Skin preoccupation

[dreaminghope]

I am preoccupied by something in much the same way as a popcorn kernel caught in your back teeth seems to preoccupy your tongue. You just can't seem to get your tongue to forget that the kernel's there, even if you can't feel it between the teeth, and even though you know that poking it with your tongue won't do anything but make you look stupid. Instead of my tongue wandering to this particular distraction, it is my mind wandering to focus on a two-inch bit of skin on my right shoulder blade. That's where my shiny new birth control patch is stuck.

Actually, my preoccupation is split between my shoulder blade and another two-inch square patch of skin on my lower abdomen. This bit of skin is where last week’s birth control patch was located, and the area is beautifully decorated with a delicate red rash. The skin feels annoyed under my jeans. Perhaps I should have worn a skirt today.

I am having a "if they can put a person on the moon..." kind of day.

I decided to try the birth control patch this month because, after eight years on The Pill, I am losing my ability to remember to take daily pills. Not wanting to prove my psychic correct by becoming pregnant less then a year after buying a house that has no room for a baby, I decided to try an alternative delivery method.

The ads and informational inserts for The Patch show a subtle patch stuck to a lovely woman’s back, stomach or ass, looking clean and non-irritating. Obviously this lovely woman simply stands around in her underwear all day, for my patch does not look that perfect for more then a few minutes. I move and my skin shifts, so the patch shifts slightly, leaving a thin line of adhesive on my skin all around the patch. This adhesive acts as a magnet, drawing to it the darkest fuzz and the fluffiest lint. Now my patch has a dark fuzzy trim that stubbornly refuses to come off.

Even before the skin under the patch got itchy and the rash broke out, the ugly-factor made a pretty clear-cut case for returning to my former method*. Rational as that might sound, I haven't given up yet. Now that I've proven to myself that I cannot count on myself to remember a pill every day, returning to The Pill means being preoccupied every day with the internal nagging: Did you remember last night? Will you remember tonight? My internal nag is very persistent, though useless when actually needed.

Personally, I think we need a new holiday where all the men who rely on their female partners for birth control do something nice for those reliable women who make sure there are fewer unwanted babies in this world by taking pills, sticking on patches, or inserting things. Sure, it is for our own good too, but it is a big responsibility, often accompanied by annoying side effects, and I want a present, damn it!

Now I'm going to go back to trying to work, pausing every fifteen minutes to poke at my shoulder blade and make sure the patch is staying stuck.

*Hormonal birth control has been very good to me in many ways, so I'm not eager to seek out other methods of protecting my uterus.

Comments

[cinnamonsqueak.livejournal.com]

dude! I understand! I've been on the pill since i was 15... the past few years I have forgotten it so often. Especially when I'm happy its like the mind forgets. ~sighs~

I agree. WE should be given a holiday or something. Especially when we do forget and have to take 2 pills in one night then feel like barfing for the next day. And then stressing about it.

I hope it works out for you. ~hugs~

[darianhawke.livejournal.com]

Tell you both what. The mystery event of May 19th is hereby re-christened "Thanks for Worrying About Birth Control, Here's A Present Day" (TWABCHAPD..... I like that....)

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Woo-hoo! Party in the name of not being pregnant! You rock!

I'll have to tell Russ about TWABCHAPD, though, as he'll still owe me a present.

[darianhawke.livejournal.com]

indeed.... spread the word my children, spread the world.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Women unite! We will declare our own holiday.

I'm glad it isn't just me who can't remember a daily pill. I always beat myself when it happens.

[firerainchild.livejournal.com]

So... I'm getting married, in like, 3 months, and I'm looking into birth control. Personally I'm really scared about going to see my OBGYN (for the first time) do you have any advice for a first-timer?

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

I've never found the OBGYN to be too bad. I was pretty nervous the first time, but it's just uncomfortable, really.

It helps if you know what to expect, so if no one's kind of explained what happens, email me (dreamhope AT livejournal DOT com) and I'll email you some details.

If you are going to be getting birth control, it helps to know what you want. I've had doctors who are willing to sit down and talk about options, but I mostly go to clinics where they tend to hustle you through.

If you can, talk to people about what they've used and what they liked and didn't like. I've had friends with IUDs, on Depo, etc., and they could tell me a lot about what it was like to be on them.

For example, I liked Alesse (the pill I was on). It is a lower hormone dose then some of the others - a previous brand gave me migraines. I prefered the 28 day packs of pills to the 21 (for me, it is easier to remember a pill every single day instead of a pill every day for 21 days, then a week off).

Stuff like that might help you choose a birth control method. Good luck!

[thedoorsgirl.livejournal.com]

hi there. i saw that one of your interests was bookcrossing. do you mean the website bookcrossing.com? if so i love that site! i am lislis78 on there. may i add you to my friends list on lj?

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Add away! I have added you.

It is a reference to bookcrossing.com. I don't get out to do it as much as I'd like, but I love the idea.

[thedoorsgirl.livejournal.com]

I love the idea that someone might log the finding of one of my books years later...it might be kind of an idealistic idea, but still.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Good answer! ~applause~

[xtalforge.livejournal.com]

You couldn't just say something like "a nice dinner" or "a colourful bouquet of flowers". No, it had to be the origami roses...;-D

Way to raise the bar for the rest of us! ~sigh~

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

Have you looked into Depo-Provera? That's a shot once every three months.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

I've considered it, but I am biased by the number of horror stories I've heard: periods that never end, mood swings, depression, bloating, etc. It seems like the bad stories out-weigh the good ones.

