I never thought that would happen... Never even crossed my mind...
I was at my family physician last Monday for some tests. I just basically wanted some updated numbers from last year on my Thyroid, Vitamin levels, and I also asked for Cortisol levels because I have been having some issues related to insulin.
Today they called and wanted me to come back in to discuss some abnormal levels. I tried to have the woman tell me what it was all about - and off course she is not allowed so she simply said: well, I don't know how to read this stuff. And would not fax me the results... So I have no idea, I can't prepare...
And then on top of that I had my yearly PAP today... any woman doing that knows that it is not the greatest moment in a year... In the examine room the gyno and I are talking about the FAM method as a birth control method. And she agrees that it works if you are educated on the method... She had one woman tell her that they were doing FAM for pregnancy prevention and said "I have not gotten pregnant yet"... Sounds like that person didn't think it was going to work! LOL!
So as I was walking out of the office I asked my gyno if she heard many women complain about yasmin... and she just said "oh no... what they complain about is the ads they see on TV... and that is just attorney's wanting money... any reason why you ask?" I didn't say much because I was taken by surprise and I felt that she was a little rushed. I guess the only symptoms she think I had on Yasmin was my bleeding... and I guess it makes sense. She has not been with me from the start, but now I am thinking I should write her a letter of some kind just to inform her what I went through... or this ignorance will never stop...
Ok, so I just updated my shop on zibbet.com a little - decided to try a premium account for a few months and see if it will do me any good.
But the real trick here is not to have a premium account or a great looking shop online. The MUST when selling something is VISIBILITY! If no one knows where to find your stuff, then you are most likely not going to succeed. It is easy to set up a website, it is a little bit trickier to get people to visit your shop, and another jump to get the ones who visit the shop to actually BUY something.
So, I have to really target the people I try to advertise to - they have to be in the right demographics for my stuff. I know who they are - now I just have to find them. Mommies, Grandparents, and other people that would buy gifts for babies and children. They can't be that hard to find right?! No they are not, those people are EVERYWHERE - the hard part is to make them pick your store before anyone else. To look at it on a bigger picture, I am even competing with Macy's when it comes to some things, and maybe Walmart when it comes to other things. How do I make them realize that buying from me is original and not something you will find everywhere?! How do I make them come to me?
You can tell when Christmas is around the corner at my house. I have million ideas that I want to take on. Both for myself and to give others. But I have a feeling there will be not much of either this year. I have started to make a purse for myself, the first one I have ever attempted... and it looks like it is going to be a little too big! I do like big bags - but I don't know if this is a little too big!!! We will see... I am going to finish anyway, but maybe not before christmas.
I want to get some screen prints ready - I bought some organic cotton canvas bags at BB&B a few days ago and have decided to give some away. I designed a print that involves my family in the shape of a heart... I know my family already have numerous of canvas bags for when they go to the grocery store, we have been doing that for years over in Sweden, but it can't hurt to have one more... right?!
I am also planning to print a t-shirt for my brother's step son with a retro feel. I was hoping to find a tee with some nice print on it and simply just print his name with a cool font over the original print.
I will have to take pictures of all of this once it is done. My trip back to Sweden is on December 15th so I will need to get this taken care of pretty soon. December 1st TOMORROW!
And on top of all of this, hubby and I are buying 2 houses tomorrow. We are buying them and will rent them out, in fact they already have tenants in them! Cash flow from day ONE!
Here are the rest of the animal prints that I have uploaded to my Zibbet Shop, might try to get one or two more up this week it depends on everything else I 'have' to do...
In the medical world, the meaning of a failing birth control is equal to pregnancy, and not a long list of possible side effect. After all they never promised you that they would keep you happy, healthy, or even sane... Just that you would not get pregnant.. at least 99% of the time.
So now they have come up with a new trick... they have added a sprinkle of Folic Acid to the pill IN CASE you are one of those 1% that do get pregnant - then your fetus will be better protected against certain birth defects... whohoo!! I am so happy... now we can all safely start shewing the pill every night again!! (Hope you realized I was just kidding there)
I feel like I have opened up my soul to everyone to look, judge, and reflect on who I am... I just put one of my original ideas of my Candie Ink business up for sale on my new Zibbet.com Shop I have no idea what the reaction should be but to me it is like my baby - I will love it no matter what.
