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2008/01/29, 01:20 PM
Well, I've put off posting this for months thinking I would be able to overcome, but I'm wrong. I thought I was strong enough, dedicated enough, powerful enough, but I guess it's time to admit, I need help. I've read all of the posts on fitbuddy on this, and even posted about this once before I think although I couldn't find it.
After my second child I had my tubes tied along with my c-section. Since then I have out of control PMS. It gets worse and worse every month to the point where last month I was in bed for two days throwing up even! YIKES! This month I binged and pigged out for 10 days straight and kept telling myself "I will stop this tomorrow" and start all over again. WHAT THE HELL! That's not me! This self-destructive cycle just seemed to end last night or this morning. This is out of control. I have gone to the Dr. who put me on Wellbutrin to help with mood swings and to calm cravings (also to help quit smoking) but it sure didn't help the monthly food cravings. I've heard that after having tubes tied, can really throw your horomones into an uproar, although this is debatable amongst the medical community and not sure if it's a founded argument or not.
I HATE putting artificial anything into my body, including Wellbutrin (smallest dose possible), but I'm afraid my next stop would be horomone therapy and I really really don't want to do that, not even a little bit.
So, I'm desperate. I've tried everything. Exercising extra, substituting other foods for those craved, giving into small portions of my cravings, eating small meals high in protien, etc. You name it, if it's on fitbuddy or google, I've tried it.
As of this morning I gained 3 lbs in the past week and half. This CAN NOT continue. I'm taking one step forward 3 weeks of the month, the 2 steps back during that one horrid week. Does anyone have ANY suggestions that don't result in more prescription therapies?
Thanks.
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2008/01/29, 02:52 PM
Gosh.. this is a tough one. I know I get food cravings and tend to binge more the week of my period, but nothing too extreme. What I try to do is get out of the house and find something to do for most of the day. For example, you could take your family out for a ride somewhere pretty far away from where you live, but try to find side streets instead of freeways to get there. I live in the Milwaukee, WI area, and my parents like to take car rides to northern Illinois and the Chicago area to just have a day out of the house. It takes your mind off of food, and hopefully it will help you. I know you obviously can't do it everyday, but weekends are always good, and maybe you could find something to do during the week if your kids are in school. Hopefully it will help to at least distract you while you are out, causing you to eat less during the day.
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2008/01/29, 03:03 PM
Being female really does suck sometimes!! I too have issues with my monthly cycle, but mine are more physical and really interfere with my activities for that one week. I can also relate to your not wanting to go the prescription route, as i feel the same way. The only thing I can think of is to go and see a naturopathic Dr.and see what they can suggest. They may have some good suggestions as far as natural suppliments and they can assess your current diet and lifestyle characteristics that may or may not be contributing to your PMS.
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2008/01/29, 11:21 PM
Thanks yessica and fly. Those are good suggestions. I like the naturopathic Dr idea fly. I've even considered accupuncture, but scared of where they may stick the needles to cure pms. lol.
Yessica, I like the idea of getting out and about. We are actually seldom home and I work during the day. I take healthy snacks to work and do very good during the day. but, for whatever reason, I attack the pantry when I get home. I even put hubby on alert when it's not PMS time and tell him to keep me out of the pantry. This past week he said "Honey, are you sure you really want to eat those 12 rice cakes with peanut butter and apples? Healthy snack, yes, but 12, not so much. So, I answered "If I didn't want to eat them, I wouldn't be stuffing them in my mouth!" then I think I threw something at him and ran down the hall crying. ha ha. Ok, I'm exagerating, but you get my drift. lol. I will just keep trying new ideas, including those that you guys suggested and hopefully one day or another I'll feel better.
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2008/01/30, 10:05 AM
There are some essential oils (evening primrose and bergamot, I think) that are supposed to help and there are some natural hormone balancing formulas, start checking into them.
Hang in there. As I tell my sister when she insists God is female - if God were a woman we wouldn't have periods and men would give birth and there woudn't be a population problem:) Anyhow - I do think you should be able to find a natural solution to this.
Poor hubby - mine has the same ordeals with me - he wants to make me happy but he also wants to help me reach my goals - so does he go for the short-term happiness (letting me eat junk food) or the long-term (reminding me of my vows not to eat junk food and risking castration)...poor guys, seems they can't win either...
Anyhow - as far as dealing with cravings. I like to make a huge oversize mug of hot chocolate :
2 TBSP cocoa powder
4TBSP splenda
dash of salt
boiling water
after mixing well stir in a splash of vanilla.
That makes a lot of cocoa, my giant mug is probably 2-3 cups worth.
I also eat a lot of crunchy veggies.
I drink tea...
I eat fiber wafers....
I distract myself with other activities...they say a craving lasts only 10 minutes or something so if you distract yourself sufficiently it should pass. If you are truly hungry/thristy, eat something healthy and then distract yourself.
And yes, I cave in and eat junk. But you can try to minimize the damage by eating the healthiest version of what you are craving, by drinking extra water after to help 'flush' the calories and by spending a little additional time doing some cardio (not the best mindset in the long run, but this should only be occasional).
