#my doctor has me take vitamin D supplements

[libereerie]

I wouldn't notice since I rarely see the sun anyway.

It should be night for a month just so we can see who panics who lives and who dies

[fireheartedpup]

Okay. So. Ashwaganda.

I lost the post about the supplement from a troll company that was marketing it as hormone replacement therapy. The doses were high enough to send you into serotonin syndrome, and it doesn't replace estrogen. It encourages your body to make the hormones it's already making.

This was in 2023, and the website quickly vanished after backlash.

The thing is, ashwaganda is a mood stabilizer. I'm wondering if it's possible to feel better before the serotonin syndrome. Is the dosage high enough that you feel funny immediately, or does it seem like life is so good that this miracle pill couldn't possibly be bad for you?

Once it starts, it sounds like torture. I'm just wondering about the lead up. The poster who was quoted on that post said that ashwaganda taken in that dosage could cause it in "as little as a month," so what does the lead up feel like?

I don't take medication, so I haven't worried too much about interactions. That said, it's good to know that it can conflict with medications for blood pressure, thyroid, sleep, immunosuppression, and diabetes.

This is mostly because it has similar effects--so again, too much can tip you over from "this helps" to "this is a threat to my safety."

There are other natural things that raise serotonin levels, like ginkgo, and I thought they were mentioned in one of links I included but I can find the paragraph I'm thinking of.

...this could be due to the fact that ginseng can also raise serotonin levels, and I might have misremembered it.

Probiotics, vitamin D, and fish oil can also raise serotonin, as can tryptophan and exercise. Rhodiola is another adaptogen that can help with things like ADHD, and St. John's Wort is also on that list.

There's a lot. I actually left out green tea and turmeric. Oh, and 5-htp. That one I'm careful with. It makes me feel drugged.

Coffee and artificial sweeteners can decrease serotonin, so I'm not terribly bothered. If it's not consumed in high doses or alongside something it shouldn't be combined with, it should be okay.

I'm also not consistent with anything, and in the case of the supplements where it's better to take breaks instead of simply continuing to take them every single day for a long period of time, this works for me.

The thing that made me take a second look at adaptogens in general is that my period is almost a week late.

Remember how it adjusts your hormones? Yeah, a lot of people have this reaction--and it can make your period lighter. I'm mostly finding anecdotes from reddit, but there is a study about it helping with perimenopause.

My periods have never been super consistent. I have a rough idea of when they're going to come, but the cycle isn't exact. So this doesn't bother me a ton, but it's enough for some people to want to switch to an alternative method of controlling things like anxiety.

I'm already questioning whether my hormones are out of whack or not, so that's part of it.

I just think it's interesting. "Natural alternatives" are marketed as safer, without side effects. My experience has been that no matter what you do, you're throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks--and you still need to look up everything you take to see if it's going to interact with anything else.

It would be nice if going to a doctor fixed this problem. Unfortunately, I've read too many stories about patients having to look things up for themselves, even after going to doctor after doctor.

It's like the pegboard with red string.

Anyway. My takeaway is still that what will fix your problems is appropriate treatment for your body. Unfortunately, this is different for everyone, and pretty much requires you to make a lifelong study of what to take and what the side effects are--no matter if you're taking supplements or drugs.

I'm still on the adaptogen train because I don't have to beg a doctor for help or make an appointment or beg a doctor to listen to me when it turns out that I need a change in my treatment plan or get registered as "really, she needs this" in order to get the thing that will help me.

I'm just. You know. Wondering. About what this is going to mean for my period going forward.

(And I'm going to have to research every single other thing I'm taking to see what the crossovers are.)

IMPORTANT: Ashwaganda can cause spontaneous abortion. Do not listen to anyone who says that adaptogens are safe to take during pregnancy. CHECK FIRST.

[justgivemethephd]

06.11.2024

Hello everyone!

How has the week been treating you so far? I got all the results back from the blood test and apart from a mild vitamin D deficiency, which I have started taking supplements for, I seem to be perfectly healthy. I'll wait for the outcome of the eye test this weekend but other than that I really have no idea what could be the root of these headaches. I'm hoping my doctor can figure it out because I'm getting desperate here.

