Spoiler for vague reference to a food group and mention of a couple foods * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I cant eat anything dairy anymore. I tried some fat free frozen yogurt, and ended up in agony because of the dairy. I am bloated, and gassy feeling. Great, another food group that I have to cut out. I wasn’t eating much dairy as it was, and I was taking Lactaid with it, but that doesn’t work anymore. I also find that I feel better not eating dairy at all. So, I did the smart thing (for me) and took the rest of the frozen yogurt and sprayed Windex on it and put it in the trash…this way I wont be tempted to binge on something I have an allergy to. I used to do that as a means to punish myself. There are very few things I can eat now. I do drink my orange-pineapple Slim Fast, but that’s for nutrition purposes, not weight loss purposes. I have to drink/eat something with my Glucophage so that I don’t crash with hypoglycemia (which has happened to me twice now where my blood sugar dipped into the very low 40’s). I am just sick of this all. I don’t want to eat anything. Mainly, I stick it fruits now, like canned Pineapple (can you tell I LOVE Pineapple?) and canned pears/peaches/fruit cocktail. That’s all I eat. I have about 15 cans of them in the fridge. I also eat my tuna lunch packs for protein. Other than that, there isn’t anything else I really eat….because I am too scared to eat, and also because of the allergies to food ingredients. Also, because of my insulin resistance and the Polycystic Ovary Disease, I have to watch my carbs because I produce too much insulin, which my body converts to fat (hence taking the Glucophage). I guess I am just venting…I don’t know. I am just sick of being sick…of dealing with an ED and allergies to things that I cant eat. Nikki "… lost in the darkness of my own circumstance, criticizing echoes leaving me awake in the night… the barrier and blockades that keep me safe and in control while I pretend that I am okay… "

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Hi, ((((Nikki))))!  I am glad you wrote/vented! I am sorry you are struggling right now…  I really feel for you.  You are sure going through a lot right now.  How about getting yourself some help, therapy wise Nikki?  I mean, it really sounds as though you could use that help…  :O)  I want to urge you to get that help my friend…  Please take care, and keep safe! Ears There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion. – Carl Jung   The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust

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I hear you, Nikki — it must be extremely frustrating to have already been so limited in your physical activities and now your food situation has become more limited as well.  Allergies to foods can really wreak havoc when you’re also struggling with an ED. –Connie — "Starving the flesh wastes the spirit." –Kandis Elliot

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hi nikki, i’m sorry you are experiencing such frustration with your foods….not being able to eat the ones you want and worrying about the effects of the ones that were once safe for you.  to me it sounds like you really do want to nourish yourself, be kind to yourself, but with all of these obstacles, you are unable to meet this desire.  it’s like your mind is ready to beat *this* but your body is not cooperating.  i don’t know the first thing of what you are going through right now….with the physical aliments (non-ed and ed) and so i am unable to relate one on one, but i am able to give you any insight i can from my perspective.  i’m assuming you have seen several dieticians that could alter your food so that you are receiving adequate fats and other nutrients.  i know with only eating the fruits you will be lacking a lot of other important nutrients and you will probably still have that gassy feeling : (. thank you for posting, nikki.  i know you saw it as a vent, but i could see a lot of frustration in your post.  i will be thinking of you, hoping you will be able to conquer this food situation so that you are eating well again – - take care, love, karin  oxox

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I am happy for you, that you are happy, ((((Nikki))))!!!!  I know what this "battle" is like, with the weight and everything, for I too am going through a similar thing.  Be good to you, and please take care of yourself!  :O)   Ears   Lets look closer at the size of our hearts, the width of our souls and the length of our spirits.   -SARK

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nikki, just wanted to say that i’m happy for you too. but please remember, you are worthwhile and valuable at any size. you’re not a number. numbers mean so little. salamandra Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

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I am elated for you, sweetie!  That is wonderful news.  I know how much this whole ordeal has been hurting you (I too have been overweight, so I KNOW) and, well, I am just really happy for you.

