My New Relationship with Myself

Hello! Long time no talk. I apologise for that. I have been feeling slightly unmotivated, uncreative and lacking in drive to do much of anything these days, but I recently received some news that has given me a push, and I thought I would tell you about it.

As most of you know, about 16 months ago I began a journey of self discovery and a search for a healthy, balanced life. The last year I have had a few set backs health wise and it started to really get me down the last few months of 2014. Then I got the call. A call I had been waiting for. My referral into the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Clinic had gone through and I was finally going to be making the TWELVE HOUR road trip to see the best of the best in weight loss.

My appointment was this past Friday and it was life changing. It turns out I am the way I am (in terms of weight), not just because of bad habits and poor decisions. I have been diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). If this sounds familiar, you probably watched the TLC show My Fat Fabulous Life, which is about Whitney Thore and her journey with this disease.

So what is PCOS? That's a good question. The little I know about it so far is that it is an insulin resistance, not to be mistaken for Diabetes, though it can lead to Diabetes if not treated. Insulin is a hormone that your body produces from sugar. Since my body is resistant to it, it causes massive problems for all my hormones, because they are trying to make up the difference. This causes gynaecological problems, unwanted hair growth, skin problems and unfortunately, hard to loose weight gain.

This, paired with my chronic iron deficient anaemia and digestive issues, is a perfect storm for preventing weight loss. The clinic that I went to is using medication, lifestyle changes and education to help me become more healthy on the inside. Then, once I have completed the expectations set out by a team of health professionals, I will receive Gastric Bypass Surgery. This may seem quite invasive, and to some it may seem like an easy way out. I have asked myself the same questions: Is this just a short cut, should I be just doing diet and excersize, should I keep trying on my own? and the answer is, I can't. I have tried time and again with no success, and with this diagnosis, it will never be possible. This is my means to an end. I need a change and it shouldn't matter to anyone but me how I get there (so long as it is safe and healthy).

The diagnosis came with many emotions, the biggest being relief. It was the first time a doctor has sat, listened to what I had to say, delivered precise questions with no judgement and knew exactly what was wrong. A month ago, I was so lost and floundering, I didn't want to get out of bed. Now I have a new job, a diagnosis and most importantly a light at the end of a very curvy, dark tunnel.

That's it, your all caught up! Leave a message in the comments and share this post on Pinterest and Facebook if you enjoyed it. Hopefully, I will keep this creative juice flowing and continue to inform you on my progress with PCOS and the Edmonton Adult Bariatric Clinic.

THANKS!!