As for my studies, things have been pretty interesting! I recently graduated from a mentorship course where senior scientists essentially taught you how to review manuscripts submitted for publication, and as it turns out it means I am now officially a reviewer for the journal running the course! I'm going to be setting my profile up at some point this week. I'm so excited for all the new and exciting research I'm going to have early access to because of this, hehe.

I've also been in the lab a lot this week, finally! I've been teaching our new research assistant how to process blood samples since I was taking care of that before, as well as helping them with a big experiment they're working on. I have also received some plasmids I ordered a few weeks back so I can finally start expressing and extracting proteins I need for future experiments. Aaaaand it seems like we're getting closer and closer to finally starting patient recruitment! This is absolutely huge for my project. I'm so excited for all the new and exciting stuff that's coming my way in the next few months!

I hope everyone is doing well and feeling good. The weekend is in sight, only a couple more days. Be strong!

_____

🎧 - White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

🎮 - Skyrim

📖 - Les Indes Noires by Jules Verne (which I also recommended to the random guy who stopped me in the street to ask what I was reading, lol)

[red-umbrella-811]

Okay, so I wrote this on reddit to a depression doomer, but I want someone who might have an iota of openness to considering it to read it, so I'm posting it here. I assume there will be doomers here too, because depression is depressing. All of these things are things that I've tried, and all of them are things that have made my life better than it was before. All of them I have started in an incredibly janky way and they've still helped. If anyone is interested (or I receive the same combination of depression-based hostility and intense focus), I'll make separate posts on how to actually do the thing.

Things that might make a person's depression improve that don't involved going to a therapist:

Aerobic exercise 4x/week

Membership in a community/close relationships/human touch/human interaction. I'm bundling these together, because in a practical sense, you're making about the same decisions yourself, and the interactions with other people will follow. I recommend finding a "Third Place," such as a sports league or dance community (see exercise), game/knitting/metaphysical store, bar, cafe, meetup group, adult learning class, regular volunteering gig, music venue, RPG group, book club, brunch group...you get the idea. The best ones are open to the public if you're socially isolated or looking to date, because you'll meet a greater variety of people, but anywhere where the same amorphous or literal group of people shows up at a place and time will help you build relationships.

Omega 3 Fatty acids, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-complex, Magnesium: I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. They might give you energy and run your body more smoothly.

St. John's Wort: I'm giving this its own thing because the above are supplements that the body gets in its diet, this is a drug™, but you can purchase it over the counter. It inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, for which there is some evidence that it helps depression on a chemical level. It has mad drug interactions and PLEASE do your research before taking it.

A lot of things in the cognitive behavioral therapy realm. Gratitude practices, affirmations, I'm sure there are CBT workbooks for depression that one could find. The idea is to reframe your thoughts to make sure they are a) true and b) priming you to feel emotions and take actions that will make your life suck less.

Going outside. Living in a suboptimal space is depressing, and so many of us do it. We do better when we see and hear trees. We do better when we see and feel the sun. We process things when our brains run electricity back and forth between the two sides, as happens when walking (drumming is also good for this, or bilateral stimulation from something else).

Accomplish things. I know. This, even more than the many difficult things I've listed, probably feels impossible, but I'm writing it anyway, because it really does help. If you have small tasks you've been putting off, try and get one done. Break up big tasks into accomplishable steps. Not like "Clean the house" to "Clean the bathroom," like "Clean the house" to "throw all the trash on the couch in the trash can" or "get out all the products to clean the bathroom" (the second kind doesn't vibe with me but some people like it)

You'll notice none of this is going to fix the world, except for the shitty little corner the person doing it is sitting in. That's the point. There is so much wrong with the world, and it asks a lot of us to fix it: our labor, yes, and also our joy. And also, our ability to get out of bed in the morning, our ability to send emails, our ability to check in on each other, our ability to keep ourselves out of entanglements with the state and other institutions. I'm not saying this because it's fair, I'm saying it because it's the way out I see in front of us.

