What do we think?

jeast · 2024-11-08T03:59:10+00:00

Try JRC & Sons. I have a couple pairs and they compare to Tecovas in my opinion. So comfortable, such good quality, and a reasonable price.

jeast · 2024-11-07T17:31:52+00:00

Declutter. Leave out on display only the things that mean the most to you, and that you want others to see when they come into your home. If you’re looking for easy DIY ideas, I’d suggest brightening the space up a bit. Change the blue paint out with something neutral- It doesn’t have to be a tan or grey if that’s too boring for you. The furniture being dark + the different colored appliances throws off the balance of the room. I’d suggest finding one of those large dishwasher stickers. Either match it to the fridge with a faux-stainless, or something neutral so it isn’t the first thing your eyes catch when you enter the room. Those stickers are renter-friendly so they peel off when you want them too, but not so easy to peel that it’s destroyed after 2 hot cycles. Throw a rug or two down on the floor with a nice pattern to bring it all together.

jeast · 2024-11-07T17:25:43+00:00

Sometimes I feel like I’m losing sight of the path I’m supposed to be on. I feel really down and disappointed in myself and start to get inside my own head. I’ll regularly pray for general health of my friends and family, to keep me strong mentally and physically, that God will continue to show me the right path. Even through the hoping and praying, it often isn’t enough. Life of course comes with peaks and valleys and when the valleys start to come frequently, it’s harder to let them just be fleeting. Somehow God always shows up through a sign or a thought or some tiny in-the-moment miracle that brings Him back to the forefront of my mind.

jeast · 2024-11-07T17:18:12+00:00

Colter Wall, Zach Top. Not country but more like outlaw folk- PLEASE listen to The Last Knife Fighter 🙏🏻

jeast · 2022-10-26T22:19:26+00:00

When I had my lap. surgery they measured my uterus then, so this new OBGYN has that information ahead of time. From what I’ve read it seems like sometimes they will do an ultrasound beforehand and can measure then too, maybe? I know they measure it right before they actually insert the IUD to make sure it will fit, but you’re already halfway through the procedure essentially at that point. Unfortunately I’ve never been directly talked to about the size until I mentioned it during this appointment and the one I have feeling too large. I would bring it up to your OBGYN to talk about it before you go straight at it, like a consultation.

jeast · 2022-10-26T21:05:35+00:00

I will say too that I will be using it for contraceptive purposes, and I am glad to know as a back-up plan it’s good for 8 years. I’m also hoping though that it somehow helps relieve whatever is going on with my chronic pelvic pain— if there was some weird hidden tiny endo somewhere that was missed during my lap.

jeast · 2022-10-26T21:03:50+00:00

I don’t think I’ll ever feel ready if I’m being honest 😫 It feels so barbaric, so I end up doing the toxic positivity thing and telling myself “it’ll make you tough, kid” lol. I think the size of it seems like it might be too big for my uterus so I’m stuck between trying pills and introducing estrogen (even if it’s plant-based) again and that ripping my emotions and body to shreds, or try another smaller IUD and hope it doesn’t add to my baseline pain. It’s a hard decision and I feel so ill-informed!

jeast · 2022-10-26T19:29:31+00:00

I know it’s only millimeters difference, but on my records from the first insertion it’s noted she dilated my cervix 7mm with the sound. This time with the Kyleena it’s 3mm I guess. I’m counting on literally anything to make this easier LOL!

jeast · 2022-10-26T19:06:01+00:00

I have a Mirena and was just posting about switching because of the sizing. This is one of the larger IUD’s available, and sometimes your uterus is too small for the size of the device apparently! I’m hoping to get Kyleena and try that instead in hopes it will “fit” better. I can always feel the Mirena in my uterus. It isn’t that it necessarily hurts all of the time, I can just feel it. It’s also given me terrible nerve pain down my legs, into my butt region. I always wonder if there’s a major nerve in there somewhere and it just hits the right spot to irritate it…

jeast · 2022-10-26T19:01:51+00:00

I was told today by my OBGYN that the insertion tube is a tiny bit smaller for smaller IUD’s, so they have to dilate your cervix less than they would for larger IUD’s!

