I had a comment posted on my blog asking why I didn't post any more reviews of my PGX experience. I guess it's just a matter of being a busy mum with not enough hours in the day to get around to fun stuff like blogging. That said, I thought I'd give you a quick overview of 12 months of taking this supplement because it's quite astounding.
After a bumpy first few weeks, my body quickly adjusted to the PGX. I took about 6 weeks to work my way up to the clinically significant dose of 4 tablets per meal. I tested occasionally with my glucometer and can tell you they do significantly drop the sugar levels of the food you eat 5 - 30 minutes after your dose.
Constipation is an issue with these tablets, even though they are a huge dose of fibre. Go figure! It's important to continue to eat plenty of fruit and things that move through your bowel and break up the bulky stools created by PGX.
I took this supplement as I thought it might help my PCOS. The first thing I noticed in that regard was that my cycle regularity was restored. From a random 60-ish day cycle, I quickly went down to a 30-35 day cycle. The second thing I noticed was that I lost weight from my waistline, despite not changing my diet at all.
After a few months, I began to find the large amount of water required to drink with each meal was burdensome. I decided to cut down to two tablets per meal, which meant I only had to drink about 250-500ml of water with each meal. I knew it wasn't a clinically significant dose but it still seemed to help and I didn't gain any weight back.
But, the most surprising thing happened when I had to visit my gyno for a transvaginal ultrasound. We discovered that in the twelve months since I had been taking PGX, with no other major changes, my left ovary had halved in size and was much smoother in appearance. This was pretty astounding as there were no other real changes in my lifestyle or diet.
I recently stopped taking PGX because I was taking Metformin in preparation for pregnancy and having two medications that are both rough on the gastro-intestinal tract was just too much for me. I would argue that PGX is at least as effective as Metformin in managing blood sugars. I'm sure it helped my body prepare for what is now a natural pregnancy. I do wonder if I'd actually be pregnant at all if I hadn't taken PGX at clinically significant doses for almost a year.
If you've got PCOS, I reckon PGX is worth trying.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Thursday 21 April 2011
All that is left - An Easter Poem
Father, Forgive them
He prayed
As he lingered.
Waiting,
To offer up the purest sacrifice.
The sin of the world descended
Like a heavy curtain.
Torn asunder
With crushing blows.
A bloody victory,
A hollow tomb.
Death is defeated.
Jesus is risen.
You are forgiven and
Found in Eternity.
All that is left
Is to Believe.
He prayed
As he lingered.
Waiting,
To offer up the purest sacrifice.
The sin of the world descended
Like a heavy curtain.
Torn asunder
With crushing blows.
A bloody victory,
A hollow tomb.
Death is defeated.
Jesus is risen.
You are forgiven and
Found in Eternity.
All that is left
Is to Believe.
Wednesday 16 March 2011
IVF - A Waiting Game
Psalm 130 (New International Version, ©2011)
A song of ascents. 1 Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
In the five or six years since I first went through IVF, the whole scene has changed. Rather than be a process driven by an IVF specialist, it is driven by clinic nurses. The clinic I'm attending has three nurses who job-share. I never seem to get the same one twice and they are never aware of my history. There is no case manager to own my case.
As a result, I feel like it is actually me who is driving the process. This is daunting when I have no idea what should be happening next. Oh sure, I could draw on past experience, but since that nearly killed me it is hardly a decent benchmark. The point of IVF this time is to create life, not end it.
These three job-sharing nurses will only accept phone calls at 8:30am - 9:30am and 3pm - 4pm. It's school drop off / pick up time. What a coincidence! This annoys me even more because I'm required to discuss IVF, my cycles, my periods, sperm collection etc on my mobile in the middle of a classroom full of FIVE YEAR OLDS!
My alternative is in the car, or wandering down the street with child in tow. I don't have blue tooth and handsfree on my mobile involves resting the phone on my thigh and hoping it doesn't slide off as I round the corner.
So it's cycle day 31 and we're waiting for my period to arrive. Nurse #3 said we'll wait until day 36 or 37 before they send me for a blood test (ie. a pregnancy test!).
One thing's for sure, I must be pre-menstrual 'cause I'm cranky as hell!
Thursday 10 March 2011
The life Jesus gave you
I got a revelation this morning after reading Luke 8:40 - 9:6 and I have to share it with you.
The first section is the story of the woman with the issue of blood, together with Jairus' daughter. The second section is where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples in pairs to minister.
Both stories were swishing about in my spirit this morning as I did the grocery shopping. I guess it took a while to process, along with a few leaps of spiritual logic (ie. revelation) before understanding arrived.
