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  #26  
Old Jun 05, 2015, 02:39 PM
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AnxiousGirl AnxiousGirl is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msjblonde View Post
I am a medical professional I hope it's ok for me to reply.

Now, I'm not going to give you medical advice here but as many others have said there are many reasons why menstrual cycles can be a bit messed up, especially where stress and lack or regular nutrition are involved.

What I will say though is that loads of people dread coming to see medical people, in fact to be honest who really wants to go? it usually means something isn't quite right physically or you are having a check up, but even then we worry that someone will find something not quite right. Most people stress and worry a bit, some people get super anxious, and some people get so anxious it really prevents them from accessing the healthcare they need. It's really a good idea to get this talked about in therapy, try if you can to send an email letting her know that you need to talk about this.

As far as embarrassing things go, well I'm not a T (good heaven's, the very thought) but people have to tell me embarrassing things every day and almost everyone struggles with this. Honestly though, I can tell you there is pretty much nothing I haven't heard (or seen) at this point. And, as far as having to examine people go, well, I do it every day and looking at parts of the anatomy which are generally kept covered are no different from looking at an arm or a leg to me, absolutely no different at all. I understand completely that it is different for the patient but to me the person is a whole person not a set of parts if that makes sense.

I've no idea if it helps hearing it from the other side or not but please remember that even if you do go to see a doctor or anyone else, no one can or should ever do anything to you without you being ok with it. You are in control of the whole thing. If at anytime you want to leave you can, if you don't want to be examined you don't have to be. If you don't understand something, tell the medic they need to explain what they are talking about 100 times if necessary. This is your care, about you and above everything else you are the only person in the room who matters.
It's fine that you answered thank you! I know doctors are there to help and I shouldnt be embarrassed but I'm more terrified than anything. And if I refuse to get any bloodwork or exams done then how are they even supposed to help me? It's the only way and I'm terrified. It's so bad being afraid of such important things.

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  #27  
Old Jun 05, 2015, 04:47 PM
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ScarletPimpernel ScarletPimpernel is offline
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I like to bring in logic when I start to get nervous about talking to T about bodily issues. For me, in this situation, I would remind myself that over 50% of the world is female, and most have or had periods. And your T is a female, so she has periods too. Your T is helping you with anxiety and is a woman, so she will be understanding to your situation.

As far as long periods, it's okay and normal that they are shorter or longer than 5 days. Some women have spotting throughout their cycle. It's okay if your cycle is longer or shorter than 28 days. Some women even miss periods. And the amount of blood loss might seem a lot, but it's because it's comprised of other things woth the blood.

Still, the only way to know for sure is a doctor.

You were very brave to post this here. It takes a strong person to do that and you have the strength to tell your T too.

Just a suggestion: if you can, you might want to read the book What Your Mother Never Told You About Sex. A T recommended it to me when I was about 19. It really helped me feel more comfortable with my body. We actually went over some parts of the book together. Maybe you and your T could do the same? If not, at least you will be able to learn about how your body works, what's normal.
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  #28  
Old Jun 05, 2015, 05:28 PM
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ive talked about my period to my male T. im on a high dose of antipsychotics and it made me lose my period for like 6 months. i didnt tell anyone about it til i thought about it and realized it prob wasnt a good thing. i started taking metformin because it reverses that side effect from APs. when i first got my period again i texted my T about it all excited. lol. i dont think its weird or anything. i think ur T would want to know about ur anxieties around this so she can find a way to support u.
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  #29  
Old Jun 05, 2015, 07:12 PM
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The topic is not too personal for a therapist. They hear about all things menstrual related since mood is often tied to your cycles. They need to know about the physical so they can correctly assess what's happening with you psychologically. Not eating will affect your period as well as anxiety level and overall mood. It is all very crucial to tell a T and nothing to be embarrassed about. No one can force you to do blood tests, although it might be a good idea so medical professionals can assess what may or may not be going on with you. It's even more important for you to have this information so that you are aware of what's happening with your body.
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  #30  
Old Jun 05, 2015, 07:23 PM
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I don't even think it's necessary to tell your therapist exactly what the problem is if you just find it too stressful to talk about. The main problem in terms of therapy is that your high level of anxiety is keeping you from getting health care. That's the thing to deal with because your therapist can't give you medical advice.

Can you tell her in an email that you have a health concern that's causing you a lot of worry, that your anxiety over seeing a doctor is keeping you from getting health care, and then ask if you could work on that specific anxiety during session. You could even say you don't want to go into the specifics of the health concern. Her expertise is in the anxiety, not medical issues, so that would be my way of approaching it.
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  #31  
Old Jun 07, 2015, 08:41 AM
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Just an update, my flow has gotten much lighter and to be honest it stops for most of the day, and then starts again then stops again. So I'm sort of leaning toward the stress factor because I think my body has really taken a beating for the past 2-3 months. Still not up to telling my therapist though...
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  #32  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 12:37 PM
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Another update, not a great one. Had my appointment today, just got back and im crying my eyes out. As soon as i walked in she asked if anything caused a lot of anxiety this week and I sat there and lied straight to her face and said no. She got so happy because now she thinks my anxiety has gone down, little does she know how much im crying. It still hasnt ended, and i dont know what else to do.
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  #33  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 01:34 PM
keepsmiling6 keepsmiling6 is offline
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hey anxious girl, please check your private messages! I sent you one the other day
  #34  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 05:09 PM
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[quote=AnxiousGirl; i dont know what else to do.[/quote]

Well, you know what doesn't work: not telling her what's really going on.

