Oh, Oklahoma... Thank you for bringing in Fall weather... I hear you will get drastically colder this month, that your leaves will change colors, and that there will likely be a lot of rain and even snow this year. Please, may it be so. It would be the warmest, perhaps coldest, welcome to me and you would have my heart for always!
The past couple of weeks have been pretty good. We are finally finding a rhythm in this new chapter of our lives. I am settling in at work and Eric at school. Last week was unusually busy for him because he is joining several clubs, networking, and getting involved in the law school, all while studying 24/7! So proud of my man. That's really what he is... a man. I can only strive to be the best woman for him!
Updates in my life: I am making some major changes for my health!
This is sort of a delayed update but...
First, I am DONE with birth control pills.. at least for now.
Don't worry, I will not be lecturing you for taking them if you do. They were a great contraceptive for me and I have no guilt or moral issues with them. If you've read my eating disorder story, you know that my doctor put me on the pill about 2.5 years ago because I wasn't getting my period (amenorrhea due to overexercising and under-eating).
That said, it's been almost 4 years since I've gotten a real, natural period. (Sorry if that's TMI for some of you)
The reasons I got off the pill are:
1) I want to regulate my hormones naturally and get my period back without pumping synthetic hormones into my body.
2) The pill gave me serious migraines... I had never had one headache in my life before the pill.
3) There's something in me that wants to know I can have a normal cycle without the intervention of contraceptives. Maybe that's silly, but I just need to do this. (perhaps this point is only repeating point one... you get the picture)
I've been off of the pill for about a month now. Still no period... but I have to be patient. Most women do not get theirs back for a few months after getting off the pill.. it may just take me longer.
Trust me, this is something I thought about doing many times. I was just REALLY scared to do it. But here I am, synthetic hormone-free and I feel really great. The only issue has been breast stinging sensations (don't google that, I already did and was convinced I had Breast Cancer) and also a UTI which apparently can be caused by a sudden drop in estrogen levels. Never had a UTI in my adult life EVER and boy do they suck... Had to do a whole round of horrible antibiotics. (TMI again?)
My biggest fear in all of this is my acne returning with a vengeance. Trust me, my acne was BAD before getting on the pill. That's the one thing I absolutely loved about the pill was how beautiful it made my skin look. Thankfully, a friend of mine is a Rodan & Fields consultant and she hooked me up with the greatest acne treatment. I started using it right after I got off the pill, just to do some damage control and it is working wonders... so far, my skin is looking great! So that's a huge praise.
Also, before family and friends freak out and assume I am doing "natural-family-planning"... Trust me, no way! Condoms it is for now (sorry if that's too much TMI again:)) Just to reassure everyone. I am still trying not to get prego while we're broke okay?
Secondly, I am doing Beachbody's 21-day fix! My old co-worker's wife has convinced me... I mean, she lost 60 pounds doing this fitness & diet program! Crazy!
Her name is Katie and she is my coach now! I am doing it with a bunch of other women. We communicate and motivate each other via a Facebook group. I am loving it so far, although I'm sooo sore. It's only day 2 and I already feel lighter and tighter! Excited to shed and build muscle!
I think the fact that I work at a place where the topic of "death" is brought up on the daily has helped me come to understand that many times (definitely not always) people are dying from things that were totally preventable! From lung cancer to heart attacks to liver disease... Many of these people did not take very good care of themselves health-wise (i.e. overweight, high-cholesterol, smokers, heavy drinkers, etc.). This has been a wake-up call to me. I've always been active and health-conscious but I now see the value in doing it beyond just wanting to "look good". :) Woo, that sounded SO vain. ha!
Anyways, those are updates for y'all.
P.S. Wanna hear a funny story? Today I called the helpdesk at work. I was the only one in the Trust department office at the end of the day and they put me on hold on the phone. Well, an Ed Sheeran song started playing in my ear.. "Thinking Out Loud", Yeah, you know the really adorable one. Well, I started singing along, getting really into it, ya know... and then... he took me off hold. Ha!! I hope he didn't hear me singing in my best sexy Ed Sheeran voice "Baby, we found love right where we are.." :)
xoxox, The Law Student's Wife.
