TJ

I'm trying to find a pair of swim trunks for my son and don't know what size to get. He's 2.5 years old but he is big for his age. He is tall and already weighs 35 pounds and is wearing 3T and 4T (will be fully in 4T's soon). He's not potty trained yet so he will be wearing diapers for part of the summer, so there will be that extra bulk. I tried a pair of 4T swim trunks on him and they were super long (as in almost hitting at his ankles) but they are a little snug around the waist. How do I know what size to get?

So tonight I very calmly asked my husband if he would want to go visit my family for Thanksgiving. It was an innocent enough question I thought, but for some reason, he snapped at me and became loud, rude, and insulting. (he's never met these particular family members, so not liking my family wasn't the reason). Then when my feelings got hurt by the tone of his response, he became angry and started yelling and belittling me! Before this discussion, we had not been arguing or had any indication that something might be wrong between us, so for me this was totally out of left field! For the next half an hour he talked down to me like I was a child, and yelled at me as he accused me of things that were completely ridiculous. Then he kicked my son’s toy hard across the room. The problem is, this happens frequently. This is only one example of his actions.

My husband is usually a pretty good guy, but every once in awhile he flies off the handle for nothing! . Although he never calls me names or hits me or is ever physically violent to me in any kind of way, he still belittles and verbally bullies me. We are totally opposite personality types. He is the loud, outgoing, social type, and I am usually quiet, shy, and introverted. I tend to want to have calm, peaceful, respectful conversations, while he likes to yell and argue.

Typically when these outbursts occur, I have no idea what causes them. When I speak up and try to defend myself, he bullies me as he stands over me and demands answers while he’s yelling and talking down to me.

When he's in one of these moods, I've seen him kick or punch things (like the wall or one of my son's toys) and even break things. He swears he's not doing anything wrong or that he's even yelling (when he clearly is), but when me, my baby, and all the dogs are scared because he is yelling and hitting or throwing things, then it's not just me making things up. Would this be considered abuse? I not only worry about me and my emotional health, but also for my baby. Once at dinner, he started screaming and yelling and beating on the table, so my baby started to cry. Then he told me that I made the baby cry. WTH? He's usually very apologetic later, but that doesn't dismiss the damage that was done. Is this abuse or should I try to be more understanding of what might be going on with him? I'd say this probably happens once a week or maybe once every two weeks, but it's enough to make me seriously wonder if I even want to be with him. I take this very seriously, so serious answers only please.

I'm trying to find a stroller for my 6 month old who can now sit up on his own. In searching, I found the JJ Cole Monroe stroller to be interesting. It looks nice and seems to have all the things I'm looking for but I'm having trouble finding any reviews or comments about it. Has anyone purchased this stroller and how do you like it?

My son is 6 months old and just on the verge of sitting up on his own. We've been using a frame stroller to fit his car seat but now that he's about to sit up, I figure we need to upgrade. I've been stroller shopping but it's leaving me more confused. At this point, we don't have a need for a travel system since we already have a car seat, so I'm left choosing between an umbrella stroller, light-weight stroller, and full-size stroller. We mostly would use it taking him to doctor's appointments, going for walks (on a paved sidewalk), going to the zoo or park, or for a quick run into a restaurant or store. Can anyone give me a recommendation? I'm wondering if I might need two (like an umbrella stroller and a full-size??)

I am pregnant with my first child and trying to figure out what items I will need for my baby. I know we will need to get a stroller, but I don't know which kind to get. Is it necessary to have a larger stroller (like the one's that are part of a travel system), or can I get away with only having a light weight stroller? The larger ones look really bulky, but I'd get one if I thought I'd use it alot.

I am a 34 year old woman with no kids, but I desperately want them. Last year I had 2 large submucosal fibroids removed from my uterus (one the size of an apple, and one the size of a golf-ball) by myomectomy. After the surgery, my doctor told me not to put off having children any longer, so my boyfriend and I decided to start trying. We have only been trying a few months, but so far no luck. When I went back for my checkup recently, the doctor did an ultrasound and found 3 more fibroids growing already. He told me he didn’t want to do another surgery to remove them unless it was absolutely necessary. So now I am very concerned because the two I had removed last year grew rapidly. Everything I have read about trying to conceive with submucosal fibroids (those that grow within the uterine wall) has been very grim. Right now I feel very, very hopeless. There are days that I cry because I want a baby so bad, and all of my friends are having them left and right. I will be heart broken if I never get to experience having a baby. Does anyone know of anything I could do to help increase my chances of getting pregnant? Has anyone else had a successful pregnancy while having specifically submucosal fibroids? If so, how long did it take to get pregnant?

Btw, I have considered seeing an infertility specialist but my insurance doesn’t cover it and I imagine it is very expensive. Not sure I can afford to do that out of pocket. :(

I’m 33 years old and have just ended yet another relationship that was going nowhere. I was told by my doctor I need to have a baby soon due to uterine fibroids (I eventually may have to have a hysterectomy). I don’t see me finding a man to marry and have kids in the next couple of years so I’m having to consider other options. I thought about a sperm donor but I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that. So that leaves me with adoption. It’s been my goal and passion in life to have to have children. I feel like I was born to be a mother, so I would be heart broken if I never had children. So does anyone know if it’s possible to adopt a baby when you’re single and how hard would it be?

