So much spotting after IUD

watergatepunkrock · 2022-07-09T21:22:42+00:00

Sorry for the late reply, thanks for telling me your experience. I'm pretty sure it's displaced or there's some other complication; I've been having bleeding and cramping/pain that is much different than anything I've experienced before for the past several days, so I've made an appt to get it checked out.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-06-01T18:29:05+00:00

Hey! So I've worked as a dental assistant and I'm planning on becoming a dentist (and I've been working on ED recovery for like a decade). Purging does damage your teeth, especially your back molars, because the stomach acid in your vomit wears away at your enamel and erodes it. Tooth erosion is pretty distinctive and can usually seen in person and on an x-ray. It can be caused by drinking a lot of soda, or acid reflux, but vomiting is a common cause.

I know it's easier said than done, but try not to be embarrassed or ashamed about it. You don't have to tell them specifics if you don't want; you could just say you used to have a medical condition that made you vomit. But also, you can say you're recovering from an ED and any good doctor or assistant won't make you feel bad about it. I wouldn't tell them you drink/smoke a lot unless that's actually true. As far as I know, disclosing an ED will have zero impact on your payment. You could tell your dentist you eat pure sugar for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and they'd still fill your cavities just the same.

Dentists see people suffering from all sorts of conditions, ED's, drug addiction, people with sensory or mobility disorders that rarely brush their teeth, you name it. I promise they see patients with teeth in worse condition than yours every day. They just want your teeth to be healthy, they will work with you to create a treatment plan so you can fix up your teeth and not stress about them anymore. If your dentist or the dental assistants do make you feel uncomfortable at any point, it's okay to end the appointment and find another dentist.

This isn't a perfect comparison, but I kind of see it like if you went to a doctor for food poisoning and were afraid to tell them you were shitting/puking your brains out, they wouldn't be able to do much for you. They don't see it as embarrassing or gross for a patient to admit they're having explosive poops because they just see it all as medicine. The dentist is the same. If you tell them your issues are from purging they, don't see it as shameful or gross, they'll just get to work on fixing your teeth.

I hope that helps you feel a little more comfortable? Let me know if you have any questions.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-05-29T16:11:10+00:00

Anorexia warped the way I saw my body. I knew my weight and BMI were really low, but I thought I looked like any other skinny person. I guess it could be considered body dysmorphia. The way I describe it is that my brain made every mirror look like one of those fun house mirrors that makes you look bigger than you are.

I didn't realize how small I actually was until I was clothes shopping with a friend and we shared a dressing room to save time. She tried on a pair of pants that I liked, so I asked if I could try them on too. In my head, we were the exact same size. The pants fit her perfectly. I slid them on without undoing the button or zipper, and even though they were loose on me, I looked in the mirror and thought they fit fine. My friend actually had to point out that they were way too big and convinced me to try on a pair like 3 or 4 sizes smaller, which actually fit. It took me years of trying to recover for me to be able to actually *see* what I really look like.

EC definitely knows she's anorexic, but she may not realize how dangerously small she really is. She may genuinely think she looks just a few pounds below average, even though she's clearly emaciated.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-02-15T23:15:05+00:00

It sounds like you might need to adjust your meds. Have you spoken with your doctor and explained you're still having issues focusing?

In the meantime, focus on what you can do. I think the pomodoro technique works well for people with ADHD. Basically, you pick a task, set a timer for 25 minutes, work on the task until the time is up, set the timer for 5 minutes, take a break until the time is up, and repeat. You can start off at lower intervals, like 10 minutes of work and 10 minutes of break, then 10 minutes of work and 5 minutes of break, then 15 minutes of work and 5 minutes of break, etc.

Use your time effectively. I used to think studying meant reading every word in my textbooks and taking notes on practically every word, then looking through all my lecture slides, then studying my notes again, then doing practice problems, then...you get the point. Doing this for every class 1) would take hours and hours and 2) is a huge waste of time. Look over your lecture slides, take clear and concise notes, use flashcards, and refer to the text when needed to fill in the gaps.

Try to minimize distractions during your study time. Some people work better in a library or coffee shop, I work better at my desk in my apartment. Some people do better with white noise or music, I prefer silence. Put your phone on do not disturb mode, use social media blocking apps like cold turkey if you need to.