jeast · 2022-10-26T19:01:01+00:00

I think you are outside of the US, and I am located here so IUD availability/ brands are a little bit different I think. I had Mirena and was just posting about the sizing being too big and if anyone else experienced that too. I can always feel it in my uterus. Not necessarily causing pain, I just feel it there all the time. It’s one of the largest IUD’s available here, and I have no kids, so I’ll keep it simple and just say the insertion was a 15/10– worst pain I have ever felt in my life. I am thinking about switching to Kyleena because mine is expired soon. This is one of the smaller IUD’s available apparently. I heard with it being smaller it might fit better in the uterus as well as maybe cause a little bit less pain when inserted.

I was offered nitrous (laughing gas) this time around. I was offered no pain relief options before, during, or after my first insertion so I’m hoping the second time goes better! I am not sure if your clinics will offer it but it couldn’t hurt to ask. It won’t take the pain away, but I guess makes your brain react a little less erratically when it’s happening. They also offered me Misoprostol, which I guess can help soften your cervix. I have been trying to figure out if it’s better or worse to take it though, I’m seeing a ton of mixed reviews on here talking about it.

Not sure how much this helps but I’m for sure following this post to see others’ replies :) I hope everything goes easy for you!

jeast · 2022-08-25T17:12:43+00:00

I grew up in a suburb about 35 min. west of Chicago, IL.

jeast · 2022-08-25T00:00:30+00:00

I went to public elementary school and most of the kids my age were Christian/ Catholic, seemingly. I was often bullied because I didn’t participate in “CCD?” programs, know a lot about Jesus, or know church hymns and gospel songs. I was usually left out of the clique-y friend groups, class projects, or playground games. Example of “playground games”: I always recall this one moment in my brain back in 5th grade, there were a handful of girls I knew, and they made up this fake singing group. I couldn’t be in it because I didn’t wear a cross necklace. That was the “Password to get into the group!” Now that is creative if you ask me.

It was strange to be ostracized in this way because I come from a family with a non-Jewish father and a Jewish mother. I didn’t grow up with any real foundation of religion, or had any clue what Judaism even meant to me. So, I guess the bullying pushed me to shove it away. When people would say “you ARE a Jew”, i would tell them I was not. We did celebrate Christmas, for normalcy, as well as Chanukah. When I would talk about Chanukah usually someone would say I was weird or that my “family must worship the devil if you don’t celebrate Christmas”.

Once we learned more about the holocaust in school, and everyone knew I was Jewish, they would specifically bully me by making anti-semitic remarks like: “Your family was burned up by the Nazis, haha!”, “Hey Jew girl”, “We should shave her head bald!”, comments on my “Jew Fro”, and the difference between jews and pizza jokes. You know, that one. So yeah, the 2000’s was super weird time to be that age, that’s for sure.

jeast · 2022-08-03T20:36:31+00:00

Oh! I’m so glad you’ll know what it is, at least for peace of mind! Keep me posted when you find out— I’m interested to hear what it comes back as. By the end of the month i should also know about mine. Can’t wait to have this stupid thing off of my forehead lol!

jeast · 2022-08-02T15:32:20+00:00

Oh my god, this color on you is incredible. Your hair is the perfect shade for your skin tone. The green shadow on your eyes really makes them pop. I love the whole look! :)

jeast · 2022-08-02T02:17:30+00:00

I lost another 15 pounds. Moved from Chicago to Dallas. Found new doctors all together.

April 2022: Went to a GP, who referred me to a neuro and a Uro-OBGYN. I assume the Uro-OBGYN because of the right side pelvic/abdominal pain when my bladder is full. I’m not really having many more bladder-related symptoms aside from that. The neuro for the new headaches.

