At 29, life was perfect! Great job, more than awesome husband, lovely in laws, supportive family and all of that. Two years back, post marriage, I shifted to another city, Pune. Pune is quite known for its amazing weather and it’s a pretty peaceful city, in my experience. I mean, I moved from Mumbai – anything after Mumbai seems peaceful! No but seriously – Pune is as perfect as I expected my settling life to be!
Days went by, months passed, I was starting to unsettle. Something was not right. I was trying to figure out what? I started falling ill all of a sudden. You name a week, a month and I was on sick leave from work. It was getting bad to worst. To add on to it, I was gaining weight, unexplained weight! Not that my eating patterns were changed drastically. It was less lavish and grand than how I lived my past 28 years. Working women and nuclear family – what more can one expect?! Plus I was still learning to adjust to this home-work-home business.
Unexplained weight gain and immense hair loss was an alarm, a signal to see the doc. Doctors, medicines, hospitals, these words frighten me to the core. I have been so very obsessed with my body since the very beginning of my life that I do the best I can to avoid these circumstances in my life where a doctor or medicines are needed. If need be, home remedies are what I stick to and that’s what my mother has always pushed me for, that’s how I have grown up.
So time had come that I had to step into a clinic and get my lab tests done. To my complete surprise PCOS it was! Well, I cried myself to sleep that night – I hate being not normal, unlike anyone else. But of course, immense research and counselling with friends helped me understand, how common it is these days. Go blame it on the lifestyle!
I knew, medicines are not my cup of tea, that is not what I am going to hang on to all my life. Home remedies, even this time. A lot of them, trust me this isn’t an easy battle. Everything from cinnamon powder to flax seeds, no dairy to gluten free, chia seeds to no fried and packaged foods, no cheese weeks to exercise weeks, dance classes to yoga is been tried and tested. I’m sure it works, it does – my life has only improved, I believe so!
Cure is a little far away thing yet. Strong will is what one needs, I lack that here. I am a common girl, I love eating. I am not a model, how on earth do I stick to my diet – I need some serious help here. Who pays me for ditching dairy, and how do I do it?? A glass full of milk every morning, a bowl of curd with every meal – that’s how I have lived my life for 29 years! How and why is that wrong for my body now?
No gluten – really? is it that easy to ditch your rotis, breads, sooji, etc. It isn’t for me. I am having a tough time, really.
No cheese. I know this makes sense. But no cheese, do you even know what that means and how depressing it is! You wont until you have loved it and tried quitting it. I am getting much better here – not more than 2-3 times a month. But it does depress me.
I’m just not quitting things, I have picked up on new things as well. Salads. And they aren’t as boring as they sound. My husband and I, we make the most chatpatta salads we can – minus the cheese, sugars and sauces.
It all seems to be working for me, but I await the day when my life will go back to what it was a year back – Beautiful long hair, no acne face, high on energy, better immunity and all toned up me!
PCOS: I’m not letting you win yet 🙂
CutStories 