Posts by electricdriver78

My likes don't actually change how I carry myself or my vibe...

It honestly surprises me that anyone would think those little things could have such an impact on you

And is being 21 even considered "normal" for this—because I’ve been dealing with all of this since I was 19 and didn't finally reach out for help until I turned 27

So yeah... there really aren't any rules...

nimbleskipper17 said:I really earned my curves back when I was eighteen, after I put on about thirty pounds in just ten months and then spent the entire next year working it all off, and then one day I just happened to catch a glimpse of my legs and my backside in the mirror... 😲 I hadn't really given it much thought before, but the moment I laid eyes on them, I just had a feeling I knew exactly what they were made of... 😁 I have to say, placidjackal97’s theory is starting to sound more plausible to me... though I can't rule out that my hormones were just completely out of whack at the time, especially since gaining fifteen pounds like that usually throws everything in your body totally out of balance... 🙂)

I haven't been able to get them off yet, and honestly, whenever I ask around, everyone just tells me to let it go and move on... 🙂 I wonder if they just become less noticeable as the years go by, or maybe I've just finally gotten used to seeing them...😁I don't even really expect them to disappear one day, though I wonder if laser treatments actually work at all... I honestly can't wrap my head around how a laser could possibly get rid of a stretch mark, but hey, I'm no expert so I won't pretend to know... 🙂

It’s really not about whether the theory holds water or what the odds are...

My sister stayed at the exact same weight for five years straight, right up until those stretch marks started showing up and she finally decided to head to her doctor to see what could be done about them...

She had her blood work done because she thinks those stretch marks might be tied to some kind of hormonal imbalance or just things being out of whack in her system...

I guess sudden weight gain can trigger those kinds of shifts too...

Stretch marks usually pop up right along with those hormonal shifts

and they definitely aren't just some "skin cracks" or whatever you'd call them

at least, that's how the doctors explain it...

restlessmarlin6 said:Thanks so much for being there for me...🙂 😘

You know, if I'm being honest, the absolute worst part of our chat was when I realized he was implying I'd mostly have to handle this on my own... 😲, oh man, I totally panicked, thinking I'd be left to figure everything out by myself and just be completely lost...

It feels a little surreal right now, but I'm actually looking toward the future with a lot of optimism... 🙂

I almost got into a full-blown argument with him when he suggested I'd be doing this solo 😁—I told him, "If I could do this all by myself, I wouldn't even be here," which probably made me sound pretty silly... 🙄

But he just laughed and told me, "Just wait and see—with my guidance and your grit, everything will fall into place"...

Since I wasn't his first client dealing with this kind of anxiety, he actually managed to talk me down...

Anyway, just keep those reports coming... 👍

restlessmarlin6 said:Yeah, exactly... he told me the same thing 🙂

The idea is to really lean into all that therapy work and try to fuel myself with positive thoughts, using the meds just as a little extra support along the way... He seems to have a lot of faith in me since that's how he suggested I handle it 😁

it's exactly like that

the medication is really just there to back you up while you do the heavy lifting

honestly, I can't tell you how happy I am that you're taking these steps and that things are starting to look up for you...

fingers crossed for you 👋

restlessmarlin6 said:Yeah, one more thing... 🙂

I’ve actually started looking forward to the future again, you know, just feeling like everything is going to turn out okay eventually... 🙂

It feels like such a huge shift... I was walking through downtown today after grabbing a quick coffee with some dear friends, and I just found myself feeling this quiet, happy sense of peace... My heart wasn't racing like it usually does... maybe that really is the secret to it all?

👍 👍

it's like a weight has finally been lifted off your chest, isn't it?

everything is going to be fine

my therapist told me during our very first session that being halfway to recovery just comes from admitting to yourself that there's an issue and actually reaching out for help

and once you start thinking more positively like that, it really just helps speed up the whole healing process...

👋 👋

restlessmarlin6 said:Update number two...

electricdriver78, does this have anything to do with being pregnant?? 😕 It’s true, it really feels more like just surviving than actually living life, you know, like you're constantly avoiding certain situations because you just know how much it's going to hurt once you let those thoughts hit you too hard...

They fall into that category of medications that pregnant women aren't supposed to touch because of the risk of fetal abnormalities

My doctor mentioned that all these "new generation" pills—not the old-school sleeping meds people were taking thirty years ago—don't carry that same risk of addiction

But you can't just quit them cold turkey either, since the cumulative effect means your body reacts pretty intensely to those sudden changes...

Edward Price73 said:It’s about as much as we got last year's snow...🙂

🙂 🙂 😂 😂

shadowfalcon33 said:(an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety med)

thanks 🙂

I mix up my American and English all the time since I've never actually received a diagnosis in American...

restlessmarlin6 said:Report 🙂

My therapist put me on Helex, starting at 0.5mg with a cap of 2mg a day... plus I've been doing a lot of daily positive affirmations.

I'm feeling a little anxious about it though, does anyone know much about this medication? My Psychic told me it should take a few weeks before I really start feeling steady...

electricdriver78, how long have you been taking yours??? 😲 How has the experience been for you, and how are you holding up, please share some of your story...

