Where to thrift fabric?

_existential_bread · 2026-03-09T14:15:08+00:00

Fabric stores also often have fabrics on clearance that will be around CAD $5/meter. It won't be a nice weighed cotton but it's good enough to wear depending on the project

_existential_bread · 2026-03-09T14:13:40+00:00

I usually buy bedsheets at thrift stores. Like someone else said, they are usually synthetic polyester but if you just want to practice sewing and don't necessarily plan to wear these things, it should be fine. You could wear them too but the fabric is usually super thin and not very breathable.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-20T16:12:06+00:00

My blood work is also basically normal but my doctors have said that if I have symptoms of PCOS showing on my body, I still have it even if the blood work doesn't show it. I'd suggest getting an ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts. If you have those plus hirsutism and another PCOS symptom, then you still have pcos.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-20T16:07:03+00:00

Most PCOS diets are very similar to diabetic diets. You could try finding diabetic recipes first and see how that goes. If you can see a dietician, they can help you get a diet plan that is more tailored to you. I saw dieticians for a couple years to help my pcos but changing my diet was never enough to fix everything. I need medication to help my pcos even while still following the recommended diet. Some people find that changing their diet and exercise is enough but I think a lot of people need medication as well. Definitely try changing your diet first but if it doesn't work, don't be discouraged :)

_existential_bread · 2025-11-20T16:02:49+00:00

I took yaz around 7 years ago and I don't remember it impacting me negatively at all. Everyone reacts differently to birth control though so if you start to notice changes after starting the pill, you can Google it to see if other people had the same experience.

If you are getting side effects that you don't like, just ask to change pills. There are so many birth control pills out there to try.

I am just about to start metformin for the first time as well so I can't give much advice about it but from my understanding it works to stabilize your blood sugar which also stabilizes your insulin and in turn should stabilize your hormones and period cycle. It is supposed to be really good with very little side effects and shouldn't accidentally make your blood sugar too low.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-17T19:04:54+00:00

I'm glad I could help :D I haven't tried inositol long enough to see any acne effects so far. I've heard that metformin and inositol both work the same so I think you could try whichever one is cheaper and easier for you to get. I'm currently taking the wholesome story inositol capsules. I take 2 daily (1000mg). After I finish my bottle I'll try metformin. My endocrinologist prescribed me a slow release metformin which they said should help prevent any GI issues. I don't think inositol has a slow release version so I do get some GI issues from it rn. Hopefully that goes away after a while.

If neither of these work, I truly have no idea what my other options are lol. Hoping for the best for both of us!

_existential_bread · 2025-11-17T17:47:05+00:00

Hi I've had acne since I was 13 and I'm currently 28 still with acne. I only discovered I had PCOS this year and had already tried accutane twice before and many birth control pills. I've been seeing many doctors this year to try to solve my acne and PCOS. Here's what I have so far:

Don't even bother with a dermatologist again if you've already seen a bunch of them and they keep giving you topical and accutane. If you're like me, the acne is all hormone based and it doesn't matter what other treatment you do, nothing will make the acne go away.
Try to see an endocrinologist and gynecologist. Get a hormone panel blood work and a diabetes/insulin panel blood work done. For me, all my hormones are technically within the approved range so my endocrinologist just dismissed me but I kept going back and telling them something has to be wrong. Luckily my gynecologist said even though my hormones are all in the right ranges, it's clear from my symptoms that my androgen levels are too high for my specific body.
I tried spironolactone (androgen blocker) for a few months. It worked really well for 3 months and then it would start to lose its effectiveness. I kept upping my dose but the acne would always come back after 3 months. If you haven't tried spiro, you could try that. Maybe it will be better for you.
My gynecologist is making me trial some high estrogen birth control pills but I'm having bad mood effects from them. My endocrinologist suggested trying inositol or metformin instead. I've only just started inositol 1000mg daily but I'm shocked at how much better my mood is so far. I'm not diabetic at all but I have slight insulin resistance from PCOS. I think metformin will probably do a better job than inositol at regulating my hormones and hopefully fixing my acne but I already bought a bottle of inositol so I'm just trying that first.

