"Should've" taken the pill and didn't.
Sunday, September 8
Experienced near-migraine-level headaches for a few minutes at a time sporadically throughout the day.
Monday, September 9
Woke up at 2:30am in the fetal position, holding my splitting head. Tried to wait it out, but needed to get to sleep because I was directing Challenge B the next day. Took naproxen sodium.
Exactly eight hours later, when the medicine wore off, the headache came back a little, but I was able to resist taking more pain medicine.
Tuesday, September 10
More sporadic, painful headaches.
My mind feels slightly thinner, like something thick and clunky has been discarded. I feel good, more "myself." Not sure if it was just a good mood or something legitimately hormonal.
Wednesday, September 11–current (Wednesday, October 2)
No headaches! They have not returned since this. I'll never know if it was the birth control "withdrawal" or not, but I think it probably was.
Tuesday, September 17–Friday, September 27
Starting to experience some breast and nipple soreness. Doing jumpy exercises is uncomfortable.
Tuesday, September 17
Had some weird discharge. "Weird" because I forgot I used to get that before the pill. Definitely did not miss that these past three years.
Feeling more in touch with my sexuality. Hadn't been in a particularly sexy place for a while, but...feeling it.
Wednesday, September 18
Discharge continues.
Skin isn't looking great. A few small pimples pop up in places that I usually have trouble. Liberally apply The Body Shop's good ol' tea tree target gel.
Continuing to feel, as Rachel Green would say, "erotically charged."
Thursday, September 19
Still charged.
Do some research about discharge, find out 1) I'm probably ovulating for the first time in three years (yay, the pill didn't break me!), and 2) women typically feel more "in the mood" while they're ovulating, so that explains that as well.
Friday, September 20–Saturday, September 21
Nothing to report.
Sunday, September 22
Feel really bloated. Jeans I bought a few weeks ago don't fit the way they did when I bought them?
Monday, September 23
Still bloated.
Mellow Mushroom pizza tastes horrible one bite, delicious the next. Start to be paranoid about being pregnant.
Tuesday, September 24–Wednesday, September 25
Skin is looking mostly normal. Pimples may not have had anything to do with coming off the pill.
Still bloated.
Thursday, September 26
Still bloated. Entertaining the possibility that my summer diet is just catching up with me.
Take a pregnancy test to put my mind at ease about the bloating and breast soreness and changing food preferences.
Not pregnant.
Friday, September 27
Consider washing my hair a day early because it's greasier than usual. Realize that it would actually be TWO days earlier. Wonder if going off the pill is causing that?
Saturday, September 28
Some cramping.
End up not starting my period.
Sunday, September 29–Tuesday, October 1
Text Gabe from the bathroom: "'I'm not pregnant!' *said from the fetal position*"
Looks like the pill didn't break me and I could bounce back right away if I needed/wanted to, so that's good to know should we decide that period suck more than we're willing to put up with until we're ready to start trying, because...
Forgot how much real periods SUCK. Won't go into detail here, but girls who aren't on the pill know what I'm talking about. Alllllllll the wonderful stuff I'm talking about.
Wednesday, October 2
Period ends. Not sure if all of them will be this short—they were five or six days before taking the pill—but certainly wouldn't mind if they are.
Friday, September 27
Consider washing my hair a day early because it's greasier than usual. Realize that it would actually be TWO days earlier. Wonder if going off the pill is causing that?
Saturday, September 28
Some cramping.
End up not starting my period.
Sunday, September 29–Tuesday, October 1
Text Gabe from the bathroom: "'I'm not pregnant!' *said from the fetal position*"
Looks like the pill didn't break me and I could bounce back right away if I needed/wanted to, so that's good to know should we decide that period suck more than we're willing to put up with until we're ready to start trying, because...
Forgot how much real periods SUCK. Won't go into detail here, but girls who aren't on the pill know what I'm talking about. Alllllllll the wonderful stuff I'm talking about.
Wednesday, October 2
Period ends. Not sure if all of them will be this short—they were five or six days before taking the pill—but certainly wouldn't mind if they are.
Summary So Far:
Quitting the pill has affected me very little. While I think the headaches, breast tenderness, and ovulation are related to stopping, the other things may very well be normal and I'm just paying extra close attention to everything.
Not having to do something at 9:00 every single night is nice.
Periods suck so much. The pain and inconvenience had really faded in my mind after having super light, 2-day periods for three years. Reality hurts.
Periods suck so much. The pain and inconvenience had really faded in my mind after having super light, 2-day periods for three years. Reality hurts.
~Stephanie
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