So, I’m about to start Diane soon—honestly, I’m kind of spiraling thinking about what my skin is going to look like once I'm done with them. 😲 Given everything you ladies are saying here, I'm actually getting cold feet about starting at all... I really don't want to be on them long-term, especially since I'm planning on getting pregnant eventually. Did anyone else find their skin got worse after Diane, or did it just sort of settle back to how it was before? 😕>
Angela Wright said:So, I finally made it to a private OB-GYN clinic yesterday. Honestly, between my schedule and the constant struggle to actually get an appointment—not to mention the hour-long waits at my regular doctor's office—trying to get seen through public insurance was becoming impossible. I ended up picking up a basic plan from one of the big insurance providers. I'm paying $35 a month, and for $35 a year, I get three specialist visits, routine checkups, and lab work included.
I've been thinking about doing the same thing for a while now. A friend mentioned some supplemental plan where you also get three free specialist visits a year—and then everything else is just half off. The catch, I guess, is that you have to use their specific network of doctors—and you never really know if they're any good. That’s what holds me back... if I'm paying for it, I want the freedom to choose my own doctor—but, well, maybe not.
Mind sharing which supplemental plan you went with?
Some girl on here actually went to see her—said it was fine, I guess. If you bother to dig through the search bar, you'll find plenty of stuff about homeopathy, the doctors involved, and people's actual experiences...
So, I went to see a dermatologist and they told me to stick to washing my hair just twice a week. I try to follow that—even though I could honestly get away with more frequent washes since my scalp gets oily pretty fast, maybe even every other day. The idea is that the scalp builds up this protective layer, and if you wash too often, you strip it all away. Then the hair and scalp become super sensitive and start overproducing oil—basically an overcompensation move to protect themselves from the elements.
That’s why I usually let my hair air-dry while it’s still fresh, then by day two, I just throw it in a ponytail or a messy bun or something.🙂
I get into this phase where I’m convinced I’ve caught every single disease known to man—you know, the second I notice one tiny symptom, I just spiral. I haven't reached the stage of actually having cancer 😬 but sometimes the anxiety just hits me out of nowhere. It's pretty ridiculous.
I've got the CeraVe night cream myself—it’s not really about shrinking pores, more like smoothing out texture and dealing with breakouts. It uses fruit acids to thin the skin a bit, so it's basically just a mild exfoliant.
Some people swear by lasers for enlarged pores, though I read somewhere else that you can't actually shrink them with any chemical or physical treatment.
Morgan Williams4 said:The stuff they mass-produce for farmers' markets is basically the same junk you find in big-box retailers. I guess the only difference is that suppliers can't always guarantee a steady flow to the giant malls, so they dump it at the local stands instead—then wholesalers swoop in to flip it. Besides, it feels like those classic old ladies who used to shop at the stalls have pretty much vanished from the scene.
I guess I agree. It’s all the same stock, coming from the same places, probably loaded with antibiotics anyway.
I try to watch everything else—my diet, my sleep, all that—but I still smoke. I don't even touch coffee or alcohol, but I just can't seem to quit the cigarettes...
Hey everyone, so my daughter-in-law just handed me this referral to get my hormone levels checked out—sent me over to Mayo Clinic, apparently. From what I gather, you can just show up with the referral any day between 8 and 10 AM—no appointments needed, I guess—but they want the blood drawn on day 2 or 3 of my cycle.
I already posted about the thyroid stuff earlier.
Anyway, I’ll be heading there soon and I'll let you all know how it goes and what the deal is with all that.🙂
I’d probably suggest everyone just stick to multivitamins. My OB-GYN mentioned they help with immunity—and honestly, back when I was dealing with some gynecological issues, they actually helped with the nausea too, I guess. If you can, maybe pick up some Previa multivitamins. They’re formulated for pregnancy, but apparently, they’re some of the best on the market—my doctor says if they’re good enough for the baby, they’re good enough for me. They even give you a little boost, kind of like how Vitamin C does. I suppose they can only do so much, though. On top of that, my doctor suggested getting more sleep, staying active, and just spending more time outdoors.
ironseal13 said:Same here. The worst part is when I have to be at my university classes by 8:00 AM. My head feels "heavy" every single morning... usually things clear up by lunch or evening, but mornings are brutal. As for my stomach, I know I have issues there—I’ve dealt with it before and suspect I might have a high H. pylori count again—but I’m not sure about my kidneys. I have PCOS, but I haven't looked into my thyroid hormones yet. Let me know what you find out.😘
I guess this is going to drag on until I actually find out what's wrong with me.😬 All these tests just go on forever—you finish one set, then they send you off to another. You're basically stuck waiting in limbo indefinitely.🙄 Now the dermatologist sent me to see a gynecologist for more testing, which sounds complicated enough—especially since I'm waiting on some swabs that are taking ages. Then again, maybe it's nothing special... maybe it's just how things are and that's it.😎
I ended up going to Rebro—just for my thyroid, really—and they had to squeeze me in within a month since it was my first time using a referral. I was there for about three weeks or so, and the doctor checked me out and sent me straight for bloodwork and thyroid hormone tests. Even those take about a month to come back, I guess.