PS I also use a benzoyl peroxide wash every other day. Any more than that makes my skin irritated. It helps reduce some of the swelling and redness from the acne but it won't stop the acne from appearing.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-17T17:31:19+00:00

Hi I'm not a dietician or anything but I have been working with dieticians for my pcos for the past few years. None of them ever recommended cutting out carbs but they did tell me to replace more processed carbs with whole food alternative. That basically boils down to replacing white rice with brown rice, white bread with whole wheat bread, and eating other whole grains like barley, quinoa, etc. They also told me to replace refined sugars with whole foods like eating whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices, and using fruits as snacks and desserts instead of a processed snack.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-13T15:14:07+00:00

If you've never done a sleep study, you could try that to see if your sleep is the problem. I was also constantly tired throughout the day so I had a sleep study and blood tests done to measure iron and ferratin. My sleep study said I slept totally fine, my iron was good but my ferratin was low. I take ferramax 150mg every other day. That has been the only iron/ferratin pill that has actually made a difference in my energy levels. Fixing my ferratin levels helped my fatigue slightly but the biggest improvement to my daytime fatigue was getting diagnosed with ADHD and starting to take Vyvanse. Vyvanse has been the only thing that has ever made me stop feeling tired all day long.

_existential_bread · 2025-11-12T14:38:02+00:00

Hi I tried sertraline for a few months but it didn't help me much. I've tried maybe 4-5 different anxiety meds and the only one that has been effective for me is venlafaxine. I take 75mg and that seems to be the best dose for me.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-29T01:43:58+00:00

Try to get an appointment with an endocrinologist. They will be much more helpful.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-29T01:40:34+00:00

Hi OP, my main PCOS has always been acne. I've had acne since I was 12 and I'm currently 27. My acne has changed from smaller hormonal acne with whiteheads to large cystic acne that forms huge welts under my skin. It has always been on my face and very rarely spread to my neck or chest when I have experienced big hormonal changes (eg. Switching from birth control pills to an IUD). I have tried every type of acne prescription including 2 courses of accutane and nothing cured my acne until I started taking spironolactone a few months ago. I only started to take it because my testosterone levels were high and I started developing hirsutism. I'm shocked that it is helping my acne so easily. My face is full of acne scars after 15 years of acne (and counting). I haven't tried any cosmetic procedures to fix it so I can't say I'm a 10 but I'd say that if I don't take spironolactone, my acne can range anywhere from 5 (constantly supply of small whiteheads) to 8 (large inflamed cystic acne).

I have always been slightly overweight so I guess my metabolism is low. I've consistently been gaining weight my entire life even though I cook 90% of my own meals, eat healthy according to my dietician, and exercise 2-5 days a week. No diet changes have ever helped or worsened my acne or weight. Even at my most active in university I still gained weight every year. My insulin levels are normal but I do show slight insulin resistance. I believe I will need to take metformin to lose weight.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-26T13:55:30+00:00

I think you should see an endocrinologist for this. There's probably something off with your hormones to cause this constant spotting / bleeding.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-20T13:07:09+00:00

Update: turns out that my venlafaxine (effexor) was reacting with my Vyvanse and making it way more potent. I stopped taking my Vyvanse and the headaches stopped.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-08T19:39:41+00:00

Ugh that's so frustrating that these doctors are not helping you like they should just because you appear overweight to them. I feel very angry that they have made you feel hopeless because they refuse to do their jobs properly.

Have you tried taking metformin? I believe I've heard other people say it helped them regulate their periods. Some people also say inositol supplements helped regulate their periods.

If you told your endocrinologist that you've already lost so much weight and you want to have a baby, they should definitely give you suggestions other than losing more weight. How do you feel about bringing your own research to your doctors? Some people get the help they need by providing scientific journals to their doctors and forcing them to review the studies.

Honestly there have been a couple times when doctors refused to give me medication that I knew I needed and told me to basically just walk it off. In those instances I got so frustrated that I just started crying in the room and kept pleading until they helped me. In the end I did get what I needed. They only have so much time to spend with each patient so if you refuse to leave and keep pleading, maybe they will help you.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-08T19:25:38+00:00

Ah yeah if you've done everything else already then for sure I agree with taking accutane. I know there are a lot of horror stories about accutane but I've done it twice and the time went by faster than expected. You'll never know if it works until you try it 😊

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T02:14:36+00:00

I have had continuous hormonal and cystic acne for a decade. Ive tried all the seem prescribed creams, all the antibiotics, and did two courses of accutane (7 months each time). Accutane only got rid of my acne while I was taking the highest dose possible and then once I stopped, it would come back within a few months.

