PCOS Awareness (Re-post)

This kinda like a repost because I posted this 2 years ago, March 31, 2019. I'd like to share it here to raise awareness about it and to boost the confidence of women who also have the same struggles such as me. ^^

***

(Copy pasted from FB—translation provided to some Tagalog sentences.)

***

WARNING LONG POST AHEAD.

"Diet ka na!" (Go on a diet!) -- I actually am. I control my carbs and even do 6AM-6PM (sometimes 9AM-6PM) diet plan.

"Work out ka kaya." (Why don't you work out.) -- I am trying. Even in the simplest way despite my hectic schedule by walking to and from work.

"Sus! Matakaw ka lang!" (Whatever! You just eat a lot!) -- If only you guys know how saddening it is to get fat EFFORTLESSLY even though I don't eat much.

"Anyare sa mukha mo? Dami na pimples. Dati naman hindi." (What happened to your face? You have a lot of pimples. Before you're not like that.) -- I'm tired of explaining to everyone that acne breakouts is one of the symptoms of PCOS.

"Nipis na ng buhok mo. Try changing shampoos." (Your hair is getting thinner. Try changing shampoos.) -- Believe me... I've tried various brands. I grew tired of preventing my hair from falling out when I comb it. Sometimes I even comb once a day, tired of my hair falling out everytime.

"Dami mong rason! Ayaw mo lang mag diet at mag exercise, eh! Tamad at takaw mo!" (You have a lot of reasons! You just don't want to diet and to exercise! You're lazy and you eat a lot!)

The last statement always got me. :) Though I don't show it to other people and I just joke about it with them even though it lowers down my self-esteem.

You guys don't understand how difficult it is that we do something about it but even the slightest change doesn't happen. PCOS doesn't only affect us physically, but also emotionally; giving us anxiety attacks about how to stop it from getting worse.

You guys say we're lazy and just love to eat a lot? You don't know how sad we are that we even have to almost "give up eating a lot" because our metabolism is 10x slower than the usual and even eating a little bit would shockingly make us gain weight. And even if we do eat a lot because it makes us happy, it saddens us afterwards, seeing that gaining weight happens ever so sudden.

"Why not magpa-check up ka? Para may gamot na mag regulate niyan." (Why don't you have a check up? So you'll have meds that would regulate that.) -- I did. I started medicating way back 2015. The pills to regulate my menses, the metformin that would control my carb intake. They were helpful, but my doctor told me to stop during my last check up in 2017 because continually doing my medication would affect my liver. Lucky that 6 of my cysts in my ovaries were gone, but now I'm not taking any medications to stop the symptoms from getting worse, just pure effort of dieting and simple exercises to prevent PCOS from getting worse.

"Bakit yung ibang may PCOS nakakaya nilang pumayat?" (Why can other people who have PCOS lose weight?) -- Last say of people I talk with on this matter. Again, DO NOT COMPARE. Effects of PCOS vary depending on the woman who has it. Not everyone who has PCOS have the same symptoms. Some have it worse, some have it easy.

Explaining this matter would even make it worse. Why? Because people would just joke about it and would even comment about us being overly dramatic when we explain that's why we are just forced to joke about it with you, to smile about it, or to just shut up, even though your remarks hurt us deep inside.

If only you all knew how we battle our condition and anxiety attacks every single time of the day and you guys joke about it as if it were a little thing. No, it isn't. You girls are lucky for not having a condition like this so you wouldn't understand the feeling of constant anxiety attacks and breakdowns. And you boys are insensitive for making comments as if it were a funny joke, and we may laugh about it with you, but you guys are just too much.

Despite having PCOS and its constant anxiety attacks, we battle it everyday by thinking positively. PCOS is not a small matter. You have no idea how we put up a strong and happy facade just to hide what we feel inside because we get misinterpreted when we try to express our worries and concerns.

I hope that people who get to read this would be more aware of the condition we women have. Although of course, we are not forcing you to "adjust" with how you communicate with us, just you guys knowing the condition of what we have and what we're facing is enough to let us know that you guys know what we're battling every day of our lives; that we are trying as hard as we can to be positive about it despite the challenges of this condition.

To my fellow women out there who have PCOS, fight! We know and understand the struggles we're all going through but always remember that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL, inside and out. :) Let us all remember that there are still people who love and accept us. Don't let our condition make us love ourselves less, instead, let's love ourselves more and appreciate that we're strong enough to handle this every single day. PCOS may constantly attack us emotionally, know that PCOS won't stop us.