Posts by Robin Diaz4

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Thanks! 😉

Has anyone here actually tried those new pills based on "natural" estrogen? (I’m feeling incredibly skeptical about how "natural" this stuff can possibly be—I mean, where on earth do they even get it from!? 😁 )—I believe they go by the name Qlaira... it sounds great from a marketing standpoint, but I’m more interested in hearing some real-world experiences... 😳

Angela Newman33 said:Honestly, they’ve driven me so insane that I’m basically dodging any possible family get-together if there's even a slight chance I can slip away.

This whole thing with chasing down plates and dishes has become my literal nightmare—they just keep coming in endless waves, hitting me one after another.

There’s actually one more thing on my end—just another little detail to throw into the mix.

People keep acting like they totally forgot I’m vegetarian—they'll just hand me a slice of pepperoni pizza like, "Oh, here, it's no big deal..." It’s honestly kind of ridiculous. I haven't touched meat in 17 years... you'd think people would have figured it out by now. 😵

Honestly, nothing beats dealing with some old lady trying to play me—she’s out here insisting there’s zero meat in everything I'm eating, acting like I've lost my mind or something. Like, excuse me? As if I wouldn't notice the sheer amount of fat just floating on top... please.

My exes always seemed to "forget" that I don't eat meat... honestly, I spent half my weekends eating plain risotto because they just couldn't be bothered to remember—and we were only together for six years.
Back in the day, I used to swing by their place for lunch with a baggie of soup just so I’d actually have something decent to eat.

Back in the day, the old folks used to pull the same exact stunt... they'd invite me over for lunch and then basically tell me, "Oh, there's plenty of stuff in the fridge, just whip something up for yourself."
Either they call me in to help out at the BBQ—and then I just end up standing there watching everyone else eat—or whatever.

And then they just give me these pitying looks every thirty seconds—like, seriously?—asking if I’m sure I don't want anything to eat.

Honestly, I’m about two seconds away from filing some official paperwork declaring that I’m officially off the grid when it comes to food—like, just tell everyone I'm not eating anything anywhere so they can all collectively pout and finally leave me alone.

My absolute favorite conversation at my aunt's house:
Me: "No thanks, I don't eat meat."
Aunt: "But this is veal!" 😂
And just like that, I learned that veal somehow doesn't count as meat... 😁

Jesse Ortiz71 said:Is this thread strictly limited to grandmas? Because honestly, I didn't have that specific "issue" with my own nana, but man, I notice it all the time when I'm visiting people. You go over to a friend's place for a quick hang, and suddenly their hospitality starts feeling like a total chore. And look, I’m not just pointing fingers at others—I catch myself doing the exact same thing to my guests. Why on earth isn't a simple no ever enough? It’s like people are terrified they'll look like terrible hosts if they don't keep piling food on your plate or hovering over you. Is that really where their heads are at?

This actually reminds me of something... my friend's mother is never pushy at all. If you tell her you don't want food, she just drops it, no questions asked. It's perfectly fine...
But then some guests came over who seemed to think it was totally normal to be badgered multiple times before finally agreeing to have a slice of cake.
She brought the dessert out to the table—just waiting for someone to grab a piece—and they all insisted they wouldn't, thank you very much. So, she just picked the tray right back up since nobody was interested...
You should have seen the sheer look of bewilderment on their faces... 🤣

My late grandmother used to bribe me with nothing but homemade cookies... if I recall correctly, I never once turned her down. 😍

But then there’s my aunt, who takes it as a personal insult if you don't polish off every single morsel of whatever she’s cooked. I’m sitting there struggling to even chew, and she’s already piling another steak onto my plate... 🙄
And of course, she gets offended because I didn't finish it all. Honestly, I just don't get the logic behind it... 🤷

It feels like I’m dealing with some kind of freakish, abnormal winter chill myself—I actually start shivering when it hits 70 degrees... 😬
Apparently, it’s just my anemia playing nice with low blood pressure; my thyroid seems to be functioning perfectly fine, though. 🤷

Nicole Jackson3 said:Note from my dentist: the root cause of all this agony is my wisdom teeth coming in! It’s absolutely killing me 🙂

The bottom one is pushing against my molar—there’s just zero room left—and since that tooth has a filling, it hurts like hell too. It’s a total circus of pain! And because life isn't fair, the top one has decided to start erupting as well, right next to the other molar that's being shoved around... the one they're actually pulling this Monday!

