Fighting PCOS Naturally

I can't believe that I've been in my new apartment for two weeks and I haven't posted an update! It took 3 days to move the two apartments into one. We've still got some unpacking to do, but it's pretty comfortable. The kitchen is almost fabulous. It has plenty of counter space, but the cabinet situation is a little weird. I'm still working on solutions for organization. I've been cooking almost every night, and the guys have been pretty happy. I made homemade lasagna for Valentine's. One meat and mushroom for the guys and a GF veggie one with mushroom, cauliflower, broccoli and carrot. Yum!!! Spike loves the room he has to run around. He also can't get enough of the giant patio and his new ability to watch people. Now that I have a washing machine again, I've been going through all of my old clothes, getting them ready for my support group's clothing swap next weekend! When I told some of my friends that I was going to be living with...

In 11 days, we make one of the biggest changes of the year. We are moving into a bigger apartment and gaining a roommate. I'm still really looking forward to it. I'm excited about the kitchen. I'm going to start working on my cookbook again - PCOS friendly recipes that are also allergen free. I've got my entire support group coming up with dishes they want to see. My goal is to have it out and purchasable before Thanksgiving. We'll see if I can pull that off. I have taste testers and photographers set up, so I really just need to create the recipes! I'm also happy that I will have a dedicated space for my laptop, so I can start working from home. This'll allow me to do more for my PCOS support group, work on side projects for extra cash, and blog more. But... I'm also going to have trouble getting around to working because I'll be living in a house with two guys that love playing video games. Ones that are really excited when I play as well. I...

It's the end of 2014, and time for a new year. We've had some ups and downs this year, and I'm ready for it to be over. However, if the last month or two hadn't happened, I'd probably be starting the new year out like it was any old day, instead of a great time to make a fresh start. The new medication is fabulous - although Hubs and I have been wondering if it's not actually helping, but sending me into a manic episode instead. It's very hard for me to be upset about this, because when I'm manic, things around the house get done, I spend more time hanging out with friends, I watch less tv, I cook more, and some other less appropriate things to discuss :) But Hubs knows when a manic episode goes from being helpful to dangerous, so he is watching me very closely. The first time I seem a little bit too impulsive, angry, violent, or way out of the ordinary, he'll let me know, and I'll call the doc. But it was nice to hear when he said "Welcom...

After last night's dream, I felt it was time for a med update. I've been on the effexor for a week. I've noticed that I have more drive to do some things, and less in others. Since the weather has been horrid for the past few days, I've been in the wheelchair again, and lying in bed when at home. In bed, I'm depressed because I don't want to watch tv. I used to love tv, and I ended up taking a 4 hour nap last night instead. Hubs has been spending a lot of time at his friend's because they like to play video games that I don't. I miss him, because he's always gone most of the night, so I'm watching tv by myself. I can't get mad at him because I totally understand his frustration, but I can't help the way I feel when he's gone. But other than sadness when at home, I'm doing fairly well. The dreams, however, have been unusual. I don't often remember dreams, but this week I have. They've been vivid, some happy, some bad. Las...

Dietary Change update: It's been about a month and a half now since I went vegetarian. It has been so easy for me. I really thought it was going to be hard, but I don't even miss meat that much. I'd be losing weight if I stopped eating peanut butter m&ms. I ran out of those last night and don't plan on asking Hubs to buy me any more. I hope to start seeing some weight disappear then. Thanksgiving has been the first holiday since I made this change, and I figured I might cheat and eat a little turkey. But Dad said that he's making a ham instead, and I hate ham, so it's a win-win situation! I'm making my usual from scratch green bean casserole - yum! School update: I finished my Anatomy and Physiology course with a final grade of 96. Woohoo! I've started my next class, Natural Heath and Nutrition. It focuses on the foods we eat that are beneficial for us and I'm really excited to learn more. This is exactly why I wanted to study nutrition! I ...

Today is a day of change again. My psychiatrist and I decided to try a new anti-depressant. Although the process freaks me out, I understand and need this change. My doctor believes that being able to function isn't the only thing that we should focus on. I should be happy, not just functioning. So after increasing the dosages on my previous meds and not seeing any benefits, we decided to change. Change scares the crap out of me. As the sole income earner in the household, the thought of trying a new med makes me worry that it could affect not just myself, but the Hubs and the zoo. What if I get super depressed - worse than I already am? (even though you couldn't tell by just looking at me) I've missed a lot of work this month due to my body falling apart. Oh, I don't think I've talked about that yet, so we'll put a pin in it and I'll go back to that in a minute. So as it currently stands, missing any more work this month will lead to a lack of grocery and ...

It's been almost 3 weeks since I started making the transition to a vegetarian. I've only had meat products 3 times, which I'm pretty stoked about. I'm still working on the move to dairy-free, but I'm not rushing myself. Heck, if I can go fully vegetarian for a month, I'd be really happy. I have a few reasons for making these changes. 1) Documentaries have shown me the results of what meat production has done to our environment, our bodies, and animals. 2) Animal protein is not the only protein. Our bodies are perfectly capable of eating plant based proteins, like soy and legumes. 3) A considerable amount of food poisoning is from under-cooked meat. Cut out meat and significantly reduce the chance of food poisoning. 4) If we can get everything our body needs from plants, why do we need to kill animals for their meat? What's the point? 5) I want to teach myself to be self-sufficient without the need to slaughter animals. I could have a huge garden with...