Dealing with PMDD

Most people don't even know what PMDD as I didn't have a clue myself. As a woman all emotional issues etc are blamed on PMS first and foremost I agree the woman's cycle can wreak havoc on day-to-day life. Imagine having your period along with all the mind crap that comes with PMDD. There are various lists of symptoms based on where you look up this condition on the internet. These are the ones I experience every month around that time.

Depression

Crying I am not a crier the dumbest things will make me cry during this period

The littlest things will make me upset.

Craving salty foods and sweets

Having no energy even to get up and get dressed

Having soreness everywhere during this time my joint hurt like heck

You bloated as heck

Extreme anxiety on top of anxiety shit is freakin intense

Mood swings feeling happy one second and sad the next

The internal demon that is telling me I am not good enough etc.. is on high

Insomnia I can't freaking sleep

Pretty severe cramping and passing clots

Includes some intense cramps so severe that, despite using a pain patch and a heating pad on high, I sometimes find no relief. With intense anxiety, even the everyday noises that you can usually handle become amplified a hundred times. Additionally, insomnia prevents you from sleeping, making this a torturous period each month during my cycle. It's been challenging to explain to others, as they often dismiss it as just your period to get over.

These symptoms are undoubtedly debilitating, especially alongside my other health issues, making this period in my cycle feel overwhelmingly challenging. Combine that with some seasonal depression, and you've got yourself a real mess.

The first option for any type of mental health issue is: WHY? Are those words so hard to write cause there is such a fricking stigma around mental health issues. Everyone either has dealt with mental health issues, is dealing with them, or will deal with them. We need to stop singling people out for being a mf humans with real-life issues.. that is brave enough to talk about them and deal with them openly.

Rant over lol the first option is anti-depressants which I have tried on numerous occasions. This last time I used one it was for maybe a week or two at most with this antidepressant I felt like my whole being felt like it was being numbed. I was a mf zombie when my lifestyle was already not very exciting. Being any more sedentary does not feel like it is helpful. And during any other part of the month, I feel fine.

It's also possible that antidepressant usage as a teen, or young adult could have had something to do with my acquiring Cervical Dystonia.

So have I given mood stabilizers a whole-hearted full-blown chance to help probably not as they terrify me a bit and from prior experience I have been prescribed them and there is no follow-up as to how they are helping or not helping me. So I do not know as far as medication what my other options are.

The next option given to me was to remove all my lady's parts I guess that's called getting a hysterectomy I do not know much about that but it seemed extremely dramatic to me. I will be 45 this year, and the thought of going through that essentially being by myself seemed terrifying. I would also think with that would come a whole new set of emotional and physical issues to deal with.

I will continue to research this and seek other opinions as I do feel that there are treatment options that I am not aware of at this point.

This shit has been rough to deal with but hopefully, my sharing this will reach just one woman that feels that she is dealing with more than just a typical period. You might need to trust your women's intuition and see if you can get help to cope with it so you can live your best life all month long.

references:

https://womensmentalhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/pmdd_guide.pdf

https://womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome/premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-pmdd