FM's Routine II

[flatmama]

Okay, I'm getting ready to start my second attempt with BE. I did have a previous thread but just wanted to start fresh this year. What I gained last time is still there mostly. I can still wear a B cup but it is a bit looser. The A's are still too tight. I sure wish my B's had more projection though....I wouldn't look so flat.


Right now I am taking nothing internal. I am TRYING to massage everyday with fennel extract, EPO, and cocoa butter (I think I should add the Vit. E back too...just gotta find it). I can feel more fullness from just doing this and have some pains and tingles.

I'll be going to the GYN this week and will be getting on birth control soon. I'm pretty sure Yasmin. If this is bad, please tell me. I'm planning on sticking with the massage when I start the pill.

So, I have a couple of questions.

How long after starting BC should I wait before I start internals?

Will BC change any of my doses?

Anything else I should consider with the massage?

Thanks
FM

[Wahaika]

FM,

Yasmin is probably the most friendly BE BC you could use. There will be no conflict with the herbs and BC. Starting on BC will not change anything.

Considerations for the massage: Whenever you use cocoa butter (be it regular cocoa butter or palmer's) always add some Greenbush fenugreek extract to it. I think that fennel is too weak.

You could use borage oil instead of EPO. I think borage is better but both work. Definitely add Vitamin E.

Don't forget the heat.

Wahaika

[flatmama]

Wahaika,
Thanks so much. Well I found my Vit. E oil so I'll add it. I'll get some fenugreek extract then. I was just using fennel to avoid some of the smell. Well, I'm almost out of EPO then I'll have to buy some more, so I'll just get the borage oil then. I'll try to remember the heat. I'm usually so tired, I just fall asleep!

How much success do you think I could have with just massage and yasmin, no internals? Just curious if it's even possible to have good success that way.

FM

[Wahaika]

I don't think that it has been tried. The successes in the past were all with internals and externals I am pretty sure.

[flatmama]

Would using both Fennel and Fenugreek extract with the massage just be too much?

Also, just curious, why is Yasmin possibly the most BE friendly?

Went to the GYN, got Yasmin. I was given the option too of using it for a few months to a year without taking the inactive pills.....so no AF for at least a few months. Would this be good or bad for BE?

[Wahaika]

>>Would using both Fennel and Fenugreek extract with the massage just be too much?

Nope. Should be fine.

>>Also, just curious, why is Yasmin possibly the most BE friendly?

This is something Wenonae pointed out one day and I have been watching it since then and have found it to be true. (One of the extremely few times I agree with W on anything.) So, for me it is based on observation.

>>Went to the GYN, got Yasmin. I was given the option too of using it for a few months to a year without taking the inactive pills.....so no AF for at least a few months. Would this be good or bad for BE?

No AF is BAD for BE. I consider it bad for general health also.

>>"Ok so I've been at this level for 12 days now with no difference:"

I need to get back to you on that. In a nutshell, yep, that's the way it is. But also I was reading a post where someone took PM and it cleared her skin in three days. I don't know what the BE effect is, if any, yet.

[flatmama]

Thanks Wahaika, not sure that last one was mine though

I agree with no AF not being so great. I worry about that...but it would be nice to not have one for a couple of months. I want to see how my body reacts to the yasmin anyways before I even think about skipping AF. Thanks for the help.

[flatmama]

So, today or tomorrow, I get to begin Yasmin. I am sadly, very excited about this. I have been scared to get on BC for the last few years because the first few made me ridiculously moody. I am a very moody person to begin with, I don't need something to enhance that. I am still nervous about the crazies coming back but have a lot more hope with Yasmin after reading up on it....a lot.

I've also been trying to find out more about my hormone levels. I tried to see about getting them checked out by doctors after everything was normal and they told me that I probably have a hormonal imbalance causing my problems. How nice of them to tell me I cannot get them tested until menopause. (I have no choice for doctors-military-and can only go somewhere else and have it covered by insurance if I'm referred..can't afford it without). Honestly, that made me quite mad. But it's the past...moving on.

So, from checking online hormone tests (I do not know about there accuracy but it's the best I have) I am estrogen dominant.....but my estrogen is still low. I'm hoping Yasmin is good for this.

Good news from the GYN- I only have 1 small cyst in my breast! okay, this might not seem like a big deal but every time I have gone, I have been told how fibroid-filled my breats are. So whatever I was doing before...massage or what, has really improved them. I've never worried about it or ever really been concerned but it's still nice to have them gone.

I have not been so good with the externals as I have wanted to be. There's been so much going on and I haven't been sleeping well, so I just end up forgetting and falling asleep.

I'm debating on whether or not I still want to continue BE. I would love to have more up top but right now, I'm really concerned most about feeling "normal". I spend 3 weeks of every month dealing with PMS, fluctuating from mild to severe during that time. I feel like I'm trapped in a body I can't control. I have cramping during ovulation and painful cramping during AF. (I've had to take 2 Lortab before...and it's just dulled the pain, but couldn't complete get rid of it) I get depressed right before AF and bleed for 7 days....really, it's just all getting too much. I can barely deal with myself most of the time, and I have 2 little ones at home that I stay home with to take care of. It's hard to take care of other people when you feel like you have no control over yourself. I'm hoping that Yasmin will help me. I've had a good feeling about it for awhile but just recently got the courage up to try it. Maybe I'll get lucky and it'll work great for me.....and even end up being one of the lucky ones that grows up top with it too. If I do well on it, I will probably attempt BE internals again. Until I know that...I will try to at least keep up with massage, even just dry massage, as I think it's really helped with my breast health.

