u/Soggy_Shake_7128

I’m a twin mom of identical toddler guys. They are the best thing ever, we love them both so much and are in continuous amazement and awe of their development. Healthy, strong, funny, doing all the things.

My question here is advice from any identical twins who have a visible difference do to an abnormal defect. I hate using the word but not sure what else to call it? One of our twins has amblyopia and some visible structural differences (asymmetry in nuchal folds and difference in eye size too) around one eye along with some possible limited vision there too.

Our little ones look so much alike, often the only way people can tell them apart is by baby A’s eye. I don’t dress them alike for many reasons to make it easier to find other ways to describe them, but alas…

For twins who experienced this, any advice, insight or perspective on growing up in a situation like this would be helpful. Words your parents used. Lessons you learned. Things to avoid.

There’s no script or playbook for multiples really, especially not in a situation like this so it’s always great to hear advice from those that came before us.

I love my boys deeply and want them to be their own individuals while maintaining this special gift from the universe of the twin bond. and to not have baby A’s joy for life ever be dimmed by this

I’ve battled health anxiety my whole life, over 30 years. It started when I was a kid, around 7 and was clearly OCD. Very obsessed with my health, contamination concerns, checking, etc. I was not medicated.

In college I was diagnosed with GAD and started on Celexa. Took that until I wanted to have kids and it worked well but health concerns would still pop up.

Post kids I’ve been on lexapro, currently 20mg. I’m over a year out from my kids and no longer producing breastmilk. My health anxiety is back with a vengeance and is quite disruptive. Postpartum plus some trauma dialed it up, and 15 years of CBT isn’t working.

I feel like the voices will not shut up. I live in my bed when not taking care of my kids. My work is suffering. My triggers are body sensations (food) and mornings. Food tastes like cardboard before 1pm and I’m scared to eat for fear of stomach sensations. I think I have some anxiety-trigged GI stuff happening. My external compulsions are controlled but it feels like holding up the world to not google, go the doctor, seek reassurance. I spend soooo much time rehearsing doctor convos in my head. Or just thinking about my health in general. A small dose of Xanax is my only relief. My tests are normal, I’m healthy (TSH, blood sugar, cbc panels, iron, etc.)

I’m struggling because my OB wants me on hormones, my PCP wants me on another SSRI, my psyc wants a dual SSRI approach with fluvox, my therapist is focused on a toolbox that’s just isn’t working anymore. my Y-BOCS was 26. And I have three young children so the room for error here is slim when trying new drugs.

Any advice on what to do would be appreciated. Or even perspectives on how hormones would impact psyc treatment / women’s mental health.

No one in my real life cares so I can brag here.

Our AQI was over 500 last night.

My purifiers and my airflow strategy kept us down around 10 PM2.5 inside and in the bedrooms specifically. When the smoke first started rolling in, it was above 100 pm2.5 inside.

In 37 and about a year postpartum. Long story short, my OB found probable adenomyosis on a TV US (scan was to look at some other stuff that turned out to be benign).

I’m not currently experiencing any symptoms (at least, not like other members of this community). I have regular periods that are heavy for the first few days but pain is manageable and my iron is fine.

But I’m worried about what’s coming for me. We agreed we’ll treat when symptoms arise. But will this get worse? Will it stay as is? I’m done having kids and had my tubes removed (no endo found during the c section and biopsy of some tubal cysts).

What is the decision tree / next steps / actions that are in general recommended? Seems all over the place from what I’m reading.