Physical Check-In #2

I'm sorry BirdDancer. That is concerning and I've been there. It feels uncomfortable when something that is supposed to regularly cycle goes haywire.

Didn't your doctor shift your med doses recently? For me, shifts in my dose caused my cycles to go nuts. I bled unexpectedly constantly and I was worried there was something seriously wrong. It would wind down and then start a week or so later. The bleeding wasn't terribly heavy, but it would last for a long time and I only got short breaks in between. There were down times, but it was scary and felt constant especially when I had a regular cycle previously.

I told my pdoc before consulting with my gynecologist and she recommended lowering my AP dose to see if that would help. A month later things returned to normal. I think it is wise to get checked out regardless, but I wanted to toss that out in case it is a consideration for the cause of this unwanted change.

Much love to you and I'm hopeful you find an answer soon.

showered today so lots of pain

lots and lots

shame really, because the last few days it's been pretty manageable

Thanks for sharing that, fern! It is reassuring to me to read that others have experienced similar, though I'm sad that's so. I had thought about my antipsychotic increase (Seroquel XR) when I missed my period. There's seems to be a number of possibilities. Maybe next Thursday will reveal something, but as it will be only a video appointment, it won't be a thorough exam.

My psychiatrist hasn't wanted to decrease my Seroquel XR given my stress levels. It's probably been the right decision. Maybe my stress will start to decrease a bit, but with my dad coming home in a little over a week, it's hard to know if it will go up a bit again. I'm glad this will be a long weekend!

Hey BD! What a coincidence we are talking about periods the day I come back to post a little more. lol Yeah, I literally just started this month's one and it's 5 days early. This has not happened in years and even when I'm just a few days off, it's more typically a later start date, not an earlier one. So very weird.

But what hasn't been weird for awhile is my long 10 day periods. I've had every test thought of to see why this is and nobody knows. Luckily it's only heavy for 2 or 3 days, but there is still something for the 10days. It's very frustrating to my husband too. sigh!

Other than that...omg, did I mention my stye here?? If so, I can look back to see how long it's been. I still have it. :/ It was much better and then I stopped the warm compress for a day and it came back some...more and more people are talking about getting the virus and it's worrying me a bit that that could be a possiblitiy. I don't really believe it to be true right now, but omg, I'd hate if it was the case!

ok, well, i'm going to look back a little and see if I can find any stye posts.

sending my best!

edit: ok, didn't find any mention of stye here. but some other things I could update.

Gabapentin has been fine. Still unsure of the weight gain. Have not had access to a scale to check, but have been trying to get in exercise again. Still not back into it fully or every day, but really trying...and well, yesterday was pretty close actually, but I had to push myself because of this fatigue (again, hoping it was PMS).

Ha! Well, with the exception of tonight, I've been without the deep fried foods for like 2 weeks now. (has it been that long and the batter is still good??!! hmm!) heh, and I was continuing hummus with celery and/or carrots and pita bread (not really supposed to have bread, but it's ok once in awhile and I was out of veggies...oh wait, there was broccoli there once too!)

and finally, GP is upping my Zoloft to help with the anxiety and OCD tics (or body focused repetitive behaviors) as these have still been an issue. But I also have Clonazapam for a prn (as needed). I might be checking in here more often with this med change, but I'm still not sure. I'm already internet addicted and need to still rest my eyes a lot. eh hem. :P

giddykitty, I hope you can get rid of that stye. Have you restarted the compresses?

I never heard of Neurontin being a weight gainer, but I know different people experience different things. My husband takes that medication for something totally different. I don't know if it plays any part in his weight gain. He has gained weight, but I think he would have even without that medication.

I feel like and think I even look like I've lost weight, but the scale says the same thing as weeks ago. My gut feels bloated. I don't know if that has anything to do with my recent menstrual period issues or is something...much more innocent. My video appointment with my gynecologist was horrible. She seemed annoyed as if I was bothering her with some small issue. I mentioned in the check-in thread a few days ago that I've been unhappy with her treatment of me.I might just switch doctors after seeing her for 20 years..She told me to call for an appointment, including an ultrasound at day 8 or 9 after my next period ends (if it ends at day 8 or 9). I have also had a set appointment on my calendar for mid June, which is supposed to be a routine appointment. I don't know what to do since mid June would likely be around the same day as a day 8 or 9, or even before. If I don't even get my period until mid June, I guess I should still go for the routine appointment. There's even a chance I will have my period on the day of my scheduled routine appointment. Should I try to switch to a different doctor for the next one? Or go to her and then switch to a new gynecologist for a future appointment? I wonder if they will ask why I'm switching. I think she's like a "darling" of the place, but I am the customer, so to speak. I have the right to ask for a switch. For some reason, it seems easier to switch certain types of doctors than others.

