“I had to call in sick quite a lot, at least once or twice a month”
What were your symptoms when you came to clinic?
“Insomnia I scored at 8/10 (10 being the worst it could be) and Anxiety 8/10; Everything to do with PMDD, I self-diagnosed at aged 20 and bugged my GP to put it in my file, I collected the evidence and presented it to them, I had been trying for years to manage PMDD. My symptoms; insomnia was a big one, which led to sleep anxiety, the less I sleep the more I think and the more I think the less I sleep. Breast tenderness was another big one, it hurts so much I couldn’t get out of bed, it hurt to go down the stairs, I couldn’t sleep because of the pain. Depression and anxiety, good amounts of paranoia, suicidal idealisations was quite bad. Body aches and pains…whatever comes with PMDD I had.
How were the symptoms affecting your life?
I had to call in sick quite a lot, at least once or twice a month. I had to work from home, I had to find a job that allowed this in case I wasn’t well, I had to be very clear with my employer early mornings and late nights weren’t suitable, I had to try and sleep. The depression and anxiety made it hard to leave the house, even get out of bed. Relationships with friends, family and my partner were made difficult, I didn’t want to keep asking for support; with a chronic illness you keep leaning on people, not everybody is available, I reached a point where felt like there is no point me keep saying what is wrong, it feels like the same old stuff all the time, I felt like they will get tired of it, not want to talk to me anymore, thinking ‘I’ll have no friends, I’ll have no partner’, it’s quite isolating.
“I thought it would be much harder then Joey made it. I thought it would be a diet with set meal plans and I would have to eat food I don’t like and spend money on things I can’t afford, but it wasn’t the case at all. She made it super easy.”
Why did you choose nutritional therapy?
I tried everything else like different contraception, the side effects where dangerous. With PMDD my brain overreacts to hormonal fluctuations. I tried an antidepressant I didn’t sleep for 5 days, I felt outside of myself, like a robot, I was laughing but it wasn’t funny, I had no creativity, you could have told me my mum had died and I wouldn’t have cared. Because I am a photographer, I need this creativity whether from good or bad emotions. I don’t want to be tied to chemicals and have them run out, putting on 50kg and not being able to lose weight or lose my libido, my hair, all that kinda of stuff that happens.
Plus I am interested in nature and the power of plants and herbs. Sometimes I am terrible at feeding myself. I don’t want to go down the route of heavy medication like antidepressants, I didn’t want to play around with my hormones anymore, if I try a new treatment it is going to have side effects, annoying for normal people but for PMDD it can have drastic consequences so I can’t afford to try another method of contraception or antidepressant, I don’t want to do that. I wanted to go the healthy way, it’s easier to adapt your lifestyle, less chemicals and more natural route.
What were your expectations of seeing a Nutritionist?
I thought it would be much harder then Joey made it. I thought it would be a diet with set meal plans and I would have to eat food I don’t like and spend money on things I can’t afford, but it wasn’t the case at all. She made it super easy, and the way she explained it was really simple, instead of meal plans and scaring me with foods I wouldn’t know where to find, she was like, ‘you should have more of this by eating more of this’…and it was easier to realise myself.
How did you find working with Joey?
It was great, as a person she is very patient, attentive, really paid attention to really small details. Prioritised if we fix your insomnia your anxiety is better, and then less anxious less depressed. I liked the fact she took into account the fact that I might be neurodivergent (I am on the waiting list) was suggesting foods that were fairly easy, and the fact I was on a budget as well, that was scary to me, I thought I couldn’t afford tons of supplements, and everything organic, I try as much as I can but the fact she was conscious about my budget was really good. Generally it was an easy conversation and transparent, very clear suggestions and advice.
Did you feel listened to and understood?
Yes. I know it was a lot to take in, I liked that even if we were time limited, you touched all the subjects that needed addressing and then we talked though them all. I did definitely see progress when we saw each for the follow up session.
Did you like the protocol/plan?
I was good. I definitely noticed an increase in anxiety and depression when I stopped some of the foods as I like eating seasonally. I really appreciated the fact you took into account I am vegetarian; the supplements suggested were vegetarian and vegan, sometimes it is hard to find vegan alternatives to certain things like iodine from fish, so we spoke about seaweed which we found a supplement for…. omega 3, collagen these are hard to find vegetarian, but you did your research. The adjustments were not that hard I was already doing my best to eat healthy it was just to have some structure, what do I eat throughout my cycle to make my cycle better, and it was just the boost I needed.
Was it well explained?
It was all small lifestyle changes, some of which I knew I needed to do and once I did it I have much less aches and pains, I also lost some weight, I am not as bloated or feeling uncomfortable, I didn’t have to buy a whole new wardrobe, which was my fear with weight gain I had experienced before.
Very small changes that I knew made sense. I need a professional to explain ‘why’ I need to cut down on things or have more of other things
What aspects did you enjoy?
I liked it cause It really encouraged me to eat new foods, I tend to stick with the same foods I know, but I was encouraged to use different spices the recipes for golden milk you gave me with I have that nearly every day now. I used to really crave sugar and chocolate, I was quite bad with that to be fair, and now if I crave chocolate I have raw cacao powder and oat milk and that completely satisfies my cravings for chocolate and sugar. I notice a big difference, I don’t really have the afternoon crash, I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with a sore stomach I used to have that. I have more energy in the day as well, I can go on with my day, I walk a lot for work, I am always in very busy loud environments and I’m not as anxious as I used to be I am actually capable of taking the tube to Oxford Circus to see my accounts there, without needing a load of Lucozade and sugar for it.
I am also now more conscious of how my brain works, what might happen, I know my limits now. I used to have moments of being a slob and eating rubbish – I don’t really have that anymore; I’ll have a day I don’t feel great and need to recharge but I don’t feel like I should eat lots of awful things to compensate.
