7 Quick Takes: Summer break, kid wardrobe purging, Low Dose Naltrexone, and endless house hunting
Oh, heeeey summer, nice of you to drop by after dumping snow all over the month of May and generally slinking in like a dirty dog, dripping wet from endless afternoon rainstorms and keeping the sump pump gainfully and eternal employed.
(Starting to rain as I type. Bangs head on keyboard.)
It’s fine though, it’s fine. I mean, fire season will be milder for it, and that’s a thing we worry about in Colorado, so damp silver lining.
-1-
In theory, summer is awesome. Pool time, day camp (anyone done Totus Tuus? Worth the 45 minute drive each way?) popsicles, bonfires. In reality, there is a lot of unstructured begging for additional meals and a lot of laundry. I’ve actually been quietly purging their wardrobes down to basic 5 t-shirts per kid and a big stack of shorts and hiding everything else up high in the closet as it comes out of the wash. I’m aiming for a 40% reduction in size by the end of the week, which I figure will cut my 12 or so weekly loads down to seven. Am I good at math? We’ll find out
-2-
I’m considering a fridge lock for Luke the stout, because if I had a dollar for every time I’ve found him upside down in a container of deli meat or a pint of blueberries, I’d have enough to buy one. I’ve never had a toddler who eats like him, and at 32 pounds and 21 months old, I’m not sure “toddler” is an appropriate term any longer.
-3-
About 3 months ago I started taking LDN, or low dose naltrexone, as a kind of “I give up but am not quite ready to go back to an SSRI” for getting my anxiety under control and to hopefully make a dent in the crazy, cyclical insomnia I’ve been struggling with for the past year or so and wow. Just wow. This little drug, only 3 measly milligrams, has been a total game changer for me. It has a fascinating rap sheet of results for everything from nudging auto immune disease into remission (endometriosis, celiac, Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.) to reducing anxiety levels in people with PTSD or general anxiety disorders, and it even helps with insomnia. I can’t speak to the auto immune piece confidently since I’ve made a ton of concurrent dietary adjustments over the past year and a half, but I do feel amazing and I’m sleeping in long, uninterrupted chunks at night with no wakings and no problem falling asleep, which is huge. I started at 1.5 mg and stayed there for about a month before going up to 3. I feel so good here that I’m probably not going to progress up to 4.5, which was the initial dose my doctor targeted.
You guys, if you’re struggling with anything like PMDD, cycle-related depression or anxiety or any of those autoimmune diseases, totally look into this. A lot of NaPro (Creighton model) doctors are prescribing this for everything from low fertility to the aforementioned conditions, and have been for about the last 10 years. Best of all? No serious side effects. Zero. And it’s cheap as dirt. There are a few weeks of intense dreams and some ironic insomnia when you first start taking it, but other than that, there’s nothing documented. And it supports immune function since it encourages dopamine production. That’s the working theory behind why it has an impact on all those autoimmune diseases. Worth a little time on this website, at any rate. (Painfully obvious disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, so please consult with someone who is.)
-4-
Is this a safe place to admit that I’m still not drinking coffee? Gulp. Also about 3 months and going strong, so about the same time I started the LDN. Guys, I was desperate. I was having such terrible anxiety, especially post peak leading up to the start of a new cycle, and I could.not.sleep. I tried everything short of Ambien (I have an avowed fear of hardcore pharmaceuticals since my most recent birth and a bad Percocet trip) and so finally, finally, I had to pull the espresso plug in a desperate Hail Mary.
Well, now I’m coffee abstinent except for the occasional weekend cappuccino, and I feel fine. (Lowers voice) Maybe better than I ever felt on my regular 2 cups a day…
At first I was drinking decaf espresso in the morning to honor my beloved ritual, but after a while the lack of caffeine caused me to actually lose interest. It’s so weird. I doubt I’ve gone 2 consecutive days without coffee in my entire adult life, but here I am. And perhaps in need of a little rebranding? Yikes. Give me all the kombucha and sparkling water instead.
-5-
I posted this on Facebook and I’m sure it was an act of social media arson, but I urge you to take a listen no matter what your feelings on Harry Potter. And I figured if I can write about yoga and still maintain 90% of my friends list, we can probably talk about anything. Up next: circumcision, vaccines, and breastfeeding! (jkjk)
As an avowed former superfan, I’ve seen both sides of the argument. (And if you think you are a bigger fan than I was, ask yourself if you ever stood in line at Barnes and Noble at midnight on a Thursday wearing a construction paper wizard hat made by your very own 22 year old self. I’ll just let that one sink in.) Minute 58 is where the HP conversation picks up.