My dentist told me not to exceed three Voltaren ER doses in a 24-hour period. She suggested taking one before bed, and if that doesn't kick in within an hour, take another, then one more in the morning so I can actually function...

If I start having any digestive issues or other side effects, she said I should switch over to Ketorolac or Advil, keeping the dosage the same...

I have three brutal days ahead of me. I already know I'll be hitting four Voltaren ER doses a day; that's better than mixing it with something else, because believe me, this pain is unbearable 👎

Ugh, I remember those days... 😢

At the end of the day, just follow whatever your dentist recommends. Pick one type of medication and stick to it. As for how many you can actually take, check the instructions on the packaging—which, let’s be honest, is something we should all probably do more often 😁.
Usually, you're looking at a maximum of four tablets a day.

urbanpanther said:So, I was just sitting here thinking about it, and I figured I’d reach out to see if anyone else has gone through something similar...

And yeah... I’ve actually been taking them for four years straight without even a break... Does anyone have any insight on what long-term use looks like? I’m starting to feel a little bit of panic setting in because of how long I've been at this...

I’m actually curious about this too. A friend of mine completely spooked me, so I figured I'd come here to see what you all think...

Basically, she nearly had a meltdown when I told her I've been taking birth control pills—with varying breaks—since I was 18. I'm 30 now. She is absolutely convinced that this is way too long and that I should just quit cold turkey.

Personally, I don't think I should, 😁 for a few specific reasons:
- I still have zero interest in having kids.
- I really don't want to deal with those hormonal breakouts I got after my last long break; I only managed to clear my skin once I started back on the pill.
- Over these 12 years, I haven't been on them constantly; there were several breaks of different lengths (about four instances of three months each, one two-year stretch, and one three-year gap).
- And finally, the most important point—I go to my OB-GYN regularly for checkups. I've had blood work done, and everything comes back perfectly fine. So, I figure if stopping were actually necessary for my health, my doctor would have mentioned it by now, right?

Personally, I find it absolutely delightful when my cycle hits during my time on birth control; I bleed just enough that, theoretically, a single tampon should suffice, yet somehow the whole ordeal drags on for four days of pure, unadulterated chaos...

😬
Honestly, I think I’m overthinking this way more than anyone else here. I haven't even seen a single similar issue mentioned in the two posts above... 😳

For me, the only real outlier is that my break ended up being nine days instead of seven. I can't help but assume I might have thrown my internal rhythm a bit out of whack by doing that... 🤷

Help!
Oh my god, I have absolutely botched this. I honestly can't believe I managed to pull this off—I realized I didn't actually take the last two pills in my pack! (And then I have the audacity to wonder why my period showed up two days early!?)
Anyway, I started a brand new pack on Monday (as per usual), and it was only then that the realization hit me: there were still those little pills left sitting in the old box...

So, here’s my question—what now?! Do I just carry on acting like nothing happened and keep taking them? Obviously, I’m assuming I’m completely unprotected this month... :/
P.S. My gynecologist isn't available until tomorrow, and they never give any actual advice over the phone... 🤷

swiftbear86 said:By the way—smoking is an absolute no-go when you're using birth control!!!!!😠 The risk of blood clots jumps up significantly... and honestly, all those blood clotting tests people insist on before starting are usually pretty pointless because everyone's results come back normal anyway. A doctor should really just look at your medical history to decide if you're a good candidate or not. Smokers simply aren't candidates. Most of those tests are just done to make patients feel better, but they're expensive and largely unnecessary (I'm talking about things like clotting time and prothrombin time). The biggest cardiovascular risk window is usually within those first three months of use...
There's actually a medical textbook called "Benefits and Risks of Hormonal Contraception" by Dr. Shimunic and colleagues. If anyone can track down a copy, it's worth a read...
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I couldn't agree more, which is exactly why I finally kicked the habit. I have zero interest in adding any unnecessary risks to my life right now. But yeah, truth be told, I used to smoke back in the day—and let’s just say I tried quitting about a hundred times. Every single one of those attempts involved leaning heavily on pills to get through it. 😳
As I get older, my health starts becoming a much more pressing concern. Honestly, I didn't quit smoking just because of the tablets; it was more about realizing that, all things considered, making a change like that is simply a sound life decision. 🤷