Thank you Butterflies. I got your message that you left yesterday…I am so sorry, I didnt hear the phone ring (I think I was in the shower). Lately, I am so phone phobic as well, but I hope that if you call again, that I will be in earshot of the phone. Love Nikki "… lost in the darkness of my own circumstance, criticizing echoes leaving me awake in the night… the barrier and blockades that keep me safe and in control while I pretend that I am okay… "

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it sounds like you’re in a pretty good mood. that’s way cool. love, k.m.

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Nikki (((((hugs)))) I am skipping around the room for you honey. Lots of love Penny — Can’t rain all the time. (from The Crow)

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{{{{{Nikki}}}}} I am elated for you, sweetie!  That is wonderful news.  I know how much this whole ordeal has been hurting you (I too have been overweight, so I KNOW) and, well, I am just really happy for you. Love, Butterflies ~In the event of rapture, this account will be unmanned.

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Spoiler for talk of weight, no numbers though * * * * * * * * * * * * * * As some of you may know, I have been fighting this battle of the bulge for a while…I have gained alot of weight in just over a year and a half  because of this endocrine problem. I have no periods at all (its been a year), high cholesterol and triglycerides (despite the fact that I don’t eat fatty foods, fast food, or meat), edema, weight gain (last summer alone I went up 6 sizes), inability to lose weight, Polycystic Ovary Disease (which I think is secondary to the endocrine problem…in other words, the doctors and I think its something else causing the PCOD, possibly a pituitary gland malfunction), and other strange symptoms. The weight gain happened so fast…in a year, I was xx pounds heavier than the year before. And you can see that it is medical…my face has that "look" to it…swollen, and red. Well, getting to my news. it was chilly here yesterday, so I decided to put on my jeans. Now, my jeans are always an indicator of where I am weight wise. At first I wasn’t going to put them on because I felt like I had gained, and I didnt want to get upset. But I was cold. So, I put them on and was shocked! These xx sized jeans are so big! I had them on in May, and they weren’t this baggy..I mean, they were baggy, but not this baggy. Put it this way, I could take them off without even unbuttoning them. I had to cuff the bottoms because they were dragging on the floor. Now, I know that posting my news of weight loss might not be appropriate to some…but you have to understand this nightmare I have been living for a year and a half now. My eating habits hadn’t changed, and I was gaining weight, as much as 5-7 pounds a MONTH. One month I gained 10 pounds. I was doing nothing to gain this much…I even cut back on the small amount I was eating, and I was still gaining. Then my cholesterol and triglycerides came up high, and my one doctor told me I had to cut out the bad foods…I tried telling him that I wasn’t eating bad foods, but he blew me off. He thought that I was fat by choice…that it was my doing. On my last bloodwork results, my triglycerides rose 201 points in less than  2 months, and I think this doctor now is realizing that there is more to this picture because I am on meds for the cholesterol and it still has gone up. Even if I *was* indeed eating Big Macs and fries everyday for the last 2 months, the triglyceride level shouldn’t have risen that much. So now my docs are all getting serious about this, and I have an appointment to see a top-notch Endocrinologist. I also have to get a CT scan of my brain to rule out a pituitary tumor, as this seems to be a likely cause of some of my problems (I am also Hypothyroid, but that is controlled with meds, and I have had Osteoporosis since my late teens, and that can also be a result of an endocrine problem). I also have to have a 5 hour glucose test because I might be diabetic..my blood sugar has been dipping really low (51 at last test), and then I can also feel it when it goes high. Polycystic Ovary Disease can also cause diabetes. Anyhow, I am getting off track. When I put those jeans on yesterday, (and I have them on now as I am chilly again) I was so relieved. Last winter (1999) I had to keep buying larger and larger jeans every couple of weeks because of the weight gain…I have had these jeans since about December, and they still fit, and are actually TOO baggy. I have to go and get a smaller size…imagine that…a SMALLER size for once, and not a bigger size like I have been having to get for the past year and a half. I FEEL less bloated. An area that I really gained weight too was my chest. I went from being a 34B (and that was even too big at some points) to being a 38D….now I am a 36C and "the girls" don’t feel heavy and bloated anymore. For a while there I was even wearing a bra to bed because I couldn’t stand how heavy the girls were. I brought some new bras last weekend, and for once, I didnt have to buy bigger. When I was pregnant, I had the same feeling with the girls..they were swollen and heavy, almost from day one of my pregnancies (I have had 2 miscarriages). Now they feel somewhat "normal" and I can deal with being braless at night. Well, I am rambling…I just feel so much better mentally that the weight seems to be coming off. I just wish it would come off as quick as it went on…LOL. Love to all Nikki "… lost in the darkness of my own circumstance, criticizing echoes leaving me awake in the night… the barrier and blockades that keep me safe and in control while I pretend that I am okay… "

