raeanna74

I just have to vent.
Well Thanks to my pills this only happens 4 times a year but it's that time of my cycle once again. It sucks. I'm feeling really cranky, irritable, and I've got cramps that don't want to let up. I haven't had cramps that much since I had my baby 4 years ago. It's been 3 months since I had my last period. I guess my body is getting back at me for making it wait so long. I started out getting my usual migrane but took one of my Maxalt and it's gone and doesn't seem to be trying to come back. I can't just go to bed like I'd like to do. I can put heat on it but it'll help just so long and then it starts to bug me. Its like I get irritated with the heat strip. Everything is making me cranky today.

I love eating chocolate but I'm all out of dark chocolate and the milk stuff that I snuck out of my daughter's easter basket just doesn't do the job for me. I've taken the all the meds I can that usually help the most but it's obviously not helping my mood. Plus having kids here doesn't improve it. I've suprised myself by actually showing more patience than I sometimes do but my inner lionness is pissed

Thanks for letting me vent here. Also I thought we could share things we've done to help relieve the multiple irritations of this lovely period of our lives.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
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onodrim

Motrin IB combined with TUMs always works for me. All the pain and bloating - gone.

Other than that, the best thing you can do is try to find an activity to take your mind off the discomfort. If you're trying to sleep - then read. It will distract you from the pain, hopefully, and it will also help you fall asleep.

I hope this helps!

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sillygirl

Crunches help with cramps

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txlovely

So does a super-hot bubble bath. Make your husband watch the kids for an hour and soak!

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cherriesue

If you strengthen your stomach muscles it will help with the cramps. Also, if you increase your seratonin levels it should help with the irritation

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Redgirl

You say you only have periods every 3 months? Are you on that new seasonal pill? I was looking into that, but I heard it was kind of expensive (like $30/mo?). Did you not get this kind of crampage before you were using them?

Mine come and go from month to month, but belly dancing has helped for me. I think it's like the other ladies were saying- strengthening your abs helps. Sorry that's a long term solution, you want something NOW!!

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Thought for the day: Men are like fine wine. They start out as grapes, and it's up to the women to stomp the crap out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

lurkette

Sympathy vent:

I'm in the same boat, raeanna - having my period for the first time in 3 months, and it's like I stored up 3 months worth of bitchiness and cramps. Couldn't sleep at all last night because they were so bad, till I took some Vioxx (can't take Ibuprofen overnight - burns the lining of my stomach).

Exercise does seem to help, as do orgasms, at least temporarily. Yoga is good - especially the "cat" poses where you're on all fours alternately arching and relaxing your back. The breathing helps, too.

Other than that, just know it's only a few days out of every 3 months and it'll be over soon. Get del to baby you

Re: the "4 periods a year" thing, I'm not on Seasonale, just on regular monophasic pills - the kind that have a constant hormone dose, rather than changing the hormone dose each week. I think they're the generic for ortho cyclen. They cost less than regular bc pills, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE only having a period 4 times/year, and being able to say when. I don't think the cramping is specific to this kind of extended cycle, at least for me. I've always had wicked, drop-you-to-your-knees kind of cramps, and it's actually gotten slightly better since I started skipping periods, it's just that I don't have them as often so I forget what it's like and am extra whiney about it

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raeanna74

I'll have to try that one. I've tried other poses but they haven't done all that much.

I think you hit it on the head here. I kindof forget how irritating it can be sometimes and how to deal with the mood part of it. Plus I haven't had full fledged periods for about 4 years since I was nursing most of the time too. My daughter is pretty much weaned now so my body is going back to normal.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

Eowyn_Vala

Periods suck. I am trying to figure out what kind of birth control to change to so that I can have fewer periods a year, and I don't like pills.

on the cramp thing, I've never really had ab cramps, mine are always in my lower back. Sometimes it hurts so bad I don't want to move. The only things I have found that help are exercise if I can make myself, and focusing on something else like reading. The one thing I love doing is giving my boyfirend shoulder massages and whenever it hurts the most I just squeeze really hard until it lets up and he doesn't seems to mind. I think it is his way of trying to help me, because if it does hurt him, he's never said a word. On rare occasions he will give me back massages too, that helps.