I also have a recumbent bike in my living room and I will sometimes just turn on the tv and hop on the bike, hard to eat junk food while riding the bike to nowhere.
I hope some of this is helpful.... and I hope you feel more level soon!
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Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
Thomas Carlyle
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2008/01/30, 07:28 PM
You mean I don't have to eat, lift, rest and repeat? lol. Just kidding around.
I appreciate the post. It helps a lot. I'm going to start searching for the natural herbal stuff. I love the herbs! I also can't wait to try the hot cocoa recipe. I'm not craving it now, so I won't do it now, but have printed the recipe on stand by when I need it. Hopefully the spenda box opens easy so that I don't throw it at my children or something. ha ha.
Thanks again, and I love the God isn't a woman reference. That cracked me up.
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2008/02/18, 01:30 PM
Quick update on this one. I went through my weekly hell week last week AGAIN! Each month gets worse and worse, this is the worst one so far to the point where I seriously thought I would be better off dead. WOAH! WHAT!? Totally not me. I thought I was pregnant with most of the symptoms from the sore chest, to the "morning sickness" which was really just me throwing up several times, to full-on temper tantrums and crying spells. I then told my husband that I hated him and wanted a divorce, then cried because I thought I was crazy and really loved him and didn't want a divorce for real. I called my Dr. in a frantic state and told her that "I don't have PMS, I have PMPD which is pre-menstral psychopathic disorder. I'm PIMPED Doc!" Luckily even in the midst of a mental breakdown I can keep my sense of humor. I told the doc that if I came in, I just wanted to talk because in my current vulernable state of mind (last week), if she tried to stick me in stirrups I could hit somebody, or burst into tears and that's just not a good thing. Poor Dr.
So, she made an appt. for me tomorrow at 9:00 am and had me write down all of the symptoms I experienced last week while I was having them. That's scarey, I read that list this week and just feel like a totally different person took over my body. I think she thought I'd be more rational this week to discuss options, and I think she's right. So, she IS talking horomone replacement therapy. She said that sometimes having the tubes tied and cutting off that blood flow and estrogen levels and cause pre-menopausal symptoms. My cycle also includes several other physical and psysiological symptoms that I haven't even gotten into and prefer not to. So, this isn't just about being "crabby".
Long story longer, I guess we'll see what she says. At this point I'm happy to go back on the Pill, or whatever she has me do. My cycles are so irregular, I didn't get a chance to try the naturopathic remedies before another cycle hit and this one was bad. Scarey bad.
So, wish me luck. Hopefully they won't take me away in a straight jacket!!! I'm just such a happy go lucky person, I love to have fun and joke around, I hate this crazy person who pops out once a month. Thanks for listening gals.
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2008/02/18, 03:11 PM
Good luck - I hope you get it all sorted out!
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2008/02/18, 04:47 PM
Good luck Amy!
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2008/02/19, 10:44 AM
I myself was diagnosed with PMPD several years ago. I went to the doc...was a male...he basicaly told me I had PMS like all women...deal with it.I was in the middle of an episode and about lost it with him.They had to call my ex-husband in to calm me down.I thought they were going to put me in the phych ward that day.I had a female doc that put me in for blood tests.For 2 weeks before and after my cycle I went in for daily blood tests and my hormones would spike and fall drasticaly from day to day.I was prescribed Cellexa to take for 2 weeks out of the month.Cellexa is an antidepresant..and it helped maintain my seratonin levels.It worked very well,but when we went overseas..I had to drop my script..because it was an antidepresant...they didnt want any dependants overseas with "phsycological" problems.Ridiculous.Anyhow...I have had a decent handle on my cycles(in comparison) since going off of the meds..personaly I would prefer to take them..but with my current medical insurance..I simply cant afford it.I dont believe there should be such a stigma with scripts.If your condition is such that you need them.
PMPD is hard to live with...and hard for those around you to live with.It is a problem I have had my whole life...mine also became worse after having my tubes tied.It has been ten years for me now that I have had my tubes tied..and my PMPD has not been as extreme for the the past few years(although some who know me may not agree with that statement).Hang in there...I hope you find what works for you!!!
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2008/02/20, 09:34 AM
Thanks KC. It's always nice to hear that I'm not the only one going through this. I did go to the Dr. yesterday. She wants to do an ultrasound next week to determine if I have any cysts or anything causing the horrible periods, but didn't talk much about the horomones. I guess we'll discuss that after the ultrasound next week. She's currently in "let's rule everything else out and go from there" mode. It does sound like she'll put me back on the pill, but not until she knows that everything else is ok. It's so frustrating. I never understand the logic behind Dr.'s prescribing anti-depressants for one-two weeks worth of hell instead of just doing something to control the hormones. I guess that's why I'm not a Dr. though! Thanks again.
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2008/02/20, 02:11 PM
Amy - i don't kow if it will help with symptoms as severe as yours, but this doctor is Montel Williams' doctor and she wrote this book - The Hormone Solution: Naturally Alleviate Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance from Adolescence Through Menopause (Paperback) by Erika Schwartz
She miantains that most of our issues as we age or get ill are due to hormone imbalances and she tells you how to balance them through food and natural hormone replacement therapy (not man made hormones, which are what caused all the problems with cancer)...anywhooo- i thought it might be of interest to you.
