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[Focus]

How long did this whole spell last for you?

How did it end/start to end?

What did you do to cope?

What effects did this have?

How long did it take for the effects to make things better?

[AgathaC]

Hi Focus, answered this in my reply of Jan 18th in your other thread x

[Focus]

Ah, sorry...I can't seem to remember anything at the moment.

I was also hoping for more answers specifically about personal experiences of how long, etc...

[Focus]

God, AgathaC...you were talking about 2+ years on and there are days when it can be better, or days when it can be worse.

I honestly don't think I could deal with that.

Back to focussing on restricting for me...

[AgathaC]

Hello Focus. The physical symptoms have been bloody ( ) awful but/and they have left me with overwhelming anxiety that I must be dying of something. I've actually wasted a couple of years worrying. Even when I'm reassured I'm okay, the many and horrid symptoms have me googling awful things. That's how I found this forum. I think a lot of ladies on this site would agree that whilst we must strive to deal with the awful physical symptoms and the overwhelming mental symptoms, we have to come to terms with this as the next chapter in life. Somebody used the term “new normal” and there is lots of talk about life before and life after. You've clearly got to find a solution to your bleeding and I feel awful for you that it's impacting your life so much. But (only my opinion), I don't think that restricting will work. I take it you mean that you eat so little so you get really, really thin and with such little body fat that your periods stop? I know this works for gymnasts and athletes but whether it will actually work when you have such frequent and strong bleeding, I don't know. What I do know is that you will feel terrible and it will be even harder for your body to get through this. I've decided that this is a time for the best fuel I can put in my body and although I'm overweight (5ft 10, 11.5 stone) and certainly much heavier than I used to be, I'm not dieting. I can't. I'm just eating really good stuff to get me through the bad days, walking, distracting, keeping busy and as positive as I can. It's a daily struggle and please don't think I don't know how desperate you sound. But please don't do restricting. Get back to the GP and insist on trying something else. I'm not versed in the options but lots of the ladies have made suggestions on the other threads. Keep posting and well done on getting through these difficult days xx

[Focus]

Thank you.

The restricting worked before, in my 20s. Although I wasn't really aiming to stop my periods. They just sort of faded away as a result of eating not very much for a long time.

I *know* it does;t make sense intellectually. Trust me, I totally get it. But it's the only way I can cope with my feelings at the moment.

Otherwise I'm just back to totally desperate scrabbling around, trying to find a way out of this all. And then that totally takes over my life, so that I become super obsessive about it all, constantly reading and researching about it, and it's the only thing I can think or talk about. Which means I'm then not able to work. And as I'm self employed, that's the most important thing of all to me. No work, no money, no possibility of paying for basics.

This is what happened when I started suffering from PTSD, and it took over my life, in more ways than one. And it was one of the (many) things that ended up wrecking my marriage.

This way I feel like I have some sort of control over the whole situation, a little bit of distance. Which I so desperately need.

I can get to the end of the day and feel like I've actually achieved something, even if that one thing is eating not much.

And it also means that I am free to think about getting some work done, and actually earn a living.

I honestly can't see another way that leaves me able to deal with my feelings.

[Hurdity]

Focus - I'm sorry you are experiencing such heavy bleeds and I've lost track of suggestions that have been made on all the different threads. However I do agree with AgathaC - restricting your calorific intake is NOT a recommended way to control your bleeds. If you are peri-menopausal then it is important for your future health that you have as good a diet as you possibly can and if you start restricting food intake to that degree you are likely to become deficient in some nutrients and taking these by pills and supplements is no substitute except in emergency if you are actually deficient eg if you are anaemic due to heavy blood loss.

Are you able to go to your doctor and ask for a referral to someone who can help you cope with this - and I mean the emotional aspects - separately from the physical symptoms of blood loss? Maybe also you have unresolved issues around whatever severe trauma you experienced that led you to suffer from PTSD that you will benefit from exploring with an appropriately qualified person?

Do please seek help - I can see how difficult it must be for you and especially with your work  and financial situation but if you can work towards improving your emotional state as well as your physical symptoms, this can only be of benefit in helping you to cope.

Hurdity x