That leaves a lot of room to try something new.

Could you email her with a note that you panicked and misled her about your level of anxiety? Could doing that be anymore painful and distressing than keeping this to yourself?
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  #35  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 05:36 PM
msjblonde msjblonde is offline
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Can sending an email feel any worse than you feel right now? ok it might at the hit send moment but I'd place a bet that in the long run you'll feel better just getting this off your shoulders. Most of your anxiety seems to be coming from how to tell your T things, I think there is going to come a point where you might just need to take a risk and try something new because right now you are hurting week after week and are getting no relief. Can you try sending just a simple one line email saying this week you have felt more anxious than you admitted to in session?
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  #36  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 05:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ruh roh View Post
Well, you know what doesn't work: not telling her what's really going on.

That leaves a lot of room to try something new.

Could you email her with a note that you panicked and misled her about your level of anxiety? Could doing that be anymore painful and distressing than keeping this to yourself?
Actually I'm having a friend come over and help me write her an email and help me build the courage to send it. I can't keep in my anxiety about this situation to myself anymore.
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  #37  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 05:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msjblonde View Post
Can sending an email feel any worse than you feel right now? ok it might at the hit send moment but I'd place a bet that in the long run you'll feel better just getting this off your shoulders. Most of your anxiety seems to be coming from how to tell your T things, I think there is going to come a point where you might just need to take a risk and try something new because right now you are hurting week after week and are getting no relief. Can you try sending just a simple one line email saying this week you have felt more anxious than you admitted to in session?
I'm going to tell her the entire thing. I can't hold it in anymore and the more I stress the worse my cycle is getting.
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  #38  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 08:03 PM
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I wrote the email, but now I'm too afraid to send it. I need some motivation!
  #39  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 08:38 PM
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Sometimes waiting for motivation is what trips me up. Just hit send.
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  #40  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 09:06 PM
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To slow down the flow, try an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, on your abdomen.
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  #41  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 09:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pbutton View Post
Sometimes waiting for motivation is what trips me up. Just hit send.
I made a promise to myself to send it before I sleep.
  #42  
Old Jun 08, 2015, 09:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolibrarian View Post
To slow down the flow, try an ice pack, wrapped in a towel, on your abdomen.
The flow is extremely light, it's just heavy once then it's all spotting.
  #43  
Old Jun 09, 2015, 09:18 PM
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I'm beginning to stress about almost everything and my flow is getting worse. I do think it's stress but I still haven't sent the email as of yet. I wrote it 2 days ago but still worried about sending it.
  #44  
Old Jun 11, 2015, 03:18 PM
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Okay, I sent it about half hour ago. Hopefully it gives me some reassurance. As for the flow, I think yesterday my period actually started. The weeks before it was just light and spotting. Who knows anymore.
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  #45  
Old Jun 13, 2015, 10:24 AM
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Still no reply, not sure if she got it or not.
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  #46  
Old Jun 13, 2015, 10:39 AM
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Did you ask her to reply? If you didn't, try not to read anything into this. There are a lot of possible reasons you haven't heard back from her yet. You put it out there and let her know what's really going on. That's what's important. If it's something she wants to wait for session to talk about, at least you will be dealing with your anxiety and not hiding it/making it worse.
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  #47  
Old Jun 13, 2015, 11:21 AM
musinglizzy musinglizzy is offline
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I'm glad you Emailed your T. This is NOT a big deal for the T (I know it is for you), so if that helps you to feel more at ease, great. It's part of being a woman (I don't miss that part at all!!).

I have a hard time saying things to my T, and sometimes I'll go home and send her an Email, telling her the difficult things. She is completely supportive of this (for now) and pushes me to do it. I think her belief is, whatever it takes to get me to share, she will support it. The time for talking in front of her can come later. Now, she just needs facts. You can even ask your T not to bring it up... that you're just sharing for her knowledge for now. I don't usually put that stipulation in an Email, but my T is pretty good about not bringing things up unless I do. So I could probably tell her something big in an Email, and she still wouldn't say anything about it until I did. It has been very helpful for me, and I greatly appreciate her being open to it. I think she just gets so darn frustrated with me not talking that if she had to stand up and do a dance with a hula skirt on to get me to talk, she probably would. I'm trying not to be so closed up....it's hard. So my T is just going with my baby steps for now, and remains understanding. I'm sure yours will too. I think sometimes they have to tailor themselves to fit the client, and I believe my T has done that very well for the most part.
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  #48  
Old Jun 13, 2015, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by ruh roh View Post
Did you ask her to reply? If you didn't, try not to read anything into this. There are a lot of possible reasons you haven't heard back from her yet. You put it out there and let her know what's really going on. That's what's important. If it's something she wants to wait for session to talk about, at least you will be dealing with your anxiety and not hiding it/making it worse.
Sometimes she replies and other times she waits for sessions. I'm just getting very anxious at this point (which is making my flow worse). I just need some reassurance.
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  #49  
Old Jun 13, 2015, 05:50 PM
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hey check your PM's!!!!
  #50  
Old Jun 15, 2015, 10:36 AM
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Yesterday my period stopped the entire day and I thought it was over, it wasn't. I started experiencing multiple anxiety attacks an I'm not sure what to do. If you're going to say see a doctor just dont comment please. I want to talk to my therapist first and my appointment isn't until next week.
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