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I found this study very interesting.  I never have the aura and I have recently been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Disease, which as one of the symptoms, infrequently or total lack of periods.  I will usually get a migraine the week before my period, which is very interesting according to the study.  I am going to print it for my Endroconologist.  Thanks, Linda

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The study also found that women who have migraine with aura only have one-third as many headache attacks during their periods than women who have migraines without aura. In contrast, women who take oral contraceptives are also twice as likely to have migraines with aura. "

anne – I find that interesting. I have been somewhat of a bebafflement to doctors, as to why when I get my period, that is THE ONLY TIME my headaches are less, or non existent. Ahhhh. Shauna

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I don’t recall reading about this before–other than that many women have hormonally related migraines, that is.   If this has already been posted please be patient with me.  Various things are preoccupying me and it’s gotten to the point where I was helpless with laughter, recently, after getting food for several of the cats and very focused on explaining something to Denny.  Without even realizing it, I’d handed him a bowl of freshly opened canned cat food.  He thought I was kidding but I didn’t even notice I’d done anything strange and was puzzled for a few seconds, when he handed it back to me! ; (   Anne "Study Sheds Light On Link Between Hormones And Migraine With Aura http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/10cfe2.htm By Cameron Johnston Special to DG News BARCELONA, SPAIN — June 28, 1999 — An Italian study has shown just how profoundly a woman

Polycystic ovary disease can cause massive weight gain.  I have a friend who was on a 1200 calorie program yet still well into the high 300’s pound range. And this was with treatment.

Ugh. I have PCO, and they caused a lot of weight gain. I got an E-mail from somebody who reccomended starvation-level dieting, W.L. Surgery or Drugs. I guess they did not read my post.  There are DIAGNOSED hormonal abnormalities.

Maybe you have to have these kinds of problems to understand. I hate it when people assume you are a lazy pig, just because you are fat. I found an effective treatment for my PCO, and that helpped make weight loss and maintance possible. I hope you can find a solution to your problem, too. Have you conducted a medline search? You might be able to find out about some treatments there. http://www.healthgate.com J — Tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1899. Remove the X to email me.

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Have you been tested for polycystic ovaries? Have you tried a gynecologist?

J, Yes, that is what the reproductive endicrinologist did.  he looked at my ovaries, and did a LOT of blood work.  I was referred to him by the OB-Gyn. The affected glands seem to be the adrenals and pituitary.  Not the ovaries. I have networked with about 3 other people online with the exact same medical history.  One is being treated by a physician who treats weight-related hormone problems.  Unfortunately he is over 2000 miles from me.  I am waiting to see if she can get him to reccomend somebody closer to me. Polycystic ovary disease can cause massive weight gain.  I have a friend who was on a 1200 calorie program yet still well into the high 300’s pound range. And this was with treatment. I got an E-mail from somebody who reccomended starvation-level dieting, W.L. Surgery or Drugs. I guess they did not read my post.  There are DIAGNOSED hormonal abnormalities.  The weight gain began concurrently with the manifestations of the hormonal abnormalities (I.E. Puberty at age 6) I have tried starvation (under 500 calorie) dieting, and lost very little weight and had serious health problems as a result. At this time, I eat a lowfat, high in vegetables and whole grains diet. Because that is what feels best to me. I "feel" fine.  I am in really good health.  The cardiologist was shocked that my heart is so healthy, given my size.  (DUH!  I eat well and exercise as much as I can)……. As far as appetite suppressant, I don’t have that much of an appetite anyway. I eat when my stomach growls, eat enough to satisfy it, and that is it. I have a "healthy" relationship with food, and prefer to keep it that I have many MANY friends and acquaintences who have done the drug/surgery route, and out of like 26 people, only one can be considered a "success" in that she kept half of her weight off for 15 years and no catastrophic health problems as a result of the surgery.  But, she is still fat, and still has digestive troubles.   I just have not seen with my own eyes that there is an effective, safe, long-term solution here. What I want to do is figure out what is causing the hormonal problems and address that. ALL the health professionals I have seen believe that the weight gain is definately related to the hormonal abnormalities.   It is not normal for a person who does not overeat to gain approx. 10-30 lbs. a year since starting puberty at age 6! Believe me, if appetite suppressants and any kind of "diet" would work for me, it would have already done so, as I have tried most of them in the past.   Just hoping somebody else out there had similar problems, and where they found a solution……. Tracy        "Minds are like Parachutes…… They only function when OPEN"

