TOM thread

Sooooo glad you started this thread. I thought the cravings were going to be the hardest part of this new WoE. I was wrong - my PMS this time around is BRUTAL! Days of sore mammary glands, cramping (and it hasn't even started yet), cravings, unsatiable hunger and now (just as of today) being short-tempered.

The only thing that seemed to help was when I went off diet this weekend. What little bit of research I did shows that carbs do seem to help for some reason. But I'm not giving up. I'm going to try the flax... I don't have any this time around but I'll be ready and waiting for next month!!!

One thing I did read said that its possible that when you're eating right things that have been wrong but were buried start coming up. So I guess its possible that my body has had some hormonal issues that were buried before and now I'm beginning to provide it with the correct nutrients that it's strong enough to deal with it now? What do y'all think of that theory?

This is my very first PMS on the diet... and I typically don't have much trouble. This one is SOOOOO much worse. I was sobbing at work yesterday over something really not worth being upset about... I felt like I was going crazy!!! *NOTE* In the interest of full disclosure though - about three weeks ago my MD took me off Zoloft and switched me to Prozac with the equivalent dosage about half of what I was on before. The goal is to stop meds altogether which up until the last week seemed likely... though it is an experiment. It's possible I need them only around my ToM. Next month and the month after will be a better indication, I think, of whether its the diet or the change in seratonin.

I'll need to do more research... I'm not sure what the different 'phases' are so it's time for more learnin'!

That's a great idea!

I am taking 5-HTP too Lisa. It sure does help me sleep. I am feeling great too.

@bunniee good idea.

DD has gotten lazy about eating her flax and is really paying for it this month.

ugh, shark week finally showed up. The good thing is maybe now I'll finally show a drop this month. 

reepicheep1981 how is it going? are you feeling better?

Get you some flax, it is amazing. You can make flax wraps or just sprinkle it on salads or in soups and stuff. Glad it is almost over. That sounds pretty dang awful. DD gets all weepy, she has really bad PMS and heavy bleeding. It is awful. I am gonna force feed her flax this month. LOL just kidding but she really saw how much it helped after slacking off for a month.

  That has happened to me a few times. If you are in peri-menopause, irregular periods are part of it.

I regret not eating enough flax last month, this period is a doozy! I'm having coffee and a handful of ibuprofen for breakfast. 

 ugg - started yesterday. stopped at the store for midol and naproxium sodium (sp?); feeling awful. not so much starving/food cravings so that's good but i have eaten a lot lately so hopefully that slows down because my stomach hurts and even though i'm staying off the scale, my pants are gettin snug...tooooo snug.  don't feel like doing anything! soooooo tired! 

Hi, I thought I'd share my story. It may help someone, someday, not feel as crazy as I did.

At the age of 39 years old I developed early onset peri-menopausal symptoms. My Mother had a hysterectomy in her late thirties so I didn't know what to expect as far as age/symptoms etc. My hands and scalp itched incessantly, hair loss, cramps, bloating, major swelling of feet and ankles, food cravings, sore breasts, hot flashes, night sweats, and completely psychotic mood swings. Raging from "I hate you and all the air you breathe" then 15 minutes later bawling uncontrollably with abandonment thoughts. My behavior was so out of control I scared myself (and my family). After talking to my Dr. he was convinced I was too young. but I insisted on testing my hormones. I was DEVISTATED that they weren't even out of "normal" range, though they were slightly high with in "normal". I literally bawled in the Dr.'s office claiming that "it's just me. I'm just That crazy!" He justified that I simply might be someone who is hyper sensitive to hormonal variations. He put me on a low dose birth control pill for the first time since I was 20 years old. By the end of the week the itching stopped, the swelling was gone, and best of all-I didn't have the urge to rage anymore. Since I don't use it for actual birth control (that part is permanently fixed by DH) I don't bother with the week off and now only have my period maybe 4 times a year and it's usually very light. However, if I forget to take it for a while (a week or so) the symptoms definitely come back. "Mom, are you taking your happy pills?" is asked by my kids once in a while. (DH knows better than to ask when I'm in that state). I've been on them now for 2 years and am convinced I'm as "normal" as I can be. One side effect is that they have raised my blood pressure, which has always been relatively low (90/60 ) to moderately high (130/95). I'm hoping weight loss will help with that.

As a side note, I have been on relatively low dose (40mg) antidepressants for close to 20 years. That didn't seem to effect the hormonal side effects.

Hope this wasn't TMI.

storytha, I'm glad you shared your story! Not TMI at all. It is not surprising that female hormones can affect us so profoundly, both mentally and physically. After all, look what insulin does to people!

TOM is nearly over for me, and thank goodness because I have gotten completely off plan. I'm not stressed and had plenty of LC food, but hormones got the better of me and I went way over on carbs the last few days. I guess my body had extra progesterone floating around after missing my period in October. I'll use the weekend to get back on track. 

Hooray for being off the pills! YAY!!

For flax, I make a bread or wrap out or it most of the time. 2 tbsp. a day is what is recommended. I would say start slow because all that fiber can upset your tummy. I also make it like a cornbread in the oven, with butter, It's really good. You can just sprinkle it over your salad or food if you want too though.
There are some recipes on this thread.