mellowsurfer34 said:So, I started taking Logest about ten days ago. Before this, I wasn't on any kind of birth control at all, so I’m pretty much flying blind here. For the last ten days, I've had this light bleeding—kind of a dark red color—and my stomach feels like I'm going through my period all over again in the middle of the night, even though it was supposed to be finished by now. Is that actually normal? I'm guessing my body is just trying to adjust, right? Also, regarding smoking while on the pill... man, it’s not easy to just quit cold turkey. I’ve managed to cut back by maybe two or three cigarettes a day, but I still have this constant, nagging fear that something bad is going to happen. I keep reading stuff about strokes and things like that, and since I'm young, it all feels so heavy and new. Sorry, I really don't have the time to sit here and read through everyone else's stories on the forum, so if there's a kind soul out there who could give me a quick rundown, I'd appreciate it.

mellowsurfer34, I went through the exact same thing during my first month on the pill. It’s perfectly normal; if I recall correctly, it's actually mentioned in the patient information leaflet. If you haven't had a chance to read those instructions yet, I’d highly recommend doing so.
Since I’ve been on the pill for about ten years now (with a few breaks here and there), and I only actually quit smoking this year, I’m still very much alive 😁. In fact, I just had a full blood panel done two months ago, and everything came back absolutely perfect...

Honestly, looking back at these last three or four months while I was on Yasmin, I feel like I nearly drove myself into an early grave just by being so incredibly irrational. It was genuinely exhausting... it’s as if someone swapped out my actual brain for some other, significantly more moronic version. Truly harrowing stuff.
Now, all I need is a four-day reprieve. Hopefully, I won't deal with any more of those bizarre psychological episodes... 😁

This is actually the first time in my life I've considered postponing something just to make room for travel, so I'm curious to know what I should be bracing myself for...
Angela Wright, you're calling it madness? I truly hope I don't end up caught in that whirlwind. I was constantly losing my mind during my time at Yasmin, which is exactly why I swapped it out for Logest. Honestly, I wouldn't wish that kind of chaos on my worst enemy...

Jeffrey Walker3 said:She’s just worried because you could easily go out and buy a ton of these pills and then pass them off or sell them to other women. Like, someone might have a health issue and shouldn't be taking anything without seeing a doctor first. Or they just shouldn't be on them at all.
To me, it makes total sense

I second that.
It’s a valid point, especially when you look back at how much unnecessary panic was stirred up during that whole Yasmin controversy...

Not by the book, certainly. It worked for me once only because I’d lost my actual prescription, and the pharmacist at my local CVS already knew me by sight... but that was six or seven years ago now.

I truly hope you aren't planning on playing doctor with birth control pills on your own whim...

She’s basically an angel descended from heaven... though if she actually behaved herself, she might have stayed there... 😁
I’m not one to advocate for corporal punishment—I don't have kids myself, so I can't say how I'd react if my own little one decided to torch the house—but speaking from experience, a good thrashing doesn't exactly solve the problem when things get this out of hand... 🤷

When I’m dealing with a yeast infection, things get incredibly textured—it’s just not a great feeling. On the first day, there isn't even any itching, but by day two, the itch becomes absolutely unbearable...
For fungal issues, you can pick up some Canesten vaginal cream over the counter without needing a prescription...

I suppose I might be one of those rare birds who actually made an appointment with a gynecologist before even having sex, just to get a handle on my options for birth control... and since then, I’ve made it a point to go in for a checkup at least once a year.
On the flip side, I have a friend who didn't bother seeing a specialist until she turned 27—and honestly, it sounds like she wouldn't have even considered it if she hadn't ended up dealing with some sort of infection. 🤷
Then there's the endless list of other women I know who find the whole thing too embarrassing to deal with, so they only show up when something is clearly wrong... and let's be real, there is absolutely no way they're stepping foot in a male doctor's office.🙄