I was chatting with a coworker who was on some kind of Zonex or Zenex, or whatever it was called, back when she was dealing with the same level of stress I am now... she said things cleared up after a couple of weeks 🙂

I've actually been on mine for two years now, and I'm thinking about trying to taper off this spring just because we're hoping to start a family... otherwise, I think I'd stay on it, though maybe I'll go back to it after having a baby if that happens...

For me, everything just kept building up for years, and since it was such a heavy case, I think the treatment period ends up being a bit longer...

It's honestly wonderful that you reached out for help so quickly—you're way braver than I ever was...

I don't really have issues anymore, though I get an episode every once in a while, but they're much milder and I don't react the way I used to (with the crying, panic attacks, and heart palpitations)—now I've learned how to stay in control and use breathing exercises to relax my muscles, which helps alongside the meds...

The medications I'm on have a cumulative effect, so you can't just take them whenever you feel like it... it took about two months for them to kick in, but oh man, what a beautiful day that was when they finally did... I call it my second birthday, because I finally started living my life instead of just surviving the days...

I don't have any side effects, except for some really vivid dreams every now and then...

The only real trouble is if I forget to take my pill (I always take it at night), because then I get a massive headache the next day and sweat so much during the night that I have to change my sheets two or three times...

All in all, between the psychotherapy, the exercises my psychologist gave me, and these pills, I'm just happy as a clam... 🙂

Robert Long3 said:So, "porking the piggy"... I'll have to keep that one in my back pocket... 😁

The actual phrase is usually "poking the pooch,"

but I decided to put my own little twist on it...

I mean, you know how people in Canada can be—when they want to say they're getting ripped off, they just say "fucking the dog." 😁

It’s a pretty blunt crowd, I guess...

Robert Downey Jr. said:People might call me out for asking for a reality check here, but honestly, I don't really care... Luciana posted her TPC under Health, so I won't get involved there, but I was just sitting here thinking about my favorite scene from 'Enlightenment'—you know, that part where Bruce Willis finally breaks free from those two psychos in Miramax and heads upstairs to the shop to pick out how he's going to settle the score (I can't quite remember if they were tied up or just knocked out or something)... So, he goes up there and grabs the first thing he sees, which is a baseball bat, but then he spots a chainsaw. He picks it up, checks it out, thinks it's solid and powerful enough to handle those creeps downstairs, and then... then he lays eyes on that samurai sword!

That’s exactly what I wanted to write right this second...

And you know, sometimes I actually feel bad that I don't have at least a baseball bat stashed away in my office... 😁

ps. they weren't unconscious, they were just way too busy porking the piggy... 😁

Robert Long3 said:What kind of creature could possibly call a 'valley of tears' a paradise?

By the way, I find myself typing things out only to delete them because I feel like I'm being silly, so I end up posting nothing at all... am I losing my mind? 😕 I mean, I'm always lurking and reading, so maybe that counts for something...

Don't be so hard on yourself, just let it flow and post whatever comes to mind... 👍

Edward Price73 said:That’s brutal. Honestly, if I were you, I’d just find a new job before you lose your mind...

Where I work, everyone is such a close friend and we all respect each other so much, it's actually really beautiful... 🙂

I know what the truth is, but I won't say it because I don't want to hurt your feelings... 🙂

Man, those are some heavy words...😲

Edward Price73—whose side are you even on here? 😕

What do you actually know about her situation, Sandra Moore?

Just because things are perfect at your office doesn't mean they are for everyone else...

👎

silentowl43 said:I feel the exact same way about serotonin levels, and I’ve always tried to push through my fears by just doing the things that scare me... I had no idea that actually does the opposite effect on how you feel. My therapist never gave me any breathing exercises or anything like that, they just put me on Prozac and Xanax, and even though I try so hard to get off them, I always seem to end up right back where I started... clearly I still need them, even if I can't quite manage to quit yet 😢 what medications are you taking?

I'm currently taking one 75 mg capsule of Effexor XR every day

it's the lowest dose available, since it usually goes all the way up to 225 mg

it's basically a mix of an antidepressant and an anxiolytic, if I'm remembering that correctly

they're relatively new, but they don't seem to have many side effects for me

my dreams are incredibly vivid—not always bad ones, just really intense...
i dealt with some diarrhea during the first week, but it's been fine for two years now

my doctor just told me never to stop taking them on my own—which seems to be the rule with almost all antidepressants, you really have to taper off slowly

hey Sandra Moore - I was just thinking...

my sister works as a TA at her university and she’s dealing with the exact same nonsense you are—she either has to stay quiet and swallow all the crap and follow these unwritten "rules" about not stepping on the toes of the senior faculty, or she could just snap and tell them exactly what she thinks, regardless of the fallout

that second option isn't really an option for her right now since she's still finishing up her doctoral coursework, so she can't just walk away... her fellowship covers her entire tuition which is astronomical, and if she quits now, she'd be stuck paying the massive difference herself, plus she's so close to being done that she just wants to cross the finish line

the end result: she's been fighting this battle for three years now and just two weeks ago she had a terrible ulcer flare-up, both ulcers where her esophagus meets her stomach opened up and caused some serious gastritis, or something like that was the diagnosis

sometimes I seriously feel like driving down there just to give everyone at her college a piece of my mind... they're such idiots😠

restlessmarlin6 said:I’m feeling a little bit better now, thanks so much... 🙂 🙂

I realized that having dear people around and soaking up their good energy really does help me more than I thought...