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Argue your limitations and they are yours.
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2008/02/20, 02:20 PM
It absolutely is. Thanks Amy!
btw, I love your quote at the bottom of your posts. not sure if it's new or I just now read it, but it's great.
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2008/02/21, 08:26 AM
Thanks... I need to find out who I am quoting - because it is not an Amy original, but I think it applies to so many situations here.....
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Argue your limitations and they are yours.
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2008/02/21, 08:37 AM
There, found it and fixed it :)
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Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they\'re yours.
Richard Bach
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2008/02/23, 03:54 PM
I went through something similar myself over the last year. While I think my symptoms were not quite as severe, I did have several of the same things, including: severe mood swings (I would be fine the week to ten days after the end of my period, and then starting about 8 or 9 days before my next period, I would get severely depressed, even suicidal); awful PMS symptoms (severe vomiting that kept me home from work); and the other more "normal" symptoms such as cravings, bloating, swelling of breasts, etc. However, I figured out through trial and error what was "wrong" with me. I did not have to use a pill, hormone therapy or any unnatural. My problem was that I became vegetarian while at the same time I increased my caffeine intake by four-fold. When I cut out the caffeine and made sure to get adequate protein in the form of non-animal protein, as well as included an herbal supplement specifically to help with PMS symptoms, it was like magic. I was so frustrated and desperate after my worst cycle in December, that I remember telling my sister that God must hate women. But I realized there must be a natural solution. I found mine. I don't believe we need to get medicated because that would just be too unfair, wouldn't it? I think God gave us the means to keep ourselves in natural balance - we just have to find our personal solution. Try a trial and error method by cutting out certain foods and adding certain foods. Read that book. Best of luck.
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2008/02/23, 04:03 PM
I forgot to add: I think one reason I had vomiting was because I was taking an allergy medicine (Allegra). If you take any prescription meds, you may want to stop for one cycle (if at all possible and after asking a physician, of course).
I do not take anything unnatural if I can help it. Not even tylenol or cough medicine.
Take care and I feel for you - I really do. Being a woman really does suck sometimes.
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Quoting from tooterbee:
I went through something similar myself over the last year. While I think my symptoms were not quite as severe, I did have several of the same things, including: severe mood swings (I would be fine the week to ten days after the end of my period, and then starting about 8 or 9 days before my next period, I would get severely depressed, even suicidal); awful PMS symptoms (severe vomiting that kept me home from work); and the other more "normal" symptoms such as cravings, bloating, swelling of breasts, etc. However, I figured out through trial and error what was "wrong" with me. I did not have to use a pill, hormone therapy or any unnatural. My problem was that I became vegetarian while at the same time I increased my caffeine intake by four-fold. When I cut out the caffeine and made sure to get adequate protein in the form of non-animal protein, as well as included an herbal supplement specifically to help with PMS symptoms, it was like magic. I was so frustrated and desperate after my worst cycle in December, that I remember telling my sister that God must hate women. But I realized there must be a natural solution. I found mine. I don't believe we need to get medicated because that would just be too unfair, wouldn't it? I think God gave us the means to keep ourselves in natural balance - we just have to find our personal solution. Try a trial and error method by cutting out certain foods and adding certain foods. Read that book. Best of luck.
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2008/02/25, 10:39 PM
Thanks. Got my ultrasound tomorrow. Wish me luck all! I'll keep you posted.
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2008/02/26, 09:29 AM
Latest update. The ultrasound lady (or Radiologist if you want to be formal) is out today because of the inclement weather. So, I have to wait ANOTHER WEEK. *sigh*. Oh well.
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2008/03/06, 03:18 PM
Finally! I got in for my yearly exam and ultrasound. I have fibroids. Definately not the worst news I could have heard and something I never even thought of! So, I've been put on a mild dose of birth control to regulate my horomones. If that doesn't help, they want to do more ultrasounds to make sure that the fibroids are staying the size they are now. If they aren't causing me any more trouble, then I'll just have an ultrasound every year with my yearly exam to check up on them. Piece of cake. Hopefully this works. :)
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2008/03/06, 03:33 PM
That's good that it's nothing bad! What exactly are fibroids?
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2008/03/07, 02:22 PM
Some sort of benign tumors that grow in or around the uterus. They can push on the lining causing all kinds of trouble with monthly cycles. Some say that they are caused by horomone imbalance, some aren't sure. Mine are pretty minor now, just troublesome enough to cause monthly issues. If they get worse, I can opt to have them removed but don't see that in the near future. :)
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2008/03/07, 02:25 PM
hmmm what a great topic im glad this was one of the live topics i could join. haha
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2008/03/07, 02:29 PM
Oh, okay. Well those don't sound too bad, and they're benign, which is a very good thing! I hope that the medication that your doctor put you on helps!
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2008/03/07, 02:33 PM
Good to have a reason for the insanity - I hope the treatment works for you !!!! :)
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Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they\'re yours.
Richard Bach
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