pills were supposed to help with my acne. She also wanted me to continue with the diet and exercise and to avoid stress because it can aggravate my condition.

Being on the pill for a month was a roller coaster ride. During the first few weeks I was just a huge mess – I had headaches, I couldn’t sleep, I always felt nauseated especially at night (which covers my work hours), I had mood swings and cried for no reason, and my acne grew WORSE. It affected my productivity at work and I got even more stressed. A week later the side effects seemed to subside, but just when I though things were getting better, I was going down the roller coaster again. It was just horrible. The worst part was that my next cycle was still delayed.

At this point I spoke to my supervisor at work, and explained my situation. She understood how tough it was for me and she agreed to help me find another position if I pay my doctor a visit and get recommendation for less stressful work. It just so happened that I was due for a check-up. When I spoke to my doctor, she said I had to stay on the pill for another month and if it yielded the same results I’d have to switch brands. Seeing that I was indeed under a lot more stress than before, she agreed to write a recommendation for less stressful work. That same day, I got word from my supervisor that my client cancelled his contract with me – an immediate cancellation. Although the cancellation was not due to my performance, I still felt disappointed. However, I couldn’t stop thinking that the timing seemed to be convenient to my situation. As my husband likes to say, it’s as if it were “God’s will”.

My supervisors decided to give me two weeks off before taking on a new position at work. If anything, they want me to feel better before I take on a new client again. I think that’s just what I need – time to deal with the stress and “reset”. I’m really glad that my supervisors accommodated my request and understood my situation. So here I am now, typing away on my blog and trying to bring it back to life (Ugh, that sounded cheesy!). I can’t believe that I didn’t get the chance to blog about my birthday last May, or my Little Troublemaker’s birthday last June, and our latest stories and milestones.

If you’re one of my readers, I’m sorry if I’ve been away for so long. There’s just been so much to deal with but I’m working on getting back on my feet. I have this crazy list of things I want to blog about, and I will be sure to scratch them all off my list.

I’m curious to know though if are other moms out there with PCOS. How are you dealing with these crazy symptoms? Please feel free to share in the comments below, I really want to hear from you because I’m new to this. Thank you!

 

 

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Review: Human Nature’s Balm for All Seasons

This is not a paid review. The product was a personal purchase and this post is my honest opinion of Human Nature’s Balm for All Seasons.

 

 

I’m the type of person who always needs balms when on the go – I easily get dizzy and and a whiff of menthol always helps me feel better. I used to always carry Chinese menthol sticks that my mom used to buy me and I admit sniffing on them all the time when I was pregnant without even knowing what’s in them! Yikes!

So when I spotted Human Nature’s Balm for All Seasons in a nearby supermarket, I threw a box right into the cart without even checking the price. When they rang it at the cashier I realized it only cost P99.75, not bad!


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“One whiff is all it takes to get you hooked. Breathe in the goodness and let the good vibes from this mint balm soothe away the tensions of your daily hectic lifestyle. With an infusion of peppermint, eucalyptus, and bergamot, let this all-around wonder balm help relieve stress, mental fatigue, dizziness, body aches, and even skin boo-boos.” –from the Human Nature website

 

Would you believe that I have already been through four pots of this stuff since December? Let me tell who why I love Human Nature’s Balm for All Seasons.

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My First Zalora Shopping Experience

In September of last year (this is a way overdue post, by the way), I received a voucher for Zalora Philippines and I decided to use it to treat myself to a new pair of shoes. I don’t think anyone has not heard of Zalora – their ads are everywhere on the internet. But for the sake of those who don’t have a clue, Zalora is one of the biggest online shopping websites in the Philippines (and in other Asian countries) that carries a wide array of fashion items – clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty products – they’ve got it all. Let me share with you my first Zalora shopping experience and haul!

