It’s our last choir “practice” of the season tonight. Of course, it’s mostly a potluck party, with a little rehearsal thrown in at the end. 
We decided to bring cumin potatoes, which tastes lovely and exotic but isn’t too spicy. Eric hasn’t made them in a while, so I’m already eager to get at them!
Doctor appointment yesterday was less than informative. I don’t know; Eric has expressed negative opinions in the past about our doctor and how she seems to miss things (with the whole Magical (Medical) Mystery Tour with the disappearing free air, especially, but that’s not been an isolated case). Yesterday, too, she seemed inclined to just want to give me Provera off the bat and blame the whole thing on exercise. I suggested concerns that it could be something else, and she said that it just seemed a very obvious case. “Well, yes,” I said, “but I’d hate to miss something important just because it ‘seems’ obvious.” Not to mention that I truly don’t believe that running is the cause. I used a very gradual training program, and I didn’t lose significant weight from when I started training for the marathon, and I’ve been focusing quite a bit on making sure to adequately fuel myself with good nutrition and plenty of calories all the while. I was as careful as possible, in other words; no starvation, no overdoing it.
I suggested to the doctor that, based on other issues that I presented to her several months ago (which she also blamed on tiredness and stress), we might want to take a look at my hormone levels, so she agreed to run some blood tests. If they come back normal, we’ll do the Provera and she’ll see me in another two months…and make sure, she says, that I haven’t slipped further down the BMI scale. 
(I told her I’d be halfway through training for Marine Corps then, so I may have lost one or two pounds, but I anticipate being in very good shape.) You’d think I was living on lettuce leaves and colon cleanses, the way that conversation seemed to be heading, instead of, say, just having had a bowl of this an hour before:
Anyway, I’m off to take Gabe to his last day of Bible school. If you can believe it, after only two days there, spending a little time in our church’s gymnasium each day, he’s already learned to pedal a tricycle! I’ve been trying to get him to do that for a couple of years! I find it funny that this is exactly what happened with Sam: he refused to pedal for me, and then he started attending preschool at the church and learned to pedal in the very same gymnasium. Something in the air up there, or something about those trikes. 
Interestingly, he was very well-behaved, for Gabe, for the rest of the afternoon; either he wore himself down enough to be more relaxed, or else he was feeling cooperative enough as a rule yesterday to be able to tackle the task of learning to ride. Either way, I’m good!
WHAT IS THAT, IT LOOKS SO YUMMY!!!!!!!
Click the picture!
(It’s steel-cut oats, mixed with pumpkin, ricotta, figs, and granola.)
If I could offer up some assvice (which you can feel free to ignore), you should see an endocrinologist. I was having similar symptoms to yours (without the weight loss though)and my GYN referred me to an endocrinologist. Turns out I had insulin resistance (which you probably don’t) and a bunch of vitamin deficiencies (which you might) that were causing my hormones to be all out of whack. Some meds and supplements later and I feel brand new. Worth a shot if you can get a referral.
Your doctor doesn’t sound very supportive. Whether she turns out to be right or not, it’s not very helpful of her to be so dismissive of your lifestyle.
You did test for the most common cause of missed period, didn’t you?
Yeah, that doctor doesn’t sound great. My mom had a similar thing when she was about 35. She went through a BUNCH of tests and the doctor was immediately concerned when it wasn’t the most obvious solution! Don’t trust anyone who dismisses your concerns!
And you’re sure…you’re ABSOLUTELY SURE it’s not…
Well, they threw that test in with the others (because it would be sort of bad to use Provera if I were, I think), but I’m positive I’m not. Absolutely no symptoms, multiple negative tests at home, etc.
They said they’d call with the results, and I rather hope they do; ordinarily, they only call if something is off, and everything else just gets a postcard of “all’s well.” I don’t feel like waiting! On the other hand, at least one of the tests needed to be done at a different lab, and the tech told me it might take a week.
You’ve gone to such a great healthy diet, but I wonder if you are getting enough fat in your diet. A few comments you’ve said, you are sooooooo concerned with fat contents and being careful not to return to your old ways, but fat is necessary for your diet. Are you getting at least 15-20% fat in your diet? Fat is necessary for normal female function…it’s the main component in the lining that needs to be shed during the monthly event. If you read about elite athletes that have the same problem, some is attributed to the physical exertion, but often it is the lack of fat/lipids in the diet. Something to consider and check into.
Oh, absolutely, Steph! I follow the guidelines on SparkPeople, making sure all my eating is in good ranges proportionally, and as for actualy numbers, I like to use Nancy Clark’s “Food Guide for Marathoners” (her larger and more general sports nutrition book is a bit tome-like, so I haven’t found the time to crack into it yet!). I pay careful attention to macronutrients, vitamins, minerals…
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