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We made an offer on a house, 5k over asking! They took an offer $30k higher than that. We made another offer! They had a full cash buyer. We made another offer! The house had mold problems. We made another offer! Oops, the foundation is cracked and moving…
Such is the summer we are having. We’re currently a few hours from an acceptance deadline on yet another house, this one most beautiful and perfectly located but in need of some major cosmetic TLC, but I’m not holding my breath. I wonder if I’d have shingles again right now, where it not for the LDN? 😉
Pray for us. Please beg St. Joseph for his prayers for us. We’re averaging more than a dozen showings a week with all the kids in tow, and it’s grueling. We’re so grateful to have a beautiful home to live in while we hunt, but we’re so tired, and I would really, really love to not be here still when the school year starts.
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In need of a new couples show to watch now that M Sec is done for the season. We like period dramas (well, Dave likes me so…But Downton Abbey was a real house favorite) and we like action-y stuff…kind of. Political dramas, yes, but minus the porn and super graphic violence. So far every show I’ve tried on for size recently has missed the mark on some level or another. Tell me what’s out there that doesn’t suck! Amazon, Netflix, or one of the streaming cable networks.
Hope you have a nice cold margarita waiting to welcome you into the weekend. Stop by Kelly’s and say hi.
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56 Comments
Katie
Thanks for posting the HP bit! Not an easy topic to discuss with most people. I grew up among the biggest of the biggest HP fans. Read them too many times to admit. But something began tugging at me these past few years. Not enough for me to blacklist them, but enough for me to think that my kids were going to be exposed to Lord of the Rings first. Then I had a conversation with an exorcist and flat out asked him about it. And I’ve been digesting it ever since (as is my husband). I’m almost at a place where I’ll willingly get rid of the books (which I’ve had since each of them came out – so sad!). People who know me will be utterly shocked to hear that I won’t choose to expose my kids to HP. But our spiritual lives come first.
Jenny Uebbing
I agree. I had a real awakening about it several years ago and purged my entire collection – all the books and all the DVDs. It was tough. But I’ve talked to enough exorcists to be concerned. You’re so right, the spiritual life has to come first. We’re so good at downplaying the reality of the spiritual world in the super materialist (in the philosophical sense, not the shopping addiction sense) West, and I think that’s the reason so many people eye roll you over the suggestion that something could carry inherent spiritual risk even with the intention of “taking it seriously” missing. (i.e. the now infamous yoga post). Also, like Fr. says towards the end of the segment, whenever there is such vitriol in someone’s response, there’s something going on there. If someone tells me they hate Star Wars, I’ll probably pity them for their cinematic ineptitude, but I won’t unfriend them and light up their social media channels. It’s crazy how people get about HP (which is why I never write about it…)
Katie
Yes to everything. Actually, just before you posted your piece about yoga, I had been digesting that for a while and had just had a conversation with an exorcist over it. I had never fully practiced yoga but was doing poses and such at home as advised by my doctor. I had sought counsel from other Catholics as I was feeling uncomfortable, but the general consensus was, “oh you’re not using it spiritually, so it’s fine.” I even confessed going to one class and feeling spiritually unclean, and the priest dismissed it. After my recent conversation, though, and then your post, I was 100% convicted. I still am weary about sharing all of this with close friends & family, though! Thank you for being bold and putting this info out there.
Katie
Also, just got home from work (after sending my husband the link to that audio clip today), and we are both now at peace with getting rid of the books. 🙂
Mary
So true. I was feeling defensive after reading the yoga post until a little voice in my heart whispered “Is yoga so important that you would risk wounding your relationship with Jesus?” Of course not! We need to remember to filter what we allow into our lives, and our children’s, through this lens. It feels a bit “womp womp” at times, but as you said, our spiritual lives come first.
Laura
I kinda liked the Good Wife on Amazon prime for a few seasons- same hardworking mom idea as Madame Sec, minus the devoted husband :-/ but I’ve given up on it this week. I’m in the market for a new show too, so lemme know what you find. It sounds like our interests line up perfectly 🙂
Jenny Uebbing
Will do Laura!
