Posts by gentlesailor25

dustytrucker02 said:I don't think it matters whether the psychiatrist is in private practice or not. As far as I know, all the prescriptions come through your primary care physician anyway. Even though my GP is incredibly kind and wrote the certification as leniently as possible, that "F" still screams off the page.

And honestly, I'm a little confused... while I was actually seeing him, he was the one handling all my prescriptions.

But then once I stopped going to his appointments, my regular doctor just took over the refills...

I guess I just don't really get it, you know? Like, how can someone be deemed unfit for work?! 🙄
Not to mention the whole issue of patient privacy...

dustytrucker02 said:I didn't tell them, but before you can even get an appointment, you have to bring a clearance from your doctor stating whether you have any underlying conditions or a clean bill of health.

It just occurred to me... does your doctor even know about the F-diagnosis, assuming your psychiatrist is running a private practice?
In other words, it feels like the only people left without any actual protection are the ones who can't afford to pay for a private specialist.🤷

It’s honestly pretty grim...😲

dustytrucker02 said:I actually intended to start a new thread, but since dustytrucker02 brought it up, I hadn't fully realized the extent to which mental health stigma still dominates the American workforce. Apparently, the trend is actually increasing.

Basically, I was offered a job where the owner requested—and quite frankly, had every right to request—a medical clearance from an occupational health specialist. I naively assumed this would just be a standard physical where you get a basic sign-off, but it turns out that because of my "F-code" diagnosis, I can't get cleared for work. I've approached five different occupational doctors, and they all just redirected me elsewhere, claiming that "oversight on F-diagnoses has been tightened" and that they "don't have the necessary specialists on staff."🤷
As if I'm some medical anomaly that requires an entire board of experts just to study me.
In what way am I unfit for work if I'm managing my condition with regular medication? This feels completely illegal.🙂
Anyone else dealt with this?

Then who is going to do the work?
And those kinds of diagnoses are becoming way more common these days!😂😂

Morgan Bishop4 said:So, I’m sitting here wondering how on earth you can deal with feeling all constricted and tight when your blood pressure is actually bottoming out... like, how does that even work? It feels totally backwards, right? One minute you're feeling lightheaded because your numbers are too low, and the next everything just feels squeezed shut... it doesn't make any sense at all...
And people actually believe that drinking straight 100% alcohol just opens up your blood vessels like some kind of miracle cure... honestly, the science is definitely not on your side there...

I mean, isn't it pretty obvious that if you've got high blood pressure, your arteries are basically constricted... which just naturally spikes the pressure because there’s way less room for the blood to actually flow through...

So, when you’re running low on pressure, there’s just too much slack in the system, right? It doesn't exactly deliver that full-body pump we're all looking for, so everything kind of feels... underwhelming, I guess...

Yeah, I'm kind of leaning toward that theory too.🤷

Sarah Wilson95 said:It might not mean much coming from me, but what you described above—that specific feeling of pressure, the weight on your shoulders, and that heavy knot in your stomach—is something everyone experiences. You captured the whole situation perfectly. Back when I was navigating through three different major banks, that sense of "guilt toward my parents" gradually evolved into a progressive, deep-seated desire to actually help them navigate the entire circus themselves, because I know they aren't exactly enjoying all of this either.🙄😁 Once I shifted my perspective toward helping them, everything became somewhat easier... well, easier nonetheless.🙂

edit: I'm not particularly fond of the title; "handicapped" feels like too heavy a word, even if carrying someone else's mental burden while trying to fit into various circumstances feels that way. Usually, the term "handicapped" refers to those facing more severe physical challenges, and beyond mental health struggles, there are plenty of much tougher situations out there. Life may be different, but it isn't handicapped, and it shouldn't be labeled that way. It's definitely different, though.

So, I suppose the actual point isn't specifically about harvesting grapes or whatever, but rather how most situations that seem totally normal to everyone else feel like an overwhelming amount of stress and anxiety to her.🤣

No matter how hard I try to dodge those stressors, I just can't. For instance, a family member just got out of the hospital. I really ought to go visit them. You wouldn't believe how much my stomach is already turning just thinking about it. But then I start worrying—what if I don't do it? Then I'm antisocial, or crazy, or whatever else people will say.

I totally get that whole internal struggle, that constant tug-of-war over what you should or shouldn't be doing, and then having to force yourself to actually follow through. Honestly, there are times when I'm just completely done with all of it.

Man, life is kind of a bummer sometimes... no matter which way you slice it, it's tough.