I have continued the compresses, and it's staying down. But I could still do more. I was kind of reassured though by the fact that someone else had one for like 3 months before it went away. I just mean that I shouldn't be too worried of the severity of this, but to keep treating it until it goes.

Yeah, I made a few threads on various sites asking if Gabapentin caused weight gain and results were mixed. I might actually get access to a scale tomorrow and finally check. Then again, I'm on my period-go figure!

Birddancer, I'm not really sure about the gynecologist thing. I mean, yeah of course it's your right! But to do it before or after...i mean, I might wait till after-let her try to solve this one first and then look for a new doctor. I'm like very bad right now. I am almost 2 years late for my visit to the gyno. I don't want to travel all the way to the city for appointments. It's nervewrecking with anyone but my husband, but the ones here are all lousy and or move away. The last few years I was going, I had seen 3 or 4 different ones in that time! I know I really need to have a checkup, but now this virus crap. Bleh!

Best wishes!

I feel like this longstanding respiratory illness, 3-4 months or so, is now gone just about. So, that is really encouraging. Hope everyon else is hanging in there.

I thought I'd go ahead and bump this thread up.

Hubby weighed himself and was quite happy with the result. Since his last weigh-in he lost 5 lbs. The one before that, he was down 2 lbs. As for me, the last time I was down 2 lbs, but before that I was up 2. I do feel a bit thinner this week. I guess I'll weigh myself later or tomorrow.

I've been cooking lighter, lately. I know how to cook lighter, but still eat well, but I also like the not so light foods. The above losses for hubby are encouraging me to keep up the lighter cuisine. It's always been the case that once I finally get going with positive steps, it's easier to maintain the effort. At the grocery store on Friday, I almost bought a pint of heavy cream for something, but I said "No!" in the end.

Assuming we do go on vacation to Europe in September, we'd like to be trimmer. Hubby's family members have no qualms about commenting on his (and even my) weight/appearance. Truth is, hubby does look 9 months pregnant. Unlike appearance, which I don't mind, the health ramifications are serious. We both need to improve blood work. Hubby has more weight to lose than I do, and I believe a slower metabolism. If I really kicked butt with a diet (which is always easier to hope for than do), I could reach a normal BMI by early September.

The pressure for me is that hubby usually wants me to do the dieting work for him. Meaning me as "the nutritionist" and cook, and him just following what I tell him. I wish I had a bit more support in the effort.

Thanks for bumping the thread. I tried to find it on my phone the other day and gave up after a few minutes.

That's cool you are working some lighter dishes in. Balance is always great.

I hear you on needing to do all the work. It is also so much easier for me when my husband gets into it as well. Whatever effort you do make is so well worth it. There is no perfect effort or amount.

My 5 year old did a Pilates/Barre routine with me last night. It was nice to have a partner. He did a great job! I haven't been as dilligent about my workouts lately and I have gained 5 or so lbs. I am staying active. It is mostly the extra eating I've been doing. I have been home more and cooking lots of meals with leftovers. I eat those a lot for lunch and then eat a dinner at night. I could stand to scale back, so I need to split more meals and freeze some of it.

My therapist said recently she sees that I have OCD tendencies. I'm trying to make sure I maintain balance without going overboard.

Thanks again BirdDancer! It is good to hear from you as always. How is everyone else doing?

Thanks, Fern!

That's great that your son exercised with you. I wish I had a barre in my house. I wouldn't have the room for such a studio. I spent more time than I can count at ballet barres, in my youth. I liked that type of workout, a lot.

Hubby and I agreed to work in some calisthenics most mornings, a little while after breakfast, but before he starts working.I also suggested that on nice weather work days, I could give him finger food lunches at his desk to eat while working. That way during a "lunch break" we could go for a walk.

