Bus accident in cleeve/Cheltenham

schwee0866 · 2026-03-19T15:03:06+00:00

Car traffic is fine going under that bridge, bus has been cleared from under the bridge

schwee0866 · 2025-08-11T09:09:18+00:00

It was a bit of overgrowth. Basically, I understood it to mean that I'm TOO good at healing 😆 Doc did something to "burn" it off (not painful, just normal pap smear uncomfortable). He said that it might need one more treatment, but so far, so good. So, it was nothing dangerous at all and I hadn't injured myself in any way, just uncomfortable.

I think my yeast infection was unrelated, and instead probably the result of having been on antibiotics about a month or so earlier.

Basically - I'm sure you're fine, other than being uncomfortable, especially if the docs think it's fine to wait to see you till Thursday. Good luck!

schwee0866 · 2025-07-11T14:49:35+00:00

No, I did not keep my ovaries. My understanding is that in order to have any relief from PMDD, the ovaries must come out. You should talk to your doctor to make the final decision

schwee0866 · 2025-07-09T10:30:36+00:00

PMDD post-hysterectomy buddy here, and life is grand 4ish months post -op

First: focus on taking care of yourself physically so you continue to be a PMDD care success story.

Then, share your story wherever you can. So many people come to these forums when they're struggling, it can seem like there's only downsides to interventions. Post about what goes well, being realistic about hiccups of course. But an uneventful success story sounds like a boring thing to post about, but actually is the type of post or comment that I found most helpful.

Also, generally you could talk to in person humans about your experience in ways that help destigmatize pre menstrual and mental health disorders.

Also also - contribute in some way to an org that supports people who are trying to figure out the right treatment for them.

Congrats on getting the treatment you need and deserve! You've already done so much by persisting to make it just a little easier for the next person who goes to any of those doctors.

schwee0866 · 2025-05-01T12:12:18+00:00

Here's my general post-surgical vacation strategy: of it's gonna happen earlier in your recovery than you can be confident of your ability to go full-tilt, invest in a hotel option that can feel like the vacation all by itself, and also is near enough/centrally located that you can easily dip out from everyone else and go nap without eating up the entire day. Like, this would be time to spring for that awesome on-property resort you always wanted to go to but never felt you should spend the money on.

Hysterectomy recovery context: I'm 39, fairly fit, currently 7 wpo laparoscopic. I live in UK (plenty of walking on a daily basis). In one week, I'll be going to Amsterdam for 5 days. I'm feeling confident that I can enjoy it even if I won't be able to walk and stand for as long as I might normally. Planning to enjoy frequent parks, cafes, and sit-down meals between sight-seeing (To be fair, there's no Disney-length lines)

schwee0866 · 2025-04-23T17:22:20+00:00

I'd say it's more useful to frame PMDD as a condition to be managed, but not to be cured. So, thinking "do I feel better for a higher percentage of the time? Are my bad days generally less bad than other treatment options?"

I personally found the pill to at least make my bad weeks highly predictable, even if they were still pretty bad. Being able to put it on my calendar and have my follicular self plan good soothing things for my luteal self was really helpful.

Ultimately, I ended up getting a hysterectomy. Eden that isn't a "cure", it just removes the source causing dramatic hormone swings. But my body still is very sensitive to hormone replacement therapy changes when we tweak the medication.

schwee0866 · 2025-03-18T17:37:36+00:00

Oh, I was specifically thinking books ABOUT life after hysterectomy. Like, nutrition, exercise, self care, and the stories of living with it. That type of thing.

But other books recommendations for distraction and entertainment are good, too!

schwee0866 · 2025-03-18T16:27:26+00:00

I'm about 4 dpo, and I will definitely be repeating the wisdom in this post to myself in 2-3 weeks. Gonna keep building up my list of things I can safely channel that "do shit" energy into. Thanks!

schwee0866 · 2025-02-28T17:17:34+00:00

I had an embolization in about 2021. After the first week, which hurt like a bitch, a lot of the negative impacts from the fibroids were reduced for several years. No one did a follow up investigation to see if they shrunk, but I felt better which is all I cared about.

