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Reintroducing HRT: Physical Risks and Physical Benefits

  Reintroducing HRT: Physical Risks and Physical Benefits Potential Physical Benefits Adding oestrogen back into the body can produce several clinically recognised improvements: Improved thermoregulation Oestrogen helps the hypothalamus regulate temperature, reducing hot flushes and heat intolerance. Reduced morning nausea Stable oestrogen levels can calm the GI system and reduce hormone triggered nausea. Better fluid balance Oestrogen can counteract some progesterone related water retention by stabilising aldosterone activity. Improved sleep and energy Oestrogen supports serotonin and melatonin pathways, which can reduce fatigue and improve sleep quality. Reduced joint pain and stiffness Oestrogen has anti inflammatory effects that can reduce musculoskeletal discomfort. Improved cognitive clarity Oestrogen supports acetylcholine and blood flow in the brain, which can reduce fog and improve focus. These benefits occur be...
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"When burnout returns, my pilot light switches off"

"When burnout returns, my pilot light switches off" Footnote - This actually reads less like "forgetfulness" and more like a perfect storm of executive function overload.  I cannot control it now, this is what happens.
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My Processing Issues Today Deserve an Olympic Gold Medal

  My Processing Issues Today Deserve an Olympic Gold Medal I was awake at 5:45am, which was good because it meant I'd actually had some sleep. My spinning class was at 9:45am. I usually leave around 9:30am. Alexa went off at half past, and that's when I realised my Monday gym clothes were still sitting in the washing machine. Not hanging up. Not dry. Just wet. I have exactly two outfits. One was in the washing machine. Luckily, I'd left my spin trousers in my gym bag after my last class. Unfortunately, that was where the luck ended. I had no socks. Well, technically I had socks, but all three pairs had been worn and were now wet in the washing machine. So I ended up wearing Lucy's and Yak thick winter socks. I had no proper top. I threw on a tracksuit jacket. I hadn't sorted a sports bra either. Honestly, it was probably the worst healthy-living outfit I've ever assembled. Before all of that, I'd tried logging into an app I'd somehow logged out of. Then ...
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Joy

  Joy  (creative writing) This is Joy. Sixteen months ago she was this tiny, tiny just born thing, and now she is Joy. The very meaning of joy. The first time I held her I choked literally and metaphorically. To now ! She makes you laugh. She's funny, she's clever, she's always talking. She just goes about doing her thing, popping the remote control in the bin or chucking it in the washing machine, carrying on with complete confidence as though everything she's doing makes perfect sense. She sweetly blows on her own dinner (My choking fear) . She feeds her self independently. She says, "Whatever you say, whatever you say," then slips back into baby talk before launching into a full conversation. Half the time I have no idea what she's saying, yet somehow we understand each other. We chat away. We converse. We lament. Constantly. And she is joy. But sixteen months ago, the day she was born was also the day of my first therapy session. My childhood PTSD had ...
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Hotel Room Alone - ND Navigation

Art By me This is such a wonderful moment, Alison. You've captured that strange mix of excitement, panic, freedom and disbelief perfectly. I've spell-checked and polished it while keeping your voice and the breathless energy of it all. So excited. I'm packing for a hotel stay all by myself. I've got a luxury hotel night booked just for me. I arrive at three and leave at eleven. Breakfast is included, I've got a two-course dinner included, and I've even booked myself a massage. I've known for just over a week that I was doing this, but somehow I completely forgot to pack my suitcase. Today I carried on as normal, slowly ticking things off the list I'd made myself last night and putting everything on the bed so I could make sure I had everything I needed. I've never done this before. That's why I'm so excited. Usually I've been with my husband, my son, or my daughter in hotel rooms. I've never had a hotel room all to myself. I've ne...
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Today's update is really about the HRT and the glow.

Outfit of the day #OOTD: The outfit that almost was. Today's update is really about the HRT and the glow. I am currently glowing. Oestrogen is water to the garden, and my levels were running so low that, even if this is only temporary, I'm going to bask in the glory because it feels good. I can literally feel it surging all over my body, which is great. For me, it seems to help with all of the things on my ever-growing list of symptoms. Whether I can keep this up, who knows, but for now I'm happy travelling along with the feeling that my body is getting a little bit of false hope, and so is my brain. Benefits - Of Oestrogen - Brain Mood Sleep Bones Heart Skin Joints Muscles Energy Temperature regulation Side effects so far: Headache during the first few days. Cotton mouth, although it's much better than it was. The 1st  10 days , my stomach didn't feel its best. I'm guessing oestrogen affects the bowel and digestive system in some way because everything felt slo...
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Tiny T-Rex Arms - Baby Maverick

  Tiny T-Rex Arms  (Memories of Mav) One of my earliest memories of Maverick my Grandson is a nickname we gave him: Sandbag. We stopped using it fairly quickly when we realized it could be interpreted in ways we never intended, but the reason behind it was simple. Maverick couldn't hold himself up. He couldn't support his shoulders, couldn't take much of his own weight, and because he was in pain so much of the time, he spent long periods being carried. When you picked him up, he would simply drape himself over/down you like a little sandbag. At the time it felt like one of those family nicknames that appear out of nowhere. Looking back now, it was actually telling us something. Another phrase I had never heard before Maverick came along was Failure to Thrive . My daughter taught me, F F T Failure To Thrive .  (how Victorian a quote) In a modern day?  At every check-up she took him, verbally constant , it seemed to appear on forms, abbreviated to FTT. The box would b...
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