Letitia
I think I was about 20 years old when I first realized that something in my body wasn’t working quite right. It started with missed periods, then extreme cramping (which was later reveled to be cyst ruptures) that would literally cause me to become violently ill. Additionally I noticed other little things that at the time I didn’t realize were related (I.e. hair loss, problems with my skin, and weight issues). I didn’t have a clue what was going on and I was afraid to try to talk with my mom or go to the doctor (I was in college and still on my mom’s insurance) because I figured my mom would say it was because I was way too young when I had my son, so I suffered in relative silence for about three years. Just before Thanksgiving 2003 I came across an article online about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and was shocked to see that all of the symptoms I’d been dealing with where outlined in the article. Armed with the article I finally found the strength to talk with my mom and she agreed it was time to see the doctor. I won’t bore you with all the details about getting a diagnosis, lets just say PCOS wasn’t nearly as common in 2003 as it is today and it took multiple doctors and multiple tests before anyone would commit.
Unfortunately, getting a diagnosis wasn’t the only struggle. At the time there still wasn’t a lot known about exactly what causes PCOS, and how to treat it, so I was put on birth control pills to regulate my period and advised to switch to a very low carb diet to help with the weight issues and hopefully get ahead of the diabetes I’m destined to end up with. I’ve been off and on the birth control pills since but they cause other problems of they’re own.
I stopped taking the birth control pills in August after having been on them again for about two years and within a month menstruation had stopped and the cyst ruptures started happening again. By December I had just about reached my breaking point, just about. There’s been quite a few advances in the treatment of PCOS in the last few years, and a couple of my friends have had some success, but the treatments are all medical and taking pills just isn’t for me. While doing some research online I came across a page that explained how nutrition and getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals can help reduce and even eliminate the symptoms of PCOS. Of course, the creators of the website wanted you to buy their nutritional supplements to the tune of $200+ a month for, you guessed it, a bunch of pills, but it got me to thinking. I’d been reading the various testimonials regarding Shakeology Tom had been posting up for some time and I started wondering if it would help with the PCOS too.
I started drinking Shakeology as part of my morning ritual beginning in January, and within one week I got my period for the first time since August. (Yes ladies, I know, you’d have to be crazy to actually want to get your period, but with a family history of endometrial cancer hanging over my head I have learned to appreciate the necessity of menstruation.) I continued to drink Shakeology every day and four weeks later, like clockwork, I got my period again, and all without birth control pills. Curious person that I am I began to wonder if it really was the Shakeology that was bringing back the regularity to my menstrual cycle or if it was just coincidence so I decided to do a little experimenting. I quit drinking the Shakeology for about 6 weeks and found that, as I suspected, I didn’t menstruate and I wasn’t feeling well at all so I started drinking Shakeology again every day, and once again within a week I saw a return of my menstrual cycle.
Even if I were to never receive another benefit from Shakeology, the regulation of my menstrual cycle alone is well worth the cost to me. However, I am very pleased to say that I have seen other changes as well that I will write about later. If you or someone you know is suffering from PCOS, please reach out for help.
– Letti
For more information about shakeology visit : http://shakeology.com/metalpalace
For information about joining a small group online for support, encouragement, and accountability please Reach out to me on facebook: http://facebook.com/tombirkenmeyer People who participate in one of my private exclusive groups on facebook get faster results by far and actually see it through despite having a terrible history of relapsing on their goals in the past.
– Tom
August 11, 2011
Health & Wellness, Re-Syndicated, The Results Wall