When you are sick, no matter what it is,
the only thing you want is someone to take you by your hand and say: “I know
how you feel, I went through the exact same thing”. Finding people that are in
the same situation who nod their heads in understanding when you tell your
story instead of looking at you like you are crazy is more important than
anyone can describe.
I am a Yasmin survivor.
Because of what I went through during my
seven years on this drug and the struggles coming off it I am now passionately
involved in spreading the word on the dangers of Yaz, Yasmin & Ocella. Most
of my time is spent speaking with women and their families through a group
called the Yasmin Survivor Forum. It is an online forum where women from all
around the world who were prescribed Yasmin, Yaz, and Ocella can come together
and share their experiences, talk about their side effects, and most
importantly hold each other’s hands while weaning themselves off these drugs. As
a further action I am now starting this blog so people can share their stories
in a different way; a way that hopefully will find more readers and other
sufferers out there. And also help people that are searching for answers in a
more controlled way as a forum is harder to control by spammers and people
trying to sell you things.
Common side effects from Yaz, Yasmin &
Ocella discussed on the forum include, but are not limited to: depression,
vision changes, anxiety, panic attacks, illogical thinking, headaches,
migraine, low libido, weight changes, spotting, allergies, heart palpitations,
hair loss, hypothyroidism, and many more.
The first time I found the Yasmin Survivor Forum I couldn’t stop crying.
It was the first time in over seven years that I had found people going through
the same things I was. It was for real; it wasn’t just in my head… There were
hundreds of other women out there who felt exactly as I did; in fact it was as
though they were writing and talking about me in their posts.
For so many years I walked around thinking
that the changes I was noticing with my body and mind were due to stress from
different life situations, older age, and just a more mature and new me. Today
I know that it was due to Yasmin.
I had three pills left in my pack when I
found the forum and I was unable to finish it after realizing what kind of
damage it was doing to me every day. In fact, I stopped taking Yasmin that day,
October 7th, 2009 and have been active on the forum ever since. .
Today I am the administrator of the forum
and this Blog and try to help support every member on their journey back to
becoming their real selves again. Many women, including myself, find this
struggle very hard. The body must first get rid of the synthetic hormones and
then the natural hormone production must start up again – a process that is
mentally and physically exhausting! Without the help from the forum and this
blog many women would probably go back on the pill, or maybe try another brand,
because they would never gain the support and maybe also knowledge needed to
handle this.
The knowledge of why your symptoms are happening and
the support of others who will not let you fail form the basis and soul of why
I am doing this!
My dream is that we can close the forum and
blog down simply because there are no more women suffering from birth control
pills, but until then it is open for everyone that needs our support. Women and
their loved ones are welcome to come and read, ask questions, and write about
whatever they are going through – whatever they need in order to feel comfort…
To contribute to this blog send an email to Yasmin and Yaz Blog - MyStory
Xoxox
