My body is NOT a wonderland

I decided to see a chiropractor through a local chiropractic college a few months ago because of my shoulder. I really liked her (she has since graduated and moved back to LA) and was open to her holistic approach because she was really passionate about it without being preachy. The two things she was concerned about was my intake of aspartame and birth control pills. Aspartame has been hard to kick. It's in a lot of things that I like so I'm slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) taking that out of my diet. I am a huge fan of Crystal Light and consume it all day long. So we'll see abut kicking the aspartame. Birth control, on the other hand, is easy. You just stop. I have been on the pill for six years straight, ten years total. I had a one year break after four years because my ex-boyfriend and I broke up. I wasn't doing anything to merit a pregnancy scare and I knew that mixing birth control pills and cigarettes were dangerous. So of course I gave up the birth control. I loved Marlboro Menthol Ultra Lights. (Yes, I have a dreamy look on my face just thinking about it.) But anyway ... back to the chiropractor. She told me that if it was at all possible, I should stop taking the pill because of all the hormones and it's just healthier for my body to stop. Hmm. I thought about it and shared this information with The Man. While we are not trying to have a baby right now, getting pregnant now by accident versus getting pregnant, oh, while I was in college and broke ass, is pretty different. There are other methods of birth control, as well. So the pill and I have broken up.
My body is NOT happy. I have been off the pill for two weeks. This past week my body decided we were fighting and I had cramps for the entire week. Damn. I completely forgot that a wonderful side affect of being on birth control pills was that I stopped having cramps. They used to be so bad in high school that I would go home almost once a month. The school nurse and I were friends ... she knew that I wasn't trying to play her for a fool and I knew that she would only make me lie on that army cot they called a bed for 1/2 hour before letting me go home. I loved my school nurse. In addition to the cramps, I am angry to report that I have found three blemishes on my chin. I call them "blemishes" because it's a damn shame that I'm damn near 30 years of age and breaking out. WHAT THE EFF. This lovely side affect is something I did not forget and knew that my skin would turn on me once I was off the pill. I am not claiming I had a lovely complexion while taking birth control pills but I appreciated the mostly-clear face and am so sad that age has not remedied this problem. So here I am. Cramping steadily for seven days and starting to break out. But, by golly, I don't have any artificial hormones in my body! (I am muttering a bunch of curse words right now. By the way, did you know "the curse" is defined as informal menstruation? First of all, how appropriate. Secondly, what is informal versus formal menstruation?) 

I miss reading blogger and I miss writing. But from what I see, a lot of you have been MIA. What gives? Are you busy with work too? That's my main reason. And the discovery of FaceBook. What another time sucker that thing is ;)