Was the nutrition plan challenging?
I was worried about my budget for supplements and new foods due to the cost of living crisis, but I adapted; I used get a veg box but have I gone back to shops and supermarkets- that would have been a challenge but now I have a plan and know what is good for me to eat, what is good, bad and when to have things during my cycle, it is easy to shop, it is not as overwhelming as it used to be.
“My PMDD symptom is only took 2 -3 months to see a difference, now I see a major difference”
How long did it take for you to feel benefits?
I started the protocol in September, I noticed difference with my insomnia by November. With my PMDD symptom is only took 2 -3 months to see a difference, now I see a major difference now, when I have maybe 1-2 bad days, I know my triggers as well, stress is a trigger for me. Finding a routine and sticking to it is the most important, and the changes came eventually after 8 weeks or so for me.
How are your symptoms now a year on?
Much more under control, I’ll know when my ovulation happens, I don’t really have a period with my marina coil, I get bloated I can’t sleep that well, so I think I’ll re focus on foods and supplements you recommended and that really help. Once I see the triggers you gave me such helpful advice and clear instructions it is really hard to miss it.
Polly thriving today. Photo credit Alexis Dubus
How does that feel looking back at how far you have come?
Looking back at a year ago I really had the worst job in my life, and that burn out was ..I don’t even know how..it was awful, obviously having the nutrition plan really helped me stay focused on really looking after myself, and the rest came along, basic needs of feeding myself and keeping hydrated and in PMDD I have moments I am so depressed I feel like I don’t deserve to eat or ‘what’s the point’ if I am so depressed I want to die anyway. It’s a form of self-harm not eating not drinking. Having this plan that we created together, really helped me stay focused on ‘OK I know this can pass, I know we can manage it’.
Joey also gave me easy instructions for when I’m not feeling like I want to cook, when I can’t be bothered, she really gave me some easy tips to make it better. Also I remember Joey gave me some advice on sports and things like that with ADHD I’m used to high intensity things I don’t feel tired unless I’ve pushed myself too far, always ending up hurting myself, she was like “OK you need to stop swimming every day; all the high intensity and do more yoga instead.” Little adjustments really that all made sense and were not that hard to put into place.
What would you say to someone considering nutritional therapy?
It is worth it, it is a healthier approach, much healthier than medications, it won’t solve everything for everyone but enough for you to focus on what you can solve for yourself. Stick with it cause it takes a while, for me I love routine, I stuck with it and it works so I’m going to keep doing it. Consistency is key here, being honest and transparent with your therapist and also yourself. Have the determination to really keep going even on your bad days, I mean it really makes a difference, I could have caved in many times, but I don’t want that guilt, ‘this is worse cause I ate sugar’. I will find something else to have instead so I won’t have to feel like I failed at it. Consistency and honesty are really the keys to do it.
What advice would you give to other women suffering with PMDD
IAPMD, have lots of resources, they are the most helpful association that I have found.
Stay away from Reddit for info, it’s good for support but PMDD is so different for everyone suffering, it’s not a one size fits all, what helps me might not help another person. If you can try something that is non-invasive like adapting your nutrition, you need more lifestyle changes that are easy, not like hormonal therapies or more extreme solutions like surgery, obviously some people are so bad they need surgery, but if you can adjust your lifestyle in ways that are simple and very beneficial then you might not need surgery, I thought I needed surgery but I’ve completely changed my lifestyle and my food around and I’m like ‘OK, actually I should be fine’.
PMDD you need consistency, you need to stick with it as it takes a while to see a difference, when your hormones are out pf balance it is even worse. PMDD is not a hormonal imbalance, but I found mine were not balanced and nutrition has helped me balance and I have less fluctuations.
“I thought I needed surgery but I’ve completely changed my lifestyle and my food around and I’m like ‘OK, actually I should be fine’.”
Joey gave me lots of tips for the anti-inflammatory diet which was very very very helpful, it’s something I can’t recommend enough to anyone with a menstrual disorder, it helped me not have these aches and pains and helped me not have anxiety and depression ..and Joey told me about this lions manes coffee as I told her I couldn’t quit coffee completely and now even on my bad days I can focus, not as much as normal but I can at least I can get my head down and get some work done, and I don’t have to call in sick as much as I used to. I’m not going to say better nutrition is going to solve all your problems but a healthy nutrition and a plan to help you stick to it and following as much as you can a type of anti-inflammatory diet will definitely help you. It definitely helped me, I don’t have insomnia anymore, if I do it’s once in a blue moon and get some sleep, I don’t really have disturbing dreams anymore, sometimes. I cut down sugar, I cut down alcohol, caffeine is the one, I have one coffee a day, …it’s really important to know what you put into your body as it can affect your hormones and how your brain reacts to them and if changing your diet a little bit will help then do because it is worth it, fight through the cravings cause you are cutting down on stuff you used to have and just fight through it. I have cocoa powder instead of chocolate, that was a life saver, it’s also good for you. It is important to stick to it.
I feel like personally avoiding the chemical route and the nutrition route was really helpful for me as I really didn’t want to start taking all kinds of medication. I don’t need to now. It’s not easy for everybody, it’s not something that everybody could do, I understand that it’s not a solution for everyone, but it is worth trying. Of course if you need antidepressants, surgery, the pill, do what works for you but at the same time I think people should consider a healthy and holistic approach to this condition cause it doesn’t go away.
And be gentle to your body as it’s going through a lot, so you need to treat it with care and kindness cause you need that for yourself to keep going.”
For more information and for a free discovery call contact Joey via email joey@goheartyourself.com or visit the Instagram https://www.instagram.com/joey_go_heart_yourself
