[shortcake]

I'm tolerating Ainterol very well. Still no GI problems even at the higher doses I've taken so far. The only negative thing I've experienced was a headache when I ramped up to too much too quickly, which is my own fault. I just needed to find out what my limits are with it. Day 8 of my cycle seems to be the magical time when I can really start to ramp up. I took one and a half capsules yesterday and will take two today and keep it there until I stop on day 12.

I've really felt a lot of growing sensations and had some slight soreness for a couple days. But as usual, it's gone now. I have no fullness whatsoever. In fact, last night I was taking a good look at myself since I really haven't had time to in the last week or so and it actually looks like I've lost breast tissue. My breasts have never really had a lot of tissue to "stick out" away from my chest, but I wasn't completely flat there either. Last night when I looked I seriously looked totally flat, except for a small area of tissue at the bottom of my breasts. It was actually shocking to me. It's very disappointing and frustrating. I haven't lost any weight at all and have been eating quite well. I've never just lost tissue before without it being due to extreme weightloss. I can't imagine what would be causing it.

I'm going to try to start pumping again for at least an hour and a half, at least once a day. More when possible. At least I get temporary fullness from that. I'm also seriously considering going back on BCP again next cycle. I'm going to see how this one finishes out before deciding for sure. It's one thing to not get any real signs of something happening with NBE; to actually become smaller while doing it is not cool at all.

One thing I've changed is that I began taking Acidophilus starting on 12-31. I finally figured out that what I previously thought was an allergic reaction I've been having on my lips is actually perioral dermatitis, which I was first diagnosed with about 10 years ago. I didn't link the two because they were in different areas, but when I had a bad flare-up on the 30th, I finally figured it out. I read that Acidophilus can take care of that and other similar skin conditions (from which I also suffer) along with recurring yeast infections (I don't get the full-blown infections anymore but the itching during my period), UTIs, etc. So far it seems to be doing good things, and I was advised to take a probiotic here on the forum before for NBE purposes, so maybe it'll help there too. I sure hope so. :-/

[shortcake]

I woke up this morning with sore breasts! Unfortunately, I was dumb and did two things differently last night and now I can't be sure of which caused the positive change. First, I bought a different brand of MSM because I'd run out of my Spring Valley, and saw that the NOW brand (at the local health food store) actually contains 30 more capsules for the same mgs and is only a few dollars more. I only took one of them before bed. Also, I stayed the night at my boyfriend's house last night and forgot my Booby Stacked Cream, but had brought my Booty Stacked. So I thought that since the Booby Stacked didn't seem to really be doing anything for me and I didn't want to miss my nightly massage, I'd give it a try on my breasts. I woke up a few times during the night and felt really good pains in both breasts, which hasn't happened in a long time. Sure enough, when I woke up, they were sore.

So now I'm left wondering which of those two things brought on the soreness. I don't really see how one MSM capsule (1000mg) could cause such soreness. I know that it's a supplement that can really aid in breast growth while doing NBE and I do remember reading accounts of some people growing a little from MSM alone, but that took time. Not just one capsule! But could just one application of a cream do it, either? Hm. The only downside is that if it's the cream, I just ordered a brand-new jar of the Booby Stacked that I haven't even opened yet. And the only way I'll be able to figure out if it was the Booty Stacked will be to open the new jar. Oh well, at least I got it at a discounted price because I became a member of their forum. And I'm going to start a new job in a week so it won't be such a big deal if I have to order more Booty Stacked sooner.

Since my last period was early and I'm not experiencing any negative side effects at all from the Ainterol, I've decided I'm going to take it through day 14 of my cycle and up it to 1500mg per day starting today until then. I'm really excited about the soreness but hoping that it lasts and actually amounts to something.

ETA: I just thought of another possibility. I noticed one day last week that I had some slight cramping in my left side, similar to what I feel when I'm about to ovulate. I didn't think much of it, but Friday I felt the same thing again, along with other signs of ovulation. A few years ago when I took WonderUp and grew from it, I would always get the soreness and everything else (growth!) directly after I ovulated. So if I've ovulated, that could be the cause of the soreness. I figured it up and my last cycle was 25 days long, which if I followed the normal "period starts 14 days after ovulation" route, means I ovulated on day 11, which was when I was still taking PM - and at the peak dosage, too. So it's possible that I'm still ovulating while taking PM! Interesting! I guess I will be able to tell more when my next period starts.

