PMS

I experience rather severe PMS. I suppose if I let a psychiatrist diagnose me I would even get the mouthful of a diagnosis, Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD.) Yup, a bona fide DSM IV psychiatric diagnosis. I’ll stick to calling it simple PMS for me. I don’t accept that what is experienced to some degree by most women can be a psychiatric disorder. This is a natural phenomena. Hormones on the fritz courtesy of God. Granted, the website I directed you to differentiates between simple PMS and PMDD, but aren’t all mental health issues part of a continuum? Should we label any of it?

I suppose none of the psychiatrists I’ve had have ever bothered to diagnosis my PMS because it came in the context of my bipolar disorder diagnosis. So what if the mood swings coincided with the luteal phase of my menstrual cycle? Well I certainly think it makes a difference. I’m relatively normal the rest of the month. Have been for a long time now. Also they treat PMS and PMDD the same way they treat depression; with SSRI’s which have never worked for me and in fact make me worse. The label is useless to me. I just have to deal like most of us women do.

I’m mentioning this now because I’m currently experiencing symptoms. I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up this blog at the pace I’ve been keeping. I am less able to function optimally during this approximately 10 day period each month. It has improved, actually to a great degree, with my diet and nutritional changes. There is much information on how to treat PMS nutritionally on the net and in books on the topic. Hence, I’m not nearly as much of a bitch as I used to be. I can tolerate myself now and, more importantly, so can my husband.

With the exhaustion and fatigue I’m now experiencing due to the withdrawals, coupled with this, I’m simply just wasted right now. And none too happy about it either.

Enough for now. See you when I’m up to it. I may well surprise myself. I’ve been on a roll since starting this blog, so don’t hesitate to check in.