Migraines galore

I thought I would go ahead and post since this seems as though it’s going to be one of my unfortunate months.  I say that because it has already started with a vengeance, the migraines just will not stop.  One of those pains that you have all day, go to bed with, wake up with and the cycle continues.

Unfortunately, Tylenol and other OTC meds don’t do much for hormonal migraines.

As most of you Women know, trying to continue all of your daily tasks, for me-continuing to take care of 4 kids, a headache makes life down-right difficult and miserable.

4 yr olds don’t understand that loud noises are extremely painful.

I haven’t figured out if the weather has made this month worse, in Texas it’s not overly cold, but the weather has definitely changed and it’s cool.  Of course, there is no rhyme or reason to PMDD, but I do like to watch for any sort of trends.  Who knows, maybe one day these trends will make sense and a break through will happen.

Anyway, sorry for the blah post, I just hadn’t had these sort of migraines for a while now and thought that since this is a very personal and honest site I would post.

I hope the rest of you have a better month than me, nothing like traveling at Thanksgiving time feeling like crap! Grrrr…

Email from a husband

I received another email from a husband.  First, I am so excited as to how many men I receive emails and posts from- it really shows me how involved husbands, friends and boyfriends are becoming in trying to help their wives feel better.

So many men are trying to find ways to approach their spouses, support them and just learn…it really is awesome.

He explained to me that his wife probably won’t be very open to him bringing up PMDD, he has been researching and really has high hopes that she would talk to a doctor.  How can he bring it up to her?

This is a question I have tried to tackle before here and I just wanted to add to it.  I wanted to share what I told him in hopes that maybe I said something that will help any other Husbands, Dads, boyfriends out there.

First, always approach with caution!  LOL, no- I’m just kidding.  See, we still do have our sense of humor, sometimes it’s just hidden. :)

OK, for real now!

First, begin your talk when she isn’t in her tough 1-2 wks, depending on which she has

Second, write down my website on a scratch sheet of paper, place it where you know she will see it, but don’t make it obvious.  This allows her to take a peek on her own time.

Third, don’t say, “I have been talking with someone who has PMDD, and I think you may have it.”  This may make her feel as though you have been talking about her, even though you really had her best interest at heart.

Fourth, during her good week, ask her if there is anything that you can do to help during the times of the month that she seems most exhausted.  You can do this for a couple of months in hopes that she will start to see a pattern.

Fifth, bring up PMDD, but not medications during her good week.  You can start with, “I have noticed that certain times of each month you seem more exhausted, I know that it must be difficult, from what I understand PMS can be painful.  It must get annyoing to deal with it each and every month.”

This will allow her to open her eyes to the fact that you don’t think PMS/PMDD is a joke.  You do understand that there really are major symptoms that she is going thru and it may allow her the time to open up and maybe break down a bit.

As always, I also gave him a run down of what all PMDD makes you feel like each month.  How debilitating and annoying it can be, especially for someone that is in denial.

If any of you have anything else that has worked, or ways that you wouldn’t mind be approached, please post them here.  I have a lot of readers that would love more options and ideas.

Stef

PMDD and the Holidays

It’s that time of year again, the Holidays.  Hopefully for most of you this is an incredible time.  For me, it’s an awesome time, but as we all know, PMDD hits 2 wks of every month so it’s bound to interfere with get-togethers.

I wanted to give some tips/ideas on how to try and make this Holiday season less stressful on yourself.

First, Thanksgiving probably won’t be as difficult for most of you as Christmas, unless you are traveling to visit family or friends.  If you are traveling and it will be during your 2 wk time, don’t over extend yourself.

See if you can combine visits rather than running all over while you are out of town.  If you are visiting family, have one big get-together for Thanksgiving lunch.  This will allow you some down time.  We all know that rest is so important right now.

Watch what you eat.  LOL, I know, I know… It’s Holiday time!  Eat smaller amounts and eat more often instead of gorging yourself at Thanksgiving lunch.  You will feel much better, not being bloated.

Also, watch how many desserts you eat.  Try eating fruit salad if you have a sweet tooth or instead of depriving yourself of any sweets, just choose one.

While you are sitting and visiting with family, especially if you have cooler weather where you are, it’s easy to go overboard on your caffeine intake too.  This will only cause your PMDD to heighten.  Women with PMDD are very sensitive to caffeine, especially during your 2 wk time.

Have your caffeine when you get home if you must have it, this will help limit any possible outbursts you may have.

Know when to say, “No” or when to say, “enough is enough” and know your limits.  You don’t have to be the last person visiting.  If you feel yourself getting overly tired and you are staying somewhere other than your home, excuse yourself and explain the traveling has exhausted you and you are done for the day.  Go to bed.  If you are driving home, go home when you feel yourself becoming tired, grouchy, more annoyed, etc…

Believe me, these are tips I have to follow myself.  I am one that thinks I am ‘supposed’ to visit everyone because I come in from out of town.  I make myself feel as though I should do it all.  As an adult and someone that is in control of their PMDD, you must watch what your body is telling you.

What I hope is that all of you will get to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas during the best time of your month.:)  A girl can dream!

Now, onto Christmas time…

Christmas time is a little different because most people do feel as though they need to visit more people, buy things for people, everything just gets crazy and rushed.

STOP!  Christmas time is about visiting with family.  Once again, explain to everyone (send a group email) that you are coming in town and in order to see everyone a group get together will be a must.  You have so much to do… you get the point.

Remember, you are coming in town.  It’s not too much to ask for everyone to get together for even just an hour so that you aren’t expected to go to different homes, different days.  No one wants to feel like they spent their entire Holiday time running all around.

Gifts…if you have a lot of friends/family to do something for, my favorite is baking.  This is something that I can show I thought of you, I can afford to it for everyone, and I can do it in bulk.  Peanut brittle, brownies, fudge, cookies, there are all sorts of things you can make and share.

Saying No will be a must again during this Holiday too.  Don’t over-extend yourself, you will be miserable which will make others miserable and at the end of it all you will be angry about the whole situation.

Don’t let it get to this point where you do something you will have to feel guilty about.

If you don’t feel like you can travel this year, just say so.  You tell family and friends that this year your family has decided to spend Christmas or Thanksgiving at home.  It’s what works better for you guys. End of story, no more explanation necessary.

REMEMBER! Have fun.  Remember what the Holidays are really about and don’t lose sight of that, especially if you have children.

I hope this helps some.

Oh, and at the end of a long day of visiting…relax in a bath and wash the day away.  Even if it’s a great day, I like to jump in the shower and wash the day away and get ready for the next day. A fresh start.

Mom of the Week Opportunity

I wanted to add this over here since I know a lot of Moms that read lifewpmdd also have blogs.

I am offering a Mom of the Week opportunity, for FREE, at my other site, 4kidsandacoffee .  So, if you are a Mom that is trying to win an award because of your incredible blogging techniques, helping of others, or whatever the reason may be, please let me know.

To see if you qualify: Yep it’s free.  Please go to 4kidsandacoffee and comment under the post Mom of the Week Opportunity and let me know what award you are trying to qualify for and why.  Also, let me know where on your site I can check out all the info on the contest and of course a link to your site so I can decide if you should qualify to be listed. :)

That’s it!

Hope to see some of you Moms getting a TON of votes from this.  It’s also a great way to get your site out there to more fresh faces.

Enjoy!
Stef