First thinking about the disciples being sent out like little mini Jesus' all around the country side. I remembered reading in one of the gospels how Jesus rejoiced with them upon their return. They had done as He had done - miracles, healing the sick, living by faith with no money, no spare shirt. 'Wow,' I thought, 'such faith!'
Right beside that story in my Bible is the story of the woman with the issue of blood . While reading, I was impacted by her strong faith and the instant reward Jesus gave her. Immediately upon her act of faith, he called her 'Daughter'. She was now a child of God.
My next revelation was that she was immediately used by Jesus to help build Jairus' faith through her testimony. No waiting around to do a training course at Church. As she trembled before Jesus and shared a thoroughly embarrassing and painfully honest account of her life, Jairus would have been standing nearby. No doubt, wishing Jesus would hurry up and get to his daughter's bedside.
Jesus knew Jairus was struggling with fear. "Don't be afraid; just believe and she will be well," He told Jairus in Luke 8:50.
I realised as I reflected on all of this that I have some parts of Jesus' life in me. I find it easy to have grace and forgive (mostly!). I find mercy and compassion fairly easy. Didn't Jesus extend grace to people? Didn't he show mercy and compassion? And then it clicks in my spirit, Jesus has given me every aspect of His life. Not just the grace and mercy!
Just as he sent the disciples out to heal and minister, He sends me out. He died so I could have a life just like his. Whatever He did, I can do too in Jesus' name. That means heal the sick, that means speak the truth in love, that means call the pharisees of this world to account, that means live a life not worrying about money, a life of miraculous provision of food and fellowship, a life of love for His father's house.
That's all mine. That's all for me and it happened the moment I took a step of scandalous faith towards the Lord and caught a hold of the end of his jacket. Whatever I see Jesus doing in the Bible, I can do too in Jesus name. Did you realise that's what He gave you?
Hallelujah!
The first section is the story of the woman with the issue of blood, together with Jairus' daughter. The second section is where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples in pairs to minister.
Both stories were swishing about in my spirit this morning as I did the grocery shopping. I guess it took a while to process, along with a few leaps of spiritual logic (ie. revelation) before understanding arrived.
First thinking about the disciples being sent out like little mini Jesus' all around the country side. I remembered reading in one of the gospels how Jesus rejoiced with them upon their return. They had done as He had done - miracles, healing the sick, living by faith with no money, no spare shirt. 'Wow,' I thought, 'such faith!'
Right beside that story in my Bible is the story of the woman with the issue of blood . While reading, I was impacted by her strong faith and the instant reward Jesus gave her. Immediately upon her act of faith, he called her 'Daughter'. She was now a child of God.
My next revelation was that she was immediately used by Jesus to help build Jairus' faith through her testimony. No waiting around to do a training course at Church. As she trembled before Jesus and shared a thoroughly embarrassing and painfully honest account of her life, Jairus would have been standing nearby. No doubt, wishing Jesus would hurry up and get to his daughter's bedside.
Jesus knew Jairus was struggling with fear. "Don't be afraid; just believe and she will be well," He told Jairus in Luke 8:50.
I realised as I reflected on all of this that I have some parts of Jesus' life in me. I find it easy to have grace and forgive (mostly!). I find mercy and compassion fairly easy. Didn't Jesus extend grace to people? Didn't he show mercy and compassion? And then it clicks in my spirit, Jesus has given me every aspect of His life. Not just the grace and mercy!
Just as he sent the disciples out to heal and minister, He sends me out. He died so I could have a life just like his. Whatever He did, I can do too in Jesus' name. That means heal the sick, that means speak the truth in love, that means call the pharisees of this world to account, that means live a life not worrying about money, a life of miraculous provision of food and fellowship, a life of love for His father's house.
That's all mine. That's all for me and it happened the moment I took a step of scandalous faith towards the Lord and caught a hold of the end of his jacket. Whatever I see Jesus doing in the Bible, I can do too in Jesus name. Did you realise that's what He gave you?
Hallelujah!
Monday 5 July 2010
Comfort.
Loving my new background. It's a trip. It's the kind of image I wish I could paint. A splash here. A nonchalant drizzle there. Brilliant colour mixed and mashed. I guess it's what I do with flowers.