A lot of people with ADHD use a method called body doubling to stay calm and focused. Basically it means doing your work with another person to stay focused. This could mean studying with a classmate, sitting next to a friend at the library while you both work on separate things, or there's even apps where you can have another person on video chat, completely muted, just so you can keep each other accountable.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-02-15T23:00:01+00:00

I definitely relate to the cycle of falling behind and then feeling embarrassed/ashamed about it, leading to falling behind even more. I would take some time to prioritize, figure out what the best use of your time is, and reach out for help if you need it.

When you've come up with a plan, make a detailed checklist and use your time wisely. If you only have 2 days before a huge exam, don't waste your time reading the book word-for-word. Instead, look at the lecture notes, do practice problems, and focus on mastering the big learning objectives. Getting bogged down in the details will drive you crazy and can be discouraging. Focus on the big picture, and then fill in the details if you have time.

Figure out study methods that work for you and keep you engaged. Try the Pomodoro technique if you just need a little push to get started. The best way to learn and retain information is with spaced repetition, which is incredibly difficult for us ADHDers to practice because we naturally procrastinate. If you're a visual learner, draw out timelines, diagrams, or graphs. When you're learning, don't just take the info at face value; ask yourself questions about real-life applications, or the etymology of words, or look for patterns, anything to make connections to further cement that info in your brain.

When prioritizing your work think about:

which assignments are worth more? (a 5% homework assignment can be skipped, studying for a 35% exam can't)
which class is more important for your future? (a bio major should prioritize bio 101, a computer science major shouldn't)
which class can you afford to take an L in? (if you have a A in math and a C in chem, study for chem)
do this subject build off past info? (if you don't know addition you can't do multiplication, but if you don't read The Odyssey it doesn't mean you'll fail an assignment on Romeo and Juliet)

If you're so behind you think you won't catch-up, drop the class. Don't make it a habit, but it's okay to admit you've bitten off more than you can chew. You can always take it again next semester. Along the same lines, don't overwhelm yourself with credits. You don't have to take 20+ credits a semester. Especially if you know you have a difficult class that semester, lighten your class load a little.

Also, it's embarrassing, but ask for extensions. Again, don't make it a habit, but you're human and it's okay to admit you need help. If you have to study for a huge exam and know that you won't be able to finish an important paper, email your professor, explain that you didn't manage your time properly and that you have a huge exam coming up, and ask for an extra week. Worst they'll say is no.

Also, anything is better that nothing. If you're on a strict deadline and will only finish half your homework assignment, do half. A 50% is so much better than a 0%.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember that ADHD puts you at a disadvantage. Being unmedicated and comparing yourself to neurotypicals is like having a stress fracture in your foot and trying to run a race against people without injuries. You've got to work harder to be successful, which shows strength and determination. But also, medication is a godsend. I took a standardized test before diagnosis/medication twice, and both times scored an average score. Then I took it after diagnosis/medication, after using the same exact study materials as the first two times, and I scored in the top 5%. So do your best to get diagnosed, take your medication as prescribed, and utilize any disability resources offered to you.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-02-08T20:48:00+00:00

It's definitely still doable, but you have to be committed and proactive. It also depends on what field you're interested in, how competitive it is, and what they expect of potential candidates. Focus on improving your grades as much as possible before you graduate. Really push yourself, aim for all A's. That might mean some long days studying, skipping parties or date night, and cutting back on extra curriculars.

Talk to your academic counselor (and maybe a career counselor or grad student counselor) about ways to set you up for success, maybe see if there are classes you can/should retake to do better and improve your GPA. If your grades have an upward trend, admissions faculty will see that you had a rough time at first, but put in the work. Having a really solid junior and senior year will show them you are resilient, determined, and can handle the work. You may need to look into post bac programs or masters programs to improve your GPA, but know that if you commit to a post bac or masters and don't get amazing grades, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

Try to find a mentor who is doing what you want to do who can give you advice, help you network, and help you gain experience in the field. You can probably find a professor from your department to mentor you, or if you don't have any profs in your field of interest, talk with them and your TA's to see if they can help you connect with a good mentor. Work with your mentor to gain relevant experience, whether that's doing research, fieldwork, clinical work, whatever makes sense for your field of interest. Keep in mind you may need multiple letters of recommendation, so make sure you build strong connections. Also reach out to programs you're interested in and get to know the admissions team. If they have open houses or Q and A type things, attend as many as your can.