Dan Krischke
If you have Netflix, watch “Heartland”. It is a Canadian production and there is no cursing, no sex, etc. We just finished watching the first 8 seasons and I did not have one nightmare.
Erin
I guess I can goigle, but is LDN breastfeeding safe? Considering options when baby comes in August–I suffered through awful ppa before that I had no idea was ppa until baby weaned and I became sane again… don’t want to go through that again.
Also do you like comedy? Parks and Recreation is good. I’ve heard good things about Hell on Wheels but haven’t watched it myself. Also Fr. Brown is on Netflix. We’re I’m a similar situation and just finished rewathing the office, so….
Jenny Uebbing
Haha, we also tried to go through the Office again out of desperation and only got halfway through the Pilot. I’ll give Parks and Rec a whirl, my siblings all love it. My husband loves Fr. Brown but I find murder mysteries kind of boring, but it’s a great cast of characters.
I know women who take LDN while pregnant so I would image it’s nursing safe. I’ve taken SSRIs while pregnant and nursing and I’d feel much safer taking LDN, and would have no problem doing it in the future.
Becky
Well disregard my later comment about Father Brown, then 😉
Jessica
We have also liked the office…just finished the entire series after we began it in the fall after a still birth. It was just the laughs we really really needed. We have also enjoyed white collar and NCIS. I will be following these comments to find out what others are watching!
Mary
Oh my goodness, please do not tell people that LDN has no side effects. LDN is an off-label use of the drug naltrexone. Off-label means that this use of the drug has not been approved by the FDA. That does not mean that people do not experience side effects, just that they are likely not documented in any kind of large, national study the way that FDA-approved uses are. When I went on LDN, my pharmacist and doctor warned me of various side effects (from insomnia to dry eye). The internet offers many anecdotal reports of side effects associated with LDN, often mild but they absolutely exist.
Jenny Uebbing
Okay Mary, I’ll edit it to say no serious side effects, since I am aware of none and have had two doctors advise the same.
Cheri
Show recommendations on Netflix:
Nobel. It’s a Norwegian mini-series so not for anyone who doesn’t like subtitles. But there are no gratuitous sex scenes ( why do they ruin every show with quasi-porn?!) and no overly graphic violent scenes. It’s a very interesting political drama. My husband & I liked that it was about the war in the Middle East, but from a perspective that was new (not American).
We’ve also been liking Better Call Saul. I guess it’s a prequel to Breaking Bad ( which I have no interest in watching because I just can’t handle the darkness) but there is only like 1 swear one an episode, complex characters, and nothing gratuitous.
Bley
A few random show recs: The Heavy Water War (about Norwegians scientists during WWII), so good; Shetland (murder mystery, British, but quite suspenseful, nothing too gratuitous or disgusting).
I tried to like the Fr. Brown shows, but I think they are awful. Have you watched all the Poirot series’? I know they are mysteries, but the period-ness of them is so wonderful! And my all-time favorite, Foyle’s War:)
So happy to hear you are having success with LDN.
MargoB
Oh — Foyle’s War is *really* good! But the best — *THE.BEST* — series out there is ABC’s “Once Upon A Time.” No sex, no swearwords; lots of: love, sacrifice, hope, conversion, good vs evil, — well done fairy tale drama that basically expresses the Gospel/kerygma, even though the story writers probably didn’t intend that. (They’re just good story writers — Adam Horowitz & Eddie Kitsis, of “Lost” fame.)
Maria
I really enjoyed Once Upon a Time, and I haven’t watched the last two seasons, but it looks like one of the characters introduces a homosexual love interest?
Margo
Maria,
Oops! You’re right. I forgot those scenes/episodes. It was Little Red Riding Hood, and Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. I found that subplot unnecessary, and was glad that it was wrapped up fairly quickly vs being a major arc/subplot. As far as I can remember, there aren’t any other situations that raise the issue of sexuality.
Aside from that, the show presented real human struggles, sacrifice, redemption, forgiveness, hope, and authentic love vs less Noble desires, and versus evil comma with evil generally losing. 🙂
Torey
Yes to Totus Tuus, although remind me how old your kids are again? Have you watched War & Peace? The Crown? Victoria? Poldark? Also Kurt Seyit and Sura is on Netflix and was just recommended by a priest friend I went to college with. I haven’t watched it yet, but it sounds good.
