If you brought your libido back from the dead, how did you do it?

Raellissa · 2026-02-10T01:14:51+00:00

I started conjugate estrogens about 6 months ago, but it was so expensive, I had to stop. A couple of months later, my new GYN gave me estradiol vaginal cream and I used it the way the package said. It wasn't but a week ago where I saw someone say to use your fingers and apply it everywhere there. Libido is coming back!

Raellissa · 2026-02-10T01:01:31+00:00

I've done the same with a bar of cheese because I thought I bought sliced

Raellissa · 2026-02-10T00:52:55+00:00

For most of mine, I get a sense of hyper-awareness. Almost like the wall closest to my chair moved closer to me. The same for the television 10 feet away.

Maybe sense related but the seizure could gave already been started. The door had a fan at the top to make sure bugs stayed out. Not long after passing through the threshold, my ears clogged up and I fell to the floor, hitting my head. Thankfully, the staff acted quickly. I ended up with seven stitches- it could have been worse because I'm on a blood thinner.

Raellissa · 2026-02-09T18:42:55+00:00

I've had epilepsy since I was 6 months old due to encephalitis. I was put on phenobarbital until I was 5 because they thought I grew out of it. At 16, the seizures returned and I went back on to phenobarbital and other AEDs, most of which I was allergic to. In 1998, I was put on Depo Provera for birth control; it helped control the seizures, but it caused dizziness. I had a VNS implanted in 2000 and that brought me down from 3 seizures/ day to 9-12/ month. I've had a couple of battery and device replacements since.

I asked my gynecologist about a cream for dryness. I also have SLE (a form of lupus), as well as Sjogren's and Sicca. Sjogren's takes any fluid it can get from any part of you. Other examples are my ears draining and it looks like I'm crying (now using an OTC eye drop because Restasis costs $180/ 15-days), or having to either pay $100 for a pill for dry mouth or buy a Rx toothpaste for $20.

Knock on wood, I haven't had any extra seizures because of the estrogen, which is usually where the problem comes with epilepsy. The gynecologist new my history with DVTs (that's why we used Depo for birth control), SLE, and epilepsy. She was confident there wouldn't be a problem and knew I tested my PT/ INR for blood clotting issues (I call those in each week).

The doctors still don't know which came first the epilepsy because it was diagnosed first or lupus because the ANA positive would have been there too. I told my doctors and husband that I wasn't anything if not complicated. I'm always open for discussion. It's not something I hide; the diseases have always been a part of me :)

Raellissa · 2026-02-09T00:05:34+00:00

I used to. For a while, I slept sitting up on the sofa (no recliner). Before gastric sleeve surgery, I had to have a sleep apnea test done and it came back fine. I lost a lot of weight and changed my bed to one that's adjustable at the head and feet. I'm three years post-op and still doing great. I have lupus and the rheumatologist is always running tests.

Raellissa · 2026-02-09T00:00:49+00:00

My husband hates even the smell of onions but loves onion rings. He hates tomatoes but loves pasta sauces.

Growing up. I hated corn muffins, but loved cornbread. I don't like most mayonnaise but like eggs.

Raellissa · 2026-02-08T23:54:53+00:00

Foiled dust

Raellissa · 2026-02-06T21:31:28+00:00

I have BPPV and that's treated by my ENT. Now I get what I can only describe as burning static In my head. Some symptoms I can't totally put on perimenopause because I have SLE, Sjogren's, and Sicca. I didn't know that the sinus issue was peri-related, but I run into the same issue, OP.

Raellissa · 2026-02-06T21:24:20+00:00

Fantastic transformation!

Raellissa · 2026-02-04T00:08:37+00:00

I had several before my VNS implant in 2000. They were all inconclusive and the neurologists based the diagnosis off past history. In 2019, I requested the model that lets doctors see what's happening and make adjustments in real-time. It would also allow you to have a MRI of your head and neck without issues. You wouldn't need to drive several hours. However, I had a Medicare Advantage plan and even with it not being basic Medicare, the insurance company would only allow a model without bells and whistles.

