pcos-fighter

[pcos-fighter]

#pcos #not related #but very much needed to spread #I’m glad your here even during these hard chaotic times #living is hard #but I’m glad you’re making it another day Custer

[pcos-fighter]

Life update 2023:

I’m at peace now. That relationship didn’t work out but I went on a healing journey since the pandemic and went to therapy and I now find myself on a higher ground so to speak. I still haven’t been managing well my PCOS but at least my life has improved in other matters and now I can focus my attention on my own health. So cysters if you’re out there struggling, just know it does get better. Hold on to hope, you’ll make it to this side. Don’t get me wrong it’s not easy to reach. This has been years in the making for myself but I can say now I’m more at peace now than ever before and it’s beautiful. And should ever need an ear, my inbox is always open.

Hello my dearest Cysters

So I’m going to first say this blog is a really personal blog for me. This actually isn’t my only blog as I have a main one for all my random fandoms I love(d) over the years. But this one takes the cake of personal.

Let me tell you a bit about myself, my name is Adrianna. I was born into a big family of 6 kids and I live happily (for the most part) in California. I have struggled with my menstruation since I was young noticing an issue at the age of 15 as I had my first period at age 11 and had not yet become regular by 15.

I remember being worried about it and asking my mom about it and she would tell me she was never regular in her youth and that it was normal however I couldn’t shake the feeling then something was off. At my check up I talked to my doctor at the time and she told me I was young and that my hormones would regulate by themselves and not to worry and I could go on birth control to regulate. So being so young I tried to live my life that way and refused birth control then.

When I was 20 and had my first pap smear and my doctor asked me about my cycle I told her I was irregular and occasionally had long periods. She then told me to lose some weight as that would help me regulate so at the age of 21 I lost weight. A lot of it. I went from a size 16 to a size 8/10. I still did not regulate. I did get periods but I had horrific pain from cramps. There were times I just wanted to curl up in a ball and my sisters would joke that I acted as if I was dying. There were days it was heavy I was scared something was wrong but still like the doctors before brushed it off I too pushed it aside and went on birth control at 23.

I gained the weight back after a couple years and by 24 I went to another gynecologist and complained to her about my lack of menstruation after being on and off birth control for 2 years. She then ordered me blood tests and then just basically said I had high testosterone but didn’t say I had pcos and told me to lose some weight to help. I don’t know about any of you but I remember feeling so frustrated about my body. About lack of periods but not understanding why, not piecing it together that it was PCOS. I felt scared, I felt alone, I felt broken. And worst of all I felt so defeated that these doctors kept saying just lose weight, that it will regulate.

It wasn’t until this year (June of 2019 at the age of 26) that I received two huge diagnoses. One, me being HPV positive which was scary in itself waiting to hear if I had cervical cancer or just a precursor and the second, hearing I had PCOS. Let’s just say I went through a lot emotionally in that one month alone than i had in all of 2018 combined.

I don’t have cancer and I am beyond greatful I was spared a hardship so many women have had to face with cervical cancer but can I just say having PCOS sucks so much on its own. I have good days and I’m okay but then there are days that hit when I just want to cry and cry and cry because I haven’t had a period yet. Or because I worry I am so infertile I can’t have kids and I get scared and it’s hard.

I am currently single and not actively looking for a relationship at the moment for many reasons (my sister is getting married and I’m the maid of honor so I’m busy being one of them) but there’s days I question the point of it all. The point of me meeting a good man and dating for a period before getting married and settling down if I am so infertile. I don’t want to ruin someone else’s desire if I can’t conceive naturally. Those thoughts run in my head often enough that it’s now keeping me from truly dating again (at least for now).

I am writing this out and creating a blog out of this partly for my own venting on my not so great days and partly because I am sure there are other young people with PCOS who have felt or are feeling terrified and alone and I want you all to know you are not alone. I am here with you, walking beside you, going through all these thoughts just the same as you. I still feel sadness and anger (when I met God we gonna have some words about this) and I still bargain for something to change.

Anyways this getting pretty long for now. So if you see this and you need a listening ear, please feel free to reach out to me. And my dears, know that you are beautiful and loved and that you are incredibly strong and I admire you for that. I’ll be here if you want to talk. And if you suspect you might have PCOS demand for ultrasounds on your ovaries, for blood tests, and don’t give up till you get an answer. Please stay strong. You got this.

#pcoscommunity #pcosjourney #pcoswarrior #pcos struggle #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #healing journey

[pcos-fighter]

#pcos #polycystic ovarian syndrome #pcosfighter #pcoscommunity #pcosjourney #pcoswarrior #pcosblog #pcoscysters #pcoslifestyle #pcos struggle #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #pcosawareness #cysters #pcossupport #tik tok video #not related #but very much needed to spread #pcos survivor

[pcos-fighter]

Got this email and I decided to share for the cysters out there who plan to work out. I’m not saying anyone has to work out to be healthy with pcos but if you desire to add that to your routine check out the video for more information.