Stephanie
Have you considered a move to Louisville, CO? We love living in Louisville! We are close to an amazing parish and live in a family friendly location. There are two homes for sale in my neighborhood and they won’t last long. Just thought I would share! Good luck with everything!
Lauren
I took LDN for a bit and it did really help. Just getting good quality sleep is huge for mental health. And I liked that it was safe for breastfeeding and pregnancy. Now I take 1/2 Unisom as need and don’t take LDN.
Also a nice coffee substitute is Nuun energy tabs (in cold water). I like it in the afternoon when I want something cold instead of coffee. It’s made from green tea and B12 I think.
Anna
We’ve been loving Turn, a revolutionary war drama, there’s action, romance, and history. It’s been fun for my husband and I to watch together. There is some sexual content, but it’s not egregious. It’s on Amc but a few seasons are on Netflix.
Beth
Naltrexone? Like the medication used to treat addiction? I’m intrigued but also mildly skeptical how a drug that stops the action of opioids would help with everything from anxiety to sleep to substance use to autoimmune disorders and infertility.
Kristen
Exactly that drug. My doctor explained to me how it work but I don’t feel confident relaying that on the interest. 😉 She prescribed it for me to hopefully help my thyroid and potentially my fertility. I feel so much better on it but definitely had a couple weeks of crazy dreams.
Beth
I’m definitely interested in learning more. I have a NaPRO doc. that I trust. I’ll start there 🙂
Arenda
My husband and I both loved The Crown on Netflix (about Queen Elizabeth II becoming the British monarch). It is absolutely gorgeous (the clothes! the crown! the setting!), Winston Churchill is hilarious, and the whole show is done very well (it even takes the monarchy seriously). There’s a crass joke in the first episode, but otherwise it’s clean. Plus, from the spiritual side of things, I found the anointing with oil during the coronation ceremony both fascinating and reverent.
If you’re into detective shows, Brokenwood (on Acorn TV) is a nicely executed Australian crime drama.
Arenda
Pardon me, New Zealand crime drama!
Colleen
Have you watched “The Night Manager”? Enough action and lack-of-sap to be husband friendly, but a good story and interesting locale. Also, Tom Hiddleston.
Missy
Yes to Totus Tuus!! This will be the fourth year my daughter will go and second year for my son. I feel like they get all the fun of a summer camp and still learn something about the faith. No watering it down.
Not sure how you feel about superhero shows, but my husband and I are watching Arrow right now. I’m also enjoying Great News on NBC streaming.
Caroline
Regarding Harry Potter- I find it puzzling why so many prominent Catholic bloggers plug it SO HARD sometimes… They can’t say enough about its wonders it leaves me scratching my head!
Emily
That is super interesting about naltrexone. Naltrexone has been effective in treating alcaholism and a desire to drink. I am curious have you noticed anything regarding that?
Kathryn
My husband and I were able to agree on Person of Interest on Netflix… drama/action, but very clean in the sex department as well as the graphic violence. I also binged on The Goodwife postpartum, though my husband wasn’t as enthralled.
We’re currently watching Suits on Amazon Prime and loving it. A little language and sex, but not terrible!
Ingrid
About Harry Potter books. I listened to the Q and A about HP you referred to. It was very short and not convincing to me. Do you have any suggestions for articles that discuss this in depth? I would love to read more about it to perhaps see something I have missed.
I have never considered myself a fan. My younger brother was a fan (he grew out of HP in his mid-teens) so I had seen parts of all the movies. I didn`t think much of the movies so I assumed the books were bad, too. But I picked up the first book from my brother`s shelf a few years ago as an adult and liked it from page 1. Books are much better than the movies. I`m still not a big fan and have read all parts once except the first which I reread for school and the new play which I haven`t and don`t intend to read. I`m studying to become a teacher and we discussed HP in the literature class. It was mentioned in the class that the books and everything related to them are probably keeping their popularity mainly thanks to the generation that grew up as the books came out and the present generation of children are not that interested in them. Some literature teachers consider the first book to be the weakest in the series.
