PMDD

My mom and I have been on a journey to figure out what is wrong with my body. Those of you who know me well, know all about my hormone imbalance. I have noticed that whenever my hormone imbalance is really messed up, so is my anxiety disorder. I know that they are related, and the medication that I'm on helps most of the time, but not always. Today, after another night of nightmares/sleeplessness, I awoke with more symptoms of my messed up hormones. It is so uncomfortable, plus it puts me through all of the emotions of someone who is post-partum.

Mom saw an advertisement for a website http://www.understandpmdd.com/ . This site seems to be exactly what I'm going through. It says

"While 75% of women of childbearing age experience at least one symptom of PMS,
anywhere between 3% to 8% actually have PMDD. The major difference is in the
severity of your symptoms, especially your emotional symptoms,
and whether they significantly interfere with work, school or your daily
relationships."

It lists the symptoms as

"Emotional symptoms:
Feeling sad or depressed
A sense of hopelessness
Feeling worthless/guilty
Feeling anxious/tense
Mood swings
Feeling overwhelmed/out of control
Feeling sensitive
Irritability/anger
Having conflicts
A diminished interest in activities
Difficulty concentrating

Physical symptoms:
Fatigue
Increased appetite
Food cravings
Sleeping more
Trouble sleeping
Breast tenderness
Breast swelling
Headaches
Bloating
Muscle aches"

There is a body diary on the site that asks 14 questions. I rate each question from "not at all" to "severe". The site suggests doing this every day for two months. At any time, I can print out a report to take to my physican with my answers to the questions graphed out. That will show how my symptoms are related to my cycle. It also helps by giving this advice:

"It is important to disregard any myths still out there, especially the biggest
myth of all — that PMDD is all in your head. Would anybody tell a person with
arthritis, allergies or high blood pressure that they're imagining it?
Healthcare professionals recognize PMDD as a treatable condition. The Food and
Drug Administration FDA) does too — and has approved prescription medications
for it. And, every day, research is identifying new ways to help treat the
symptoms of PMDD, so women can live better lives. "

It is exciting for me to be able to think about being able to "fix" this problem! I've dealt with this for almost 7 years now! If this is what I really have, then hopefully I can take the steps to improve my life.