u/ADP_away3456

Hi all, about 15 months out here from being floxed. Main symptoms are nerve related (twitching, burning pain, muscle cramping) and fatigue.

I thought I was gradually getting better and that most of my symptoms were becoming a lot less frequent, with the fatigue plateauing at a manageable level. But then earlier this year I got much worse muscle cramps, twitching, and fatigue. I also got a lot more depressed because I felt like all I could do was lie around watching TV for the whole month because of the fatigue, and I was afraid to even do light exercise because of the muscle issues. My sleep was terrible and I was feeling really anxious about it. At the end of the month my dr. put me back on sick leave. I asked to try an antidepressant for my mental health we went with duloxetine because it is also commonly prescribed off-label for generalized nerve pain (e.g., burning).

We started with a low dose of 30mg/day. Well, within a week, my twitching and muscle issues were 90% gone. Within a couple of weeks, I felt better mentally than I think I ever have in my life (having struggled on and off with depression for a long time). I had a huge burst of energy. After about 6 weeks on it, the improvement dipped a bit, but I still feel this dose is 80% effective and I still feel mentally better than ever despite the ongoing flox-related health issues (and some other, unrelated troublesome health issues too). I still struggle with some fatigue and need to rest for a couple hours in the afternoons - a full-day of activity is still off the table - but the relief is otherwise immense. I have very little twitching and almost no burning, and the muscle cramping was totally gone within days. I was just hoping for a good result for my mental health but all this other stuff is a pretty miraculous bonus. It's all allowed me to also focus on improving my sleep, which I have been able to since I have so much less anxiety.

Side effects (don't read the duloxetine sub, it's all horror stories!):
- First 3 days: lots of nausea and zero appetite
- First month: frequent headaches, maybe 3-4x/week
- If I took it with my dinner: feeling wired until 1-2 AM, so I take it with breakfast now
- Continuing side effects: Very little hunger signals. I deal with this by eating at regular times and making an effort to eat enough calories at each meal. I'm quite slim so this is important. Good news is, it stops me from eating unhealthy snacks mid morning or mid aft as I just don't feel hungry.

So if you are having a similar time as me...perhaps something to consider with your doc.

Hello all, I just completed the TEF IRN test today and will have my results next week.

- Oral expression was first. It was exactly like the examples given in the prep materials. 5 min talking with a friend about whether they should take the train or the bus to an appointment in another city. A 5 min call to an outdoor centre to ask about hiking.

The remaining tests were taken back to back on a computer over about 1.5 hours.

- Written comprehension included filling in blanks by picking the right multiple choice question or choosing words form a drop-down, a couple of "annonces" where you had to identify the meaning in them, and multiple choice about the meaning in longer texts. There were also a couple with 4 boxes of text and you had to identify which one was the right answer to the question (e.g., "Which box contains a literary critique?"). I believe it was 10 questions in 12 minutes, then another 12 questions in 14 minutes, if I remember correctly but I may not be quite right, anyway the times are similar. You go at your own pace and can go back and forth between the questions until the time runs out.

- Oral comprehension, the sound bite is played once and then you have limited time to respond, then it automatically goes to the next question. You cannot go back. Easier questions had 5 seconds to read the question before the sound bite was played, then 10 seconds to answer it after the end of the sound bite. Harder questions had 10 seconds to read and then 15 seconds to answer. There was a mix of matching a conversation to a picture, announcements where you had to identify what was being announced, identifying meaning in voice mails, and then a few longer 60-90 second clips where you had to identify what the person interviewed was saying/meaning.

- Written expression was last, again exactly as described in the prep docs. 10 minutes to write to a friend asking how things are going, and then 20 minutes to respond to an advertisement looking for volunteers for a trip.

FYI, for WC and OC, the prep materials said that the second set of questions is "adapté à votre niveau" so I think this means that if you do well on the first set, you get harder ones for the second set??? Idk.

Hope this is helpful!

Hi all, my follow up appt with my surgeon is on Tues and I'm in need of some advice. I'm 42 and am open to having a hysterectomy, but given possible long-term complications (e.g. incontinence, prolapse) I want to be 100% sure I'm not overlooking any less drastic choices. Here is the info:

- I have 3 fibroids, two submucosal and one intramural. The gynecologist who did my last ultrasound felt that my largest submucosal (a 5cm FIGO type 2, fundal) is not possible to remove hysteroscopically. That's the one likely causing most of my pain so leaving it there is not an option!
- The drs also feel that doing a less invasive procedure to shrink them (e.g. UFE) would still leave me with significant symptoms, since this would only shrink them 50-60% and the submucosal ones can cause symptoms even if they're small. The gyno who did my last ultrasound said I could always try a UFE first, and see if I can live with whatever symptoms I end up having. But my periods were so excruciating before I started taking birth control that I can't accept going back to even 50% of that pain....
- Unfortunately, both the gynos I've seen have taken the position that they "don't usually recommend" myomectomy to women who are older and who do not want children, as myomectomy is more complex surgery and carries higher surgical risks than hysterectomy ("we open your uterus like a book" for myomectomy were the exact words used!). However, I would be willing to accept that risk (since the overall risks are still low), if I could be confident that I wouldn't end up needing another surgery within 5 years to remove new fibroids. I've ready MANY of you have ended up with multiple myomectomies, so that's my worry!

What would you do in my case - particularly those of you who have had submucosals?? Have any of you had larger submucosals that were successfully treated another way and where the benefits lasted for years?