My doc put me on 75 mg of Lamictal per day for treatment of bipolar disorder, but I was having so much anxiety, insomnia, and headaches I had to reduce it down to 50 mg. But even after reducing the dosage, I am starting to notice the most ANNOYING side effect yet!! My hands shake so bad it's hard to control them and my coordination is totally off. Even while I'm trying to type this, my hands are shaking so bad and I keep missing the keys. Sometimes it even feels like my entire arm is shaking. It's effecting everything I do. I suffered from anxiety to begin with, so that only makes the shakiness worse. I am going back to the doc on Friday so I will ask her if anything can be done but I know most of these types of meds have annoying side effects that sometimes you just have to deal with. So, in case this keeps up, does anyone know of any natural herb or remedy that helps with coordination and tremors? Aside from my antidepressants and Lamictal, I would rather take natural herbs or alternative meds when possible.

BTW, I'm sure it's the Lactimal causing this. The tremors started after I began taking it.

I was recently diagnosed with hypomania. My psychiatrist said that I'm hypomanic and possibly bipolar II, as if there was a difference. It was my first visit ever to a psychiatrist so I was a little nervous and overwhelmed with the information she was giving me and didn't think to ask at the time. I've tried looking it up, but can't get a clear answer. Is there a difference?

I was recently diagnosed with hypomania and, along with an antidepressant, my doc started me on Lamictal (25 mg, once in the morning and twice at night). I have only been on it for about 3 weeks but noticed a few times I started having really DISTURBING nightmares, which I rarely have. Do you think this is a side effect of the Lamictal? I think it's important to note that the antidepressant that I'm taking I have been on for a couple years before they added the Lamictal and never had a problem. Another thing I'm noticing since starting the Lamictal is I'm having a really difficult time sleeping. Anyone else experience this and do you think it will stop after taking it awhile? Anyone had any other weird side effects with this drug?

I'm not saying I think about it all the time but alot. Sometimes even at work when I should be thinking about work. I haven't been getting it as much lately because of issues between me and my boyfriend. When we were doing it more often, I didn't feel this way. Not sure what to do. I can masterbate but that isn't quite the same. I'm starting to feel down about it.

I have been suffering from severe depression for years and am possibly bipolar. I have come to realize this about myself and want to get help because I can really get down, sometimes suicidal. I decided to talk to my PCP about it and she recommended me to a psychiatrist but I only got to see her once. Then they said my insurance didn't cover anymore visits. I was upset because I really liked her. So, I went through my insurance provider to find another dr that was covered and there seems to be very few choices in my area. First of all, the customer service rep with my insurance provider wasn't very helpful (or friendly), then when I tried calling the dr's that he recommended, they tell me they aren't taking any new patients. I don't know what to do and I can't afford to pay out of pocket. I definitely need to be on meds though. This is really frustrating and I feel like giving up. Does anyone have any serious advice on what I should do?

I've had them all my life and was wondering if most people have them. Here's an example. For years, I would have the same recurring dream that I was in the hospital (I have always been pretty healthy and have never been in the hospital since I was a kid). With each dream, I'd be in the same hospital and a little more would be revealed. Eventually I realized I was there to have a surgery of some sort. Then after few more dreams, I realized I was there to have surgery on my uterus (I assumed a hysterectomy). Anyway, this year I was diagnosed with Uterine Fibroids and had to undergo abdominal surgery on my uterus and was in the hospital for 3 days and it went exactly as it did in my dreams. I had never had any problems with this sort of thing before. As I said, I've always been pretty healthy. I rarely even take sick days. I had been having those dreams for years, and it only just now came true. It's not just this, I dream things like this periodically that eventually come true. For me, it often takes months or years before the dreams come true but I still remember the dreams after it happens in real life because they are so realistic.

I am a 32 year old female and was diagnosed with low thyroid about a year ago. I've been on Synthroid since Aug '08 and most of my low thyroid symptoms went away (ie: low body temp, intolerance to cold, brittle hair and nails, irregular periods) but some of my symptoms have gotten worse and I've developed new ones.

The worst thing for me is the extreme fatigue. It doesn't matter how much I sleep, it's all I can do to drag myself out of bed every morning (and I’ve gotten to where all I want to do is sleep all day on the weekends). I have never been a lazy person and up until recently I've always had a normal amount of energy. I'm also experiencing brain fog, memory loss, and I get tongue-tied easily and stumble over my words if I try to talk too fast. I was never like that before and it's so frustrating! I've always been a fairly smart person and this is destroying my self-esteem.

The newest symptom is visual disturbances such as seeing spots, seeing flashes and sparkles, fuzzy and distorted peripheral vision, seeing shadows, etc. I've also noticed dizziness, balance problems, muscle twitches, ringing in my left ear, extreme irritability, sensitivity to noise, depression and anxiety, tingling and pain in my legs and feet, and insomnia. I've been to several doctors including an Ophthalmologist, Neurologist, and Endocrinologist who all claim I'm fine. Blood work was normal (they specifically checked my B12 levels), thyroid levels are normal, hormone levels are normal, MRI of my brain was normal, and eyes and retinas are perfectly healthy.

I don't smoke, drink only on occasion, and no drug use. The only meds I take is the Synthroid and occassionally Xanax for anxiety. I try to eat well and limit my caffeine intake. So, I have no idea what is going on. As you can see by my long list of symptoms, I am not fine as my doctors say I am. Could all of these symptoms be linked with the low thyroid even though I'm on meds for it, or could it be something else?