I may not sell one, but I might sell a few... the future will tell. I will be happy no matter what.
Ok, I guess I can't just put that up there with any further explanation where I have been hiding the past month...
Life has been busy! And I have a long list of things I want to share with you all. Here are some examples: My view on the vaccine Gardasil, Some more on birth control (off course), Fertility awareness method, Some projects I have been working on...
I will have to get to it when time allows.
My best friend was here for a few days a few weeks ago and I loved every single moment of it!
Here we are posing at American Eagle and they put our picture on the big screen
- all we had to do was to buy something! Pretty Cool.
Since my Etsy.com listings ran out and the competition on Etsy was just too much to handle I have decided to give Zibbet.com a try instead. They don't have close to as many sellers (probably not as many buyers either) but hopefully I can get something happening over there.
I am uploading some things tonight I think - that was my originally thought of Candie Ink... Kind of scary to put it out there, what if people don't like it.. A well. If I don't try - I will never know!
Birth control is a subject that has become a mission bigger than myself... I feel a need to spread the word to everyone I speak with and I wish someone could have shared with me ten years ago what I know today... But on the other hand if someone would have done that - I would not have been here today, trying to work so hard for it.
Birth control in the form of IUD, Pill, Implant, Shot, Ring or Patch are a hormonal form of birth control. They are accepted as the NORM by many; including our parents, friends and doctors and are not questioned enough. What we learn about them are the so called benefits and not side effects - and in many cases the side effect is looked upon as that X% chance of getting pregnant... Off course getting pregnant will change your life forever no matter what you decide to do when you find out that you are pregnant and I am not trying to hide that... but there is so much more than that. So much that not many speak about, or even acknowledge as being related.
More often than NOT are our symptoms ignored, laughed at, or treated with medications that most often fail. Why, I do not know - but I am sad that it has to be that way... there are so many young wonderful women out there that need the support that are left alone to think that it is all in their heads.
I am here to tell you that it is NOT in your head - your symptoms are very much real and are related to hormonal birth control, (or hormonal treatment during menopause if you are at that stage in your life):
Hair loss
Heart Palpitations
Vision blurres
Astigmatism
High Blood pressure
Allergy reactions
Sinus problems
Vaginal Dryness
Depression
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Insomia
Symptom of Hypothyroidism
Low tolerance to carbohydrates
Poor nutrition absorbtion
Diarrhea
Dizzyness
Alcohol and/or Caffeine sensitiveness
Feeling faint
Weight Gain
Weight Loss
Low or no sex drive
Spotting in-between periods
Irregular Bleeding
Cold sores
Low immune system
UTI
Memory problems
Bloating
Mood swings
Migraines
Head aches
Weepiness
PCOS
Sensitive to the sun
Nervousness
Chronically tired
Changes in skin
Muscle cramps or pain
Heart attack
Stroke
Blood clot
As you can see most symptoms have nothing to do with your reproductive tract (vagina, uterus, menstruation)... and they may be overlooked by yourself even, as a symptom of your birth control method. And if you suspect that it is linked you must prepare yourself that your suspicion might be dismissed by the doctor or gynecologist. You must listen to your body! Taking beta blockers, anti depressants, and/or use Rogain shampoo will NOT treat your real underlying issue, only hide it - if you are lucky - and then you should also hope for no side effects of this options. The only way you are truly going to get rid of this is to get off the hormonal birth control, and by that I mean GET OFF, not try another one, and restore your body's natural hormone balance; which could be a trip to hell and back but worth the ride in the end!
Your health comes first! It is really that simple. Without your health in tact you cannot care for your loved ones in the best possible way. Take care of YOU first! If you are taking hormonal birth control you should really sit down and ask yourself if it is worth the risks when there are so many other available options out there that does not include hormones when it comes to birth control (something I will be talking about in a later post). If you are a man reading this - I have only one thing to say - Please support your woman when she does not want to use hormonal methods of birth control, I beg you.
Just as I thought everything was FINALLY over for all my symptoms I have now realized that my cycles are not as normal as they should. More then half of them happen without me getting ovulation! That basically means that the body will keep producing estrogen all the way through the cycle giving me a nice flashback of my years on the pill!