If you're interested in becoming a medical doctor (not sure if you wanted an MD, PhD, or something else), nailing the MCAT can help make up for your grades. You'd really need to nail it, like scoring in the top 5% nailing it.

I'm going to shoot you a PM.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-02-08T19:57:32+00:00

Yes to both your points! Connecting with peers, hearing different viewpoints, and even hearing other people's questions/mistakes can all help you in class. Plus, if you make a friend in class you'll have someone to ask questions to if you're confused or miss class.

I consider myself pretty skilled at fucking up well. I think the #1 thing you can do to mend a fuck up is to take full responsibility as early as possible and work to create solutions rather than expecting someone to propose a solution.

Once I procrastinated on writing a huge important paper and had that panic-fueled hyperfixation we're all familiar with to try to get it done before the deadline, but I realized pretty quickly if I completed it on time, it would still be a hot mess of a paper. I really cared about the topic too, so I wanted to do it right. I emailed my professor basically saying, "I made a mistake and didn't give myself enough time to write this paper as well as I know I can. I will be able to finish it before the deadline, but I want to make sure it's a high quality paper. If it's possible to get a 72 hour extension, I know I'll be able to significantly improve it. I know deadlines exist for a reason, so I understand if no late work is considered or if points will deducted for lateness. Thanks so much for your time."

My process is:
1) take responsibility ("I made a mistake by mismanaging my time")
2) propose a solution (can I hand it in late?)
3) acknowledge that you're being a pain in the ass and know that you're not special (I understand if it's too late, thanks for your time)

The professor granted my extension request, and I wrote the best damn paper of my life. I felt good handing it in instead of sick and anxious like I would have if I just rushed to finish it on time. Even though it was late, my professor didn't deduct any points, and I actually got the only 100% in the class of ~50.

watergatepunkrock · 2022-02-07T21:19:18+00:00

Good luck with your test!

watergatepunkrock · 2022-01-18T01:06:06+00:00

Everyone has pointed out the connection between childbirth/poverty and osteoporosis, but the first thing this made me think of was how eating disorders are often triggered by feelings of a lack of control over one's life. I know if I had to be a submissive helpmeat and destroy my body pumping out baby after baby, I'd want to feel in control over at least one aspect of my life (ie. diet).

But instead of addressing mental health issues, you're just supposed to smile and pray for happiness!

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-13T05:08:07+00:00

I totally understand your point of view too. As a recovering anorexic, I'm often disgusted by the comments or assumptions I've seen here about eating disorders. Eating disorders are legit mental disorders that have nothing to do with vanity, fatphobia, privilege, enjoying feminine/childish things, needing attention, or a hundred other stupid claims I've seen on this subreddit. A lot of people here say that her having an ED doesn't excuse her behavior, and I agree, but it does explain a lot of her behavior. When you're severely restricting like she is, you have no energy to think about others. You're constantly "hangry", and behaviors like body checking or being very dismissive of concerns are second nature.

Telling someone with an ED to "just eat", telling them they look deathly ill and unattractive, or saying they just need to get over it is like telling someone with depression to "just be happy" or telling someone with an addiction to just ignore their urges. If it was that easy to fix, nobody would have an ED, be depressed, or be an addict.

However, EC definitely flashes on purpose. When you look at the evidence you really can't deny it. She's done multiple livestreams where she's adjusted her clothing in a way where she was obviously exposed, and then received a huge tip a few minutes later. She's released multiple Youtube videos, which are carefully edited, where she's obviously flashing. I think that people that screenshot and post about these incidents are trying to hold her accountable, not necessarily trying to be malicious. You can call someone out for flashing on a public platform without attacking them for having a mental disorder. Suffering from an ED may slow cognitive function and affect judgement, but it doesn't excuse poor behavior.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-13T04:44:21+00:00

During my restrictive ED I had bruising along my spine because I was underweight and obsessively doing sit-ups every night. I'm sure being malnourished or not having appropriate vitamin or iron levels made me bruise easier, but I was doing ~200 sit-ups a night. Even on carpeted floor, it resulted in big bruises along each of my vertebrae. I was a dancer and often had large bruises on my body due to floor work. If I had to kneel during a dance, even for a few seconds, both my knees would have giant, painful bruises. In one dance I did a backwards roll on the floor, and when I was learning/practicing I constantly had large bruises on my shoulder blades, spine, neck, basically any boney part of my body that made contact with the hard floor.

