Hey Annette!
A personal posting! Good to hear from you. I always think praise has to go where it's due. You made a difference for me right when I needed it, so thank you. You were honest, forthright, no beating about the bush. I like that in a person. I am weight training 2 or 3 times a week now: I used to be an upper body weakling, now I can do 30 push ups, more than I've ever done in my life, I am up to holding 24 pounds on squats and plies, up from 16 three weeks ago, 10 or 12 pounds on bicep curls, used to be only 5 or 8, and so on and so on. The combination of cardio and weight training has made me feel so empowered, which right now, stuck in the middle of a PhD proposal-generating-semester, is just what I need!
I read a note of yours the other day about reasons to be cheerful when PMS is grinding you down. I totally agree. One of the best things about this forum is being able to connect with other women out there who go through the same troubles and joys, and to share them vicariously on-line. You know, when PMS gets that bad it's actually called PMDD (premesntrual dysphoric disorder) and I have suffered it for about 2 years now. Up to two weeks out of every month can be hell. I'm just sinking into it now in fact, so it helps to read postings like yours to suggest a wider perspective on life other than how terrible our body and emotions feel right now. Thank you for sharing your vulnerability in that posting.
On a medical note, here at the University of Michigan where I teach, a new study is being carried out testing a nasal spray which they claim, and they have convinced me, reduces the symptoms of PMS/PMDD to make life bearable again. It works by targetting a small gland in the nose that communicates somehow to the brain -I'm no medic- and eases your life. This is a very important step in the treatment of this condition. In about a year it could be available for women like you to get through prescription, I should think. And you control it: you administer the doses when you need it, as often as you need it. So you are further empowered. Unfortunately I could not participate in the research because I lack that gland in my nose! Go figure... So it is not a solution for freaks like me!
If you would like more info on this, please let me know and I can get this for you.
In the meanwhile, good to hear from you and now I have to go do some work! Enjoy!
Clare