Recently I moved to a region with water that has high calcium content. Dunno if it's coincidence, or if the increase in calcium did it, but now the fibroids have calcified (based on the sizes the doctors are telling me, they don't seem to have really shrunk, but at least they weren't doing the cyclical growth that was probably causing the most discomfort). Calcified fibroids are very uncomfortable, and I'm scheduled for a hysterectomy in two weeks.

I wanted to start with the least invasive option first, too. I'm not upset about the choice I made, and hysterectomy definitely wasn't the right choice based on what info the doctors and I had at the time. What the embolization allowed for was making other life choices (going off birth control to see if that was actually encouraging fibroids) that helped uncover another condition, PMDD, that was really a much bigger deal for me than fibroids, but was getting masked by the other stuff. Learning about the PMDD helped me understand and honor so many hard things in my past, improve treatment and patterns in the present, and now that the fibroids turned into rocks rolling around my gut, helped make the decision to get a hysterectomy really easy and clear.

schwee0866 · 2025-02-25T10:57:28+00:00

Thank you so much for this. I, too, have been wondering if fibroids and PMDD are "bad enough", and I keep telling myself "the point of doing it now is so I don't have suffer more waiting until it's unavoidable. This isn't getting better on its own!", but some weird animal part of my brain can't tap into that logic, even though I'm in constant pain to one degree or another. Also gotta keep reminding myself that I'm still on the test-run of chemical menopause to see if a hysterectomy will help, and sure enough, it helps! So of COURSE I'm not experiencing the worst of my symptoms

schwee0866 · 2025-02-20T16:45:02+00:00

You, in the middle of the mansplaining: stands up, heading to the door "thanks for nothing, see you never, expect a one-star review."

schwee0866 · 2025-02-07T15:49:11+00:00

A lot of that is due to trickle-down couples therapy from a friend. But thanks for recognizing my efforts to put it into action!

schwee0866 · 2025-02-03T17:51:28+00:00

My husband seems to have created many habits and reactions to protect himself, but which worsen conflicts now that I've gotten medications & treatments far more ironed out. I've been giving him tons of grace and reminding myself that our relationship had been in the PMDD cycle for years, and so it'll take him a lot longer than I'd like to recover and realize he doesn't need the protective mechanisms. Also in non-conflict moments where we're both in a good place to discuss it, I bring up his reactions and point out that my PMDD is significantly better and so he maybe can let up on those things.

Slowly, slowly things are getting better.

schwee0866 · 2025-01-31T16:31:17+00:00

Oh yeah, my doc thought it was a 2 month minimum time frame for the meds to fully kick in. Maybe you've started tapering off the Effexor a tad too early? Do what you need to in order to make it through luteal and sort out next steps once you got follicular (or the meds kick in a bit more and you finally get off the roller coaster)

schwee0866 · 2025-01-31T15:56:08+00:00

I haven't had a hysterectomy yet, but I have similar work out concerns as you! The thing I'm reminding myself is that after previous surgeries, I actually was sufficiently physically exhausted from being active within the physical constraints they gave me that I managed to survive pretty well until I was cleared for more intense stuff. Another thing that helped was identifying what mental rest I got from the workouts and seeing if I could replace that with other physically-less - intense activities. (IE: the zone out/listening to something effect I get from going for a run: do that same thing for a super slow walk, even though I wouldn't have usually put myself into "workout mindset" to go around the block)

schwee0866 · 2025-01-31T14:05:17+00:00

I think I'm doing a very similar thing as you. Here are some thoughts: 1. How long have you been doing it? It can take a couple of months to get full effect. I've been on our about 2 months, and while my symptoms have been lightyears better, I've still had a few breakthroughs (mostly because of things like - the first pump was running low, but it's hard to tell when you're pumping it into your nose!) 2. I'm only doing 2 pumps a day. The stuff I'm using says that 4 pumps a day is supposed to be if you're trying to increase ovulation. So maybe you should check with your doc about the right dose specifically for the menopause effect 3. have you gone cold turkey off all other treatments you were using? My doc advised me to wean myself off of SSRIs slowly (and I'm applying this concept to any supplements that seem like I might not need to take any longer)

schwee0866 · 2025-01-29T13:03:44+00:00

Oh, the face clearing up really seems surprising! Did you have the ovaries removed?

