None of us here are fighting cancer personally, but my house is honestly full of other incurable illnesses... That’s why I find myself following your stories so closely, and I just want you to know how much I truly empathize with every single one of you...
Dear anaxy...
I am sending you my most sincere and deepest condolences.. I honestly can't even begin to wrap my head around the kind of pain you must be feeling right now after losing your mother...😘
I feel like I’ve seen it all... For me, my pants fit perfectly when I first get dressed in the morning, but by the time evening rolls around, everything feels way too tight. Honestly, the absolute worst part is having to stand in one spot for too long, which is why I pretty much avoid any jeans with stretch in them lately. My thighs and knees always seem so swollen, too—it almost looks like I have fluid buildup in my knees or something. There really isn't a magic fix, I guess. When I asked my doctor what I could do to help myself, they just suggested cutting back on salt and getting more exercise. They even gave Yasmine some birth control pills, thinking that might help things improve... but honestly, nothing has changed at all. Are you absolutely sure it isn't related to your veins or circulation? I think I might be dealing with issues there too, along with my lymphatic system.
I actually went through a period of severe malnutrition where I weighed only about 105 pounds at 5'11"...
My period completely disappeared for six months... Then my hair started falling out, and honestly, sitting down was painful because my bones were so prominent, not to mention dealing with constant mouth ulcers. The reason was basically that for 40 days I barely ate anything at all, just snacking on some Cocoa Puffs and sipping tea. The aftermath? Crohn's disease. If I remember correctly, my body was in a pretty dangerous state back then, but I eventually recovered, and now I guess I've swung too far the other way and am constantly overeating.
You should really reach out to a doctor, 🙄 especially if you haven't had any sexual contact lately, right? I mean, please don't just let this sit and worry you... if you're feeling too awkward to talk to anyone or if you're hesitant about heading to a clinic, maybe just try calling your primary care physician first...
Jesse Fowler82 wrote:Guys, everyone has the right to feel like people have turned their backs on them when they get seriously ill—it hurts so incredibly much. I became disabled at just 35, and honestly, it feels like my whole world has just sunk. Everyone keeps telling me to "keep fighting" and that "everything will be okay," but man, that’s easy to say. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places, but I don't even feel like I have a lifeline to grab onto anymore. And look, failing isn't the end of the world in a general sense, but it makes intimacy really awkward and tough. Basically, I had an ileostomy, which means my large intestine was completely removed. I’m forced to wear a bag for the rest of my life, and even though it’s been a month since the surgery, I just haven't come to terms with it yet. My girlfriend left me, my friends look at me with this pitying gaze—which is the last thing I need—and family, well, family is family; they can be objective but also pretty subjective about it all. It’s just hard when you see healthy people all around you who seem to turn away because of some perceived flaw, leaving you feeling totally isolated. I've been sliding into depression lately, and I'm honestly not sure if I'll pull through, but I am trying and I'm not giving up. The worst part is feeling like I've shrunk my chances of building what I wanted most: a family and true happiness. I have this nagging feeling that people find it off-putting, especially women, and that thought of "who would ever want me like this?" is just awful. Okay, fine, I'll stay alone if I have to, but seriously, what kind of life is that?....
Please, never think that way again.... 😘 😘
I've been battling inflammatory bowel disease for years now, and I've already gone through two surgeries—one for my gallbladder and one for my small intestine. A couple of times, I was so close to needing a stoma....🙂 My doctor actually told me, "If things don't start moving by tonight, we're going to have to put in a 'temporary' stoma... we don't have any other choice" I went pale and honestly felt like jumping out of a window at the hospital in Chicago.. But eventually, I calmed down and just accepted it. If that's how it has to be, then fine... at least I'm ALIVE Through sheer willpower, medication, and praying until dawn, things finally started moving, and I went in for surgery.. they removed 25 cm of my small intestine and patched me up.. so, here we go. I know I'll face more surgeries in my life, and there's a huge chance I'll end up with a bag, and I'm only 31.
Please, don't ever think like that; just because one girl left you 😉 doesn't mean the right one isn't waiting for you somewhere. You're going to change... you'll discover new joys in life... little things will make you happy, you are ALIVE, so please try to be happy.😘 As for friends... well, some of my friends were bothered by the massive scar on my stomach and how differently I view life 🙄 I just gave them a smile.... Regarding intimacy... I totally get you.. I don't have a stoma, but I deal with having ten bowel movements a day sometimes 😲 😲 so I occasionally feel totally unfit for any kind of intimacy or tenderness... Just give yourself some time, everything will fall into place, you'll see.... just do the things that bring you joy and fulfillment... surround yourself with people who bring you peace.... You are healthy, and I pray you stay that way... I'm wishing you all the happiness in the world 😘
It might stain your teeth a little bit... I’ve been trying it myself, but honestly, I haven't seen much of a difference... Getting iron through an IV drip (like those little ampules they use at the clinic)... that actually works so much better, it's honestly pretty amazing
Timothy Rodriguez said:Dr. Fauci and Dr. Smith at the Mayo Clinic in Chicago, specifically working on Rib issues, but man, you really have to wait forever for that first appointment👎 , even though they are such wonderful doctors.
m@mm@ said:Well, I used to think Gravignost was always super reliable, but looking at it now, I guess it might not be as foolproof as I thought. I’ve been testing my morning urine, and it immediately tells me I'm not pregnant. But if the tests are actually right, then I just can't make sense of some of the physical changes I'm going through—things I know for sure aren't just in my head, like my gums bleeding and that chocolatey discharge I had during my last period. Everywhere I look online, it says those are totally normal pregnancy symptoms. I mean, I could maybe convince myself that being tired, gaining weight, or having headaches is all related, since there could be plenty of other reasons for that, but this stuff? It feels different.