[vaaspilled]

Ramble #1

(not online diary related)

For the past couple of years I’ve experienced super intense joint pain and I didn’t think anything of it in the beginning, months passed and I began to slightly worry. I searched up my symptoms (which I should’ve know was a red flag) and it began linking “bone cancer” I know that isn’t the case so I just continued to ignored it. A year after I told my mother and she convinced me to go to the doctors, the doctor said that it was because of vitamin D deficiency, I started taking fish oil supplements but it still didn’t help me. I remembered a while ago when I started my asthma medication ( I use one Albuterol inhaler, one Qvar inhaler and I take one Montelukast 10mg table each day) I read that the montelukast tablets affect something bone related and just in case I searched it up and it states that.

“Yes, joint pain is a possible side effect of montelukast, but it's not clear how often it occurs or if it's actually caused by the drug. Joint pain has been reported after the drug was released, but it wasn't reported in studies of people taking montelukast.”

So like I don’t know whether to stop taking my medication or not…my pains have started to intensify and it leads to intense nausea.

Idk what to do :(

Edit: bro the side effects of Montelukast are freaking scary 😨

[venusstarrs]

it’s been almost a month since i started genuinely trying to lose weight, and other than a very bad few days bc vitamin d deficiency, ive been doing really well.

major wins:

-i’m fasting so easy. my daily goal is 14 hours and im usually doing 17-19. it feels so much better than eating every 4-6 hours like my old ed recovery team told me to.

-staying in a deficit. even when i’ve binged when i average out the week ive stayed under bmr. amazing. and now with my supplements in place (btw these are doctor prescribed! do not take supplements without checking to see if you need them) my hunger is getting under control again.

things that need major work:

- exercise. huge blizzard has kept me from gyming, and i get really embarrassed exercising in front of people so with my wife with me 24/7 i haven’t had alone time. im starting yoga classes again once the snow is cleared and my bestie wants to gym with me too. wish me luck!

-eating more variety of foods/sticking to diet. i want to do liquid diet but im struggling to not want to chew. and the solid food im eating is like vegan mac n cheese and ice cream. i’m staying under but i really do care about my health and not just cals in vs cals out. i think i may need better low cal recipes like dinners and shit. i’m really good at cooking healthy dinners that are nutritious and tasty just not low cal. omad maybe? idk i’ll take advice if anyone has any :)

i think i’m overall proud so far and know what needs fixing just need to figure how to do that.

[ahedderick]

Checkup

I'm going to have some bloodwork done this week, so I stopped taking any vitamin or mineral supplements around Christmas time . . so they can get a good 'baseline' value. But I am very, very much looking forward to taking them again. No matter WHAT I eat this time of year (I am so good about fruits and veg!) I need a bit extra in the way of vitamins. D, B, whatever. Finding out that adhd folks may be prone to needing higher levels of B vitamins (we use more of it? We don't process it from food as well? Don't know.) was one of the really, really helpful "Tumblr-anecdotes I read and looked up more info on later." Seriously. If you don't take posts at face value, but do further research and check with your own doctor about stuff, you can learn SO MUCH from Tumblr.

On that note. Want to hear a c-r-a-z-y story about perimenopause? This might save some 40ish cis woman some trouble, and may simply be of interest to trans folks.

One day in October of the year I was 41, I woke up a different person. I mean I literally went to bed as myself and woke up feeling completely different. Over the next two weeks I barely slept more than a few hours a night and barely ate; had no appetite whatsoever. I kept up with mom duties and farm duties, but spent all my alone-time with my head in a fog.

Over the next few months I considered asking for medical help, but I didn't quite know what to TELL my Dr (a grumpy but reasonable old guy). I couldn't quite describe my experience on words, except to say I felt like a different person. Gradually I began to fell much, much more energetic. My strength increased bizarrely, even with no more than my usual farm exercise. LOVED that! The acne, moustache and chin whiskers were unwelcome. The mental fog was distressing, but my kids were only in third grade and kindergarten respectively, and my father was still completely independent - so I didn't NEED to be all that mentally sharp to keep up with what I needed to. You may be wanting to smack me upside the head by now, but it wasn't until I started growing black, wiry chest hair that I FINALLY figured it out.

My system had stopped estrogening and started androgening. Completely at random. I am, I must stress, a cis-woman, always felt female, and had 5 pregnancies with two live children. The very sudden onset of it is what made me feel so mentally disoriented at the beginning.