#pcos #pcosweightloss #pcoswarrior #pcosjourney #Youtube

[pcos-fighter]

Just heard they’re gonna be getting rid of the chats so I created a discord if any cyster wants to join there.

[pcos-fighter]

Just heard they’re gonna be getting rid of the chats so I created a discord if any cyster wants to join there.

#polycystic ovarian syndrome #pcosfighter #pcoswarrior #pcoslifestyle #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #pcosawareness #pcos #pcoscommunity #pcosjourney #pcosblog

[pcos-fighter]

Just heard they’re gonna be getting rid of the chats so I created a discord if any cyster wants to join there.

#polycystic ovarian syndrome #pcosfighter #pcoswarrior #pcoslifestyle #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #pcosawareness #pcos #pcoscommunity #pcosjourney #pcosblog

[pcos-fighter]

Just heard they’re gonna be getting rid of the chats so I created a discord if any cyster wants to join there.

#polycystic ovarian syndrome #pcosfighter #pcoswarrior #pcoslifestyle #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #pcosawareness #pcos #pcoscommunity #pcosjourney #pcosblog

[pcos-fighter]

Came across this today. I got an iud for this reason as my progesterone levels are low. It’s something to be mindful of cysters of all the risks we are exposed to because of the condition. It blows I know but finding healthy ways to improve your health will lower the risks. Please research for what might work for you. 💙

#pcos #polycystic ovarian syndrome #health risks #Instagram

[pcos-fighter]

As some may know from my group chat, I am currently in therapy to manage my anxiety and I’ve been learning grounding techniques and the kind of questions to ask myself when I get in one of my moods where I might spiral into an attack or spark it. I slowly have been working through how to manage and my therapist sent me techniques in the Betterhelp app which is how I’ve been going to sessions. The techniques I have started to learn and apply I am finding to actually be helpful when I actively work on them in a moment of panic.

For instance the other day at work I started to feel my heart race and that overwhelming stomach knot I feel when my anxiety spikes. I was in the middle of paperwork and received a text from a dear friend who supported my desire to leave my current job and sent me multiple job postings every few days. But the posts she sent me some of the listings just overwhelmed me and in my head, I began to spiral with thoughts about my abilities to handle those kinds of environments and I could feel myself start to panic a little. So when I walked to the mailbox to get the mail, I did one of the techniques I had read about previously and started to say out loud everything I saw outside to ground myself. I kept my focus on the things around me, naming each tree or car which helped calm me from a full-blown attack.

I am sharing this story because I know with PCOS many of us struggle with anxiety and depression and I know not everyone can afford therapy as it can be very expensive. Shoot I barely can afford it but with the app Betterhelp, it's a lot more affordable than other avenues so I make it work. This is why I am writing this post to share a few grounding techniques so that any of you who struggle with anxiety can have a tool that will help ease at the moment. Now it's not a cure-all so some may work better than others, but at least it can help (as a few help me) to ground you when your anxiety gets high.

There are seven ways you can ground yourself so take what works for you the best and use it to overcome those moments.

1. The Grounding Chair

The first step in this technique is to sit in a comfortable chair where your feet touch the ground. Close your eyes and breath in slowly to the count of three and then out slowly. Bring your mind's focus to the rest of your body in the chair. How does it feel? Scoot your bum right into the back of the seat so that the whole length of your back is pressing into the back of the chair. Can you feel the contact of the chair against your body?

If the chair has arms, touch it, is the material smooth or textured? Press your arms down the length of the chair's arm, notice how your hands hang off the end.

If your chair doesn't have arms, touch the material of the seat, how does it feel?

Next push your feet into the ground, imagine that energy drain down from your mind, flow down through your body, and out through your feet into the ground. As that energy drains from your head, feel how heavy each body part becomes, your torso feels heavy, and now your arms as you relax your muscles. Lastly, feel the heaviness go down your legs through your feet and down into the ground.

2. The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

This technique uses all five of your senses to help get you back to the present. It starts with you sitting comfortably, close your eyes and take a couple of deep breathes. In your nose (count to three) then out your mouth (to the count of three). Now open your eyes and look around you. Name out loud five things you can see, you can look within the room and out the window. Name four things you can feel, (such as the silkiness of your skin, the texture of the chair you're in, or what your hair feels like.) What is in front of you that you can touch? Name three things you can hear, (traffic noise, birds outside, noises in the room you're in.) What noises do you hear? Name two things you can smell. Do you have something scented nearby or in the area that you can walk to? Name one thing you can taste, (it might be a good idea to keep a piece of chocolate or mint handy in case you are doing this grounding exercise.) You can always leave the chair in this exercise and taste whatever it is you have chosen with a small bite. Let it swill around your mouth for a couple of seconds, letting it really savor the flavor. Take a deep breath to end.

