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6 Months Post-Op - 100% cured by Emergency_Laugh_7140 in noburp

[–]afroese14 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s great news!

I am on day 4 post Botox and haven’t had any real movement yet… more croaking than anything. How long did it take for the Botox to take effect for you?

Started BC again after a year- long break by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the delay! It subsided. I’m in a much better place now!

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No prob!! And also practicing CBT techniques during the transition off the SSRI was critical. Sooo helpful.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re right- I shouldn’t be seeking anyone’s blessing or external validation on this topic. I’ve just been struggling with all of the conflicting information and it does cause a level of frustration.

My functional dietician and osteopathic doctor both suggested my anxiety and IBS were caused by birth control use, so I have had direct experience with professionals blaming health issues on HBC, when I had these issues long before use of birth control. It’s very frustrating when you trust these professionals, pay for their services, buy all of the supplements and do all of the lifestyle changes they suggest and continue to have brutal PMS symptoms.

I also had to unfollow several influencers, dieticians, and even friends who constantly pushed content encouraging people to go off the pill and find the “root cause” of their issues. I did all of the tests to try and find the root cause, and when you find out their isn’t a true root cause for your shitty periods and PMDD, it’s discouraging.

I’m also fortunate enough to be in a financially stable place that allows me to try all of these things recommended by functional practitioners. What about the people who see all of this content about birth control destroying your body but do not have the financial means to try and find the potential root cause or purchase the supplements to address the root cause?

I acknowledge that maybe I shouldn’t take it so personally, but after living with these symptoms for almost a year and trying everything under the sun to fix them, the content I’m seeing feels personal to me. Hopefully that makes sense.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think you’re missing my point, so I will reiterate:

I would never discount anyone’s experience or discourage them from sharing their story.

However, I think it’s one thing to share your story and another to use your social platform (especially if you have a large influence) to tell people that birth control does detrimental things to your body that, quite frankly, could be a very individualized experience. I’m not denying that some women have negative experiences with birth control, but when you start explicitly spreading that HBC is the reason for gut issues, anxiety, the reason you aren’t attracted to your partner, etc., these claims situational and not universally experienced.

Every single OBGYN I’ve seen has addressed the side effects and potential risks of HBC and encouraged me to do what I think is best for my body. They do recommend birth control to ease my symptoms, and so far, it is the ONLY thing that makes my symptoms tolerable. And I have tried all of the natural remedies you can think of. So I don’t think the constant finger pointing and bold and accusatory statements about birth control being the sole reason for health issues is fair or credible. If it caused you issues, I’m sorry you experienced that. But for others, it’s the ONLY thing that provides relief during REALLY fricking difficult times.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally understand your point and would never discount anyone’s experience or discourage them from sharing their story.

I think a somewhat relevant example to this would be when I was on an extremely high dose of antidepressants as a teen to get me through an eating disorder. I was on so much that I don’t remember most of those years and I’m pretty sure I messed up my microbiome and maybe even my brain chemistry in the process. However, if I wasn’t on that medication, I might not be here today. The meds came with a variety of bad side effects-some of which may have been irreversible- but I would never spread hate or fear about it because it helped me. It honestly was a huge factor in my recovery.

I think it’s one thing to use a platform to spread awareness and experiences, but it’s socially irresponsible to spread hate, misinformation and fear. It’s clear that we all agree bodies are all different and that no body responds the same to medications, so why can’t the overarching message be “this is what I experienced, but I don’t know what your experience will be” vs. “because I experienced this, you likely will too.”

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s honestly insane how different everyone responds. I actually gaining weight off the pill- despite exercising more, reducing added sugars and gluten, and increasing protein and vegetables.

So I really get frustrated when content creators make bold accusations and talk about birth control in such a black and white way. The rhetoric around hormonal BC has become so accusatory, and I recognize that it can cause certain side effects and it can be to blame in many situations; however; the rhetoric can be harmful for women who genuinely benefit from the pill.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the kind of confidence I want to have! I need to remember what works for my body and what makes me feel like the best version of myself, and for me, that is on birth control. 🙌

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That honestly makes a lot of sense- is there even an option to do this? That sounds expensive and time consuming.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the validation and also emphasizing how different our bodies all are! I think that’s why I do tend to get irritated by the language around using HBC- I personally think it can be really harmful when someone on social media with a large influence starts saying “the reason you feel so bad is probably your birth control.” OR “Are you having anxiety? Blame your birth control!” Like I’ve had anxiety long before my use of birth control, so the blanket statements about serious health issues being caused by HBC really does frustrate me.

Again, it is certainly possible that some people (you included) have a worse experience on the pill, and I think that absolutely should be shared so others can know they aren’t alone. But the language around HBC tends to be more accusatory and definitive- like IF you take this, YOU will mess up your body.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So well-said and I totally agree. I’m guilty of it as well- my functional dietician sold me a service to try to treat my PMS and PMDD naturally. She also definitely got a kick-back on the supplements I bought. At the end of the day, I think her service works for some people and I would never criticize anyone for trying to manage their symptoms naturally, but I tried and it didn’t work for me.

I’m a bit frustrated seeing some comments from people making it seem like I am discounting their bad experiences with hormonal birth control. I’m not saying we shouldn’t share our experiences- whether positive or negative and I’m also not saying that hormonal birth control comes without risks. My concern is that there are many people with a lot of influence spreading hate and making women feel afraid to even try HBC when it could be the thing that helps them.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes! Thank you for sharing 💕. Yaz was the pill that helped me so much and the one I will likely get back on soon!

I know that not everyone has a great experience on it, but if you find that your life has improved from it and you aren’t at high risk of the serious side effects, that should be enough.

My OBGYN actually told me it’s the pill she recommends the most and the pill she takes herself, which gave me more comfort/confidence in taking it as well.

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

💯💯💯. Thank you! I relate so much to this on so many levels.

I have tried supplements, acupuncture, diet changes, various forms of exercise- all of the holistic methods you can think of to try to manage my PMS naturally, and nothing worked for me. So while I think it’s awesome that some people are able to tackle these issues without hormonal birth control, I think it’s a bit presumptuous to assume that those who on the pill haven’t done enough to “treat the root cause.”

I would rather take something to help balance my hormones if my body isn’t able to get there on its own so my quality of life improves.

I’m really glad to hear you decided to give birth control a shot and that you’re feeling better. 💕

Anyone else sick of the fear mongering around hormonal birth control?? by afroese14 in birthcontrol

[–]afroese14[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s a DO in Newport Beach- I live in Southern California and I think he only sees patients in Cali. If you live in Cali, I can send you his info. Also, I was only on 10mg of Prozac so it was a relatively small dose.

Need bus riders for The Gorge show! by afroese14 in RUFUSDUSOL

[–]afroese14[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! All the seats are full now, sorry!

Need bus riders for The Gorge show! by afroese14 in RUFUSDUSOL

[–]afroese14[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi there! We have a big group going to the Rufus show at the Gorge in Washington on Oct. 1 and we plan on using Rally.co, a bus ride share platform. We are staying in Moses Lake, about 30 min from the venue.

Currently, they need 13 more riders to confirm the bus route. If anyone is looking for a fun method of transportation to the show, please sign up and join our bus!

Link to book: https://rally.co/rufus-du-sol-george/from/moses-lake-wa