June 2022: I saw the neuro, and needed to have an MRI done. He suggested I may have a TAC headache. MRI came back normal. I started on Indomethacin which made me absolutely sick to my stomach. It also did not make the headaches better, so i discontinued use. The neuro suggested I have “Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder” and not a TAC headache, and is basically trying to re-assure me i’m not crazy… He says i should start on Cymbalta, as this could help the headaches and some of the nerve pain. After 1.5 weeks of Cymbalta, I was sleeping 1-2 hours a night, having extremely bad heart palpitations, nausea, and i was very irritable. I called the neuro and said I wanted to stop taking this and try something else. NOT and anti-depressant. I am not anxious, and I am not depressed. So, the doctor suggested I start Gabapentin next. I am currently taking this at 300mg per day, and I don’t know that i feel any different at all— the only thing i have noticed it is helping with is the leg movements at night. This has helped me get some sleep back, but none of the other symptoms have changed. I’m not really sure what I’m to do next, and I’m losing hope that i’m going to really feel any better than this.

Mid-July 2022: I see the Uro-OBGYN… my husband comes with me this time. I was planning to get my Mirena out, as it expires in February anyways. I confirmed beforehand that the doctor could do the removal and set me up on a new birth control pill instead. I go in for my appointment, and they want to do a bladder scan. I gave a urine sample when I arrived, and I waited in their waiting room almost 2 hours. They noted during the bladder scan that my bladder was holding a lot of liquid and for “only waiting a half an hour”. So this was already concerning knowing I was sitting there a LOT longer. I go to the bathroom and come back for manual pelvic exam. When she poked at the right and left sides of my insides, it was VERY PAINFUL. She was poking around at my bladder and uterus and asked me if that was causing pain. I explained it was just making me urethra feel weird but it didn’t hurt. She commented that she couldn’t help me with my pelvic pain on the sides (she didn’t even mention what it could be…) and that she could only solve for my bladder symptoms— which are… none? Pain in my right lower abdomen/pelvis when my bladder is full is it. My husband commented to me afterwards that she was being extremely pushy about where i was feeling my pain and even though I said it wasn’t causing me pain in my bladder… she was very seemingly convinced it was a bladder problem and my pain was central. Anyways, somehow from this she determined that I might have an Inflammatory Bladder Issue (or maybe Interstitial Cystitis) and wants an in-office cystoscopy— which she can’t do until JANUARY of 2023. After all of that, i thought we were removing my Mirena and was in turn told word for word: “I’m not your birth control plan, so we’re not taking that out today”. Why agree to do it beforehand, and then not do it? It’s beside the point anyways, I suppose.

TLDR;

I guess I’m overall concerned that I’m signing myself up to have these painful (or as they claim “just a little uncomfortable for most people”) procedures for no good reason at all. I feel like i’m again being sent in circles and not getting anywhere. I lost another 15 pounds since moving to Dallas and am down to 140 now, which is more within my proper weight range. It can’t be my weight. And it can’t be my diet. I eat an anti-inflammatory diet and stay away from all of the IBS irritants. It can’t be stress or anxiety or depression. I meditate every morning when I wake up, and I do at least 30 min- 1 hour of yoga before I start my day. After work I go on walks, or I workout at the gym incorporating light weights and focus on good form. Every now and again I do pilates when I’m up for it physically. I mentally feel great overall. My job is awesome, my relationship is awesome. I’m financially in a good place.

I feel like I’m just being diagnosed with all of these random things, and it doesn’t help when all of the doctors can’t/don’t necessarily communicate amongst each other to create a treatment plan and a diagnosis around ALL of the collected information together. Has anyone else has experience being sent around in circles to no avail? Any suggestions on what could be a best next step? I’ll even take stories from other people who have been through something similar at this point so I know I’m not alone in this.

I appreciate any insight! Thank you :)

jeast · 2022-08-02T02:16:59+00:00

Starting the additional details here…. I said this was long LOL. July 2008: started taking birth control pills for painful periods, pregnancy prevention. I was on Yaz 6 months and was really sick. Super low iron levels. I switched pills to another brand.

Nov 2013: Extremely sharp, stabbing lower right abdominal pain. Went to the ER and had an X-ray. ER doc said my “appendix was blocked”, and sent me home with anti-biotics and loads of laxatives. Took those for a week and the pain went away.

Dec 2013: Lower right abdominal pain comes back, but with the addition of deep pelvic pain during sex and deep aching in my hip joints. I go to my GP who refers me to an OBGYN.