(This one works a bit better for me personally.)

3. Hold Something and Really Focus On It

Hold an object in your hand and really bring your full focus to it. Look where shadows may fall on parts of it or is there something about it that is textured? Or are there color variants in it or on it? Feel the weight of it, is it heavy or light? What textures do your hands feel while holding it? Is it rough or smooth? This can be done with any object you have lying around or if you know you are going into a stressful situation, take one of your favorite small objects and put it in your pocket so you can do this calming exercise on the go.

4. Distract Yourself

There are several ways to distract your mind so it stops thinking about whatever it is that is worrying you and focuses on something that isn't emotionally driven.

You can pick a color in the room you are in. How many things in different shades of that color can you see around you? How about out the window? Still feeling stressed? Pick another color.

Count backward by 7, starting at 100. It isn't easy and requires you to concentrate.

Or my personal one I use sometimes is having some friends send me pictures of cats on the internet or their cats and it stops me in my worst spirals. (Mostly cause I love cats.) But if you have a creature you love look them up. Or watch a video with them in it. Whatever works to pull you out of that spiral find that image online or video.

5. Draw Around Your Foot In Your Mind

Place your feet on the ground and in your imagination pick your favorite color to draw an outline around each foot. Start at the heel and using your imaginary pencil slowly go up on the side of your foot to your pinky toe and then around each toe then back to your heel. Repeat on the other foot.

Another way you can focus on your feet in a stressful moment is just wiggle your toes inside your shoe. Pay attention to the sensation as you move to separate each toe. Do some move independently of the others? Tense your whole foot then stretch it out. Now do the other foot.

6. Let Your Thoughts Come and Go

So this one is simple in that most of us with PCOS constantly have our minds overthink and wander. Personally, I know when my mind lingers on the parts I can't control or can't fully change my anxiety spikes and it just spirals till I have a panic attack because I don't stop myself and observe my thoughts. And I am learning in therapy that part of this is all due to cognitive distortion and the challenge to overcome those thoughts is to really think about what those thoughts do to my feelings and then my behavior.

This technique requires you to watch your thoughts for a minute. Imagine leaves floating on the surface of a stream. For each thought that comes to mind allow that thought to take its place on a leaf and watch it blow away in the wind. Or allow them to change into a fish and watch it float down the stream. Allow those thoughts to come and go, you don't need to respond to them.

In this case, you don't have to challenge these thoughts at the moment your anxiety spikes but down the line start to challenge them.

7. Get Your Adrenaline-Fueled Energy Out

If for whatever nothing works at first because your adrenaline is spiked your best bet to kick start the calming down process is to do something physical first to get that pent-up energy out. Go for a run if you can, a brisk walk if you aren't as conditioned to run or hate running, or clean a room like the kitchen, the house, or even outside if you have a yard. Dance around your room or house while listening to loud music. (I do this often, even on car drives for my daily commute and it helps me.) When you're physically spent you can try to return to the grounding techniques above to calm down your mind.

I hope this helps some of you in some form through those moments. I know in the past there are a couple I have applied without knowing these in full as grounding techniques and I am grateful to have a therapist who sent me this information as some others I have started to apply.

Living with PCOS isn't easy and managing anxiety isn't easy either. But hopefully, this helps those of you who struggle to find healthy ways to ground yourself so those overwhelming thoughts don't get the best of you. Take care cysters. You know I care about each one of you even if I am not a frequent poster.

All this information can be found on Dr. Sarah Allen's website.

#pcosjourney #pcoscysters #pcos awareness #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #7 grounding techniques #managing anxiety

[pcos-fighter]

I wish PCOS was

1. More commonly known, because it impacts around 10-20% of people with ovaries, and

2. taken more seriously as a chronic condition.

PCOS can cause weight gain, fatigue, bloating, difficulties handling stress (literally stress can cause physical pain in people with PCOS), irregular menstrual cycle, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, diabetes, and much more. Scientists are beginning to consider it an autoimmune disorder. It’s a chronic illness and it’s often overlooked because it impacts afab people. Not that most people take any chronic condition seriously. But I never see PCOS acknowledged in the chronic illness community despite its prevalence and I think that should change.