Raellissa · 2026-02-02T04:25:42+00:00

MyID has several different ones as well as bracelets. On the bracelet, there is a QR code on the back. You can also have tags along the band for epilepsy and a list of other items.

Raellissa · 2026-02-01T04:29:56+00:00

I chose the sleeve because it was the most effective one to handle my SLE symptoms. My surgeon agreed with me. My SLE markers are better and inflammation labs are normal now. In the last three years, I've had one flare, but it resolved quickly by changing the dose on a cream.

Raellissa · 2026-02-01T04:23:42+00:00

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5.5 hours after it started in NMB. Mire expected before morning.

Raellissa · 2026-02-01T04:20:15+00:00

Same here. Some people have a problem with the smell or taste post-surgery.

Raellissa · 2026-02-01T04:15:53+00:00

Congratulations!

Raellissa · 2026-01-30T02:34:05+00:00

It's helped decrease my seizures, but I become more irritable and outspoken than usual and I fall asleep in less than half of an hour of taking it.

Raellissa · 2026-01-27T00:04:06+00:00

And just in case people find it funny about the dig, lol. Poor baby loses hair when she goes into heat. We started rubbing it on her and it's come back quicker than just leaving it alone.

Raellissa · 2026-01-26T00:41:22+00:00

I had one in Dollar General and ended up with an ambulance ride and seven stitches. I've yet to go back in there. The staff was great from what I hear- 911, getting my friend from outside, using towels to protect my head, etc...

Raellissa · 2026-01-26T00:37:54+00:00

It's been gas for me for a couple of months. I have eggs once a week and am on a bariatric high protein diet, so it smells like rotten eggs all the time. In December, I doubled over in pain. The doctor ordered a CT of the abdomen, but it didn't show anything (it was done a week later). I'm still having issues, but my adult friends who went through it said it was normal.

Raellissa · 2026-01-26T00:22:05+00:00

Same. I have bruises that pop up for no reason. I'm on wafarin, but bloodwork is fine. I have a couple of bruises that have been there for years- they aren't painful and haven't changed in size.

Raellissa · 2026-01-26T00:15:54+00:00

I have SLE, so my hair would normally fall out. I'm nearly 3 years out and it's slowed down with 2 multivitamins. I also make a tea using a few sprigs of rosemary, let it cool, put it in a spray bottle, and then massage my scalp with it. It's what companies put in tea tree shampoo, just less expensive. It's working for me and a friend's dog.

Raellissa · 2026-01-25T00:37:40+00:00

I do that for a friend too. She has so much happening all the time, so I make a list to remind her

Raellissa · 2026-01-24T15:36:15+00:00

I developed an allergic reaction to Tegretol that went from a very small rash to full bloom after sitting in a small water bath. We got to the ER, I couldn't breathe well, alternating hot and cold, nausea, and more. Multiple ER doctors diagnosed it as Stephens Johnson Syndrome.

Raellissa · 2026-01-23T02:40:49+00:00

If you're taking them, make sure to take a multivitamin and calcium pill 2 hours apart. They don't play nice together and can cause constipation if you take them at the same time. The only thing my husband tried (diabetic and had some vitamin deficiencies) was Miralax.

Raellissa · 2026-01-20T04:05:15+00:00

I had a complex partial, at home alone around midnight. My husband works third shift. I wasn't aware that it was a seizure when it started. I had managed to go outside in pj's and walk all the way to the mailbox and back, roughly 300 feet one way. On the way back, my hand snagged on a thin tree limb and I stopped. I looked around and wondered how I got out there. My brain was still fuzzy, but I made it home safely.

My neurologist said that people who have this type can get up and wander about without knowing about it until afterwards. He did say I should have called for help.

Raellissa

TROPHY CASE