Maybe you could try Rebro if you aren't already an established patient there?
ironseal13, I feel the exact same way—just totally wiped out when I wake up. Especially if I have to get up early, I can't seem to shake the fog for ages. I’ll probably be yawning and stretching until noon at this rate. Aside from some stuff I'm looking into right now—kidney issues, my stomach, maybe some skin stuff—I know I'm sleeping on a crappy pull-out sofa and don't have a decent pillow, though I doubt that's the main reason I'm so exhausted. You should definitely get those kidneys checked out, and maybe look into your stomach too if you're having trouble. I tried a few alternative methods before, but I've pretty much stopped doing that now.
You can find plenty of those kinds of blends out there—I think of Abbott Labs when I look at this stuff, maybe check their site and see if anything sticks.
So, what’s this new French approach everyone's talking about? We're down for a discussion—just maybe give us a little more context on how it actually works.
Jose King37 said:Oh, my dear Gregory Turner3. I truly, deeply understand what you are going through.
You are struggling with anxiety, aren't you?
Last year, I was actually diagnosed with an anxious-depressive disorder myself.
It all started with these nagging jitters and a nervous stomach, which eventually spiraled into full-blown panic attacks while I was traveling by train—until I finally realized that I simply couldn't step foot on a train ever again.
At first, I foolishly thought the problem was just the trains themselves.
Then, one morning, after a night of terrible insomnia, I went for a walk in Central Park feeling completely exhausted, and suddenly a crisis hit me so hard it left me physically vomiting; it was absolutely terrifying.
I had to crawl into bed, and for seven straight days, I couldn't even bring myself to swallow a single bite of food.
Back then, I was living with my boyfriend, and once I realized I was headed straight for a hospital stay, I sat my mom down and explained exactly what was happening to me; that was when the reality of my anxiety and depression really set in.
Getting to the doctor was an ordeal in itself; the moment I walked into the local clinic in downtown Chicago, my muscles cramped up from sheer physical weakness, and I nearly collapsed right there in the hallway.
My voice was tight and strained, sounding as though I were constantly on the verge of breaking into tears.
Initially, they prescribed me some Polyplex to help me get my nutrition back on track, and thank goodness, that worked within a few days.
After that, I found myself constantly at the doctor's office, eventually starting sessions with a psychiatrist at the community health center.
They put me on Lexapro, which is wonderful because it isn't habit-forming, but they also gave me Miller, an anxiolytic—a sedative—which, unfortunately, can be incredibly addictive if you aren't careful.
The crises were horrendous; I reached a point where I couldn't leave my house, and even when things seemed to improve slightly, I’d get my hopes up only for everything to crash down harder than before. It took such a long time to see even the slightest glimmer of improvement. I used to be terrified that I would throw up right there on the street.
It is this overwhelming panic, the nausea, the dissociation, and this suffocating tightness in your chest that makes you feel like you are genuinely losing your mind.
In those darkest moments, I honestly believed that no one in this entire world could ever help me again—absolutely no one.
But now, a year later, I am reading mountains of literature on the subject and have started seeing an excellent private psychotherapist.
I've learned that anxiety often strikes when we stop paying attention to ourselves—to our own emotions and what our brains are trying to tell us.
It happens when the soul feels constricted, yet we choose to ignore it.
Please, believe me when I say there is help out there; never, ever give up. I know how hollow that sounds to someone in the middle of a storm, because when I was at my absolute worst, I couldn't see even five minutes ahead, let alone hold onto any sense of hope or faith.
And do you know who is the only person capable of truly and sincerely understanding you? Someone who has walked that same dark path.
Never give up!!! Never.
First of all, you need to hit the pause button on everything—weddings, obligations, whatever you can manage; right now, you have to prioritize yourself above all else. You have reached a point where your brain has essentially gone on strike because it is demanding a fundamental change in your life.
Find yourself a good therapist, someone who isn't just eager to reach for the prescription pad immediately. Be very cautious with Miller; while it might provide temporary relief during a crisis, in the long run, it can only make your recovery more difficult.
I suspect antidepressants might be a good route for you; they are taken over a longer period and work by regulating the nervous system, triggering the release of those chemicals that allow a person to feel peaceful, happy, and calm.
Miller should only be used as a last resort during intense crises and for very short durations.
There are two incredibly vital things you must do:
TALK. Talk to everyone, truly everyone, about how you are feeling, what is happening to you, and how people should support you in those specific moments.
READ. Turn toward self-work and try to understand what anxiety actually is, why it happens, and how it functions; only once we grasp what we are experiencing can we truly begin to work on it.
Please, write to me about how you are doing and what is happening.... I will always be here to answer you...
AND KNOW THIS: HAVE HOPE, BECAUSE EVERYTHING WILL PASS IN TIME!!!!
I’ve got this annoying allergy to cheap jewelry—as soon as I put on some metal earrings, my ears start itching, turning red, and basically oozing. I guess you just have to stay away from anything that triggers an allergic reaction.
That's why I stick strictly to gold or silver, I suppose.😬