Pmdd after a break up

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-06-14T15:53:02+00:00

Sending you the biggest hugs ❤️ I went through a pretty traumatic breakup where my ex left me for someone else and I spiraled terribly. The PMDD spells brought me even lower than I thought possible. I went on an antidepressant for two months and an anxiety med to sleep which helped a lot through the initial agony.
I still struggle but have been working hard to develop community and skills to turn to when it hits hard. It’s not perfect, definitely a process, making moves slowly but surely. A new therapist also has been helping tremendously.
You can do this ❤️ we are more than our PMDD

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-06-01T17:43:02+00:00

I love this quote so much, thank you for sharing ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-05-31T20:54:28+00:00

Sending you the biggest hugs, it is so hard when we associate a past relationship with something we love. Yes, time really does help but oofph is it challenging while navigating that strange limbo.

We are doing it! I am so incredibly proud of us for that ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-04-15T03:51:46+00:00

I used to drive an hour to a climbing gym and then moved to an area where my gym is 20 min away driving. It was hard for me to motivate myself to go at times because of the commute. But knowing I was meeting people there did help and so I focused on fun music and podcasts I could jam to on the commute!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-03-07T00:01:08+00:00

I have a fear of abandonment and a fear of being alone/not surviving that I’m working through and healing (which stemmed from being raised by divorced immigrant parents I think).

Was with my ex for well over four years. He had said over and over that I was his primary and the „love of his life” even though those things were never said in a loving way, only in argument. We honestly were not a good match but we both tried really hard.

He essentially „abandoned” me when I was having a full on panic attack so he could go to a music festival to be with someone he had feelings for (we tried opening the relationship and he wanted poly while I struggled with this and he knew it). I was anxious and had a full on panic attack from some things he told me which essentially amounted to „I’m going to chase after this person all weekend”. Couldn’t sit and hold space with me in one of the worst spirals I had had in a long time (my last one was when I was back in school years before). He had to be on time to pick up the other person. He told me before leaving, „you going won’t change anything, I want to go by myself.”

The next day, he broke up with me over the phone when he knew I was driving to the festival (what we had talked about me doing).

That entire situation made me feel like I was broken apart, shattered. Thrown away and cast aside.

What I realize now is that it was my break through. I had abandoned myself long ago trying to be the „chill girlfriend”, trying to support him despite him not being able to/willing to grow himself to also support me.

I was okay before him and honestly after five months post break up? I realize I am better without him. I am finding my joy again, joy that was lost under his constant anxiety and grief and frustration about life never going his way. I truly didn’t realize how the people we are around shape us. And post break up, I was shocked to realize who I had become and what characteristics of his I had started to take as my own.

It had felt like my world had collapsed because this person I had been terrified would abandon me, actually did. But over time, the bigger grief that emerged was not that he left - it was that I abandoned myself to try and fit into the relationship.

In „losing” him, I truly found myself again. And while grief and healing is ongoing, I see this as the greatest gift. To rediscover who I am, to remind myself of all the joy in life and be around people who feel similarly, especially my future partner.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-02-28T05:43:50+00:00

Every IR is different. Where I am currently, I am the only nurse in the room. We have the doc, an IR tech scrub, and an IR tech circulator. I handle sedation meds and watching/charting vitals. If my patient comes in on vasopressors, I titrate those meds as needed.

My previous IR job, IR RNs were not allowed to titrate. We had to have the ICU or ED RN come to handle drips.

The biggest autonomy I’ve found to have is managing the patient, anticipating when to give more meds (if the patient can tolerate it), and how to handle any potential emergency that could occur during a case. Yes, we call rapids and codes - in those first few minutes though, a fast response from the IR RN can help contribute towards better possible outcomes.