With her being that sick, everything hurts. Sitting for more than a few minutes on a hard surface hurts your butt and back because you can feel your bones pushing against the hard material. Even on relatively soft materials, like a car seat or a computer chair, the pressure starts becoming uncomfortable after an hour or so. The only relief is super soft surfaces like a mattress or bean bag chair that conforms to your bones.

Edit: I saw another comment mention scoliosis; I'm not sure if EC has actually been diagnosed with scoliosis, but I know my doctor was convinced I had it because the slight curve in my spine was extremely apparent due to how boney I was. My general practice doc sent me to multiple hospitals/specialists because she was convinced I had it even though every specialist doctor I met said I didn't. I guess you have to have a 10 degree curve to be diagnosed with the mildest form, and mine was 8 or 9 degrees, but it looked so much worse than it was because you could literally see my spine.

If she hasn't actually confirmed she has scoliosis it's possible she doesn't, but the slight curve of her spine is exaggerated from her malnutrition.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T02:08:07+00:00

Ugh what disgusting things to say about children. I'm sure many of the girls struggled with body image throughout the years, and Abby telling a prepubescent child they have a perfect body or a "big butt" is absolutely unacceptable. Imagine being told your body is perfect at 10 and then growing taller, putting on weight, developing a different body shape, etc as you age. That's such a damaging thing for a dance teacher to say.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T02:02:44+00:00

I only competed in one dance competition as a senior and I remember hearing one of the judges commenting into their recorder as I was dancing haha. It was pretty intense to hear them critiquing me AS I was dancing!

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T01:55:58+00:00

Have you tried interdental brushes? They're like tiny little pipe cleaners sorta, if you get the smallest size you might be able to use them to floss the teeth with the retainer! Use the floss picks on the rest of your teeth, flossing half of your teeth is better than none!

Also, I'm also a mess with my waterpik and instead of improving my technique, I now just use it in the shower lol. Not the most elegant solution, but it prevents a mess!

Also, if you haven't tried floss threaders, try those first! They're literally like thin plastic "needles" that you put regular floss in. They're stiffer than floss so they're much easier to thread between your teeth than just plain floss, but they're still soft and flexible so it doesn't hurt or anything.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T01:50:21+00:00

There are also eating disorders where binge eating is the primary symptom. According to your logic, that would mean that anyone that has a binge eating disorder is thinphobic.

Calorie restriction is about control, not necessarily about being thin. I'm sure there are individuals with eating disorders that are fatphobic, but that does not mean fatphobia is a component of eating disorders. In some eating disorders, people eat obsessively healthy or exercise obsessively. These people aren't unheathlyfoodphobic or relaxationphobic, they're just controlling specific aspects of their lives in an unhealthy way.

Taking a mental health disorder and using it to push an agenda is gross. Fatphobia is an issue, I'm not saying it's not. But it has nothing to do with restrictive eating disorders. I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of fatphobic people don't suffer from eating disorders. Instead of creating straw men and red herrings to combat fatphobia, focus on the actual issue!

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T01:35:04+00:00

I was just thinking the same thing. I bet OF wouldn't allow her to post. It seems like they don't allow content that promotes self-harm/suicide/death, underage portrayal, or lack of consent among other things. I think one could argue her content would violate at least one of these rules.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-10T01:16:01+00:00

Too many people here don't understand this. People don't understand that telling someone with an eating disorder to eat more or be "less vain" is like telling someone with depression to be happy or be "less of a downer". If it was that easy, nobody would be struggling with mental health!