I find the books have many strengths that make them worth reading. I would not recommend them to 11-year-olds but somewhere starting around 14-15 perhaps? They require a certain level of being used to clean horror stories (I loved Oscar Wilde`s The Canterville Ghost book as a child but was too sensitive for horror movies shown on TV) and offer moments of recognition to those that have read a variety of detective stories. Then they are not so much about being a witch as about good fantasy giving opportunities to discuss reality. If a child is very sensitive and might not be able to go on with his life with all the information on demons he might wait and pick it up as and adult.
I would not purge my library because a speaker at a conference said a particular book was literary crap if I myself found it to be good literature (not a classic but still definitely worth reading). Especially if the speaker had only read one book in the series. His main point seemed to be that one should not name demons by name lest they get more power from it. I tend to strongly agree with Dumbledore who said that they get their power from fear and you should always call things by their proper names. I think a person who believes in the reality of demons ought to see some good in that reality being brought up in fiction in a way that clearly shows the need to fight against demons and does not in any way show any demons in a positive light. The final books (before the play) give a good opportunity to discuss the end times (with the dead rising up and all). I might be wrong but I don`t remember God being mentioned in the books (maybe something near the end?). Still, it is only up to the Christian parent to connect the subjects covered to the Christian understanding of them. As with any other book.
Probably the larger part of children reading HP books have been told it`s pure fiction just for the fun of it and there are no demons in reality just like there is no tooth fairy. But even for those children the books might make them aware of the need to fight against evil in the world and to take a stand and not hide under a chair when a demanding situation arises. I loved that though children did a lot in these books, ultimately they were never left on their own. There were always adults looking over them and taking final responsibility. It should be the same with children reading books.
It`s never a good idea to become so obsessed with any book of any genre, subject or literary quality that it starts to live a life of it`s own in your head. And it can happen to any book with a susceptible reader. Books as such raise children who read them and define the way they see the world. Whether a child concentrates on the “fun” of being a witch and getting everything they want (which these books are not about) or the clear differentiation of good and evil and the reality of having to fight against demons in the outside world as well as within oneself and overcoming one`s character flaws and prejudices to do something good with one`s life, depends on the adults around that child.
Jenny Uebbing
The speaker was an experienced exorcist, so his opinion carries some weight. Oddly enough, because of my husbands work and just circumstances, we are friends with 4 exorcists (what a life) and all are of the same opinion on HP: stay away. They are particularly concerned with the curiosity effect on children.
So for me, hearing that kind of unified consensus that these books and movies are problematic, especially from people whose job it is to combat the effects of evil, I take notice. I’ve never had a priest warn me off of Lord of the Rings or Star Wars or Pirates of the Caribbean. And again, it isn’t the entire Church speaking with one voice, but warnings coming from a very experienced and authoritative position of dealing with extreme evil and it’s effects on a daily basis. I think it’s essential that we as Catholics and as parents use common sense and wise discernment, and that goes for anything I read or my kids read. But no, I haven’t burned all my Dave Matthews albums or relegated the kids to watching only CCC movies.
I figure there is enough great literature out there to keep them busy for a lifetime – and then some. If one measly set of books *is* problematic, even if I weren’t sure of it myself, why take the risk? It’s not like we’re jettisoning a whole body of literature or assembling a banned books list. But if my oncologist tells me to avoid x ingredient, because his entire career is the effects of the worst cast scenario of consuming it, because he sees a dozen new patients a month who are sick because of it…then I’m probably going to listen to him, even if I love the flavor and really enjoy the foods it’s in. I figure exorcists are a bit like the oncologists of the clergy; (though I have had plenty of conversations with regular ‘ol parish priests who share their opinion on HP) if they say something is risky, then I’m probably going to defer to their expert opinion, even if my general practitioner isn’t quite so cautious.
Hope that helps! Michael O’Brien and Anthony Esolon have written some thought provoking essays on HP over the years, you might look them up.
Ingrid
Thank you for the names and the response!
I read Michael O`Brien`s article on LifeSiteNews and Athony Esolen`s response to it on TouchStoneMag titled Harry Potter coda. And I fully agree with Esolen`s conclusion: “That some have weaknesses which make even negligible amounts harmful to them is no reason to place what may be harmful to some under general interdict–which seems to me an all too common operation among Christian Potter critics. Discretion and good sense are always required of their guardians, but spiritually healthy children of normal sensibilities need take no harm from these books.”
