Getting older

I turned 33 on June the 12th. Thirty-three. I've been alive for 3.3 decades. Well over a quarter of a century. The 80s were a long time ago, longer ago than it seems possible. I have a tiny crease under my eyes, and since experiencing severe stress in the fall of 2007 until early 2008, I have dark circles under my eyes that never go away. The veins in my hands and feet have become more prominent, and my skin no longer has the glow of youth. I am forgetting stuff all the time, as I believe years of heavy psychotropic medications, along with medication for other medical problems, have affected my brain. That's not to mention the decrease in white and gray matter in my brain from fibromyalgia; white and gray matter abnormalities in the brain, also from fibromyalgia; and the shrinkage of my overall brain mass from my bipolar. The longer you have bipolar and fibromyalgia, the greater the shrinkage and decreased white and gray brain matter. Depressing. It's been 15 years since I graduated high school! I'm in shock. It won't be long until we celebrate the 100th anniversary of D-Day, VJ-Day, and V-E Day. Wow. I'm going to see the 2020s before long! It seems to have hit me in the last few days. My neck is no longer slim and beautifully sculpted. I'vie gained weight, and my collarbone isn't very visible anymore. I still like what I see in the mirror, but now it is now the face of a woman who has been through hell, not the youthful, bright face that I used see. Age is affecting how hard it is for me to lose weight, as well. Having an irregular diet contributes to it. Well, that's all I want to say now, but I have some information links below this paragraph that you might be interested in.

To learn more about the decrease in white and gray matter in the brain of a fibromyalgia patient, click here.

To learn more about white and gray matter abnormalities in the brain from fibromyalgia, click here.

To learn about shrinkage of overall brain mass from bipolar, click here.

To learn more about how antipsychotics cause brain shrinkage, click here. Antispychotics are typically used to control bipolar, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and depresssion, among other things. They are widely prescribed for many conditions. Today it is most common to use the safer atypical antipsychotics, rather than older, more dangerous, antipsychotic medicines like Haldol (haloperidol). Examples of atypical antipsychotics are Zyprexa (olanzapine), Seroquel (quetiapine), Geodon (ziprasidone), Abilify (aripiprazole), Risperdol (risperidone), Latuda (lurasidone), Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine), and Clozaril (clozapine).

Does anyone else know about any physical brain damage from fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, PCOS, or mental illness? Feel free to comment if have information, and please leave a link to your source so I can check it out. It may end up having a blog entry dedicated to it., with giving you credit for some of the research, of course.