I get amazed by everything new that happens to me.. what if we could ALL learn these things when we are in high school instead?!?! So we don't have to play this guessing game with ourselves all the time! I am getting a little discourage...
So I have already figured out that my body does not make enough progesterone and my body was 'infected' with estrogen... well now on top of that it does not ovulate either every month. Which makes the progesterone deficiency a little bit worse. What happens is that I get all the nice symptoms of too much estrogen.. weight gain, tired, carb sensitive, and weepy! Lovely!!!
So now I am going to work out that part too.. Herbs - here I come!
Just ordered some herbs I have never tried before from iHerb.com and feel hopeful that they will work. Even though I am not looking to get pregnant, I want my body to FUNCTION like a normal woman's body and have ovulation every single cycle - is that really too much to ask??!
So I have now ordered the following herbal supplements: False Unicorn Root - Sounded so mystical and wonderful.. :) and it will help getting my cycles back on track and heal my uterus. Siberian Ginseng - for some energy and Adrenal function Smilax / Sarasparilla - for hormone balance Licorice Root - Adrenal health and hormone balance
Anyone tried it?
First time iHerb customers will get $5 off; use the promotion code HIS994
As I was laying in bed this morning I had the Early Show on and I was only paying half attention to it until they started to talk about risks with hormone replacement for women going through menopause. Thankfully many women select to not receive any hormone treatment when they go through it, but others feel that they have no option, or don't really know what they are getting themselves into...
This is a written piece on pretty much the same interview Please Click HERE to see the original post and recording:
(CBS) Since 2002 when the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study showed an increase risk of breast cancer for women using estrogen and progestin, hormone use has dropped off. But the debate still rages on about just what the risk is.
Now, new findings in a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) further clarify that risk.
The study found that, compared with women who had never used hormone therapy, women who used estrogen therapy for more than 15 years had a 19 percent greater risk of developing breast cancer.
Women who used combined therapy with estrogen plus progestin for 15 or more years had an 83 percent greater risk. Breast cancer risk was highest among women who used the combination regimen.
Other important findings :
• Risk varied according to Body Mass Index (BMI), with greater risks for thinner women.
• Longer duration of hormone therapy increased breast cancer risk.
So what should women take away from this new study?
According to CBS News Medical Correspondent and OB-GYN, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, this study looked at women taking hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, over a certain period of time and then helped to stratify their risk of breast cancer.
While we already know HRT increases the risk of breast cancer, Ashton points out this study focuses on duration of use and combination of HRT, including estrogen and progesterone.
The findings that women who used combined therapy with estrogen plus progestin for 15 or more years had an 83 percent greater risk raises a lot of concern, "Early Show" co-anchor Erica Hill pointed out.
"If taken for more than 15 years," Ashton reiterates. "Remember, if it was 100 percent risk, that would be equivalent to doubling your risk. This 83 percent is actually very similar to what came out in 2002."
Therefore, length of time is important.
"Length of time, longer risk associated with higher risk. Women who took HRT for about two years really showed a minimal increase in their breast cancer risk, so that's important.
"Women who took both combination, as we just saw, estrogen and progesterone, had a higher risk. And women who took what we call continuously without a break also had a higher risk. So that further delineates what the risks are. So like anything, (it's about) risk versus benefits. You want to be able to stratify those risks as much as possible," she added.
Weight also plays a significant role, but the results are surprising.
"Usually we hear obesity can contribute to the risk of breast cancer. This study found thinner women had higher risk," Ashton explained. "It's important to remember, again, this needs to be individually discussed with your doctor, that WHI study from 2002 actually found hormone replacement therapy can lessen the risk of colon cancer. So, if that's a bigger risk for you versus breast cancer, you want to discuss that with your doctor. It's not a simple equation."
What do I think about it... Well, first I think we need to separate the term "hormone treatment" a little bit more. What they in this case are referring to is synthetic hormones, estrogen and progestin.. those found in regular birth control pills. They are dangerous! No question about it... and in combination they are a secured road to many complications now and later on in life. The hormones used is not natural even though many doctors will refer to it as natural hormone replacement.
What we need to focus on is NATURAL ways of reaching optimal health - something that in many cases will not be supported by your doctor because he or she can always refer to it as "there is no proof". But remember that just because it is not published in the big medical journals does not mean it has not been researched, only thing is that most of the natural methods does not have the big medical companies backing them up with a big fat pay check and getting them in publications can be a little hard. But that does not mean that they don't exist.