I take my health very seriously and avoid a wide variety of things. I have never owned a smart phone, used a microwave oven (or revisited a restaurant that might have used it), consumed coffee, black tea, tobacco, alcohol… I don`t buy water in plastic bottles. I spent many years completely without painkillers because I thought I had started to need higher doses of them and considered pains more benign than the cumulative effect of drugs. I outlived the pains and found that avoiding gluten and lactose helps a lot, even though I`m not very persistent with that. I live in a country that doesn`t get Netflix and I rarely watch TV (Road to Avolea is great. I`m not sure it airs anywhere now, though. I watch an episode or two every few months.). Instead we have one of the cleanest air in Europe. I`m picky about the books I pick up and pickier about those I finish and I still manage to read about 150-200 books a year. I don`t see harm in reading HP. I don`t have the inclination or the time to become obsessed with any single book or series of books and to start “dabbling in the occult” as O`Brien said. I`d like to think parents who teach their children to love reading are capable of keeping them supplied with books and activities so they don`t either.
I do see how HP books could feed unhealthy curiosity in children that do not have a background of regard for the supernatural. I loved reading about witches and all other kinds of fairy tales and fantasy books as a child. But it would never have occurred to me to try out a spell from somewhere because you just don`t play with things that are beyond your comprehension and might cause huge trouble. I really believe there must be something mentally wrong with an adult to try a spell for fire from a youth novel and burn down her house.
It is the parents` task to discern if their kids are mature enough to separate fiction books from actually applicable things.
Personally, I think far more harm comes to children from watching TV and computer screens from an early age. It makes them incapable of discerning reality and filling their time with something wholesome. I grew up knowing that small children should not see the screen at all and if in the same room they should be kept with their backs to the TV. Now they watch everything from one year old. Which creates a base to read HP on a very shallow level.
As a result of this discussion I decided to reread HP which I probably would not have done otherwise. Perhaps I will see it in a new, revealing light, perhaps I`ll find more Christian subjects in it.
Mel
I have been a huge HP fan since the first book came out. I listened to the thing you posted, and read the facebook comments. Obviously I agree that we have to keep our attachments to things in check and offer the proper guidance to our kids when they read something like that,and at the appropriate age. BUT (and for lack of any better term I will be the “devils advocate” here…though I am not actually his advocate 😉 ) what CAN we safely read in good conscience?? Anything, as long as it doesn’t involve witchcraft? Can we read our kids fairy tales? I just finished reading a historical fiction book based on the legend of Dracula. Ruled out?? I am a hugely avid reader, and hope my kids will be too. What is safe? Where do you draw the line? I’ll admit that I wasn’t aware of Rowling using “real spells” and all of the other things he mentioned but…I just don’t know. I almost feel like the alternative is being overly scrupulous about every single thing I read and making sure that there are no fantasy elements introduced ever just to be on the safe side?? That rules out a lot. I’m torn :/
Megan
You might want to try Murdoch Mysteries! It’s a Canadian TV drama set in turn-of-the-century Toronto. The hero is a Catholic detective. Clean and thought-provoking, and it touches on how faith and science aren’t mutually exclusive! We check them out of the library for free. 🙂
Cassie
Definitely Kurt Seyit and Sura on Netflix!!! Absolutely love it. It’s a period piece sort of like Downton 😍 It’s super clean too!
Stephanie
I was listening to your link – it cuts off the introduction. Who is speaking? Where was it originally posted?
Thanks.
Jenny Uebbing
It’s Fr. Chad Ripperger, an exorcist who recently moved from Nebraska to Colorado. The original conference was hosted on his website: https://sentrad.org/multimedia/
Susan
I wonder if some of the HP controversy is cultural? I’m British, and well aware that the books are firmly in the traditions of British folklore and school stories. My girls were raised in the US on that English literary diet, and although they loved HP, for them, there was nothing new or extra tempting about the content of the books.
Eva
SO HAPPY YOU MENTIONED LDN!!! Can you tell I’m on it, too? It’s a secret gem, I swear. I also find it somewhat ironic as (I’ve mentioned this before) we have the same meyers-briggs combination. Interesting. Although i’m only at 3mg (will be heading for the 4.5), the last crazy insomnia/pms was *manageable* (for the entire family, not just me!). I also use it to tame endometriosis flare ups. My NaPro instructor also suggested it and although I was a bit hesitant, i’m so glad I was convinced. More women need to hear about this drug! And the fact that the only potential side effect is vivid dreams (mine were weirder than all the postpartum dreams combined) … worth a shot!