[shortcake]

I still have soreness! And lots of it, but more so in my right (smaller) breast. I don't think I have any fullness or swelling though, which is strange. Still, I'm happy with soreness. And I've been having lots of pains and stuff. I'm a little worried though because today is my last day of taking PM before my break and I don't want to lose it! I honestly really feel like I've already ovulated, but I decided it's not worth the risk of making that assumption and being wrong. I'm still trying to decide what I should take during my break. Low PM and FG? Or just FG? Or FG and Dandelion? Hm. I just really hope that I'm not an emotional, moody wreck from stopping PM again for the break. That's why I'm considering taking it in the luteal phase at a low dose - just to prevent that.

More good news - my butt has increased by 1/2" IN THREE DAYS using Booty Stacked. No joke. I started out at 32 1/4" and I'm now at 32 3/4". I first noticed I was measuring that yesterday (day 3 of using it), and I measured several times throughout the day to make sure it wasn't just a random fluctuation, and I measured several times today as well. Half inch increase with nothing but Booty Stacked. No exercise or anything (though I do need to start incorporating that because I want it to be at least a little toned). That stuff is amazing. It's great to know that my butt is becoming more shapely, but the rest of me is staying the same. In other words, I'm not gaining weight all over to get a bigger booty. My waist is still 22.5". And it makes my skin soooo soft. Even softer than the Booby Stacked makes my boobs.

And speaking of that, I've used the Booby Stacked on my breasts a few times and I'm still sore, so I don't think the initial soreness was brought on by using the Booty Stacked. Kind of a relief because I haven't wasted money on my second jar of it. So either it was changing MSM brands or just the natural progression of things.

[shortcake]

Today I will begin taking FG again, and tomorrow I will start up with 500mg per day of PM. I'm sure that I've ovulated and don't know if the two day break I took was even necessary, but I don't know what to do with the fact that I might be ovulating while on PM. If that's the case, I could probably take it throughout my whole cycle... But I don't know if something like that could cause fertility problems. Since I'm not experiencing any negative side effects though, maybe not?

I'm inclined to think that the soreness I had (which is now gone) was due to the MSM. Since I've been on my break, I notice a distinct increase in breast sensations after I've taken it. I'm sad that the soreness is gone. It was pretty much completely gone on the morning that I began my break (so too soon for it to have been from the break). My breasts might look just a tiny bit fuller and more rounded, but that could just be my imagination. Still not sure about BCPs. I suppose it couldn't hurt to try for a month and see what happens.

[shortcake]

I've had some changes happen in the last week that may put my NBE quest temporarily on hold. First, I started working again! And I'm working for my boyfriend's company, so that really helps me enjoy the job more. So far it's working out great. Second, my boyfriend surprised me last week by telling me that he'd like to have go in to get "un-fixed" much sooner than we had originally planned, and not only that but he doesn't want to wait the year or two that we had first talked about, and instead wants to begin trying right away. We've learned that it can sometimes take up to a year or longer for pregnancy to occur after a reversal, so odds are it wouldn't happen right away anyway. So I'm very excited about that, and naturally it made me have to re-think NBE.

I've had basically no results from NBE this time. I started pumping again in late June, did that for about two months along with hypnosis and gained 1/4", then started on internal NBE and have had no results since. Granted I've been all over the place with my programs because I had unwanted side effects with them and had to switch, but still, no lasting fullness or change in shape or anything. So I've decided that I'm going to stop NBE for now and go back on birth control (Beyaz). I know, that doesn't make sense if we might start trying for a baby here in a few/several months from now, but I want the quick boost in breast size for now, and love the way I felt on them. Plus it seems to be the best way I can tolerate the calcium and folate. I may decide to try PM again (wth BCPs) once Spring starts, and when Wahaika recommends beginning NBE programs. I might try it just for a month to see how it goes. Or I may just use a topical PM cream (thinking Ro-Bust) instead. I'm not sure, but I have time to think about it.