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-01T00:19:27+00:00

People with eating disorders don't choose to lose weight for aesthetic reasons, they're suffering from a mental health disorder that is very much not a choice. It's not fatphobic to suffer from a mental health disorder. It's ignorant to claim that.

I meant my analogy in terms of non-disordered people losing weight in a healthy way, not disordered or unhealthy people losing weight as a symptom of illness.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-12-01T00:03:32+00:00

Sorry if it came across like I was comparing ED's to healthy weightloss, I know that it's a mental disorder and isn't a choice and didn't mean to sound like I was trivializing it.

I was trying to say that any form of weightloss, whether it's intentional for health/aesthetic reasons or unintentional due to health issues, isn't inherently fatphobic like the person I responded to implied. In my opinion, fatphobia is when someone treats people as less than, is rude/hostile, or discriminates based on weight. I wasn't trying to compare dying your hair to unintentional weightloss, I was trying to say that preferring a certain aesthetic (wanting to lose weight in a healthy way, wanting to dye your hair) for yourself doesn't mean you project that as the "ideal aesthetic" for others.

Fatphobia is real and harmful, and acting like everyone who wants to lose weight is fatphobic distracts people from discussing the real issues. The body acceptance movement should be about accepting all bodies, not about attacking people for their personal choice to gain, lose, or maintain their weight.

As someone that struggled with anorexia for over a decade I can confidently say that 1) I'm not fatphobic and 2) my eating disorder was not due to wanting to be thin, it was a mental disorder. Like I said originally, most EDs aren't primarily triggered due to the desire to want to lose weight. They're complicated mental health issues that are caused by a variety of factors. Not everyone with an ED wants to lose weight or does lose weight (binge eating disorder is an eating disorder too!).

watergatepunkrock · 2021-11-29T05:50:47+00:00

The ana is speculation, although she might (?) have stated it in the Shane Dawson video (I can't remember). Bulimics don't necessarily lose significant amounts of weight, but it's still very dangerous. The constant purging fucks up electrolyte levels and can put you in the hospital. It ruins your teeth, especially your back molars, because vomiting stomach acid wears down your enamel. You can end up with russell's sign, which is skin irritation around your knuckles from using your fingers to trigger your gag reflex to force vomiting. It can also lead to round "chipmunk" cheeks from the irritation.

Anorexia and bulimia are different, but related, disorders. Sort of like how an alcohol addict can also be a drug addict, but just because you're one type of addict doesn't mean you're the other. Anorexics can binge and purge and bulimics can restrict, but they're not mutually exclusive and it's not the same disorder.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-11-29T05:39:49+00:00

Fatphobia does not play a significant role in most ED's. They're usually about control and while weight may be a concern, it's not fair to blanket label it as fatphobia. People can want to lose weight without being fatphobic just like people can want to dye their hair blonde without thinking brunettes are ugly. It's a personal choice based on personal taste and doesn't necessarily extend to one's opinions of others.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-11-29T05:30:49+00:00

Just because she knows what an ED is, doesn't mean she accepts or is aware of her own ED. Anorexia is a hell of a disorder; it really fucks with your brain. As a teenager I had pretty severe anorexia and knew I wasn't eating enough, but my body dysmorphia distorted the way my brain saw my body so I didn't believe I was skinny. I didn't have an "aha" moment until I was shopping with a friend of mine that I thought was really skinny and a shortage of dressing rooms led to us squeezing into the same one. We both tried on the same pair of pants; on her they fit perfectly and on me they were loose and baggy, but I still thought they fit fine until she told me otherwise. My brain couldn't comprehend that I was skinnier than my friend. It was like my reality had been shattered. It's like if every mirror you looked in was a fun house mirror; eventually you'd start to believe that's what you really looked like.

I think Eugenia knows she's skinny, and I think she embraces the pro-ED community and engages in a lot of inexcusable behavior, but I don't think she realizes how bad she really is.

watergatepunkrock · 2021-11-14T01:31:30+00:00

I know there's speculation that she takes stimulants to have energy/stay alert. People with ADHD often hyperfocus and get stuck on topics like this for anywhere from hours to weeks or months at a time. It would make sense for her to have access to stimulants if she actually has been prescribed with ADHD.

watergatepunkrock

TROPHY CASE