My Story...

Hi, my name is Kaylene and I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) in January of 2007. Ha that sounds a little funny, but it is the truth. I decided to write this blog to document my journey while dealing with this disorder.

When I was first diagnosed, I was so relieved. I finally had and explanation for all of the weird things that have been happening with my body. I had been pretty thin in high school, but I was always fairly active with soccer and dance. It wasn't until I graduated and moved out that I gained a ton of weight and all my symptoms started showing up.

I went from a size 3/4 to a 13/14 in probably 6 months. My periods went completely hay wire. I started developing discoloration under my bust and my under arms. I noticed I had developed some skin tags, but I thought this was just genetic because my grandma had them. I started getting facial hair I never had before. My hair had changed too, the hair at the back of my neck got really wiry and coarse. I also started getting pretty severe cystic acne. I had no idea that this was directly tied to my diet and hormones.

When I moved out the summer of 1998, I started eating whatever I wanted, which unfortunately was primarily fast food, and heavy on the bread and meat. I had never liked vegetables or fruit growing up and now that I was living on my own I did not have to eat them anymore! I was free to eat whatever the heck I wanted to.

I am sad to admit that even with all these weird things happening, it took not having a period for an entire year and being diagnosed with HPV to scare me enough to get serious about finding out what the heck was going on. So in January 2007 I finally went to an OBGYN and he diagnosed me with PCOS fairly immediately. He told me that birth control should help solve the issues but he wanted to do some blood tests to rule out anything else. The blood tests came back with elevated testosterone, so he gave me the birth control and essentially sent me on my way.

The week after I had my first period in over a year was amazing. I lost probably ten pounds. My family was amazed at my transformation. I grew more confident and became more active in my personal life. I started going to open mic nights and singing, and because I was more active I started to lose more weight.

In August of that year I moved to Massachusetts to be with Tim, my soul mate and the weight kept coming off. I was more active and Tim was helping me eat healthier than I have ever eaten before. I started eating vegetables! Anyone who knows me knows how big of a deal this was.

May of 2008 that all pretty much went out the window. I had a recheck scare at my OB and had to go in for a colposcopy. I am not too proud to admit my diet and eating habits reverted back to my old ways. I worked right next door to a Taco Bell that had a Pizza Hut in it. I think I ate a mini pizza every day for lunch for at least a month. Because I was depressed and stressed, I craved salty and bread based food.

Everything came back clear from the OB thankfully, but I think the damage had been done. A lifetime of eating poorly has finally caught up with me.

At the end of January, I noticed I was losing my hair. I have always been a pretty heavy shedder, but this was above and beyond what was normal for me. The last straw for me was the appearance of some new and very angrily red stretch marks above my bikini line. I had gained 20 lbs in one month, even though I had curbed in most of my stressed and bad eating habits.

I just got back from an appointment with my OB, and based on the symptoms and the sudden weight gain he determined I now have Insulin Resistance. This fairly common with PCOS, doctors are not sure if PCOS causes the IR or IR causes the PCOS, but they come hand in hand.

My doctor has started me on Metformin to help with the IR and I am also starting a Insulin Resistance/Low GI diet paired with almost purely organic foods. I also plan on increasing my exercise and activity level. My goal weight is 120 and I have a long way to go.

This blog is going to show my journey as I start my new lifestyle. It is going to be incredibly hard but the great thing is, if I can do it, anyone can!