Also, very scared of needles.

[raincitygirl.livejournal.com]

I ran into this article about some new thing called the Nuva Ring recently. Don't know if it would work for you, but figured I'd pass along the link.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link! I've heard a little about the Ring, mostly through word of mouth. I think that once I've recovered from the trauma of the Patch, if I find I am still missing Pills, I'll try Nuva next.

[estrellada.livejournal.com]

I'm SO with you on the holiday, even tho I'm currently off traditional birth control. I'm currently restraining my "Bitter Rant about All the Things Birth Control Has Done to Me" ;)

I tried the NuvaRing a while ago - if you're not prone to yeast infections, if might be a good idea.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

I considered NuvaRing, but after your experience with it (I remember some LJ posts about it), I wasn't very enthused.

"Bitter Rant about All the Things Birth Control Has Done to Me"

I've been lucky (so far - knock on wood), and the only negative side effects have been some minor weight gain and migraines, which I stopped getting when I switched pills. I image that your experiences have been more like tareija, who has a lot of stored up rants and related info.

[tareija.livejournal.com]

Lol.... I wasn't going to comment, but I saw my name! My rants are that legendary, eh? ;)

[barry-macneil.livejournal.com]

Yup. And I havn't even heard it first hand.

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

do you have a PDA? i have alarms set on mine to remind me twice a day to take my various medications. if your cell phone is of a fairly recent vintage, it might have a alarm function you can use for this purpose. or, if Russ has a device with the appropriate function AND you're OK with being asked the same bloody question by your spouse every frelling day (gee, can you tell i wouldn't be? :) ) that might be an option. there's also storing your pills with your toothbrush, or other implement of daily activity. good luck with finding something that works

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Those are great suggestions! Thank you!

Now, if I could just remember to keep my PDA or cell phone batteries charged...

[catmcroy.livejournal.com]

I'm all in favour of that holiday!! My inability to take pills at the same time every day is part of why I opted for an IUD after the birth of my daughter.

It's effective - but it does give me doubled-over-in-agony stomach cramps.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons I like my hormone birth control is the lack of the cramps I used to get. I don't know if I want to go back, though the worry-free side of the IUD is pretty tempting. Thanks for offering your experiences on that.

snip snip!

[particle-man6.livejournal.com]

Dudes, if you are certain that you never want kids, a simple solution is to get the male partner to have a vasectomy. The "equipment" will still work fine for sex and urination, but no kid worries.

Re: snip snip!

[gerimaple.livejournal.com]

Russ is under 30, which last time I checked into things (7+ years ago) made it VERY VERY difficult for a guy to get The Snip

Re: snip snip!

[xtalforge.livejournal.com]

If you can't remember my age - I'm not going to tell you! Think of me as a youthfull 33...

Re: snip snip!

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

You got old when I wasn't looking!

Ummm... she does remember your age, or at least a range.

Re: snip snip!

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

If we were that sure, we'd go do that. However, we haven't written our future in stone. We are pretty sure, but not sure enough to take steps that can't be easily taken back. The Pill is where it is at, for now.

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

Try this to avoid a rash: when you're putting on a new patch, take off the paper on the adhesive and let the patch sit on the table adhesive-side up for about 30 seconds before you put it on. Sometimes the rash is really from the adhesive, but some people are reacting to the preservative stuff on the top of it, which evaporates off when you let it air out for a few seconds. If you're lucky, you're one of those people. :)

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Even if that doesn't work, you are my hero for letting me know about the possibility of avoiding the rash. I never would have thought of that on my own. Thank you!

Everyone should have a pharmacy student on their F/L!

[donttouchmyhat.livejournal.com]

I give my baby that present every chance I get, and oddly enough, it's directly related to birth control!


Er, whoa, where did that come from? My apologies, someone else took over the keyboard for a moment.

[xtalforge.livejournal.com]

See ~points upwards to Donttoughmyhat7's post~ that's the kind of gift that I can get behind! Everyone should be able to really get into it I think. I think that the general thrust of your post rings true for many men who can get up and penetrate the core of this gift giving.

Damn. Now you've got me started. I should pull out of this reply before its too late, but I can't stop before the climax!

I know that I'm a bit of a lurker and this post mike make a splash on this list but with any luck it won't stain my reputation and get me into a sticky situation.

...oh gods...I...just can't...stop....~flails~

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

You are cruel.

[donttouchmyhat.livejournal.com]

You've made me totally gay for you now.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Well, there's no room for you in our bed. Hotel room for the two of you!

I guess birth control won't be a problem.

[donttouchmyhat.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe...I'm pretty girlie.

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

Well, in that case: I don't recommend The Patch, as sensitive, girlie skin is likely to break out in a very un-sexy rash.

The Pill, on the other hand, may increase your breast size. This is supposedly an asset, though it can result in the horrors of bra shopping. If you are lucky, you'll only go to an A or B cup, and can get away with a camisole.

[donttouchmyhat.livejournal.com]

Excellent advice - I'm realllly hoping for the B cup though!

[dreamhope.livejournal.com]

...someone else took over the keyboard for a moment.

I was going to say that the "someone else" might as well have been my partner (xtalforge, but he beat me to it and subjected us all to that other comment.

[donttouchmyhat.livejournal.com]

You should be very, very proud.