By the time I figured it out, months after it began, I could already feel the effects starting to wane. There were no real health effects that I needed to see a Dr about, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go to the trouble of trying to get him to understand what happened. I've never met another woman who talked about having this experience - but we often don't talk about perimenopause. I had read BOOKS about menopause issues, and this wasn't in them! Since hormone disruption is foundational to perimenopause, I'd bet money that SOMEONE else has had this happen. If you're nearing that age, it might happen to you - and it isn't the end of the world.

[captainnameless]

In reply to your post about what vitamins to take - take vitamin C every day. I usually do 1000mg a day. And then double it when your sick or alternatively when your sick take an immune support or booster vitamin. I’ve been taking vitamin c for years and when I get sick it’s not nearly as bad as my family members who don’t take it.

i take vit c everyday! it’s in a doctor prescribed vitamin boost that has b, c and d (amongst other things) i’ll ask about maybe taking a separate pill that’s just C? for the extra boost maybe?

that’s just what’s confusing to me, i take so much precaution and make sure to eat my fruits and veggies and take my supplements whereas my friends/family don’t take shit and are rarely sick.

[certifiedgoofball]

thinking about early on into my chronic illness journey when i got my blood drawn and they said i had low vitamin D and put all my symptoms on that and then MONTHS later when i went back to the doctor cuz i was taking supplements and i was just getting worse there was a med student there and he asked me if i had any abnormalities in my labs and i said i had low vitamin d and he just said "oh, basically everyone has a bit of low vitamin D, we're in the midwest" and i just sat there like. That surely would've been nice to know MONTHS BACK

[pucket]

transition bullshit day 40

1 month 1 week and a couple days on testosterone and im having my first fucky period lol. it's the second period i've had on t, but it's DEFINITELY lighter than usual (nice! happy abt that!) but i'm having this near consistent light cramping that's discomforting. my main problem has been the horrible, horrible fucking fatigue. nothing really concerning with this period, it's just annoying and uncomfortable and it's making me really sluggish. the overcast weather recently hasn't helped.

besides that, i think my face is squaring up slightly, but i haven't had an increase in hair anywhere. feels like my upper arms are bulking up a tiny bit. nothing major rly. i feel like my voice has lowered a tiny bit? slight voice cracks here and there, mostly when i laugh.

my mental health has been shit but whatever i've been going through has hit me in a different way. i feel like i am ruminating on a lot of upsetting shit i've been through but there's more frustration than usual. i feel much more like a fuse that's constantly lit. if it weren't for the devastating amount of fatigue i'm feeling, i would be working out practically every day to cope with the need to implode on myself, but i have constantly had less spoons. hormonal changes like basically a second puberty will do that to you. i'm really hoping i get an increase of energy soon because i'm doing everything else. i'm eating (i have to or my stomach will throw a fit), i'm sleeping, i am biking, i take iron, vitamin D and vitamin C supplements. i'm pretty sure it's just the fact that i'm basically going through a pseudo menopause and second puberty while getting used to upping how much i eat. that'll give you some enormous fatigue.

(if you're actually reading this, i am not asking for advice, please don't add any. i'd appreciate only talking to my doctor about this and finding solutions on my own time. i am just complaining! i need to do that sometimes.)

[mayalaen]

that wasn’t perimenopause?!

I have a lot of knowledge stuck in my head from years in the medical field but I don’t always look up ALL THE THINGS when a doc tells me to do something.

That backfired on me after my last doc retired and new doc saw I was taking  Vitamin D 50,000 IU/week for the last FOUR YEARS. And she didn’t even know I was taking 10,000 IU a day over the counter for a total of 120,000 IU/week -- previous doc approved that BTW.

The new doc was like okay STOP DOING THIS NOW 😱

I looked it up when I got home and the longest you’re supposed to be on it is 12 weeks even if you have chronically low vitamin D. They’ll give you a 2-12 week course once or twice a year to get your levels up again.

But FYI for anybody who has a doc like my last one: Don’t take more than 2000 IU a day unless it’s short term and under a doc’s care. Well, a good doc.

I stopped taking the vitamin D altogether about 3 weeks ago to give myself a cleanse, and now I’m going through withdrawals. It’s messing up my digestive system 😭

BUUUUUT

My fucking HOT FLASHES are FUCKING GONE!!

