I remember sitting in the gynecologist’s office in a paper gown asking the doctor if I was dirty because I couldn’t stop the recurrent yeast infections. She looked at me as if a light bulb had gone off in her head and she said I needed a blood test and an ultrasound. A week later I was told that my sugars were higher than usual, I had cysts on my ovaries that could prevent me from having a child, and was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. I was so confused about how I would get pregnant with PCOS.
That year (2015) I started Occupational Therapy Assistant school in Denver, Colorado, and dove into clean beauty and veganism. Hiking in the Rocky Mountains along with veganism helped me to lose weight but the recurrent yeast infections I had dealt with never went away. I just assumed because I had lost weight I was doing well and could continue to eat sweets as I wished; after all, I was vegan and doing what was best for the planet and my health right? Little did I know that vegan donuts, bread, rice, and oreos were very continuing to affect my blood chemistry negatively.
In 2017 my husband and I moved to LA and tried for over 6 months to get pregnant. After months of negative pregnancy tests, and wondering how I could ever get pregnant with PCOS at the end of summer, I got the positive result I was looking for. It was challenging to get adequate protein as a vegan so I incorporated eggs and yogurt back into my diet. Unfortunately, I also incorporated a lot of dominos. I gained over 50 lbs during my first pregnancy and my doctor recommended a low-carb diet. My glucose test was coming up and I was terrified of what the result would be. I went on a keto diet for three days prior to my glucose test and my body was NOT happy. I remember my husband driving me home from work as I was shaking in sugar withdrawal while I stared out the window on the 5. I knew what I was doing was not safe or healthy but I was in denial of my sugar status and willing to do anything to ignore it. I may have passed the glucose tolerance/ disgusting orange drink test but I likely had gestational diabetes that went untreated.
I was less concerned about how I would get pregnant with PCOS when it came to my second child but my metabolic health was more of a concern. During my second pregnancy, I started out at the weight I had and ended my first pregnancy at 207 lbs. I gained another 20 lbs and could not avoid gestational diabetes this time. I was also craving meat so with the help of my parents and husband I ate meals heavy in animal proteins and vegetables.
The dietician I was working with helped me to understand when and how I could eat fruit and carbs while monitoring my blood sugars. Overall I did well and was able to stay in the healthy range. I remember one day I was craving an Ikes sandwich so bad I ate an entire sandwich while walking around the mall. It was not easy but I knew I had to do some physical activity to counteract the bread, but even eating on the go wasn’t enough to get my blood sugars into the suggested range. That experience helped me learn portion control.
The daily grind helped me understand how my meals were affecting me. At work, I had back-to-back group sessions in the preschool classrooms which were so much fun but I had to eat in between sessions to manage my glucose levels and prick my finger to monitor them. I was so grateful to the women I worked with for allowing me so much grace when I was feeling lightheaded or had to take bathroom breaks.
My commute was another challenge to overcome. The drive back home from work would take upwards of an hour and I would be so hungry I would consider stopping by Popeyes after work. Having a two-year-old while working full time, commuting, and being pregnant was incredibly difficult even with the help of my parents, brother, and husband. So that’s how I got pregnant twice with PCOS. The challenge now is steering my body in the direction of health.
A year later I am living in Texas surrounded by delicious fried chicken, far from the village that helped me raise my first child, 222 lbs and still dealing with PCOS. The pill and metformin are not the next steps I want to take in my journey. I want to learn how my body responds to the food I eat. Now that my body is mine again and it isn’t growing another human I want to learn how it functions. Tracking my blood sugar during pregnancy gave me much-needed insight into how my actions affected my body.
I believe vlogging will hold me accountable so that’s what I’m gonna do. I plan to vlog my meals and blood sugar levels Glucose Goddess style and incorporate all the knowledge that women in my position have to share such as including supplements and hacks like ACV in my diet and doing slower weighted workouts per Organic Olivia. None of what I have to say about my body is medical advice. I just want to share and encourage others to learn about their bodies.
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