PCOS 0 Alison 1

     I was at the gym with a friend and she encouraged me to write about my health journey battling PCOS(Polycystic ovarian syndrome). A little back story on this disease
 1 in 6 women are diagnosed with this disease and currently has no medical treatment as everyone's affects them differently. Mine was infertility due to low progesterone, it slowed my metabolism down which caused my testosterone to be high and look like I was 6 months pregnant. It made it near impossible to lose weight.

      I was diagnosed in 2006 and they tried everything. They tried the one medication that works for some called metformin but it just made me sick. I lived in constant pain and had long menstrual cycles. It caused me infertility which caused continuous miscarriages. Finally in 2015 I met with a fertility specialist who tried to help by trying another medication which again did nothing. It wasn't until I got connected to an amazing dietitian online at pcos diet support. I started to learn which supplements to start taking which is alot trust me eg; chromium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin b12, probiotics for gut health, I take ltheanine for anxiety before bed, inositol which now I'm off, I take birth control to balance my progesterone levels. I started to learn what I should be eating. No dairy, no gluten easier said than done, I like pizza haha. The dairy has a hormone in it that can increase my testosterone and gluten can spike my blood sugars.
Now don't get me wrong in between 2015 and now I did have a son who is now 18months old thanks to the Ontario IVF program. In 2017 I had Isaac, beautiful boy, but leading up to that I was expected to lose 10 to 15lbs to fit into 31bmi. Hello, PCOS makes it impossible to lose weight. I managed to lose the little bit of weight and squeaked into the bmi they wanted. Thanks to my awesome friend Jenn.
     Now it wasn't long after I was rediagnosed with PCOS. I took it really hard because I had just started on a new health journey. I was eating right and working out. I remember that walk home clearly. It was a Jan 2018 afternoon, slightly snowing and all I could do was cry out to God I'm so exhausted of fighting. He said keep doing what you are doing and I will take care of everything else. I kept trucking on working hard exercising, eating healthy. In all this time I started finding passion for excercise and yummy food. The more I kept eating healthy and exercising the more results I saw. The less symptoms I had due to the PCOS. My insulin results balanced out, my testosterone level came down. Still having a trouble with the progesterone but one day at a time.
     Fast forward to Jan 2019 and as I was fasting and praying, I remember again asking God did you forget about me. All I can remember is weeping and hearing Do you trust me? I began to say I think so and again heard Do you trust me? Again I said I think so. Finally the 3rd time I heard Do you trust me? At that moment my heart said I need to trust you. In the last few months I kept rolling with health and my doctor is loving my progress and feels I should be able to get off some of the many supplements I'm on to function. I laughed when I heard that and thought you have no idea doc lol. I am still taking my supplements and will continue on this healthy lifestyle. For a matter of fact I'm pushing myself to train for a half marathon. No turning back. As the title says PCOS 0 Alison 1. I will no longer let this disease control my life. God controls it.

My daily morning reality

Sitting Around the dinner table

     As I was really processing our Pastor's sermon this week about being "we not me" as a family unit. He mentioned in his family the dinner table was their time together. I definitely had to think what does that look like in our family. And it brought me to think about my dinner table while growing up and how the dinner table was an essential part in our house. We would talk about our day and upcoming activities, whatever was bothering us etc. Andre grew up the same way it was an essential part of his home so as Andre and I talked about this we realized we wanted the same thing for our family. We wanted to have that place where we can come as a family and know it's our time to listen and laugh
    “Well, come home with me and have a meal.” 1 Kings 13:15
     Now here we are sitting at the table with our 18month old and sharing our meals. Are they always beautiful meals no but we are together. We try to make this a priority easier said than done some days but wow how nice it is to be us as a family. We say grace together and serve each other. We talk about our crazy day, laugh as Isaac is learning the fork and spoon. Don't get me wrong Isaac doesn't quite know what is going on but we look at it this way we train him up the way we want him to go. We want him to know the importance  of the dinner table not just to eat at but communicate at. We want him to know the importance of togetherness and to pray together at the dinner table. Putting Jesus and family first over the meaningless needs of the social media world.
    Last year we decided to take a parenting class offered at our church and it was amazing. In the class the gentleman talked about as crazy as his life could get the dinner table was the one place that his kids new as a safe place to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. You see from that day on we as a couple made the decision that was what we wanted for our son. Ok don't get me wrong pizza movie night is an exception but that is still as important. As I started thinking about the dinner table and how even it was important to Jesus. He sat with his disciples at the table and broke bread. Which was His family. So to think the dinner table may seem insignificant it's not. It's the place to laugh playing a board game, eat a delicious meal, have a cup of coffee with a friend and pray together. In this house it's the center of our home. Its the place where we have shared some of the happiest and darkest times. The place where we have shed tears and prayed for wisdom and strength. The dinner table has definitely been a place where we have made some of the toughest decisions. It's the place where we've sat with Jesus and a cup of coffee quietly. God keeps bringing us to that same spot. He draws us there. Its the place in the home where when we sit down there is no technology, no distractions. It's just us as a couple, as a family. So here is my challenge to you what does your dinner table look like?

"Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble."Proverbs 17:17