I just ran into an old friend from elementary school a little while ago, and we always used to have such a blast together 🙂 For about ten minutes there, I completely forgot about all my troubles... Maybe that's just what I need—more happiness and good people in my life...

Good people definitely make a huge difference...

One of the first things my therapist ever told me was to distance myself from anyone who brings unnecessary stress into my life—as much as I can, anyway—and honestly, that meant an entire side of my family, like my aunts and cousins, basically became people living in a "distant land" to me

Now I only reach out when I absolutely have to or if they call me first, and even then, I keep it strictly polite... I don't go looking for them anymore because I finally saw how much they were actually tearing me down... they always have something negative to say and they've caused so much drama in my life over the years that they haven't really earned a place in my daily world...

Just surround yourself with the people you actually enjoy being around and truly live your life... don't let anyone ruin it for you... it's okay to be a little "selfish" sometimes and stop giving everything you have to people who don't deserve it!

restlessmarlin6 said:Is it okay if I jump back into this thread?...

I went to see my doctor today to figure out my next steps... I was honestly terrified of the appointment, just feeling so on edge and restless...

The doctor ended up being an intern, so she really just listened to everything I had to say. I broke down crying a few times during our talk, almost like I was digging deep into parts of myself I hadn't touched in years... and that vague, nameless fear just kept hitting me with every word she said...

She wanted to write me a referral for a Psychic, but she didn't know anyone good in the area... so she told me to come back in the morning when my regular doctor is actually in...

By the way, I drifted off for a nap this afternoon and got jolted awake by a text message... I sat up so fast and felt this sudden, light shaking that really spooked me...

I talked things over with my mom, and she’s just so worried about me, which probably makes her try to convince herself that I'm just making it all up... She keeps telling me stuff like "don't get worked up" or "just relax, you'll deal with harder things later"...

I really wish I could just be in control 😢 and tell her, "Mom, you're right," but I just can't... It only makes me feel more scared...

The first time I ever went to my doctor to ask for a referral to a psychologist or a psychiatrist—anyone who could help—I just sat there in the office and cried like a little kid...

The doctor tried to calm me down, but I think I finally just let go of everything I'd been bottling up and hiding away for years... it all just came pouring out of me at once...

It was the exact same thing during my first session with a psychologist (which I spent the whole time crying through while trying to explain everything)... I felt completely shattered afterward, like I'd been physically beaten, but ever since then, every session has felt a little bit easier...

Just stay brave...

🙂

rustymoose54 said:What you're describing sounds pretty extreme, but it isn't always that way since not everyone is built that way... I think it’s about picking your own little corner of the world and clearing out all the weeds and trash... basically, I feel like it's better to just speak up when things get messy, even if it makes you look like a troublemaker, because at least you're doing it on principle, and there's a chance people who feel the same way will actually notice you

I totally agree

About a year ago, I went through such a nightmare with my new manager

I tried everything—just putting up with it, staying quiet, trying to talk to her both subtly and directly—until I finally just hit my breaking point, so I went straight to the CEO and told him I couldn't deal with this anymore for these specific reasons, especially since I'd already tried explaining myself so many times but nothing ever stuck

Luckily, he really had my back, and I wasn't the only one struggling with her, so everything is peaceful and fine now

If he hadn't stepped in, I honestly would have just quit

I was actually getting eye twitches from the stress of it all—and I'm just not going to wreck my health over some crazy person

rustymoose54 said:I really respect any method that helps people get through their illnesses, and I honestly don't want to start an argument with placidjackal97 or electricdriver78 right now...

There’s just one thing weighing on my mind, but before I dive in, I should probably give a little context:
I've been dealing with a chronic endocrine condition since I was a kid, and my entire life depends on taking a specific medication every single day—sometimes even every hour. To put it simply, if I miss it for just a couple of days, I'll eventually suffer through some pretty horrific pain and end up in a coma or die. No one living with this condition has ever been cured by alternative methods or anything other than the medicine I mentioned, and that's a fact known globally, not just by doctors. It’s simple: to actually test if an alternative approach works, you'd have to stop taking the life-support medication, which was developed thanks to a certain GMO 😲

So, I want to ask those of you who advocate for alternative medicine, what would you do if you were in my shoes? Would you switch to an alternative treatment and risk a slow, painful death?

well, I've been saying all along that it isn't a cure-all for every disease or for every single person...

I'm not disputing that people can use it at all, but we shouldn't be so exclusive about it—because just like conventional medicine, it doesn't have all the answers...