It's not clear to me what your OCD tendencies are, and I am not asking you to share, if you don't wish to. However, I think that high achievers, of various sorts, can utilize such tendencies for good/success. In my view, as long as the mental health issue is not distressing or problematic, it is nothing to regard as dysfunctional. When it comes to dieting, I can struggle as many do, but other times (if the stars are aligned just right), I can be a dieting champion.Ultra dedicated! I'm not sure how much of that tendency is linked to my bipolar disorder and how much to my personality

I would love to do a real barre routine. I don't have a studio like that either. I did a floor barre workout which just utilizes some of the same concepts and muscle groups.

That's an awesome lunch break idea. I enjoy walking. The scenery helps me get out of my own head usually.

I wholeheartedly agree with what you said. Most of my behavior is what I have called hyperfocus. When I work, it is one of my best traits. Mostly it manifests as me uncovering or having some sort of idea and then jumping in to learn it or research it from all angles. I decompose all of the data and then put it back together like a puzzle to develop an optimal big picture.

Sometimes I get caught up in the details and connot find my way out enough to focus properly on the other areas of my life. My therapist noticed my 'all I'm tendencies, but noted that I've taken great care to maintain balance lately. For example, she noticed how excited I am about my writing and all of the research I have done. She also noted all of the research I have done to understand mental illness, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience etc.

Her main concern is that I be able to dig in and then let it go to take proper breaks. Before my breakdown I was deeply invested in a work project and working nonstop doing analysis work for a volunteer effort. The latter was so 'important' that it took on a life of its own and my home life suffered because I was also a full time homeschool mom. I was trying to help save abuse victims, but it eventually shattered my mind.

She said what I hear from everyone.... My presentation is not typical, but I exhibit some OCD like behaviors. I wanted to dig into that to learn all.about OCD, but I felt that might be counter productive. Ha!

I told my husband and he said he can see it too and agreed to help keep an eye out for obsessive behavior. That's a huge help. Like you said, I can use this aspect of myself for good and it does not have to be dysfunctional. It helped me pull myself out of the deep hole of mental yucky and in general, I have been pretty successful using my skills in the past.

The topic of "hyperfocusing" is interesting to me. The term is most often used when describing ADHD, but also sometimes OCD. Then there is the manic "project/goal driven" symptom. How different is that from hyperfocusing? This is perhaps a topic best addressed someday in a separate thread, for sure. I have written a little on this topic in a past blog post. This symptom has been a significant one in my life. It helped me achieve amazing things, at times. It was also a contributing factor leading to my worst years with bipolar disorder, and subsequent disability. There are similar stories of other people with bipolar disorder. The composer Robert Schumann comes to mind.

That would be a good thread. It definitely seems like a spectrum of behaviors...

I definitely agree with both things you wrote. I'm not currently up to starting the thread. If you wish to, I'd surely be interested in it. If you'd rather not, perhaps sometime later I would.

Tired dispite supposedly sleeping ankles knee right as a drum and sore. Maybe a shower will help ssd ome.

Found out I have to have 2 shoulder replacements. We all thought it was frozen shoulder FOR YEARS. Yikes, scans and elective surgeries hard to get or backed up now and I already manage my ex's 9 doctors. Anyone who has a shoulder replacement, please message me. The arthritis foundation forum is down now.
Thanks, Fern!

I'm sorry to read that you have to have such a major surgery to your shoulders, luvyrself. I hope they can be done within a somewhat timely fashion. You're a good ex to be helping with medical stuff. It is rough when so many specialists are involved. At one point I did manage to cut down on a few, but I was able to. I know some people aren't.

After a relatively "normal" month of lady stuff last month, this month my period was almost non-existent. The few months before last month were crazy, in that respect. My gyn appointment has been cancelled and rescheduled six times now, some times because of the pandemic, once the gynecologist had to cancel because she was at the hospital (maybe delivering a baby), and last week because I was starting to get the period that turned out to be nothing. I have a new appointment on July 15th. The question will be "Will I get a 'real' period at that time and therefore need yet another reschedule?" Either way, I asked them to send me the script for a mammogram. Luckily they did that. I'm still waiting for it to arrive by snail mail. At least I could get THAT done regardless of whatever.

My assumption is that I'm just becoming an old lady of 49. I'm OK with that.

It sounds like perimenopause. I had menopause in my early 50s. Never had any the problems people have in menopause. I was thrilled to be done with periods and no more birth control. Woo-hoo! Liberated!!! Havent been on the forum for a couple weeks. Really missed you folks! Hugs!

I don't feel too bad so far today

was nice to start the day and not scream in agony