My last doc told me I was probably in early perimenopause brought on by the schiz meds and that’s why I was having horrendous 4-hour hot flashes during the middle of the day and another hot flash around 9pm for about an hour AND random cold flashes when my body felt like it.

I also read that THC boosts the effects of vitamin D supplements, and that together they can actually stop ovulation and cause a pseudomenopause in some people and a pseudoperimenopause in others.

That’s with TCH only 3x a week and more than 5000+ IU/day of vitamin D.

The other side effects of too much vitamin D include hallucinations. Like I didn’t have enough trouble with that 🙄

It also elevates your calcium, so there’s risk of kidney stones. There’s dizziness, vomiting, nausea, etc.

If someone takes enough, their organs can start shutting down, but that’s going over 250,000 IU/week.

I’ve never liked the fact that you can’t trust doctors to take care of you. I’m proactive about the entire family’s health, and it annoys some docs, but I don’t give a shit. Not when they pull fucked up shit like this on people.

The wildest part of this whole thing is that got a hold of my lab results from back when I was started on vitamin D and my level was only low-normal 😡

I’m only 3 weeks out from stopping the vitamin D, so maybe I’m wrong and I actually am in medication-induced perimenopause but I just don’t have severe symptoms, but whatever it is, the hot and cold flashes that have plagued me for 4 years now are gone 🥳

[nokingsonlyfooles]

That's NOT My Name

So the phone rings. 1st Canadian Medical Centre. WTF? "Is this Lee Erik?"

But it's CLOSE, so, because I'm a people pleaser, I help the receptionist out instead of hanging up. My family doctor wants a "follow up." Haaaaa, yeah. I thought I was done with doctors until March, but this guy gets CCed on everything and he'd like to straighten me out after the gynecologist ignored me and dismissed all my symptoms as somebody else's problem.

Let me put it this way. My last "follow up" went like this. *ring ring* "Lee..." rusting paper "[my actual last name]?"

"Yes." No point in correcting him, he never remembers.

"What do you need?"

"You told me to make this appointment. What do YOU need?"

*a pause, during which I hear more paper noises and clicking computer noises* "Did you have bloodwork done?"

"Yes. Several times."

*cursory discussion of what sounds like older results* "What supplements are you taking?"

"Vitamin D, calcium and magnesium." High latitude, winter months, I will take Vitamin D, not everything else he wants me to take.

"Are you taking sea kelp?"

"No.*"

*see article, "too much iodine can cause your thyroid to malfunction" and the endocrinologist told me not to take it.

"I really want you to take that. It has trace minerals." No mention of the iodine.

*tightly* "'Kay."

*click*

*to the spouse* "He's low-key trying to kill me."

And THIS time, the guy wants me to come into the clinic and wait in the loud, bright waiting room for... one assumes, basically the same "treatment." One time, they called up someone else with a similar name, gave them my appointment, and started closing the office while I was still there, after a four hour wait. Ha-ha-ha, and now I have issues with light tolerance due to the eye surgery. This is gonna be FUN.

I kinda want to show up drunk and/or wasted and try to get him to fire me, but I suppose if I make a scene that'll go on my record and impact my Canadian healthcare from now unto eternity, so that's not an option. I'm gonna have a rough week waiting for this stupid, unnecessary trauma to be inflicted, wondering if he'll mess with my meds or do something else that causes real harm, or if he'll just insult me and let me go... The latter is probably the best I can hope for. Maybe I'll see if I can wring another referral out of him, but I don't know if my spouse and I will have the strength. We had other things we wanted to focus this energy on!!

[dolleminas]

hi, my doctor has given me a tentative diagnosis of pcos and the only info I can find about it online that doesn't relate to getting pregnant is your Tumblr post. do you have any sources for the stuff about fatigue, vitamin D deficiency, etc being super common in pcos? cos I've dealt with those forever too. things are clicking into place but also with the way the NHS is I don't know if there's much point confirming the diagnosis (it's only diagnosed with transvaginal ultrasound :c) because the only treatment offered seems to be birth control and fertility treatment.

Good afternoon, nonny. Thanks for reaching out to me! And congratulations on getting a (albeit tentative) diagnosis. I know it might not seem positive, but now you know what you have and what can be done about it. At least, that is how I felt.

