The Three-Pronged Attack

I have a future appointment with a specialist. In the meantime:

Reading through any PCOS/hirsutism advice on the internet will give these recommendations, but what the heck I'm going to go and repeat them anyway.

The symptoms I suffer with greatly are: bad hirsutism, weight, bad skin. All cosmetic things. (I also suffer from unpleasant periods but I have always been a bit heyho about them, they are an inconvenience and don't ruin my life) So nothing that will kill me, no. All things that cause me mild to extreme upset, embarassment, lack of confidence, prevent me living life how I want, and (in some cases) depression and thoughts of suicide, yes. To anyone who does not suffer with PCOS this may sound excessive, to anyone who does I imagine they understand.

So on my road to rid myself (yes rid myself, not just put up with it, not just accept my lot in life) of my symptoms I have come across the three main attacks: For effectiveness I am following them all, rigorously:

LIFESTYLE CHANGE. MEDICATION. HAIR REMOVAL.

For effectiveness I am following them all, rigorously.

Medication

As mentioned in an earlier post I am currently taking Dianette and things have improved since I last wrote. I have been taking it now for a month and a half, I have (touch wood) no more breast pain that I experienced in the first month and for the moment am not experiencing any more serious mood swings (I occasionally get grumpy or upset, but this is usually for a reason, ie. I am finally facing my PCOS and dealing with it - normal.) I experienced a big dip in my sexdrive a few weeks ago (another side effect) but I can say that it has definately bounced back to normal! My skin is less red than before and the acne on my face is much clearer. I have also noticed a reduction in growth, or rather it seems to be growing slower, both on my face and other places I remove hair. As this medication is not supposed to kick in for several months (although it is possible that my hair has reduced due to lifestyle changes, but I suspect the pill is the reason) I have high hopes for the Dianette. However, after a little research I have found out that it may not be possible to stay on the pill for more than 2 years, and because the hair reduction is not fast enough for my liking I am following 2 other routes:

Hair removal

Face: Since the age of about 17 I have shaved my face - this has got to stop! Shaving, although quick, is a BAD idea and I would recommend anyone who does this to stop. It irritated my skin, I get rashes, I get stubble so I can't let anyone touch my face and it grows fast so I have to shave everyday and in the morning I have a shadow. Urgh. I have started using hair removal creams and plucking, its a slow process, but eventually I want to be able to wax the worst of it.

I am also looking into more expensive treatments. For now I have ruled out electrolysis on my face because I would have to leave the hair alone between treatments, effectively hermit-ising myself. This leaves me with laser (home kit or salon) or ultrasound. I currently have a consultation for the ultrasound hair removal, I will update later on this.

Body: I have thick black hair on my arms, legs, lower back, bum (slightly lighter), stomach and chest. WTF people. I have recently purchased the Braun Silk-epil Xpressive Pro Wet & Dry Body and Face Rechargeable Epilator  which I have so far used on my arms, legs and stomach. Ladies, I would recommend this product to anyone. My only warning is that for anyone with thick hair like mine, the first time hurt like a bitch. Seriously. On the reviews on Boots.com most people gush about how painless it is. Take some painkillers and have a bath beforehand coz the first time, it aint pretty. But then! The hair immediately grew back lighter and less thick, and it really didnt hurt much the second time, just a little uncomfortable. Work in progress hopefully...

I am also going for electrolysis on my chest this week. The salon I am going to charges £10/30 mins, and because the hair on my chest is long and thick but there arent too many, it seems reasonable. I will update on this too. I am also getting my lower back waxed. Sometimes you have to just swallow your pride, but the lady doing the work also suffers from PCOS, so she is very understanding.

I am also considering purchasing the Boots or Phillips IPL home laser kits. I am going to ask the specialist first however.

Also, non hair related but still a PCOS symptom, I have a very strict skincare routine for my face which I have followed for a while and makes a big difference (although the Dianette helps with redness and excess oil). I use a Neutrogena face scrub (all are good) every morning followed by Clarins toner and moisturiser. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the Neutrogena Wave which I use often (leaves skin soooooo smooth). At night I use Simple makeup remover cream and face wash. The only time I get bad skin now is when I don't follow the routine or I am uber stressed.

So, last but not least, this is for me the most important treatment for my symptoms:

Lifestyle change

I am putting a lot of faith in this one.

If I could make a wish and change any two things about my life it would be to lose the weight and the hirsutism. After speaking to my doctor and reading up on the subject I have found that the best way to improve my symptoms (most importantly for me, the hirsutism) would be to lose weight, be active and follow a good diet. Its a two birds one stone situation, worst case is that my hirsutism doesnt clear up, but I am finally slim and healthy and happier. Bit of a no-brainer really.

Having been obese (according to my BMI) for the 5 or so years I have finally lost about 3 stone and got down to just 'overweight'. I am already miles better looking and fitter (I can run for 40 minutes!). I need to lose just over a stone and a half to be a healthy weight, but my goal is to lose just over 2 stone. Ladies I would urge you to do this if being overweight is a problem for you.

I have started following a Low GI Diet (internet searches reveal this to be good for PCOS sufferers) and I exercise at least 4 times a week. I also drink peppermint tea (shamefully holistic) and take omega 3 fish oil supplements. I lost the first 2 stone in 4 months without exercising and another stone in a just over a month with exercising. If I carry on at the rate I am I will be even slimmer than my target goal by this summer, so for all you women who feel you just cant lose the weight, you really really can. But it has to be a change for life, not just a diet.

(For anyone looking for exercise to lose weight, the way that has worked for me is swimming, running (for beginners or try training for a 10K) and most recently I have bought Clare Nasir's Boot Camp DVD, which is making me waaaay fitter and more toned.)

Well that is the end of that massive post. Hopefully I will start to see some more definate improvements soon. But to everyone out there who is dispairing and can't find a way to deal with their PCOS, I really do believe there is a solution and I am going to find it.