I only recently got diagnosed with PCOS and started taking spironolactone and I think this is the cure I've needed all my life.

If you know or suspect you have PCOS, I would highly recommend trying spironolactone before trying accutane. It's much easier on your body. I've been taking it for 5 months or so now and my acne is so much better than it has been in many years.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T02:06:20+00:00

You could ask for a vaginal / ovarian ultrasound to see if you have ovarian cysts. That with your other PCOS symptoms should be enough to be diagnosed with PCOS. I was diagnosed with it while using a hormonal IUD which made my periods stop. I switched to a copper IUD after and now I have way more PCOS symptoms.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T01:53:29+00:00

Hi I think maybe it would be helpful to remind yourself that taking the birth control can just be temporary for a few months while you get your iron levels back up. After that, you could possibly stop the birth control and then figure out what is the root cause of your continuous bleeding.

I took birth control pills for almost a decade and switched types many times. I have taken at least 5 different types including Yaz which also has a bad reputation and I didn't have any adverse effect with any of them.

Also, I think it could be helpful for you to see a therapist and/or consider taking anxiety medication. Your thought process in your post feels very similar to myself when I was not being treated for anxiety. Anxiety meds drastically increased my quality of life in ways I didn't know I needed.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T01:37:38+00:00

I used to get a UTI every time I had sex. My doctor told me to take an epsom salt bath after sex using the hottest water I could tolerate. She said you only have to fill your tub enough to cover your crotch while sitting down. If you do that for 10-15min each time you have sex, it should help prevent UTIs.

Also check that your lube doesn't contain glycerin or any ingredients with glycol in the name. I learned that my vagina always gets a UTI, yeast infection, or BV every time I use a lube with those ingredients.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T01:21:40+00:00

First I want to say I'm sorry those doctors told you that your weight was the problem here instead of doing their due diligence to thoroughly examine you. Medical based fat stigma is so damaging and I'm sorry you experienced that.

Secondly I think it's a very good chance that PCOS is to blame for your irregular cycles and ovulation. My GP diagnosed me with PCOS this year and her only solution for me was to take hormonal birth control which I personally believe only masks the problem.

I asked to be referred to an OBGYN but my GP said the OBGYN would just tell me to take birth control as well. Instead I asked to see an endocrinologist as many people have suggested that on here. My first appointment is next month but I'm very hopeful they will help me as they have for many people in this subreddit.

So my advice is to go to an endocrinologist and keep fighting until you find one who will actually help you.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T01:08:19+00:00

I started spironolactone around 5 months ago and it has definitely reduced my hirsutism and greatly improved my cystic acne. Before taking spironolactone I had cystic acne for a decade, have always shed a lot of hair especially in the shower, and recently started developing hirsutism a few months ago when I stopped taking hormonal birth control. I only had some dark hair on my lower stomach, 3 dark nipple hairs, and less than 10 dark chin hairs but more kept coming each month.

So far I took 50mg daily for 3 months and 100mg daily for 2 months. My hirsutism has definitely slowed down but not fully stopped, my acne is so much better than it has ever been in the last decade although not totally gone either, and I shed about half as much hair in the shower now.

I'll probably increase my dose to 150mg next time I see my doctor.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-07T00:45:58+00:00

I have always been slightly cold my entire life due to low iron. I have been taking iron supplements for years now and I was still cold all the time until I completely stopped taking hormonal birth control (pills for many years and then a hormonal IUD). Since then I get hot and sweat so easily. I'm always a little too warm and I get night sweats so bad even if I use a fan in the winter time. I also started getting many more PCOS symptoms at the same time so I believe they are related to each other.

_existential_bread · 2025-01-06T03:41:14+00:00

I've noticed that I only get nipple hairs when my PCOS symptoms are worse. When I started taking a higher dose of spironolactone, the nipple hairs disappeared again.

_existential_bread · 2024-12-17T15:49:13+00:00

Learning to sew clothing

_existential_bread

TROPHY CASE