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there such a creature? I have diagnosed, but untreated hormone imbalances.  I have been steadily, yet slowly gaining since I hit early puberty at age 6-7.  I am now just over 400 #.  I have been to a nutritionist who evaluated me, said I do not take in enough calories to justify weight gain.  Went to a bariatric doctor who did only pills and surgery, cannot help a hormone-related weight disorder.  Went to a reproductive endicrinologist, abnormal levels of adrenal and pituitary and reproductive hormones were detected and verified, treated unsuccessfully with cortisone-based drugs.  Regular endicrinologist only dealt with pancreatic/thyroid disorders.  Abnormal thyroid and blood sugars, nothing extreme enough to warrant medecation though. Where do I go now?

Have you been tested for polycystic ovaries? Have you tried a gynecologist? J — Tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1899. Remove the X to email me.

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Is there such a creature? I have diagnosed, but untreated hormone imbalances.  I have been steadily, yet slowly gaining since I hit early puberty at age 6-7.  I am now just over 400 #.  I have been to a nutritionist who evaluated me, said I do not take in enough calories to justify weight gain.  Went to a bariatric doctor who did only pills and surgery, cannot help a hormone-related weight disorder.  Went to a reproductive endicrinologist, abnormal levels of adrenal and pituitary and reproductive hormones were detected and verified, treated unsuccessfully with cortisone-based drugs.  Regular endicrinologist only dealt with pancreatic/thyroid disorders.  Abnormal thyroid and blood sugars, nothing extreme enough to warrant medecation though. Where do I go now? Tracy        "Minds are like Parachutes…… They only function when OPEN"

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Clomid is the most common fertility drug given to women with PCOS.  It’s a toss-up as to if she’s going to ovulate on it, but I have to warn you that even if she does, there are no guarantees she’ll get pregnant.  But then, she just might. The big thing to know [and it's almost always brushed off by drs] is that in a certain percentage of women, the higher doses can cause the mucous to become hostile…the pH is off and it kills sperm…and then eventually dries up all together.  They can get around that with IUI…insemination. She must chart her temp every morning, and make sure she demands a day 21 progesterone draw to verify that she ovulated.  Also, she must have ultrasounds done to make sure she has no cysts [of 1-2 very tiny ones] before starting each cycle, otherwise she’ll have to sit that cycle out. m ——————————————————- In the beginning there was the Word.     And the Word was Chocolate.       And it was good…        Confections, 1.5 ounces, 240 calories.

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<<……..in a certain percentage of women, the higher doses [of clomid] can cause the mucous to become hostile…the pH is off and it kills sperm…and then eventually dries up all together.  They can get around that with IUI…insemination…>> Yes, clomid works by blocking estrogen, in turn stimulating GnRH, which causes LH and FSH to rise, inducing ovulation.  Estrogen is repsonsible for fertile mucus and uterine lining.  When estrogen is blocked, (like by using clomid), mucus can dry up and become thick, immobilizing sperm.  However, even if you have an IUI, clomid can also render the uterine lining to be so thin, that should fertilization occur, implantation of the embryo may be impossible.  Been there……

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