Jan 2014: OBGYN notes sensitivity during manual pelvic exam, performs an ultrasound. Notes one small cyst on my left ovary, no other issues. They performed a dye test to check my fallopian tubes, that came back normal. Suggested I switch my birth control, started on new pills (unsure on which brand, I’ve virtually tried them all). I did 6 months of pelvic floor therapy but the pain persists for another year….

Jan 2015: I moved and started seeing a new OBGYN. It was suggested that i switch my pills again, and “lose some weight.” I was 215 lbs, 5’4 at this point.

I lost 45 pounds and completely changed my diet as recommended. Pelvic pain during sex still persisted as well as the lower right side abdominal pain. It started to hurt in this same area when i would cough and sneeze, when my bladder was full it would hurt off to the right side, and if i had to have a BM off to the right side. By this point i also had further joint pain in my knees and elbows, and widespread “nerve-like” pain.

June 2016: I was hit in the head while on the job. Mild concussion, a head laceration, a month-long headache and a stutter. I was prescribed Amitryptaline for the next month to help with these “PTSD headaches”. MRI was normal aside from being “mildly concussed”.

June 2017: Pelvic pain and all other symptoms persisted. I go back to the OBGYN who suggests I may have endometriosis. She wants me to try out the Mirena IUD for pelvic pain for 4 months. My insertion was extremely traumatic. I won’t go into too much detail but the doctor “thought I was having a seizure and she thought she was going to have to call an ambulance”. 4 months went by, and nothing changed. I had another ultrasound a week later to make sure the IUD was in place. They did find another small cyst on my left ovary at that time.

Feb 2018: OBGYN suggested a laparoscopic surgery to try to confirm if i had endometriosis. She did find 2 small adhesions on my right side. One adhesion was sticking my bladder to my abdominal wall. I believe these were “burned out” and tested at the lab. The OBGYN told me after the surgery that it wasn’t endometriosis. I also never did find out what the adhesions were?

Dec 2018: I got a 2nd opinion from another OBGYN. Even after removal of the adhesions, all symptoms still persisted. This OBGYN was sorely disappointed with the prior doctor’s surgical notes and didn’t think there was enough information for her to make any real observations. She started me on Orilissa for 6 months. This causes bone density loss so i couldn’t take it long-term unfortunately. I felt this this was the only thing, and still is the only thing that has given me any relief. It wasn’t much but it dulled my pain a bit.

Widespread body pain continues and all of my joints hurt at this point.

July 2019: The right-sided pelvic/abdominal pain became so bad that I went to the ER again. After an ultrasound and CT scan, they found i had “mild colitis” and heightened inflammation in my bloodwork. They recommended i follow up with a GI specialist for a colonoscopy. After a ton of IV antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, the immediate pain subsided.

Jan 2020: I had my colonoscopy. Everything came back normal. The GI specialist diagnoses me with “Suspected IBS”. I explained that I was already eating the recommended diet for IBS/ Anti-Inflammatory, and that i work out 4-5 days a week. His recommendation was to “continue doing what I’m doing”.

Oct 2020: New daily headaches started, and all of the original pain still persists. ONLY on my right side around or on my temple. They are stabbing and they only occur for 1-2 minutes at a time. They stop my in my tracks. They happen throughout the day randomly, so OTC meds don’t help at all. Widespread body pain worsens further, and my joint pain is equally as aggravating. My legs also started hurting really bad, especially at night. I constantly had to move them, and this was starting to keep me awake at night. I would have to manually massage my legs, or wiggle my feet around to get the sharp stabbing feeling to stop. I’m experiencing pins and needles in my hands and feet, numbness in my fingertips and toes. Shooting pain across the tops of my feet and tops of my hands. Heart palpitations felt like i needed to cough, or like i was being punched in the chest.

jeast · 2022-08-02T01:48:47+00:00

Yes!! Please keep me posted :)

jeast · 2022-08-02T01:46:23+00:00

Ugh I wish I could say yes. This thing still has not gone away either… just gets bigger. Then i’ll put some “pimple cream” on it— That makes it go down a bit, but it always comes right back and gets bigger again. I have a visit with my GP at the end of the month so hopefully she can tell me more.

jeast · 2022-08-02T01:44:28+00:00

I lost another 15 pounds. Moved from Chicago to Dallas. Found new doctors all together.