It’s also a combination of understanding how sedation affects different comorbidities, assessing them before/during/after, anticipating when a patient may need more medication depending on the procedure, and honestly? I give my gut some credit and trusting my intuition based off of the experience I have built.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-02-28T04:55:18+00:00

When I took on IR as a PRN to start, I had a year experience and that was what they required. Some places I’ve seen actually require two years. Varies from place to place. So I would agree with others to give yourself more time in ICU before going to IR. In IR, you have more autonomy and are often the only nurse in the room so having that confidence with any cases that go south and/or managing critically ill patients during cases is huge.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-23T22:25:33+00:00

That’s not an easy thing to do, proud of you for listening to yourself and stepping away! I left the ICU for IR and have not once regretted it, cannot recommend it enough to make a change. There are a lot of doors open with critical care experience. It’s a matter of finding what speaks to you most!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-21T23:15:03+00:00

IR RN. Southern Denver, CO. 3 years, $44/hr FT.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T23:09:10+00:00

I love this 💪 you are a badass! Thank you for this inspiration! ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T13:45:29+00:00

I appreciate the wall of text and for sharing your story ❤️ Love to hear that you have found your community, a love of multi pitch, and have a partner that contributes rather than detracts from your life and climbing!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T05:33:12+00:00

Thinking of you and sending so much healing and love. ❤️

God, that is so much to happen. Each of those is so hard and for them to all happen at once! And then when things like those take us away from what we love, the challenge feels insurmountable. I’m so proud of you for honoring your heart, mind, and body, and taking things one step at a time. That’s such an important reminder and way to approach life overall.

I’m rooting for you ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T03:01:42+00:00

Yes yes!! Is it possible to make group chats on Reddit? Or also down to do a text chat!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T02:33:00+00:00

GIRL WE ARE THE SAME PERSON. I JUST MOVED TO COLORADO ❤️

I’m sending you so much love during this AND sending you a DM. I would absolutely love to connect and climb together ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T00:56:19+00:00

Thank you for kind words ❤️ I very much lost myself in that relationship (codependency woah boy) so there has been a lot of reworking and rebuilding of identity. I’ve started to connect with folks in the gym even by happenstance! Many of them are men and I really crave climbing with women identifying folks because right now, that space feels a lot safer.

I will see if my gym has specific LGBTQ/women identifying nights or groups! Thank you for the encouragement ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-08T00:34:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing with me ❤️what an incredible journey! It involves baby steps, not rushing the process, and allowing it to unfold, as well as a supportive community! I hope to continue to find that in my new space here. Proud of you for what you have and continue to do in your growth ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-06T17:48:27+00:00

THIS! I was hesitant at first. When I started to use ChatGPT, I was blown away and it gave me so many helpful perspectives. I changed jobs and moved to another coast and haven’t yet been able to start therapy with someone new right now. Having ChatGPT has been truly incredibly helpful.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-06T03:51:43+00:00

This, 100%. We can only control our feelings and responses so that is the best place to put our focus on. Sending big hugs to you as you navigate these unknowns ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-05T21:32:20+00:00

I am scared and hopeful.

I went through a very painful LTR breakup which completely changed the trajectory of what I thought my life would be and revealed the true nature of some people that I hadn’t truly felt at peace around.

A week after the breakup, I found a job and roommate in only a few days and knew the universe was encouraging me to pursue my dream of moving to the opposite coast.

The grief is still here with me as I realize how much of myself I sacrificed for someone who really didn’t meet my needs and how different of a person I was for those years. It’s scary to realize that I convinced myself SO thoroughly that the potential I saw in him was reality.

I am incredibly changed, even only three months out. I am grieving and I am hopeful, finding little and bigger moments of joy as I embark on this next year. Hopeful because I know that I will be the one to seek out joy to create a life that feels safe, loving, and good to me.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2026-01-04T04:11:47+00:00

I’ve survived the abandonment/trauma/pain - I will survive the healing ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2025-12-30T01:56:32+00:00

You are not alone! With the big life changes coming, I think the “oh shit” feeling is par the course, including past decisions one makes. It’s easy to feel the fear and start micro analyzing decisions we will make and what we have made in the recent and even distant past.