Am confronting the thought of moving. It's the first time I've ever had to move house but not had that joyful excitement that comes with new beginnings. It's been a tough year for us and we've just had to man up, take it on the chin and all that crap. I'm not looking forward, I don't have any kind of vision for our future, I'm just enduring it at the moment. It's sad how life slaps you in the face once and you're fearful for the next three years as a result. [sigh]
I know God is with me. But I'm still hurting. I haven't got a revelation of God the Comforter yet. I know I will, though. That is this year's challenge,.... to find the God of all Comfort. Where are you?
Genesis 5:29
He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."
Am confronting the thought of moving. It's the first time I've ever had to move house but not had that joyful excitement that comes with new beginnings. It's been a tough year for us and we've just had to man up, take it on the chin and all that crap. I'm not looking forward, I don't have any kind of vision for our future, I'm just enduring it at the moment. It's sad how life slaps you in the face once and you're fearful for the next three years as a result. [sigh]
I know God is with me. But I'm still hurting. I haven't got a revelation of God the Comforter yet. I know I will, though. That is this year's challenge,.... to find the God of all Comfort. Where are you?
Genesis 5:29
He named him Noah and said, "He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the LORD has cursed."
Friday 25 June 2010
Wednesday 19 May 2010
PGX Daily Ultra Matrix Softgels: A review of the first five days
I decided to try out this high-tech fibre supplement after reading about it in How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine by Murray & Lyon. I will preface my review by saying PGX is useful because of its clinically-proven ability to reduce blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol. If you need it for fibre, I think there might be some products out there that are easier to take.
Also, it is clearly indicated that you need to drink heaps of water with this product because it can absorb more than a hundred times (I read somewhere 400x or was it 700x?) its own weight in water. This can create dehydration in your body if you don't drink enough water. This is a no-brainer, so when you're reading reviews that talk about headaches, it's more than likely that they didn't drink enough water. [Rant over]
Day 1
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before breakfast, 1 x 750mg tablet before dinner.
BMI = 33.9
The PGX tablets are huge - like horse tablets! By the time I'd taken one tablet and drunk the requisite 250ml of water, I felt nauseous. Over the next hour I forced down another cup of water.
Day 2
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before each main meal
I could definitely notice a stability in my hunger levels today. I really didn't feel hungry right into the afternoon.
Taking the tablets makes me nauseous. I have been drinking 1 litre of water with each tablet and still feeling thirsty and slightly overheated / feverish. I've had a headache this afternoon which I'm attributing to dehydration, so I'm drinking more water.
I'm bloated with water and weeing constantly.
Day 3
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before meals
I woke in the night extremely thirsty and headachey. This gave me a bit of a fright. I drank close to 600mls of water and went back to sleep. I woke up needing to wee a few hours later.
It scares me that this supplement could be hammering my kidneys! I hope it doesn't continue like this or I won't be able to keep taking PGX.
After last night, I stayed at yesterdays dose, with 600 mls of water to wash down each tablet. In the next hour after each dose, I sipped another cup or so of water.
If I have to go on drinking close to 6 litres of water a day, I won't be able to do this. It could be a deal breaker. That said, the appetite suppresant is noticable. I don't have any cravings between meals, I don't have any blood sugar swings. As a PCOS veteran of 25 years, and having had insulin-dependant gestational diabetes, I know what blood sugar swings are like, and I didn't have any. This is a revelation to me! I feel so stable. I noticed myself making a couple of healthier choices that I wouldn't normally make.
Day 4
Dose: 2 x 750mg tablet before each main meal
I really want to get to an effective dose (Not that it hasn't been effective so far!) so I'm taking two tablets before each meal today. I had the brekky dose at morning tea time today because I really want normal blood pressure medication to be well absorbed. It was only an hour or two until lunch time so I didn't have a dose at lunch, I had it at afternoon tea.
Even an hour or two after the dose, it had a clear appetite suppressing effect. I think that my blood sugars are more stable too. I am not noticing the blood sugar swings that are so typical of my normal day.
My lunch was a smaller portion. I nibbled fruit mid-afternoon. Normally it would be something really high carb like biscuits or crackers to top me up, but I didn't feel like I needed it.
Same at dinner. I ate smaller portions. By dinner, or even the lunch dose, I noticed that I could take those horse tablets and wash 600mls of water down in about three gulps and without nausea. It seems I'm adjusting to it. This is good.
Day 5
Dose: 3 x 750mg tablets before meals
I'm increasing the dose to 3 tablets before each meal today. I really want to get up to the dose that is medically significant for reducing blood sugar levels - from my reading it's between 4 and 6 tablets per meal.
I took 3 tablets before breakfast.
