Flannel Sheets!!!!

This is an event in and of itself--I have put flannel sheets on my bed today!!!!  I used to love flannel sheets so much, but my night sweats (induced by my medication) were so bad that I finally stopped using them a few years ago :-(  I was so sad....until now!  Just another reason that being off medication is awesome.  Flannel sheets are the best when it is so cold outside!!!

Informative books that I have been reading

So I bought three books that I have found to be awesome, and I thought I would share them with you so that you can look into them if you want to:

1. Pregnant on Prozac: The Essential Guide to Making the Best Decision For You and Your Baby, by Shoshana S. Bennett

This is a really great book about choosing to either use or not use meds while pregnant.  It's extremely informative and makes me feel better about having to make the choice to go back on meds if need be.

2. (this one is my favorite) Rebuild From Depression: A Nutrient Guide Including Depression in Pregnancy and Postpartum, by Amanda Rose, Ph.D. and Annell Adams, M.D.

This book is awesome.  Honestly, I can't say enough good things about it.  The author pretty much starts out saying that you need to do what works.  And if that's medication, then so be it, however she encourages the reader to figure out why you are depressed.  There's also information about "breaking the cycle" of depression by fixing your own before or during your pregnancy and perhaps being able to  avoid passing it on to your kid (like in cases where clinical depression "runs in the family" which mine definitely does).  Whether or not there's truth to that I am unsure, but it sure couldn't hurt to try.  The information she presents is very compelling.

3. A Natural Guide To Pregnancy and Postpartum Health, by Dean Raffelock, et al

I haven't gotten into this one as much because I have been so caught up in the others, and also because there doesn't seem to be as much information on the time before pregnancy.

4. Get It Done When You're Depressed, by Julie A. Fast and John D. Preston

I know this book sounds ridiculous.  I know it does.  I picked it up as a red dot special for a dollar at a used book store.  I figured, why not?  Here's the deal: it's AMAZING.  Nothing to do with pregnancy at all, but so helpful for dealing with depression.  I thought it was just going to be silly but it has been a really great resource for me.  The author Julie Fast deals with depression and talks about how to, quite literally, live with your depression.  She talks about the day to day life stuff and how to just get on with it even when you're depressed.  I couldn't believe how many times I went through this book and said, "OMG!  That's exactly how I feel!!!"  This is NOT a "get over it" book.  It's a true portrayal of how to acknowledge and accept your depression and keep working in spite of your feelings.  I love this book.

So there you go.  Happy reading!

Side effects

So, in my recent searches for all things Lexapro related, I have come across some pretty shady stuff, some of which was positively shocking to me.  The main thing I found so shocking was the side effect list I found here: http://www.theroadback.org/lexapro_side_effects.aspx

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!  Okay, now whatever this "The Road Back" program is, I have no idea, nor do I intend to buy their book or anything to do with it, however, this list of side effects is amazing to me, and here's why:

1. Excessive sweating/night sweats.  Are you kidding me????  I get major night sweats and have since I was in my early twenties.  Hmmmm......started taking it at age 22.  Interesting.  I have always wondered about that, because I also tend to sweat a lot when I get hot (I get hot very easily).  I never used to sweat like that.  But again, this has been ten years--I just never thought about it.
2. Irregular heartbeat.  I have been told by doctors that I have an irregular heartbeat.
3. Carpal tunnel symdrome.  This is a BIG one!  I had bilateral carpal tunnel surgery in 2007.  In my former life I groomed dogs, and figured my carpal tunnel syndrome to be a result of that (gripping clippers and brushes (left hand), scissoring (right hand), squeezing nail clippers).  My five year career came to an end because of it (I hated it anyway, but still.....) and I tried everything before I finally got surgery.  It was awful.
4. Migraines.  I get those too--ouch.
5. Restless legs syndrome.  Okay, now I have literally never told anyone about this--not even my husband--because I feel like it's so ridiculous.  Everyone (including my husband and myself) makes fun of those commercials so bad--it's like "get some excercise!  Stretch your legs!  Damn!  They have a pill and a 'syndrome' for everything!"  But at night sometimes, no matter how much I have or have not walked, stretched or exercised, I get this feeling like I have to move my legs and stretch them when I am sitting on the couch.  It's a feeling I can't really explain, and nothing seems to help until I lay flat and stretch out and go to sleep.  I never say anything, because it's not all that bad--but still!!!
6. Weight gain.  I'm fat.  The end.
7. Nighttime teeth clenching/grinding.  Another thing I've been doing since my early twenties.  At times it was so bad that I had to wear a hockey guard to bed.

Okay.  Now, could most of these symptoms have been caused by other things?  Perhaps.  I guess I will find out if they stop or go away after I have it completely out of my system.  Interesting.