Life With Jenny: Type 1 Diabetes & PMDD

What the heck is PMDD? PMDD is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder. Sometimes this is referred to as 'Severe PMS'. That's the easy way to explain what PMDD is, but it's so much more. PMDD is often misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder because of the severity of mood shifts that can disrupt daily life. Symptoms include extreme sadness, hopelessness, irritability, anger, plus the common PMS symptoms like bloating and breast tenderness.

I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking about my past blog posts and the myriad of other health issues I have and really wondering, am I going to tell you I also have PMDD? Yep. I sure am. Very recently, actually. November 2, 2022 I was officially diagnosed with PMDD. Honestly, getting the diagnosis was relieving. The symptoms I've been living with for all these years aren't normal. They aren't just that 'I get bad periods' or that I'm not strong enough to handle it, I have a legitimate condition that affects me greatly both physically and mentally.

The physical pain is one thing, but the mental and emotional turmoil that I go through can be debilitating. The pure exhaustion, the constant negative thoughts, the fast change in moods, laughing to anger to tears, is so much. I know over the years the undiagnosed PMDD has caused problems between my husband and I-thankfully we worked though those problems and everything is okay, but I can absolutely see how PMDD can ruin your life.

These kinds of things are not spoken about enough and I definitely think that needs to change. Women are not getting the help they need because we are too afraid to say something or we are just told these symptoms are normal and we just need to deal with it. Oh okay, so when the pain is so bad that I literally cannot function, or the mood swings and irrational thoughts are enough to make me want to end my life, those are totally normal and I should just deal with it? How about no. There is help out there and we as women should not be afraid to talk to our doctors about issues like this that are affecting our daily lives. My doctor is great and I definitely say that if you feel unheard when you speak to your doctor about these kinds of things, find a new doctor. Keep looking until you find one who listens and takes you seriously.

I say all this because I did not know about PMDD until literally right before I was diagnosed. Nobody told me about it. Nobody talks about it. As you all know from reading my blog, I want to spread awareness about things, diabetes, thyroid disease, mental health, how we all need Jesus in our life, so I thought it was absolutely fitting that I talk about PMDD here too. If I had known about PMDD years ago, I think I could have avoided some of the pain I've caused myself and others.

For so many years, I've just felt like I was completely crazy 1-2 weeks before starting my period, then you've got the whole week during, which really left me with one good week throughout the month where I wasn't in pain or feeling emotionally up or down in some way. Picking arguments with family members, feeling alone, feeling angry over the smallest things and yelling at my loved ones was so draining. Since I was very recently diagnosed, I can't say the treatment options I'm currently on are 100% working for me, but I think they're helping which means we're going in the right direction! I'm still struggling with many of the symptoms, but I am aware of what the problem is which helps me to think before I act.

The unfortunate thing for me is that many of the conditions I have show the same kinds of symptoms when things aren't managed correctly, so it can be a guessing game of what is wrong. I do believe that treating the PMDD will help me a lot though. I mean, I got to the point of being excited for menopause! I've also thought of how to convince a doctor I need a hysterectomy just because everything surrounding my period is terrible. But with all that said, I just wanted to share that PMDD is a real thing and your hormones are not supposed to make you feel like you need to be locked in a psych ward! Your period should not interfere with your work and personal life. If this is you - you may not have PMDD, but you should still talk to your doctor, because it doesn't have to be like that! There is help out there for us.

Have you ever heard of PMDD? Do you know anyone who has PMDD? What questions do you have about PMDD?

Thank you for being here, thank you for following along on my journey and building this community with me! I'd love to talk to you!

Friday's post will be about Type 1 Diabetes and Exercising - looking forward to sharing that with you! Have a great week! Jesus loves you!

xoxo-Jenny