I plan to take my medication mid-morning, well after this dose. I read that you need to allow 3 - 4 hours for PGX to go down before you take any medication and you need to take it at least 1 hour before you have any more PGX. I'll take my blood pressure medication and a multi-vitamin around 11am today.
I think I'll start testing my fasting glucose (ie. thumb-prick test before eating in the morning) and maybe the occasional blood pressure reading. Along with my BMI, it will be a record of how the PGX is working on me. That should be interesting to see. (-:
I'm glad the extreme nausea and thirst has subsided. The headaches were concerning. I don't know how much was dehydration and how much was the poor absorption of my afternoon cup of coffee!!
Stay tuned for more comments on my PGX experiences. I really hope it helps me. I need a tool to help me start eating properly. It's such a battle.
Also, it is clearly indicated that you need to drink heaps of water with this product because it can absorb more than a hundred times (I read somewhere 400x or was it 700x?) its own weight in water. This can create dehydration in your body if you don't drink enough water. This is a no-brainer, so when you're reading reviews that talk about headaches, it's more than likely that they didn't drink enough water. [Rant over]
Day 1
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before breakfast, 1 x 750mg tablet before dinner.
BMI = 33.9
The PGX tablets are huge - like horse tablets! By the time I'd taken one tablet and drunk the requisite 250ml of water, I felt nauseous. Over the next hour I forced down another cup of water.
Day 2
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before each main meal
I could definitely notice a stability in my hunger levels today. I really didn't feel hungry right into the afternoon.
Taking the tablets makes me nauseous. I have been drinking 1 litre of water with each tablet and still feeling thirsty and slightly overheated / feverish. I've had a headache this afternoon which I'm attributing to dehydration, so I'm drinking more water.
I'm bloated with water and weeing constantly.
Day 3
Dose: 1 x 750mg tablet before meals
I woke in the night extremely thirsty and headachey. This gave me a bit of a fright. I drank close to 600mls of water and went back to sleep. I woke up needing to wee a few hours later.
It scares me that this supplement could be hammering my kidneys! I hope it doesn't continue like this or I won't be able to keep taking PGX.
After last night, I stayed at yesterdays dose, with 600 mls of water to wash down each tablet. In the next hour after each dose, I sipped another cup or so of water.
If I have to go on drinking close to 6 litres of water a day, I won't be able to do this. It could be a deal breaker. That said, the appetite suppresant is noticable. I don't have any cravings between meals, I don't have any blood sugar swings. As a PCOS veteran of 25 years, and having had insulin-dependant gestational diabetes, I know what blood sugar swings are like, and I didn't have any. This is a revelation to me! I feel so stable. I noticed myself making a couple of healthier choices that I wouldn't normally make.
Day 4
Dose: 2 x 750mg tablet before each main meal
I really want to get to an effective dose (Not that it hasn't been effective so far!) so I'm taking two tablets before each meal today. I had the brekky dose at morning tea time today because I really want normal blood pressure medication to be well absorbed. It was only an hour or two until lunch time so I didn't have a dose at lunch, I had it at afternoon tea.
Even an hour or two after the dose, it had a clear appetite suppressing effect. I think that my blood sugars are more stable too. I am not noticing the blood sugar swings that are so typical of my normal day.
My lunch was a smaller portion. I nibbled fruit mid-afternoon. Normally it would be something really high carb like biscuits or crackers to top me up, but I didn't feel like I needed it.
Same at dinner. I ate smaller portions. By dinner, or even the lunch dose, I noticed that I could take those horse tablets and wash 600mls of water down in about three gulps and without nausea. It seems I'm adjusting to it. This is good.
Day 5
Dose: 3 x 750mg tablets before meals
I'm increasing the dose to 3 tablets before each meal today. I really want to get up to the dose that is medically significant for reducing blood sugar levels - from my reading it's between 4 and 6 tablets per meal.
I took 3 tablets before breakfast.
I plan to take my medication mid-morning, well after this dose. I read that you need to allow 3 - 4 hours for PGX to go down before you take any medication and you need to take it at least 1 hour before you have any more PGX. I'll take my blood pressure medication and a multi-vitamin around 11am today.
I think I'll start testing my fasting glucose (ie. thumb-prick test before eating in the morning) and maybe the occasional blood pressure reading. Along with my BMI, it will be a record of how the PGX is working on me. That should be interesting to see. (-:
I'm glad the extreme nausea and thirst has subsided. The headaches were concerning. I don't know how much was dehydration and how much was the poor absorption of my afternoon cup of coffee!!
Stay tuned for more comments on my PGX experiences. I really hope it helps me. I need a tool to help me start eating properly. It's such a battle.
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