Good Luck everyone

[flatmama]

I've been on the yasmin about 6 days now, today is day 6. I've been doing good on it. The first 2 days I was happy! It was great. I've been slightly moody since then and still getting some anxiety.....but it's lessening. Biggest problem I have been having on it is all the leg cramps! Every day it's a different leg! It's pretty annoying. My calf muscles feel super tight and stiff when I flex my foot but it doesn't hurt. When I put my foot back to regular position, it hurts. It's like a mini charlie horse. I'm starting to think it's because my diet has changed since starting it. I don't drink or eat as much dairy as I did before. I'm just not craving it like I used to. I went from drinking at least 2 or 3 glasses of milk to 0-1 each day. So today, my goal is to drink more water and milk. I also stopped taking my calcium supplement about a month ago. (For anyone freaking out about DVT, I have no signs of that and the muscle cramps started before the BC. They were just minor and I didn't think much about them until now)
Suggestions for the muscles cramps?

I also get nauseous when i take my flax seed oil even a few hours after the pill. Guess I'm going to have to switch that to night!

I'm still deciding on BE. Honestly, I'm hoping that the pill alone can help me grow! No signs of that though. But I've lost 2 lbs! No breast size either. Most likely, I will attempt BE. I just need to give myself some time to make sure I'm adjusting well to the Yasmin. So far, not so bad.

[flatmama]

Wahaika- Quick question for you....Would shortening the amount of days I take the non-hormone pills on the birth control be okay? I know skipping periods is not okay for BE but I'm wondering if maybe instead of taking 7 placebos I take only 4, would that still be okay?



So for an update: I found out the leg cramps weren't being caused by the Yasmin (yay!). I found this out after one of legs started to swell (the lower part) and I freaked....blood clots run in the family. Well, I went to the doctor and I have some weird calf injury. Can't remember what he called it. Anyways, because of where it's at, it causes some fluid retention in my leg....what a relief there!

Every now and then I get some aches in my breasts and some tingles...no complaints. If my breasts grow...GREAT! I'm going to start some externals next cycle...as often as I can remember. So far, I love this birth control though....I feel...normal for the most part and my mood and energy is slowly going up.

[Wahaika]

I would say that it depends on why you are on BC (birth control or hormone balance) and it would be a better question for your doctor. He would be much better to ask about adjustments like that one. My own opinion is that you would be better off stabilizing on your current dosage (like for a few months) before adjusting it.

>>"So far, I love this birth control though....I feel...normal for the most part and my mood and energy is slowly going up."

To me, that looks like a good indication that the dosages are fine where they are for now. But your doctor is where you will get the opinion that counts.

[flatmama]

My doctor actually recommended continuous (sp?) active pills, no placebos. I know this isn't good for BE. I also worry about not having any kind of regular indication that I'm not pregnant
I'm on birth control for hormonal balance, which I think I'm getting. There are plenty of other ways to prevent pregnancy (which we're still using anyways...don't completely trust the pill).

You are probably right, I probably just need to go a few months on it first and then see how it goes. Hopefully, it keeps up and I keep feeling good. I like that I'm starting to get sensations in my breasts even though I'm not doing anything but an occasional quicky massage.

[flatmama]

Quicky update:

My breasts are still giving me sensations, almost getting to more than I had on the herbs. Every day they feel a little bit stronger. I have aches and tingles....lots of tingles. I think they are getting fuller but my husband hasn't noticed anything.

I'm almost finished with my first cycle of the Yasmin. I like it so far. Some minor mood swings every now and then but for the most part, I feel happier. I have headaches often. I think most of that is because of sleep, or lack there of. I've had a lot of rough nights, nightmares and weird dreams that wake me up. They seem to be calming down but other things have preventing my good nights sleep. Tonight I'm going to sleep good though. I'm going to make sure of it.

I'm going to stick with the occasional quicky dry massage right now. I think I'll start with the Fennel extract, vit. E oil, and cocoa butter massage (at least a few times a week) at the beginning of my next cycle. I hope I can keep with with sensations. Really, if I can get growth from birth control instead of herbs, that's so much easier....1 tiny pill ;D

[serene]

Hey FM!
I was just wondering if you are still having tingles with your bc?
Serene

[flatmama]

Hi Serene!
Yeah, I'm still getting the tingles. I'm having less though but a lot more heaviness and pains since starting to do that great massage routine you posted. I love it. It's been helping tons!

I've been meaning to update for awhile, but now is a good time. They definitely feel fuller. Bras are uncomfortable, almost feel tight but they are still loose in the cups, if that makes any sense. The shape is looking amazing. They are still small but they seem more perky and fuller.
Again, Thanks Serene for posting that massage stuff!

As far the Yasmin goes, I still like it. Today is my last active pill day for this cycle. I did 24 days of active pills, going to try 4 inactive. I don't want to be off the hormones too much as they seem to be helping me a bit. My energy is slowly going up still and I'm having more 'happy' moods. This last week I've been really snappy, although that might be PMS. I've had more headaches than usual with this pill but I think a lot of it has to do with my water intake. I believe I get slightly dehydrated because of the diuretic in the Yasmin. As long as I keep up on the water I seem to have a lot less headaches. Some of it is allergies too causing problems with my sinuses. Change of seasons and all that here.

So in a couple of days I'm going to start adding the Fennel extract, Vit. E oil and cocoa butter into the massage. Right now I'm just using the cocoa butter. I will most likely not be adding internals. If this new massage works out I won't need to.

That's it for now. I'll take measurements on day 14, if I remember. I need to get a new tape measure since my other one got ripped. I don't know if that'll make a huge difference or not.