Cassie
To you ladies that have used LDN, where are you obtaining it? From a NaPro trained physician? I recently went to my Catholic NFP only gynocologist who has some NaPro experience and I have been experiencing some extra PMS in the last year since my daughter was born. I was only offered Prometrium or compounded progesterone suppositories, which I know can help some. Can you take LDN even when on an SSRI, which I am on due to past PPD experiences (3 out of 7 babies) and generalized anxiety. But now that I am 39, I’m having worsening PMS and the doc said this happens the older you get. I saw this medication on the Napro website so I guess if I have to make the 4 hour drive to Nebraska, I will.
Jenny Uebbing
I got mine from a NFP friendly doc, but I was the one who presented them with the option and said I’d like to try it. They also offered an SSRI and progesterone and a host of other hormone options, but I opted to stick with post peak progesterone and try the LDN. I know many people report good results combining LDN with Wellbutrin, in particular, but I’ve heard it working in tandem effectively with other SSRIs. I have not needed to add an SSRI to the mix, it has been sufficient on it’s own (well, with the progesterone) to address the anxiety/depression piece for me.
Sarah
A regular OB or more of a functional medicine doctor? I am curious who I should approach about giving it a try. Thank you.
Eva
My napro instructor sent the prescription to a pharmacy she trusts and they mailed it to me. I guess (in Canada?) she can prescribe it without needed GP requisition ..
Carol
My husband and I just finished The People vs OJ Simpson on Netflix. It’s a very interesting 10 part miniseries that’s let’s you see the strategies, perception, and failings on both sides of the case. I’m a HSP and stay away from entertainment that is too intense, but I found this just the right amount of captivating. You get a couple of quick, dimly lit, ugly shots at the beginning when the murders are discovered, but it didn’t phase me and the rest is mostly courtroom and legal offices. And it provoked some great conversation for us as we digested each episode.
Cassie
Thanks for the info., Jenny. I may give the progesterone post peak a month or two and if it’s not sufficient, then call the nurse in that same doctor’s office and see if they ever prescribe this. I assume it was made through a compounding pharmacy? God bless you for your post – it’s not always easy putting our sufferings out there for others to judge. But I have often found when I share my experiences, it helps others and vice versa……and that is worth it. It’s also another way for us to grow in the virtue of humility, which I know I most certainly need help with!
Becky
Father Brown on Netflix!! Based on GK Chesterton’s character. I’m only through the first season and we all know series often get darker as they go on.
BUT! It represents the priesthood well as well as the Catholic Church and I wish Father Brown was a real person I could just hug. He solves murder mysteries! Hope you like it!
Laura
Call the Midwives. I’ve only watched a coupe episodes but it was highly recommended to me when I was finished with Downton Abbey. I don’t watch much in the way of TV series or movies, but have enjoyed the first few that I’ve watched so far.
Margo
Oh, right! I forgot about Call the Midwife. That, too, is an excellent series. Amazingly enough, Christianity, religious life, & prayer were all taken seriously and portrayed as such.
Lisa
We like Home Fires a lot (British town during WWII)- it’s no Downton or The Crown, and a little heavy in some areas, but it’s a good period show. 🙂
Ellie
Really been enjoying The Keepers on Netflix!!
The English Major
Watch The Last Ship. My husband and I both really enjoyed it–there’s action, but no gratuitous violence. No sex scenes. Good vs. evil, and evil always loses! Re. Harry Potter. Didn’t Pope Benedict say children should not read it? Or am I misinformed?
Emily
Good Morning ! I would love to learn more about your journey with Low Dose Naltrexone. I am searching high and low trying to find people whom are using this for PMDD/cyclical depression/ hormone imbalances…I can not find much on it. I have been diagnosed PMDD, with co infection of EBV. I have had this for over 10 years and tried everything out there for relief, so far nothing. I will be starting LDN next week. I would love to know what dosing you began at, what you slowly worked up towards in dosing and where you are now ? side effects to work through?? And more insight and feedback would be greatly appreciated !<3 My Doc has not used LDN for PMDD but has alot of experience with LDN. He is most likely going to start me at 1 or 2 mg. Thank you so much! xo