[pcos-fighter]

I was 11 when I had my first period happen, but then it didn’t happen again for another 2 years and then it skipped another 2 when I was 15. I saw multiple doctors over the years and wasn't till I was 26 that I was told it was PCOS. It's so frustrating never being listened to and brushed aside. Anyone in healthcare please listen to us and hear us out. Some of us might be young kids still and scared and getting brushed off like that just makes us feel more alone. Now I am not a kid anymore but I know there's many out there who are in their teens going through this and are scared. I remember what that was like and hated every second of it. I don't want anyone else to go through that.

Sincerely,

a tired woman

dear future doctors/obgyns:

listen to your afab (assigned female at birth) and/or female patients. listen to every single detail they tell u about any concern, even if it’s something trivial. i have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and it took seeing four doctors over the course of six years to figure out what i had. six years of chronic pain almost every month. i was told that it was just “period pain”, srtress from school, my depression, my anxiety, etc. etc. heck, i was told it was normal (which PCOS is not). i know for a fact that if i wasn’t afab that i would have gotten whatever problem i had taken care of right away. we need to end the subtle sexism and stigma of having reproductive health problems and/or afab people having health issues in general and it starts with you.

sinncerely,

a tired and angry patient

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - i encourage anyone who has had similar experiences to reblog this post and share your story!

#pcos #polycystic ovarian syndrome #polycystic ovarian disease #Pcos journey #Pcos life #pcos treatment

[pcos-fighter]

I came across this information from a great friend of mine, there is a retreat for PCOS and it will cover a lot of things so if you are interested and have ig check out:

They will be having the retreat according to their bio in September in Nashville. I don’t know much else information myself but as always I must share with you as I learn.

#pcos #pcosfighter #pcosawareness #pcoslifestyle #pcoswarrior #polycystic ovarian syndrome #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #Instagram

[pcos-fighter]

#pcos faq #pcos #pcosfighter #pcoslifestyle #polycystic ovarian syndrome #pcoswarrior #pcoscommunity

[pcos-fighter]

For all my cysters out there struggling today 💙🦋 I know it’s hard today especially with this quarantine and all the anxieties right now, I’m here if you want to talk and I have the groupchat PCOS Cysterhood💙 if you wanna join just message me.

#pcosfighter #pcos #pcos struggle #pcosblog #pcoscommunity #pcoscysters #pcoswarrior #pcosjourney #polycystic ovarian syndrome #youtube

[pcos-fighter]

I was driving to work this morning and I got into a Christina Perri mood as I occasionally do and I played this song. I was reminded in a time of my life where I felt like I had to be a robot and stoic to be everyone else’s strength and pillar. I used to feel like I always had to be strong and not show my emotions and then she wrote and released this and another song called Human and I felt like her music was breaking down my walls.

I realized then it was okay to admit to being human, to feeling not okay. That I didn’t have to be on all the time. And this song reminded me of times in my life where I felt like emotionally I was dying and the only way to survive was to grow cold and hard. Having hope was hard. And then her words

“this is not the end of me this is the beginning,”

used to make me cry so hard as I sang along, picking myself up from the ground as I reminded myself to keep pushing forward. And I remember the darkness I was in, the sadness, the feeling lost because I didn’t know how to get what I wanted nor did I really feel ready to be in a relationship and I was still trying to understand my body cause I hadn’t yet gotten an answer to why I was irregular.

But I kept this song on repeat during those times to remind myself to hold on. That in moments of doubt and darkness remind myself I was still alive. And I am reflecting on all this now because over a month and a half ago, I lost both of my dad’s parents. My grandparents and my grief has come in waves. Some days I am okay and some days I’m nostalgic. I have moments when I’m alone and I start to tear up thinking of their faces when I last saw them in November of 2018, of when my grandpa used to dance with me and my grandma used to sing a song about Mañana and my heart misses them.

In less than a week and a half I will be attending their joint funeral and saying goodbye and my heart is tender but I wanted to share this with you cause I’m sure a lot of you are not good right now, because of the pandemic, or maybe you also lost someone, or even maybe just our whacked out hormones and cysts are acting up and you’re feeling scared or sad or everything in between and in any case please play this song. Put it on repeat if you need to. Hold on my dear cyster. I know what those feelings are like. You are still here and look how strong you are, how brave. Whatever you may be going through right at this moment it’s not the end of you but the beginning. And I am here for you if and when you need me. Breathe with me, you’ll make it through. I just know it. Hold on. Sending you all hugs.

#pcos #pcosfighter #pcosjourney #pcos sucks #polycystic ovarian syndrome #polycysticovariansyndrome #polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) #cysterhood #cysters #pcoswarrior #pcos blog #Christina Perri #Youtube

[pcos-fighter]

#pcos #pcoscommunity #pcos symptoms #pcoscysters #polycystic ovarian syndrome #Instagram