When I first made that post I never expected so many women to add their own experiences, talk of their their shock, their anger... or just admit that they had been diagnosed for years but that I somehow taught them things they never knew.

It's been an experience and a half. But I'm very glad that I can spread information and if that helps you, even better.

First of all, to diagnose PCOS, you need to fit 2/3 criteria of the Rotterdam concensus. Irregular periods, higher testosterone, and 12 or more follicles on your ovaries each. So, even without a hormone test you can usually tell whether someone has PCOS. Even so, I would still recommend asking for a hormone test if your health insurance covers it.

Sources

I tried looking up an English source for you since you mentioned NHS. Do keep in mind that women's healthcare is really not researched well and that there will be sources and information that will contradict one another. Here is one such article about the Rotterdam concensus.

As you can see they also mention the insulin resistance in this article, IBS, and fatigue, among other things.

Here is another one.

Here is some information about Insulin resistance in women with PCOS.

And here is some about depression.

You specifically asked for vitamin D so here is a study.

And another.

And one about fatigue.

I will however stress that these are all scientific sources and we all know that it can sometimes be biased, and again, not researched properly. My advice would always be to listen to women who have PCOS before listening to a medical source (no matter how professional it looks.)

My Own Experiences & Tips

I've not been diagnosed with PCOS long, but I have been quite thrown into studying it because it pissed me off interested me so much, and by researching (and reading a lot) here are some things that helped me, and I hope they can help you too.

Vitamin deficiencies are common in women with PCOS, especially Vitamin D. What I do is drink a glass of orange juice every morning with Vitamin D supplements. I take Solgar liquid vitamin drops, but depending on where you live they might have something of a different brand. Remember; take it during a meal.

Carbs make your sugar spike, so try to swap out some high-carb foods for lower carb. This way I have managed to lose weight, and this is often recommended for women with PCOS. And if you have a tendency for disordered eating, this will (generally) be easier than counting calories and going on a diet. After going low-carb my blood sugar level (which was high before) went down to regular levels and according to my doctor, I am now no longer immediately in danger of developing Diabetes Type 2.

Exercise! Especially weight-lifting, since it is mentioned it gives you more energy. Since starting myself, I have also noticed a difference. Here is a link for at home work-outs. Taking daily walks is also recommended for your exposure to sunlight and to help depression and anxiety.

Keep a diary of your symptoms. I have a word document with my own diary, so if anyone is interested I will be posting it. Just send me a message :)

Besides this, you do not need to go on birth control if you do not want to. My gynocologist said to me that once every three months you need to have your period. Women with PCOS can have a period 4 times a year, and that is enough! If you get your period less, then you can take progesteron pills for 7 days, and it will start your period. Again; you only need to use them for 7 days. You could do this four times a year and that would be all. Then again I am not a gynocologist so do talk about this with your doctor.

Another thing is that the fatigue could also very well be a side-effect of low vitamin D, B12, and low iron. My advice would be to get tested monthly if you can, and then try to balance your vitamins and see if this improves your fatigue.

And last but no least I recommend Meals She Eats. I made a post about it before, but even if you ignore everything else that is said (they are a bit woo-woo about organic foods and sugars) they still are very informative about the menstrual cycle. If for any reason you are unable to get your hands on the book do reach out to me in my DM's and I can help you.

If there is anything else I forgot I will reblog this and add more information, and I also will request others do too! The more we learn about PCOS and our cycle, the better.

I hope you have a nice day, anon. And I apologise if it took me a while to get to this ask!

[pcos-and-endo-awareness]

I've had so many pelvic ultrasounds (almost one a year for the past 15 years) due to my pelvic pain and period symptoms over the years and the only thing that ever shows up is an occasional cyst.

My doctor recommended against a laparoscopy because there has never been anything to imply endometriosis.

I am not sure if it would change anything if it turns out I have it but in a way that doesn't show up on ultrasounds.

Any recommendations for what to ask my doctor next? What to research? I feel so powerless because the best I've managed in 15 years on any given birth control is about 6 months of feeling better before it takes a sharp nose dive again, and I get pretty strong side effects from most birth control so swapping sucks really bad.