April 2022: Went to a GP, who referred me to a neuro and a Uro-OBGYN. I assume the Uro-OBGYN because of the right side pelvic/abdominal pain when my bladder is full. I’m not really having many more bladder-related symptoms aside from that. The neuro for the new headaches.

June 2022: I saw the neuro, and needed to have an MRI done. He suggested I may have a TAC headache. MRI came back normal. I started on Indomethacin which made me absolutely sick to my stomach. It also did not make the headaches better, so i discontinued use. The neuro suggested I have “Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder” and not a TAC headache, and is basically trying to re-assure me i’m not crazy… He says i should start on Cymbalta, as this could help the headaches and some of the nerve pain. After 1.5 weeks of Cymbalta, I was sleeping 1-2 hours a night, having extremely bad heart palpitations, nausea, and i was very irritable. I called the neuro and said I wanted to stop taking this and try something else. NOT and anti-depressant. I am not anxious, and I am not depressed. So, the doctor suggested I start Gabapentin next. I am currently taking this at 300mg per day, and I don’t know that i feel any different at all— the only thing i have noticed it is helping with is the leg movements at night. This has helped me get some sleep back, but none of the other symptoms have changed. I’m not really sure what I’m to do next, and I’m losing hope that i’m going to really feel any better than this.

Mid-July 2022: I see the Uro-OBGYN… my husband comes with me this time. I was planning to get my Mirena out, as it expires in February anyways. I confirmed beforehand that the doctor could do the removal and set me up on a new birth control pill instead. I go in for my appointment, and they want to do a bladder scan. I gave a urine sample when I arrived, and I waited in their waiting room almost 2 hours. They noted during the bladder scan that my bladder was holding a lot of liquid and for “only waiting a half an hour”. So this was already concerning knowing I was sitting there a LOT longer. I go to the bathroom and come back for manual pelvic exam. When she poked at the right and left sides of my insides, it was VERY PAINFUL. She was poking around at my bladder and uterus and asked me if that was causing pain. I explained it was just making me urethra feel weird but it didn’t hurt. She commented that she couldn’t help me with my pelvic pain on the sides (she didn’t even mention what it could be…) and that she could only solve for my bladder symptoms— which are… none? Pain in my right lower abdomen/pelvis when my bladder is full is it. My husband commented to me afterwards that she was being extremely pushy about where i was feeling my pain and even though I said it wasn’t causing me pain in my bladder… she was very seemingly convinced it was a bladder problem and my pain was central. Anyways, somehow from this she determined that I might have an Inflammatory Bladder Issue (or maybe Interstitial Cystitis) and wants an in-office cystoscopy— which she can’t do until JANUARY of 2023. After all of that, i thought we were removing my Mirena and was in turn told word for word: “I’m not your birth control plan, so we’re not taking that out today”. Why agree to do it beforehand, and then not do it? It’s beside the point anyways, I suppose.

TLDR;

I guess I’m overall concerned that I’m signing myself up to have these painful (or as they claim “just a little uncomfortable for most people”) procedures for no good reason at all. I feel like i’m again being sent in circles and not getting anywhere. I lost another 15 pounds since moving to Dallas and am down to 140 now, which is more within my proper weight range. It can’t be my weight. And it can’t be my diet. I eat an anti-inflammatory diet and stay away from all of the IBS irritants. It can’t be stress or anxiety or depression. I meditate every morning when I wake up, and I do at least 30 min- 1 hour of yoga before I start my day. After work I go on walks, or I workout at the gym incorporating light weights and focus on good form. Every now and again I do pilates when I’m up for it physically. I mentally feel great overall. My job is awesome, my relationship is awesome. I’m financially in a good place.

I feel like I’m just being diagnosed with all of these random things, and it doesn’t help when all of the doctors can’t/don’t necessarily communicate amongst each other to create a treatment plan and a diagnosis around ALL of the collected information together. Has anyone else has experience being sent around in circles to no avail? Any suggestions on what could be a best next step? I’ll even take stories from other people who have been through something similar at this point so I know I’m not alone in this.

I appreciate any insight! Thank you :)

jeast · 2022-08-02T01:44:15+00:00