Health… {Part 1}
Posted in Uncategorized on 03/10/2010 11:15 am by Mary JoThis is part 1 of a 4 part series about my health related issues. Please be sure to check back to read more.
Even in today’s modern society talking about long standing medical issues can sometimes seem taboo. I rarely talk about my own medical conditions, not to protect myself, but I guess to avoid it. After all, isn’t it easier to forget your sick, when you don’t talk about it?
My medical issues started young, the child of obese parents, I soon joined their ranks. This caused several issues for me as a teen. Not only did I suffer from normal teen issues like mild depression, and self esteem issues, but also things like high blood pressure, and irregular menstrual cycles.
After high school, and being told I no longer needed blood pressure medications, I went off of them. I started taking birth control pills to regulate my period, and things seemed to be improving. I was still overweight, but that didn’t seem to be causing me many problems at the time.
In 2001 I left my job, and along with it, my health insurance, to move a state away. Matt was our sole provider, and I stayed home taking care of our home. During our first year together we both put on some weight. Ah, the comforts of love, eh? But while most people might put on 10-15lbs. I took it up a notch, and gained 70lbs. I was off of my birth control, and things slowly took a turn for the worse.
During the 4 or so years I was OFF of my birth control, I spent a good majority ON my period. Sometimes it would be five days, the next time maybe seven. At times I would get two periods within the same month. It slowly progressed to the point where I was having non-stop bleeding for months at a time.
Unable to afford insurance or doctors, and after a year of non-stop bleeding I decided to try out Planned Parenthood. I was given a brief exam, asked a few questions, and sent on my merry way with birth control. It was wonderful, my period had stopped, and I was back to feeling normal again. However after just four months of being back on birth control everything changed.