To be fair, it is nearly impossible to diagnose endometriosis WITHOUT surgery. Nobody ever suggested it to me, I had no idea what it even was, until the OBGYN who did my surgery said “wow that’s one of the worst cases of endometriosis I’ve ever seen.” My surgery was to remove a cyst, we had no idea my organs would be glued together with endometriosis adhesions. Laparoscopy might be necessary for you to determine if there is endometriosis. A surgery to remove the tissue will help (birth control should keep it mostly under control, but it can grow back. I’ve heard some women go periodically to get their insides scraped out.) I’d highly suggest pushing your doctor for it, maybe even finding a new doctor or specialist who will do it. This is the only thing that will remove the pain.

Honestly I so get you about the birth control. It works for a bit and then seems to wean off. Or makes you even more sick! I switched to the depo shot a few years ago and it is the LEAST amount of pain I have been in for YEARS. I personally have very little symptoms with the depo, but I know that isn’t true for everyone. I know swapping sucks but I feel like you’ll eventually find one that works well with your body specifically. I know there’s more medications to try like a cocktail: metformin, spironolactone, mounjaro, and ozempic to name a few. I haven’t tried these yet but it’s my next step! I’ve also taken lots of vitamin supplements to help with symptoms like anemia, fatigue, and inflammation. I take things like B12, fiber supplements, probiotics, and vitamin D. I really like this supplement specifically and recommend it to my friends (a bit pricey but better than buying all the supplements individually, and I only take it 2-3X a week): Herb Krave Cyster Glow Supplement - 9-in-1 Premium Myo-Inositol & D-Chiro Inositol Blend - Hormonal Balance & Healthy Ovarian Function Support for Women – 120 Veggie Capsules https://a.co/d/1uxZkUC

Have you tried pelvic floor therapy? I had a wonderful physical therapist I saw for years, who gave me tons of resources and tips and ideas. Things like a tens machine, pelvic floor yoga, mental health tools, a list of medications to try, doctor referrals, etc. I would highly recommend getting a connection like that, especially if they have endo and can really understand your pain. Even just having someone to talk to with your shared experiences and pain is such a relief. It’s so nice for someone to just listen and understand.

I’ve read many articles online (even the good ones all have opposing advice, so take it all with a grain of salt), and I’ve bought a few books (there’s tons on Amazon!). I can’t say there’s one thing that has been all correct. Even now I am still learning. Unfortunately endo is just under researched and misunderstood. These are two books I have that I’ve taken some things into consideration. There’s tons of more books I’d like to get my hands on though. If anyone has more recommendations please reblog and add to the thread!

[fibing-and-vibing]

The large amount of vitamins/supplements/meds I take in a day lol:

This is my current cocktail of meds etc that I take every day. Maybe they’re superfluous, maybe they’re not, but through a lot of trial and error I’m pretty sure all of these are actually helping me feel quite a bit better. Feel free to ask me any questions about specifics, but please don’t be mean about any of these bc I’m just doing my best lol.

Wake Up:

Multivitamin for eye health

Multivitamin for women’s health

Hair and nail vitamin

Protein shake

Notes: all of these are chewable/gummies, which not only is easier when I first wake up, but also easier for the body to digest and so more effective. My hair falls out a ton so the hair vitamin really helps. And I always wake up hungry but feel sick if I eat, so I go for a pre-made shake every day. They’re expensive but they keep me feeling ok, give me a good amount of nutrients, and require zero energy to prepare.

Mid Morning:

B100

Cod liver oil with A and D vitamins

Odourless garlic

Coenzyme Q10

Notes: I’ve found the cod liver oil to be more effective than just regular vitamin D, maybe it’s because of the omegas or whatever. Also the garlic is lowkey one of the best things I take, it reduces inflammation in my sinuses and everywhere else, and is helpful for circulation which makes everything else better too.

Noon:

Welbutrin

Seasonique

Claritin

Notes: I’ve had depression and anxiety diagnosed for a long time so been on welbutrin for a while, but it’s a bonus that it’s supposed to help for fibro brain things too. Seasonique is crucial bc I’m pretty sure I have PMDD and my mental health absolutely tanks on my period, so only having one every three months is a lifesaver. And my respiratory system has been bad for a long time and I live in a city with not amazing air quality, so a daily antihistamine helps a lot and I’ve stopped pretending there’s a time of year I won’t need that.