This is were every woman needs to take an active decision in her life. Is she going to educate herself or is she going to let someone use her body as their personal guinea pig? But here is the second hurdle - how do you know you are learning what is right and most beneficial for you?? At first everything is going to look the same. But you want to look for words as holistic, natural, and reformed. Starting out by reading any of Dr John R Lee's books about hormones will give you a giant leap compared to others just like you... You will know so many things that your doctor may or may not even know, and if they know they may chose to not share it with you.
I am even here willing to say that hormone treatment is beneficial for you, if you need it, but you need to know what hormones you need and where to get them. If you received them through a prescription from your doctor a RED light should go off... Natural Progesterone Cream is good, Natural Vitamin D3 is good, and Natural herbs to stimulate your adrenal gland and your cortisol levels are good!!! And that to me would also classify as hormone treatment - right?!
It is hard to ignore the fact that it is breast cancer awareness month - even during the football games every Sunday we see more pink than we do in our every day life. It is an important effort to reach a better solution for so many women that have suffered and for those who have lost a loved one to breast cancer.
I do however think that there is a lack of information to the public about the progress and what every woman can do for herself to try to stay away from it. They breast cancer industry live and feed off of our fear of getting it... and that is bad, really bad! It is a money machine in both a good way and a bad way...
I want to send this note out - and encourage every woman to read this book. It is all about taking charge of your destiny and not putting your life in someone else hands.. because you never know what they will do with that privilege.Read the book and start supplementing with Vitamin D3!!!
So today is my one year anniversary off Yasmin (birth control). I am celebrating it with every living part of my body! Looking back - I am so thankful I figured it out. I have no idea of what shape or form I would have been in today if I would have still been taking the pills... I don't want to think about it, the last month I was taking it was bad enough. I honestly though I was going to die. I was even afraid to fall asleep in case I wouldn't wake up... It is so crazy what a pill can do to you. It truly messes with your body and mind. And on top of that, the whitdrawl effects makes you wonder if it may not be just you after all... Thank god I stuck by my words of never going back, never give up, and always look for new answers!
As you already know this has become something bigger to me than just my own health. I want to help every girl and woman out there that might suffer like I did. Nothing is going to stop me in that effort. I only have to work harder on my speaking abilities regarding it. So many people I talk to turn down my ideas with rolling eyes and disinterest, and that makes me a little unsure to continue for some reason... I want to work on that. I should have a practiced speech in my head all the time. You never know when there is an opportunity to present it. Right?!
I have been contacted by a law firm just a few days ago to help them in the effort of getting this off the market. I am not sure of any details but the offer sounds incredibly interesting and I am willing to do what it takes to take this message to the next level. I will update you on what this might bring.
My hubby LOVES golf - and when I say LOVES golf I really mean it. He could spend every day for the rest of his life on a golf course! He would miss nothing...
So over the last few days we have been watching the Ryder Cup - he cheering when team USA score and I when team Europe score. He cannot really understand why I want Europe to win, because I don't really know any of the players... then I try to explain to him that he would cheer on team USA no matter what sport or who it is that plays... It is called patriotism!
Anyway I strongly recommend the team USA attire crew to go and find themselves a new designer. Their clothes stinks! They are horrible!! Nothing matches and they look silly! Or what do you think?
Off course it is nothing like the spectacular outfits that were featured in 1999 Ryder's cup...
So I am back on testing my blood sugar again... but I must have picked the worst day ever to start...
For lunch we went to a Thai restaurant and I ordered a curry pot with coconut milk (without knowing it) and rice. So my blood sugar went for a ride!
60 minutes after lunch - 193
90 minutes after lunch - 217
2 hrs after lunch - 258
2.5 hrs after lunch - 140
I was getting a bit worried - numbers like that is just not normal... But I am also trying to figure out if I forgot to take my progesterone yesterday morning... and if that had anything to do with it?
I wish I could have the same food today just to check, but I will do it next time I'm there instead and keep this one for the record. So today I am going to continue sticking myself in the finger multiple times, and this is the start:
Fasting at 7.45 am - 89
30 minutes after having my protein shake at 9.30 am - 106
1 hour after having a Diet Coke (yes I am going to check everything today) at 11.00 am - 96
And my testing will continue...
