I’ve always had good luck at Cresswell rockpooling.
Yesterday I found:
-A velvet swimming crab
-A brown edible crab
-An “asterias rubens” sea star
-Multiple caridean shrimps
-A literal colony of hermit crabs
And some small unidentified fish.
For context im 18yo and started my period age 12. They were normal at first, but heavy. By age 14, my periods were excruciating, and it has only progressed getting worse and worse in the past few years. Tried mini pill and tranexamic acid, no improvement, combined not an option due to mh issues and migraines.
My symptoms are:
-Extremely heavy periods
-Debilitating period pain that leaves me bed bound and screaming
-Bloating constantly
-Deep hip and lower back pain constantly (could be linked to my femoral anteversion but unsure)
-Fatigue
-Migraines, constant headaches
-Painful bowel movements that can make me cry
-Toileting urgency
-Frequent and sometimes difficult urination
-Lingering dull pelvic pain that it worse if on period or ovulating
My Mam has endometriosis, but ultrasounds did not suggest that I do.
Any advice, comfort, tips for next steps or even anyone with similar symptoms/ ultrasound findings would be greatly appreciated.
tw: mentions of self harming, and suicidal ideation
hey guys, im sarah and im 18. some of you might have seen my posts before if youve been active here for a long time.
my backstory:
i have had emetophobic tendencies since about age 4, but became severely emetophobic at age 8. i refused to eat, developed arfid, and was a chronic school avoider.
i started secondary school and things only went downhill. covid only promoted my safety behaviours, and after covid i was really, really unwell. at age 12 i began self harming, and my anxiety was so bad that my body refused food, i literally couldnt swallow. this was all due to emetophobia. at age 14, it finally got too much and i reached out for help. at this point i had undiagnosed ocd. i had been taking anxiety meds for two years, and was convinced that staircases, colours, certain shoes were “cursed” to make me unwell. i couldnt see how unwell i was. i was housebound, suicidal, underweight and not coping at all. i failed my classes because my attendance was so low. my mam had to reduce her working hours to look after me, and was considered a ‘carer’ because i was so dependent on her. i was on steroids because of the extensive damage to my hands, washing 50+ times a day. i lied to my doctors and was taking 4 antisickness tablets every single day.
at this point, i started CBT and exposure therapy. it didnt work at first. it made me worse, i dont like to sugarcoat and say that everything about therapy was great because it wasnt. one therapist discharged me at age 15, telling me i had “no potential to recover.”
at age 16/17 i was referred to my seventh CAMHS therapist, who was incredible at ocd and emetophobia treatment. this woman was so harsh on me, but in the best way possible. at this point i was severely self harming, and had an alcohol misuse problem, all down to my emetophobia. she made me see how much of my life i was missing out on. i completed a one session flooding treatment, then six months of intensive exposure therapy. it was hard, but i was medicated to help me get through it, and my life honestly changed for the better.
now:
i still have tough days, life isn’t perfect. emetophobia does creep back in. but i have a whole bunch of wins
- i go out with my friends, take buses, trains, go out for drinks and genuinely enjoy it
- i went to a concert with 14,000 people and loved it, and i didn’t panic that i would catch anything
- i work part time with SEND children, and will be starting full time in september
- i attend full time at college, and i can actually focus because my anxiety is controlled
- i love my life, i am still emetophobic, but the panic is only uncontrollable in an immanent situation, its no longer irrational
to put this into context, i have had to visit hospital 3 times this month. i vomited for the first time in 6 years. it threw me, i was terrified. but i got on with my life, two days in bed, then i was back at it.
TLDR: i went from having severe, life limiting emetophobia, to receiving the care i needed, and now having controlled emetophobia
for all of you out there, who like i once did, believe that you are emetophobia and you are past saving, you are not. reach out, be brave and keep going. i believe in every one of you ❤️🩹