[flamesabers]

@Spanky-I don't think I've become a grouch yet, but if I do, I think it'll be a sign I should go back on pm.

@Mayko-I'm not sure if your question has ever been answered on the forum. As Miss C has mentioned, estrogen can be stored in adipose tissue which complicates I think the calculation of how long it takes for pm to fully clear your system.

@Fire-Barring physical symptoms from pm, I don't think there's really a surefire way to know when exactly is a good time to take a break from pm. I think members either adhere to a set schedule or just decide randomly like I do at times.

[sfem]

Unfortunately it still persisted on and off. I went to the doctor and he was telling me that I wasn't hydrated enough. That I wasn't drinking enough water and that was causing an accumulation of uric acid in my joints. Sure enough, took a month or so, but as I started making sure that I was drinking more and more water the pain finally went away. So I try now to make a conscious effort to have a glass of water at my desk and actually drink it. Just some food for thought.

I was diagnosed with gout 15 years ago and corrected my uric acid problems with diet changes, my previously poor diet having been the primary cause of my uric acid buildup. That pain was in the big toes almost exclusively, and is a quite different pain from what I get these days. I have been free of gout pain and my blood tests show no residual gout and I have been gout free for almost 10 years. The gout pain was in the joints. This pain is circulatory in nature, involving swelling of the soft tissues and pins and needles type pain in the extremeties of my toes. It also involves swelling of the balls of my feet and significant sensitivity to any pressure on the ball of the foot, can't even wear socks when it is bad. If I were forced to guess, I would guess that the PM has effects on blood vessels that aggravates whatever is wrong with my feet.

[spanky]

sfem - I am sorry that you have had to go through both forms of foot pain.

On the subject of taking breaks, over the past couple of months I have been following a cycling program (taking PM for 2 weeks, then stopping for 2 weeks, etc.), and using PC cream and fenugreek during the periods of cessation. It may be a purely individual reaction, but I have felt a lot less inclined to take prolonged breaks during this period. As noted, however, I become a grouch during the 2 week down time.

[Sofia Bunny]

...and is a quite different pain from what I get these days. I have been free of gout pain and my blood tests show no residual gout and I have been gout free for almost 10 years. The gout pain was in the joints. This pain is circulatory in nature, involving swelling of the soft tissues and pins and needles type pain in the extremeties of my toes. It also involves swelling of the balls of my feet and significant sensitivity to any pressure on the ball of the foot, can't even wear socks when it is bad. If I were forced to guess, I would guess that the PM has effects on blood vessels that aggravates whatever is wrong with my feet.

I too was diagnosed with gout years ago, but the cause made no sense, as two doctors told me it could be from eating too much red meat, alcohol etc. all of which I would rarely do. The flare ups almost felt seasonal, and figured maybe my allergy shots were having some odd effect, so I stopped, and the flare ups diminished/ceased. Then all of a sudden last June I was having symptoms that sound VERY similar to yours (Again I did not start NBE until November). It was unlike the pain I had in the past.

Since it wasn't going away, I finally saw a new podiatrist who told me that old views of gout causes were not always accurate. There could be other factors. He said during the summer is when he gets an influx of patients due to dehydration. He said that it was like putting salt in a small glass of water, it does not dissipate easily in a small solution so you get build up, and that our feet, especially at the tops of our feet we have tons of joints that could be possibly affected.

So he recommended to me to try and drink more water and see if everything clears up in a few weeks, if not to go back. Took a little bit longer as I still wasn't drinking the recommended 8 cups a day, but it finally subsided.

Anyways, my apologies Flame, I did not mean to hijack your thread with this side bar topic. I have been meaning to ask how long you planned on taking this PM break?

[flamesabers]

@Fire-I plan on continuing the pm break for about another week or so.

I think I've been experiencing some 'symptoms' of pm withdrawal.

Morning wood and other involuntary erections have been coming about in the last few days. It'll be nice to get back on pm soon and eliminate these erections.

I also have been feeling some boobie greed as of late.

[Sofia Bunny]

I also have been feeling some boobie greed as of late.

Huh???

[flamesabers]

I also have been feeling some boobie greed as of late.

Huh???

It means wanting to grow my own pair of breasts.

[flamesabers]

It's been about a month now since I went cold turkey on pm. In a way, I feel like my mind has reset to a pre-NBE mode. Interesting enough, I do want to resume NBE when the time is right.

[bryony]

Hi Flame,

I found the dysthmia hard to deal with when I came off of PM so unpleasant that when it became clear that my wife was experiencing too much discomfort to enjoy "standard" sex anymore I just decided to stay on it. I'm pretty sure that testicular atrophy has occurred, though I haven't had them checked.

I wonder though, why are you trying to live without PM? It seems that you find the effects of testosterone unpleasant, as I do. Is it a question of children one day? I saw in the first post you had some concerns about running, is that it?

B.

[flamesabers]

Bryony,

No, my cold turkey experiment has nothing to do with reproduction. I don't want to have kids, my two cats are enough for me.

Yes, it's about trying to get back in shape.