Afternoon:

Iron

Probiotics

Notes: I’ve had low iron forever, and even though doctors have always told me it’s not low enough to qualify as anemia, I’ve had anemia-like symptoms my entire life, so. However, I didn’t really notice benefits of either iron or probiotics until I started taking them together, and now they’re huge. If I’m ever out and about and forget/wait to take these I immediately realize bc I start feeling faint lol.

Before Bed:

Magnesium bisglycinate

Cranberry

Turmeric collagen with univestin and bromelain

Melatonin

Notes: I’ve had bladder issues for a while which I didn’t even realize was a fibro thing; I’ve always had to pee a million times before bed etc. Cranberry fixes it. The turmeric collagen one is new but I’ve been shocked how much it actually helps with joint pain and mobility. The magnesium I’m not 100 on but my fatigue situation has gotten better so it can’t be hurting at least.

Is it annoying to take so many things throughout the day? Yes, but I just fill up my pill containers on Sunday and then it’s all ready for the rest of the week, so not the worst. Would it be better to get all these nutrients from food? Probably, duh, but we’re living life on hard mode already and I don’t need to make it even harder so pls don’t bring that up lol.

Of course, always look up interactions before you add anything new to your regimen, especially if anything you take is prescription. I’m always on the lookout for new things to try now though tbh, currently thinking about ginger maybe.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Medical Verdicts

So, doctor verdict!

According to my serology tests, whatever gluten intolerance I have is not coeliac. Which is honestly good because who wants to have an autoimmune disorder, am I right? I asked the GP what it might be if it’s not coeliac and apparently it’s either intolerance to the gluten protein or to wheat carbohydrate in specific. I’d honestly like to figure out which it is if only because I really like barley in soup and stuff, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. Better to just stick to the gluten-free diet, leave it at “gluten intolerance” and avoid gluten as much as possible because while I’m glad it’s not autoimmune, doesn’t change the fact that I suffer if I eat most gluten-containing things.

(Though maybe I could try soup with barley in it, so long as it hasn’t got wheat as a thickener, and see if that makes me ill. But maybe some other time.)

My vitamin D levels, on the other hand ... yeaaaaaaah those are still low. So I’m getting yet another loading dose of vitamin D thrown at me, and then I have to have more blood tests for calcium and parathyroid of all things, since they’re trying to figure out why I’m vitamin D deficient. I think it probably has something to do with lactose intolerance and the fact that even if I did go outside much, both those tests were done in winter when there’s maybe seven hours of daylight anyway. GP doesn’t sound overly worried but does say I should probably start taking over-the-counter supplements once I’m finished the loading dose. Yay.

I did have an amusing bit of aside with the GP when he was trying to explain to me what parathyroid meant in really simple terms and I was like, “Don’t worry about it; I’ve been a medical secretary for 25 years”. So now this one knows he doesn’t have to worry too much about his terminology with me. It’s a thing I keep having to tell doctors when I see them, just because I can hear them trying so hard to put things into simple terms while also not panicking anybody and I’m sitting here like, “no, seriously, I have typed so many letters about this, I get it, it’s fine”.

So there we go, a couple of answers and a few more questions but overall we can stick with the idea that my digestive system doesn’t like it when I go off a gluten-free diet,and it’s probably worse now than it used to be because IBS comes with the fibromyalgia bumper pack so yeah, seriously, stay away from gluten but at least I don’t have an autoimmune problem. Like I say, not exactly worried about parathyroid issues; just a lactose intolerance and British winter plus not really going outside much means I have some issues getting sufficient vitamin D and should keep an eye on that.

I was considering going out today but on balance I think not; I have a significant case of the aches after yesterday and I need to save a few spoons because Mother’s Day is coming up (19th March here; thirty years and I’m still struggling because of the difference between North American Mother’s Day and when we celebrate it here) and I wanted to make my mother some home-made caramels or maybe maple sugar candy, and at least get her a card. She doesn’t want me spending a lot of money on her, especially in the current climate, so I’ll give of time and spoons instead. Also means I break out the candy thermometer, which needs some use.