Bad Ovaries

My ovaries have turned against me again recently.  I've got cysts on both of them.  I've been off the pill for a few months to see what would happen.  Well, I found out all right.  So, I'm feeling some better but still a little yucky.  Went back on the pill to hopefully feel totally better soon.

Fitness Friday- Its Getting Hot In Here

"Its getting hot in here so take off all your clothes...."

I considered it last night. Hot flashes and 80 degree nights plus one very tight husband do not mix. Thankful (that wonderful wonderful man) is cleaning out our air conditionar as I'm typing this, in preperation of turning it on.

This weeks Fitness Friday is : How do you adapt your health and fitness routine for the changing season? I remember when we used to have spring. Anymore, though, we go right from cold to hot with very little mild in between. During the summer months I am way more likly to eat salads. Now that I'm changing my eating habbits, I've been eating them frequently anyway, so as not to starve to death. I've been good about drinking water for several years now. I gave up soda when I was having digestive issues. Seriously, soda is so bad for you. As for excersing- my plan has been to excersis inside. I have a walking in place video. You can walk a mile in 15 minutes. Its also very areobic. I haven't done it yet. I guess I need to just go one day at a time. I can commit myself to doing my video tomarrow morning. There I did it.

Eating Update and New Blog Finds

Ms. Terry @ Breathing Grace

Ms. Giovanna @ My Three Little Monkeys Jumping On A Bed

Ms. Denise @ Free To Be Me

Ms. Karly @ Indescribable Life

Juliemom @ My Life As Juliemom

My new eating plans have been going very well. Yesterday I went on my first healthy shopping trip. I expected to pay big bucks for healthy food. However, I did not go over my normal budget..... which took careful shopping but I was pleased. One thing I learned was that fat free mayo is expensive (the most pricey thing that I put in my basket) and that tuna is not as low fat as I was made to believe. I did not purchase tuna. Yesterday morning the nurse (also my sister-in-law) called and said that hubby's triglycerides were sky high (over 1000). So he is now on my new eating plan also.

I wanted to say that we are not necessarily doing this to lose weight, although I'm hoping that will happen, but to take back our health.

I've decided to have one cheat meal a week. This will most likely take place on the weekend because we eat out more often. I really need something to keep me going as I'm crunching down carrot sticks instead of potato chips.

The exercising has yet to begin. I'm having a hard time figuring out when during my day it will fit. And plus.... I loathe it. Yet, I will do it. Once I start I won't fail.

Let The Torture Begin- Fitness Friday

Ms. Brenda @ The Family Revised does "Fitness Friday" and I guess this would be a good place to officially announce my new awareness of just how unhealthy I am. As I reported earlier this week I have high cholesterol. My doctor wants me to try a low fat diet to bring it down. I've been researching just what that means and I've come up with this rough draft of guidelines that I need to learn to follow:

• FRIED IS BAD
• Red meat in moderation
• Cheese in moderation

I'm trying to focus on things that I can have. So here's a list of things that I will be consuming from now on:

• Veggies and fruit (fresh, frozen, dried, canned)
• Soy Milk
• Low fat cheese
• Egg whites
• Chicken & Turkey
• Tuna
• Extra lean beef
• Trans free reduced fat butter (in moderation)
• Honey & Applesauce in baking instead of sugar and butter or oil
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Oatmeal
• Flax seed
• Soy nuts
• Tea
• Pomegranate juice and other 100% juices
• Prunes
• Pumpkin
• Dark chocolate and cocoa
• Water

Key words to remember:

• Steamed
• Broiled
• Grilled
• Baked
• Low Fat
• Reduced Fat
• Fat Free
• Low Sodium
• Reduced Sugar
• Antioxidants
• Omega 3s
• 30 min. of moderate exercise 5 days a week

Basically I have to be more aware of what I put in and I have to move more.

My goal for right now is just to continue to stick to my new eating habits and start exercising every day next week.

The theme for "Fitness Friday" today is What Are You Up Against. Well as I said I'm up against my high cholesterol. But also I'm battling my own DNA. My whole family, except for my brother, is or has been over weight. Eating is a social event for my family. I see in my future: my Grandfather's and mother's diabetes, my Grandfather's heart problems, my Grandmother's dementia, my mother's, aunt's, and uncle's sleep apnea, various failed attempts at surgical weight loss from all sides. That is, if I don't fight it right now. I have to fight it and beat it down. It will not win!

Estrogen

So far I've found some interesting information on estrogen here and here.

And here & here for yeast infections.

My Health

Last Friday I went to a new doctor. First I want to say that I don't like doctors or the medical field in general. I'm a horrible patient. However, my body has been dependant on birth control since I was 16 and I have to have a pap smear every year to get my prescription refilled. At this point I want to tell you that birth control doesn't solve any medical problems. I don't care what the doctor says- it doesn't. It will only put a band aid on the issue. As I said, my body is dependant on the pill to provide it hormones. My body no longer makes it's own hormones. Without the pill I will not cycle. Birth Control= BAD. Okay, moving on.
Along with my annual torture session (pap smear), I had several screening blood tests. Yesterday the nurse (and also my sister-in-law) called me with the results. My sugar and thyroid were fine. Thyroid issues and diabetes run in my family. But, my cholesterol and triglycerides were high. I am overweight, so this didn't surprise me much. The doctor recommends that I go on a low fat diet. To further read about high cholesterol see here.

The other thing was my hormone levels. I have less estrogen than a menopausal woman. As I said before my body doesn't make its own hormones anymore, and the birth control that I have been on was a "low" pill. Apparently the "low" part means low estrogen. First she wants me to try a birth control with more estrogen- Yaz. If that doesn't work then I plan to discuss bio-identical hormones with her. By the way, this wasn't a shock to me either. For five years I've felt like a menopausal woman. Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, dry skin, low libido, etc. I was thrilled when she agreed to test me. Every other doctor told me it was all in my pretty little empty head because.... why.... "YOUR TOO YOUNG" What a lousy reason to use to tell you that you're stupid. Listen, your health is yours. You have to take control of it. If your doctor doesn't listen to you- then you find one that will. Don't settle for a "I'm God" doctor. One more thing that she discovered: I've had a yeast infection for over a year. Another thing that went unnoticed by previous doctor. Ladies, that itch is either an allergy or an infection.

I have more research to do about the hormone issue and on preventing yeast infections. I shall post more later.