..BLEEDING GUMS, maybe a vitamin C deficiency... or even just some bacterial or viral issues
Honestly, you probably aren't pregnant; I think it might just be a bit of paranoia... I was acting exactly the same way just last week! I remember reading somewhere that dizziness is a symptom of pregnancy... and then one day while I was standing on the subway, I suddenly remembered that and started feeling all dizzy too...🙄 🙂 And I also read that phantom pregnancies are actually a thing, which is wild😲
I ended up taking several tests... (three times total, including using Gravignost... all came back negative)
And today, my period finally showed up... red as can be... ugh, it hurts, but honestly, I'm just relieved 👏
But seriously though, you should definitely go see a gynecologist and just have a good chat with them about everything...
So, I’m just sitting here reading and reading... but I guess when you're dealing with a "situation" like this, and maybe you don't have anyone you feel comfortable opening up to—or maybe you just don't want to, or perhaps everything is just feeling totally overwhelming and brand new to you, just like it is to me—you end up heading straight to a forum to ask all those "silly" questions. 😬 ..these were actually the very first pregnancy tests I've ever taken in my life... my very first encounter with beta HCA Healthcare levels... 🙂
That's why I think you pregnant ladies should please bear with us frantic newcomers who are just wandering around this forum asking questions that we already know you might not even be able to answer for us...
🙂
By the way... I'm honestly a little embarrassed to admit this, but I went ahead and took yet another test 🙏 using the Sign test with my second morning sample, and it was negative... oh boy... 😲
George Peterson said:Jamie Jones8, I really think you shouldn't waste any more money or precious time on this, so maybe just head over to the clinic to get checked out and have them run a beta HCG blood test. If you grab a referral, you could probably swing by the endocrinology lab over at the Mayo Clinic around 7:30 AM, and then you should hopefully have your results back by about 2:00 PM.
Oh, I don't know... honestly, every single time I walk into a CVS, I just ask for whatever the cheapest option is, and they always point me toward the exact same thing... And since I was running so late this morning and didn't have any time to look around before heading into work, I just ended up grabbing the same one again...😁 I mean, I know there's still plenty of time left... it's not actually late yet, really... plus, all my other symptoms have totally vanished, which makes me wonder if that's weird at all...
The only things left are this bloating and a whole lot of nerves regarding a potentially unplanned pregnancy right now...... I actually deal with Crohn's disease, and I've been in remission for about four years now, but I also know that for us women living with Crohn's, the chances of getting pregnant can be a bit lower... and besides, my partner didn't even finish inside me..... So, I am truly, sincerely hoping that my period shows up really soon......
Yeah... I totally get it, the stress can be such a massive weight on your shoulders... honestly, I’m actually in that same nerve-wracking waiting period for my period right now too. Seriously though, maybe just grab a test from CVS or Walgreens? I bet you'll feel so much better once you actually know.> The stress is definitely 😠 real enough... I mean, I guess I can't stop thinking about it for even a single second of the day. I even find myself waking up in the middle of the night just to double-check everything, haha!😛>
But as for me... I think the paranoia is finally setting in... I just took my third pregnancy test this morning and it was negative again... it's day 27 of my cycle (which usually runs anywhere from 18 to 34 days)... I'm really starting to hope that's it... And that I can finally stop worrying... that I'm definitely not pregnant, right???????? 😲 😕 😕
Oh, thank you all so much for all the helpful replies... I actually headed out to the countryside for a little bit just to clear my head and get some peace... no spotting at all... 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 There hasn't been any bleeding... I'm just dealing with this really dull ache in my lower back and a ton of bloating... And I've been eating constantly... it's honestly kind of crazy.. Of course I'm going to see my OB-GYN... I think I'll wait just a tiny bit longer and then head in towards the end of the week....
But the test actually showed a negative result in just a few seconds... like, immediately... I used my first morning urine mid-stream
I guess I've actually never really given this kind of thing any thought before in my entire life, but I'm honestly starting to consider it now... I guess we were being a little bit sloppy with that "pull-out method" we tried... maybe just a little too casual about it, honestly! So, I’m actually on day 25 of my cycle right now—which usually runs anywhere from 18 to 34 days—but, oh my goodness, I don't think I've ever felt quite like this before! It's just such a strange sensation, I guess, and maybe it's just one of those things, but I've really never experienced anything quite like this specific feeling in all my life. Ugh, I am just so incredibly hungry right now... like, it’s actually becoming unbearable and making me so restless that I feel like I could just jump out of my own skin if I could! I honestly can't stop crying, too. My breasts don't really feel heavy or anything, but I'm just so exhausted and sleepy, and to top it all off, I just woke up feeling totally under the weather with a super stuffy nose. Plus, there's this dull ache in my lower back and some pain in my right ovary that's just making everything feel so much worse.
I don't know... I'm honestly just guessing here, but I can't tell if it's just my usual PMS acting up or if I might actually be pregnant! Oh man, I’ve actually gone ahead and done two tests already... just a few days ago, I tried that Gravignost mini one, and it showed a negative result in literally just a few seconds!
I guess I just have to say that I’ve been having such a wonderful new experience lately! It feels like everything is just shifting in such a positive direction, and honestly, I am just feeling so incredibly grateful for it all. Maybe it's just me, but there's something about starting something fresh that just makes life feel so much more vibrant and exciting, don't you think? I'm just over the moon about it! 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 😕