Good guidelines to live by is:
Fasting: 79-99 mg/dl (3.9-5.5 mmol/L)
Postprandial (2hrs after eating): 70-145 mg/dl (3.9-8.1 mmol/L)
Random: 70-125 mg/dl (3.9-6.9 mmol/L)
I am not much for wearing red. I don't feel that it is my color. I have made a gown in red once, but that is different - that is 'Pretty Woman' style and every girl looks nice in a full red dress...
But other than that - I normally don't ware or buy red clothes.
So today as I was shopping for a gift for my friend I found these red shoes - She LOVES red and I know she has said that she wants to own a pair of red shoes one day - and I thought these would look perfect on her.
I found them at Macy's for a bargain! Then I tried them on in my size... and I loved them.
As you already know; I am a complete scatter brain! I have ideas that grows to mountains one day and falls to the ocean foor the next. Nothing wrong with that - it is just hard to keep up with it.
In late March I opened up my Etsy shop for baby and toddler clothes and was so ready to do it full out, and one month later I started investigating in Real Estate Investing... My Candie Ink business kind of died out. And with me not getting any sales really I couldn't keep it up. Now I am focusing on real estate and have my sewing and printing as a side hobby, but who knows what tomorrow will bring?! You never know with me ;)
So with that said I have been trying to keep blogs separate with different themes.. This blog was originally for health... then I opened one for sewing, then another one for weight loss and then I have one for dancing, and then a blog I write in Swedish in for my Swedish friends... It just got a little hard to keep up with, both for me and the readers.
So I have decided to combine my blogs - so this is now HELENA - EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN... or whatever I decide to name it. With the change I also updated the look a little, and I am still working on getting all my labels organized.. it will take some time but at least I have a plan.
As I am sitting and watching the VMA on MTV I am also now rubbing my boobies with my second batch of progesterone cream for today. I decided to go for 1/8 of a teaspoon twice a day instead of 1/4 once a day because you should use it in different places every time you use it for better absorption and 1/4 is too much to put in one small area. And on top of that only a few areas on the body are 'better' than others. This morning I used the inside of my right arm... now it is time for my boobies!
Also prepared my pill boxes for the week so I have that under control... Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Kelp, B-vitamins, Magnesium, Fish Oil, Calcium... and a pray has been added to the mix too!
This coming Sunday, September 12th - I will start my first progesterone cream treatment. I still have NO idea if it will help or not - but I am hopeful. It feels like this is one of the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Today I also called a Holistic GYN - that I feel I could trust with symptoms and recovery techniques far beyond the regular medicine world. But I have not decided if I should go for it now or not. It will most likely not be covered by my insurance and the first visit is $280... that is almost half a ticket to Sweden over Christmas.
I don't know what to do. Maybe I can go to my regular doctor and have them do some hormone testing on me and that will give me a starting point? But that will mean that I need to get in on Monday so that the progesterone cream does not give a too false starting point. And maybe after a month on the cream if things are still the same I might look for more answers. I don't know... I would love to have someone to talk to that I trust and that would understand...
This past month have been a little set back month for me. I have experienced minor anxiety, heart palpitations, gas, depression, insomnia. food cravings and my cycles have not been on the mark lately either... and I ask myself if it is because I am truly getting a little worse as far as hormone imbalance or if it is because I have been slacking with my supplements eating habits and exercise regimen?! Can it be a little bit of both??
Sunday will be a whole new start for me. I am not only going to attack my issues with the progesterone cream, but also start taking my Thyroid supplements, Vitamin D3, Fish Oil, Vitamin C, and Magnesium along with eating less carbs and sugar and jump back on my exercise schedule again... I have to make it work, I just have to!
Mood called me Friday last week after receiving my letter with a piece of my fabric and told me that they will be shipping some more!! And I received it yesterday. I hope to be done with the dress over the weekend and have decided that instead of doing a short sleeve I am going to make it long and fold it up when needed.
Hopefully there will be enough fabric over for me to make a skirt I was looking at, at GAP:
And on the health aspect of my life I am trying something new and would appreciate any comments on experience with progesterone cream from everyone that have tried it. Please click here and leave a comment, I would really appreciate it.
