A Personal Update
I'm not entirely sure when I last did a general update, so I figured I would give you an idea of what's happening on my journey.
As I've said in a few of my previous posts, I am back on Venlafaxine ER (the generic for Effexor XR). The dosage is significantly lower than I had been taking - I spent most of my adult life taking 150mg, but I'm currently on the 37.5mg dose. I have been entertaining the idea of going up to the 75mg to see if it helps my depressive episodes and nerve pain, but it's not at a critical point. As it stands, my depressive episodes are significantly shorter and less severe than they have been in my whole life. I'm able to recognize the spiraling thought patterns for what they are and have started using the tools that have been gifted to me over the years to treat myself gently.
My pain levels have diminished greatly. In all honestly, my day-to-day is still between 3-5 on a 10 point pain scale, but that's a vast improvement of 5-8. My hip is only freezing about once a month or so and I'm not stuck in bed for pain for more than a day. I'm still not great at avoiding all gluten, but I have managed to cut it from about 95% of my diet. I'm checking packaging more regularly (and whining about all the things that are made with wheat). I've been considering trying to follow a full anti-inflammatory diet, but I'm awful at avoiding red meat and energy drinks. I know, I know. I really should. One step at a time, friends.
My anxiety has been pretty bad. The energy drinks don't help. I was caught by a job scam a couple of weeks ago, which was frustrating and has made me even more wary. I handled it well, and I didn't lose more than the return check fee, but I was counting on the extra salary. I need to be better about managing my background anxiety levels, but I've been so focused on managing my depression and pain.
I tried a progesterone-only birth control. I had hoped that I would respond better to it than I did with the estrogen ones, but I mostly had mood crashes about an hour after taking them and had terrible dysphoria. So, I guess it's back to LoEstrin Lo, the only birth control that seems remotely compatible with my hormones, dysphoria, and mood disorders.
Overall, I'm making progress. I'm feeling more functional than I have in a long time. Your support has helped make that happen.
As I've said in a few of my previous posts, I am back on Venlafaxine ER (the generic for Effexor XR). The dosage is significantly lower than I had been taking - I spent most of my adult life taking 150mg, but I'm currently on the 37.5mg dose. I have been entertaining the idea of going up to the 75mg to see if it helps my depressive episodes and nerve pain, but it's not at a critical point. As it stands, my depressive episodes are significantly shorter and less severe than they have been in my whole life. I'm able to recognize the spiraling thought patterns for what they are and have started using the tools that have been gifted to me over the years to treat myself gently.
My pain levels have diminished greatly. In all honestly, my day-to-day is still between 3-5 on a 10 point pain scale, but that's a vast improvement of 5-8. My hip is only freezing about once a month or so and I'm not stuck in bed for pain for more than a day. I'm still not great at avoiding all gluten, but I have managed to cut it from about 95% of my diet. I'm checking packaging more regularly (and whining about all the things that are made with wheat). I've been considering trying to follow a full anti-inflammatory diet, but I'm awful at avoiding red meat and energy drinks. I know, I know. I really should. One step at a time, friends.
My anxiety has been pretty bad. The energy drinks don't help. I was caught by a job scam a couple of weeks ago, which was frustrating and has made me even more wary. I handled it well, and I didn't lose more than the return check fee, but I was counting on the extra salary. I need to be better about managing my background anxiety levels, but I've been so focused on managing my depression and pain.
I tried a progesterone-only birth control. I had hoped that I would respond better to it than I did with the estrogen ones, but I mostly had mood crashes about an hour after taking them and had terrible dysphoria. So, I guess it's back to LoEstrin Lo, the only birth control that seems remotely compatible with my hormones, dysphoria, and mood disorders.
Overall, I'm making progress. I'm feeling more functional than I have in a long time. Your support has helped make that happen.
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