So for now anyway, my NBE program is over. If I was seeing any sort of results I would continue with it, but right now I don't see the point in continuing to spend the money and all the time on NBE if I'm going to have to stop soon anyway to try to get pregnant, at which time my boobs will become MUCH bigger on their own. I would hate to spend all that time and money only to just start seeing results at the time I had to stop taking everything, and have it turn out that it was all a big waste. I'm unsure at this point as to whether or not any growth from NBE now would help me or hurt me after pregnancy? I suppose there would be the possibility of more sagging/empty skin, but it may also make it quicker to fill them back up with NBE after I was done nursing. Which is something I'm definitely going to do - go back to NBE just as soon as I can. I have a theory that the reason I responded so well to NBE when I first tried it almost 4 years ago was because it was much closer to the time that I stopped nursing my son. Now all this time has passed and my body just isn't in that mode anymore and it's not working as well. That's not to say it definitely couldn't work for me at all right now, but considering all the changes going on in my life I don't think it makes sense to continue.

I'd like to make a list of all the ways in which I have tolerated PM (specifically Ainterol) much better than the other methods so I can refer back to it when needed.

* NO ACNE. That in itself is amazing. I would get that sometimes on its own while not even on NBE, and other forms of NBE only seemed to make it worse. It hasn't happened once with PM.
* Very very few headaches, and the only ones I did experience were when I was trying to figure out my tolerance level for it, so it was kind of what I was wanting to happen. I needed my body to tell me that.
* The hair on my chin hasn't grown back once while on PM.
* This cycle has been the first in a long LONG time that I haven't had emotional/moody PMS. I've had some food cravings but nothing crazy, and I would take that any day over the moody stuff. It was REALLY bad sometimes, to the point where it would affect my relationship.
* More even moods in general.
* Cycles have stayed on track. The first was 25 days long, and the second one on a different brand on PM and hardly any cycling seems to be right on track. I can feel that I'm going to start any day now, and I'm day 26. My average is 28. So that should be just right. I also think I may still continue ovulating while taking PM.
* Slightly shorter periods.
* More frequent and severe soreness than with the other methods, but still no fullness or swelling.
* My body seems to have found the perfect balance of um... wetness "down there," which results in much better sex. It may sound crazy but it feels to me as if I've become tighter down there, which I didn't have a problem with to begin with. I can tell my boyfriend can feel the difference too, as he now doesn't "last" nearly as long and has to take little breaks here and there from stop himself from ... finishing too soon. Which is fine with me... it still lasts the perfect amount of time and it's flattering and makes me feel good that it feels that good for him. Plus I lot feel a lot more because I don't have all that extra lubrication. Sorry, I didn't mean to get too detailed with that. Grrrrrrr.... Now I almost don't want to stop PM. hehe

That's it for now. I will still keep checking in to see how everyone is doing! And I will definitely start posting again when/if I begin NBE again within the next couple months. I wish you all the best of luck with your programs! So many of you are making great progress already. And a huge thanks again to everyone who has helped me on my journey, and whose knowledge, advice, and suggestions I will use again in the future!

[Bubbly]

Hi Shortcake,

I know this wasn't the point of your post, but as a fellow sufferer of perioral dermatitis, I wanted to share some tips that it took me many years and several top dermatologists to get - apologies if this isn't helpful and/or is messing up your thread! Apparently known PD triggers are cinnamon, tarter control (in toothpaste, mouthwash, etc) and anything made by the brand Crest. Since I cut these out, my skin has improved 95%! Of course, you never realize how many delicious things have cinnamon in them until you cut it out, but for me it's been worth it. Also, if you do have a breakout, ask your doctor for finacea topical gel - it does a great job. Lastly, for daily and vacation sunscreen - avoid oxybenzone and stick with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. A great choice for daily sunscreen, although expensive, is EltaMD UV Clear - it has niacin in it which calms down sensitive/reddish skin.

Hope this helps, and can save you some of the grief that I suffered before I knew this! Feel free to PM me with any additional questions.

:-)