I mean, obviously there’s some kind of attraction happening if incest is even on the table.🤷

Personally, as someone who considers themselves pretty mentally sound, I just can't wrap my head around the idea of sexual relations within a family.🙂
And as for chimpanzees... well, I guess we aren't really at the level of chimps or other animals, are we?🤷

So, I’ve got this weird thing going on where no matter how much time I spend baking out in the sun—and I mean totally unprotected, zero sunscreen involved—I just can't seem to get a tan. I’m naturally pretty pale, too. 🤣 It’s funny because when I was a little kid, maybe up until I was about ten, I used to turn almost black in the summer. 🙄
But lately, trying to get a tan feels like some kind of endless, losing battle.
To be specific, I’ll be out there for like two hours straight right when the sun is at its absolute peak, sometimes even during those brutal mid-day hours, without any lotion or anything, doing this three or four times a week. I don't get it, what am I doing wrong?!

Thanks a ton!🙏
I honestly wasn't even expecting anyone to actually get back to me, I guess.😁

Does anyone happen to know a good cardiologist over in San Francisco? (Ideally someone in private practice, maybe at one of those local clinics)

Look, regardless of whether you think your experiences are actually "real" or just some trick of the mind, I personally still believe in that kind of stuff.😛

Timothy Hill48 said:Hey ladies, is anyone else out there dealing with these brutal ovulation pains?? Before I had my baby, it used to hurt every single time, but honestly, it wasn't even that bad... Ever since giving birth, I've dealt with this four times now, and this last one during ovulation was so intense I actually sat there wondering if I needed to call 911 and head to the ER... It was just absolutely terrifying... And don't even get me started on the period cramps, seriously... Plus, I'm breastfeeding right now so I have zero clue what I can even take for the pain, so I'm just sitting here suffering through it all 😢😢

One time, my ovulation pain was actually worse than my period!🙏 Usually, it's just a light ache, but that was different. And honestly, it seems like it's been getting worse lately. When I was younger, I didn't even realize what ovulation was.🙄

Anyway, I feel like I’d gladly trade these intestinal cramps for that kind of brutal pain instead.😁 Because at least then, if things got really bad, an ER doctor could actually do something for me. As it stands, what am I even supposed to do for this?!😢

edit
Does anyone have experience with whether antispasmodics actually help with this?

First off, please don't roast me.🙄 So, I ended up eating about half a tablespoon of butter today that actually expired three months ago.🙏 Is this something I should be genuinely spiraling about?😢

I’m such a massive hypochondriac, honestly—like, just yesterday I was absolutely convinced I was coming down with salmonella because I wasn't quite sure if my chicken was cooked through enough.🤣🤣
I even once convinced myself I had botulism! 🤦

Someone please tell me I'll be fine....🙈

Honestly, I’m kind of at a loss for what to do because I’m dealing with the exact same thing. So, yeah, I totally feel you and I pretty much see myself in everything you wrote here.🙏
Some people might just tell you to chill out or stop reacting so intensely—you know, the whole "just de-stress" bit—but since I know that's not really how it works for people who are more sensitive, I don't even know what else to say...🤷
But hey, there are others out there going through this too, if that provides any sort of comfort...

Amanda Ruiz54 said:Yeah, that’s actually why I brought up Ketoral. I make sure to take it about 40 minutes before I head into work, and then for the next six or seven hours, things stay pretty much under control. It usually holds me over until I can finally get back home. Once the Ketoral wears off, the floodgates basically open again, but I usually just try to tough it out until bedtime when I can take another dose (which usually helps me sleep through the night without any issues). Honestly, I really only manage to push through those two days because of the Ketoral.

I honestly never would have guessed Ketoral worked like that.🤷 But thanks for the heads-up!🙏 Fingers crossed I won't actually end up needing it!🤣

Amanda Ruiz54 said:Man, I honestly don't know how to tell you how much I envy you. My whole life, my periods have been absolutely massive, and I’m constantly waiting for things to go smoothly like yours, but I guess I just wasn't born with that kind of luck.
But when I say massive— I mean those times where a pad feels soaked within a single minute of me just standing up from sitting or lying down; it's like things just... leak out. I’ve gone through all the tests and everything, but nothing comes up; I guess I’m just part of that unfortunate percentage of women for whom every period is basically a nightmare. They’re regular enough, though—always every 28 days, though lately it's been closer to 26. They last about 5 or 6 days. The first day is pretty light, no clots, just some cramps. Then the second and third days are like a total flood, and by the fourth or fifth, things finally settle back to normal and it's over.
Since I’ve basically just accepted this as my reality, here are a few tips for everyone else struggling out there;
-I’ve actually never used tampons because I was told to avoid them if I’m prone to infections (which I definitely am), so I stick to good old-fashioned pads and, to borrow a phrase from an old thread, "the duck tail fashion statement" 😉.

😲😲 So, seriously, how do you even manage at work or whatever?!🤷 Like, once, maybe four or five years ago, I headed out to campus with both a pad and a tampon, and within five minutes, I had leaked right through my jeans!🙏 🙄
I ended up just heading straight home to lie in bed. For a while there, I was a total slave to my cycle.😂 It basically dictated my entire life—what I could do, where I could go, or where I couldn't. And even now, I still deal with those phobias, even though I haven't had a disaster like that in ages.🙄