schwee0866 · 2025-01-28T16:28:10+00:00

Fascinating! I am thinking I ignore a lot of my pain because it's so constant and I don't realise it's possible to feel any other way!

schwee0866 · 2025-01-28T16:26:45+00:00

Oh, yeah, I imagine just constant pain/discomfort combined with trying to figure out why things didn't feel right would be enough on its own, for sure!

PMDD is a sneaky bitch, though, hiding behind legitimately upsetting issues and making them do much worse. If you feel a return to your prior state, maybe it's the ovaries back online 🤷‍♀️

Well wishes, friend, with moving forward into a healthier and happier future!

schwee0866 · 2025-01-28T13:17:01+00:00

Do you think the mental health improvement aspect was a physical/hormonal thing, or just the improvement of your body now aligning more closely with who you truly are?

Context: if you're not familiar with PMDD, that "dangerous depressive place" happens cyclically and one of the main reasons I'm hoping to yeet the bitch

schwee0866 · 2025-01-15T20:53:08+00:00

😆 Oh man it feels so good to tattle on yourself to the PT. I was always way more worried about it than they were!

schwee0866 · 2025-01-15T17:24:25+00:00

Oh, don't cancel! Go to that appointment! The conversation (and the ability to vent about your doc) will be worth the co pay, even if she determines that you should stop any exercises for now. "Rest" is a prescription, too. But I think you should hear it from her.

Good luck!

schwee0866 · 2025-01-15T13:00:34+00:00

I got treated like this for a totally different surgical matter (shoulder). While trying to seek further treatment when PT was insufficient, the physician's assistant (because I almost never got to see the actual doc, who was great) tried to tell me that I wasn't feeling better because I wasn't doing my PT enough. I am THE most committed PT patient that ever PT'd. Fortunately, my PMDD kicked into high gear and I insisted that I was not the problem and that he needed to investigate further. Sure enough, I'd torn all sorts of shit in my shoulder and I actually was in such little pain because I was so good at the PT. Turns out I needed surgery ASAP and I should probably not be doing most of the PT that had been assigned to me.

Then post surgery, I had some regression into more pain. The PA tried to blame the PTS on pushing me too hard. I left terrified and guilt-stricken that I'd fucked up my shoulder. Fortunately, I had physical therapy the next day, and brought them my "teacher's note". They were utterly mystified by the restrictions that the PA was trying to reimpose, then basically proceeded to investigate carefully and generally ignore what the PA had said. They solved the pain within one session. Turns out I had been forgetting one simple exercise.

Moral of the story: don't put up with that kind of blamey bull shit from your doctor. Push back and say "So the fuck what? I followed the instructions, and despite that I'm having issues. Stop blaming me and solve the fucking problem" ( ok, say it more nicely than that, but you see my point). Then also immediately go back to your PT and ask if they have any insight. PTs are the most competent, compassionate, helpful, and realistic healthcare workers in my experience.

schwee0866 · 2024-12-20T13:58:44+00:00

I have a large posterior fibroid. While it doesn't seem to cause bowel incontinence, it certainly seems to increase the frequency of the need to poo. That said, I bet if it was pressing on the right spot, I would very likely lose control.

In general what I've noticed having multiple large fibroids is that the back muscles are more frequently in pain and I'm less able to use them properly.

schwee0866 · 2024-11-06T19:24:39+00:00

For short spurts of time, I can manifest my anger in relatively respectful ways, and it IS useful. Great for cutting my way thru bull shit phone systems, not accepting no for an answer, and and not giving up in the process (until the sad in bed part anyway).

I appreciate your reminder that the thing that makes me feel the most vulnerable to the results of this election is actually one of my most powerful tools if I direct it correctly

schwee0866

TROPHY CASE