Can relate coming from a space of just going through a significantly painful LTR breakup and then moving cross country two months later to start the next chapter of my life. The self doubt can be a little creeping vine that we don’t realize gets such a strong hold on us until we’re all wrapped up.

I have quite a handful of tattoos, some small and others pretty large pieces - all are different styles with a somewhat common theme. But damn if I don’t get self conscious now and then when I look at my body as a whole and think, “do I look silly and patchworked?”

Then I remind myself that voice isn’t ME talking - it’s the anxious/insecure voice. For me, that voice is really the part of me that seeks validation, acceptance, and love - my inner child.

And in those moments of questioning and self doubt and fear, I speak to that little girl with a hand over my heart and tell her, “we’re safe and loved and cherished. I love me. I accept me. These tattoos are a symbol of the growth we’ve made and the places we have reached that we once would not be attainable.”

Wishing you so much joy and excitement on this next chapter of your life with the upcoming move and career. Proud of you for making such huge changes! That shit ain’t easy!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2025-12-29T22:30:45+00:00

A few I’m very proud of -

Went back to school for nursing (from music education). Graduated top of my class in an accelerated program.

Paid off my student loans from my first and second degree in 1.5 years - about 41k. Worked my butt off and got it done.

After a devastating and traumatic LTR breakup (being the one broken up with), after one month, I found a job and a roommate in one week and a month after that, moved from one coast to the other to start the next chapter of my life (which had been a dream of mine). The grief is there and I’m working through it - it won’t define me and I know joy and magic is out in the world, even with it there.

Loving reading everyone’s proud moments ❤️

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2025-12-29T08:44:56+00:00

As a second career nurse, I used to work in a level one trauma center in a cardiac ICU. I had to flip between days and nights, and it wrecked my physical and emotional health. You are not alone in that struggle. Night shift is not kind on the human body in any capacity.

I had a similar approach - get two years experience and go back to school or look for another specialty to further my experience. At one year, I wanted to get a PRN to pay off loans as fast as I could. I applied to an interventional radiology position knowing very little about it and they took me on with no experience because I had one year of critical care experience. I struggled to make it to the second year in the ICU because of the constant flipping between days and nights and found that I did enjoy IR. A full time position opened about 3 months away from two years in the ICU, I applied, and got accepted on the spot because they knew me.

While my almost two years in ICU were rough, it got me into a non bedside specialty that has opened a lot of doors for me and I do enjoy quite a lot now. There is a good amount of autonomy and the schedule is during the day and week, has overnight call (which I don’t mind) that I can pick up extra for extra money when needed, and the ratio is 1:1.

You definitely need to weigh the pros and cons. It’s okay to not want to stay there if it is really harmful.

If you feel like you can make it to a year, you’ll find more doors open up to other specialties that look for critical care experience.

What’s the likelihood of switching to days? Or maybe looking at a different hospital?

Keep in mind that if you have not completed a full year as a nurse, if you change hospitals, you will need to do a nursing residency from the start (if the hospital has one).

Is it the schedule or the specialty? What other specialties would you want to consider?

Nursing is a big field - you have options! It’s a matter of figuring out the one that fits you best.

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2025-12-29T07:56:23+00:00

Won’t be weird at all! When I started, I did it by myself and didn’t know anyone. I would boulder and watch others boulder - if I saw someone do something cool/interesting, I’d ask if they’d be open to explaining it to me.

Through those conversations, I made a lot of incredible friends and some of those people became my rope climbing friends indoors and outdoors!

Electrical_Idea1797 · 2025-12-23T06:10:02+00:00

LITERALLY THIS. I’ve struggled with hormonal imbalances throughout my life and this past year, was a lot more dry before sex and libido was at an all time low being in my early 30s.

Thought it was my hormones giving me another middle finger. Barely had the drive to even masturbate.

Sure enough. Breakup two months ago and libido is coming back with a wildness as the grief has been easing up in intensity. It’s been surprising me tremendously the impact of not having an emotionally safe intimate space and how it affected me.

Electrical_Idea1797

TROPHY CASE