One day while randomly browsing the Zalora Philippines website I came across a nice pair of espadrilles from Spring Fling that happened to be on sale. I needed a pair of shoes for when I don’t feel like wearing sandals, or when my nails are a mess, and I thought espadrilles would be perfect – they’re comfy and they match my style. I’m not used to buying shoes online, so even when I found that they had my size (size 8) I checked, double checked and triple checked the size chart and my feet to make sure I was getting the right size.

I still had a few pesos to spare, so I decided to buy myself a new wallet and lipstick, too. I found this awesome wallet from Effegi and what I love about it is it has multiple compartments to help me keep everything organized – especially receipts. I also bought my mom a nice shawl for her trip to Japan and a bottle of LA Colors nail polish, because her regular manicurista has a depressing selection of nail polish- mostly shades that suit only Morticia Adams. Haha!

After several clicks here and there, I finalized the items in my cart and entered the voucher code – let’s just say I only needed to pay less than half of the original total of all the items – pretty sweet, huh? I was thrilled to find out that they accept Cash on Delivery as a payment option because I don’t have a credit card (out of preference, lol). So after completing my order I received an email confirmation and it said it may take a few days for me to receive it – I’m based in the province after all.

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Can you imagine my surprise when a package arrived for me the very next day at nine o’clock in the morning?

I seriously did not expect it to arrive so fast! My packages from online transactions usually take two days, but this arrived the very next morning! All I had to do was settle the payment with the delivery guy and I received my first ever Zalora haul.

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Review: The Merry Hempsters Hemp Baby Salve

This is not a paid review. The product was a personal purchase and this post is my honest opinion of The Merry Hempsters Hemp Baby Salve.

 

One of the reasons why I’m obsessed with organic skin care is because the Little Troublemaker has skin asthma. Although the medicated creams prescribed to us are very effective in addressing his skin problems, I don’t feel comfortable applying them on a regular basis when he’s still so young. So whenever I find any natural or organic skin care product, as long as I can afford it I try it out.

Last year I visited the Urban Food Collective at CommerCenter in Alabang and chanced upon My Red Tag Collection’s booth. They carry a variety of organic skin care products and I was drawn to their booth because I saw their display of Hurraw! Lip Balms.

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While further browsing their merchandise, I saw The Merry Hempsters Hemp Baby Salve, and above it was a sign that said “For Baby’s Rashes”. Curious as usual, I asked about it and found out that I can use it for the Little Troublemaker’s skin irritations.

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This is our mildest salve, which contains infusions of organic calendula, organic rosemary and organic lavender to provide excellent antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. This salve is perfect for soothing diaper rash and other minor skin irritations. Many customers report this salve works well on cradle cap too. Moms and dads will appreciate the mess free applicator. – The Merry Hempsters

 

The Merry Hempsters Hemp Baby Salve smells funny to me, I say that because I’m not sure how to explain it. The lavender scent is evident but there is something else that’s just as strong but I’m not sure if it’s the hemp or calendula or perhaps the mix of everything else. I don’t hate it though, probably because I’ve grown used to it.

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Gaga for Green Tea

Four weeks ago, things started to get stressful at work. I began working seven days a week, eight hours a day and only had four hours of sleep. I barely had energy to keep up, waking up all groggy every time I had to log in for work. I also have no time to exercise, and turned to food to keep up with the stress.

Lots of food.

In two weeks I gained A LOT of weight and I spent most of my time body-shaming myself. It’s the worst feeling ever, and it’s my fault.

About two weeks ago I decided to do a three-day detox, to help me reboot and prep myself for dieting because I was feeling sluggish all the time. I bought all the greens and fruits for the juice detox and managed to get through day one, but the next day I got sick and very weak. With a full-time job and a handful-of-a-toddler, I couldn’t keep up with a juice detox, I had to eat.

While doing the detox, I was allowed to drink green tea in between juices. I’m not a fan of green tea, let alone tea. But oddly, this time I actually enjoyed the taste. I’ve read various articles about the benefits of green tea, so I decided to add it into my everyday routine.

I started drinking green tea after meals and before bedtime and this what I’ve noticed in the first two weeks of taking green tea:

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