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sexymama

The one thing that has worked to get rid of my cramps for years is a nice glass or two (okay sometimes even 3) of wine. It is high in iron and a natural muscle relaxant. Cramps are the pits -- good luck!

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Some aromatherapy oils help me:

Chamomile, Geranium, Lavender, Rosemary, Bergamot, Sage, Ylang Ylang- there are many techniques of application...adding to lotion for massage, adding to hot water for inhalation, or simply on an oil burner.

cherriesue

Try applying gentle pressure with small circular movements to the point on top of the foot where the two small bones meet between the big toe and second toe. This will relieve spasms of the uterus...or cross your left ankle over your right knee and use your right thumb to find the point on the inside of your lower leg (just behind the shinbone) and three finger-widths above the inner anklebone (be sure to press gently because this can be a sensitive area). Move up to the inner thigh area - about two inches above the knee - to relieve cramping and stagnation and to promote the smooth flow of blood. If those don't work you can slide your finger out and away from the pronounced bump below your kneecap on the front of your knee until you are on a muscle between two bones of your lower leg. Massage and apply firm pressure to encourage softening of the muscle and to stimulate digestion, promote the release of blood, and relieve nausea.
I hope this makes sense and helps

Taking primrose oil may also help relieve cramping and avoiding caffeine helps too.

(sorry this is so long)

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raeanna74

Thanks girls for the encouragement, commisseration and ideas. I'm past the cranky mood now. I didn't realize how much I had forgotten how to soothe myself since it's been years since I've had PMS so intensely.


cherriesue - I have tried the pressure point on the ball of my foot and it works wonders. I had forgotten about it though, thanks for the reminder. I have not tried the other but will have to keep them in mind for the next time. I have a feeling some of them may be of some help for my migranes when the meds don't completely get rid of them.

Thanks girls.

__________________
"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

snowy

I dug up this thread because I'm having a horrible period. Uggh. I just went back on birth control after being off of it for a year (had irregular periods through the whole year) and boy...this regular period business is annoying! And painful! I've always had terrible cramps and right now they're really getting the best of me. I took some Aleve and may have to take some more later (I'm allowed up to six tablets a day according to my doctor). I wish I had time to lay around with my heating pad but I have class in less than an hour and another class a couple hours after that--THEN I have to drive five hours to my parents' house. But when I get home my mother will pity me and make me toast and tea and put me to bed with the heating pad and the dog. At least these cramps aren't as bad as the ones I had when I was 13-14--I'd be in so much pain it would make me physically ill.

Hopefully the longer I'm on this birth control the more the cramps will subside with each period. And at least I managed to get laid last night before all of this started...I think the post-orgasmic bliss is what kept me cramp-free all night after my period did start. So there are things to be thankful for.

Thank you for letting me whine.

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hunnychile

Ladies, if you really want to feel good, get off ALL the drugs. A period every 3 months is feaking sick. It's not healthy-as all the toxins will pollute your body. The moon & tides are the only real natural way to know when you can get pregnant. I used the rythem method (OK-don't get Catholic about this important birth control issue) for 20 years and NEVER got pregnant "by accident". NEVER. After I quit all the pills (i.e. chemicals, hormones, and such - yuck) I felt SO much better & normal & happy! It's amazing to me, how many women don't know their menstrual cycles & when they are fertile! That's just scary-IMO! The huge Drug Companies (who run the U.S.) Love that you don't pay attention & know this either. Seriously, knowledge IS POWER! DAY 14 - is The Day that sperm is perfectly Welcome and Breeding in the ovum. If you learn to check your " vaginal mucus" you will know when you are fertile. This isn't rocket science...try this 2,000 year old natural birth control alternative - and the calendar. Take control of your life & your future.

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Sweetpea

I would also love to have less periods . . .

venting helps i think with cramps though

Sweetpea

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snowy

Umm...my periods were waaaay worse before I went on the drugs. I don't EVER EVER EVER want to go back there. I've found a combination of natural remedies (vitamin B complex, chamomile tea, and this nifty herbal supplement) plus naproxen and a regimen of birth control keep my cramps far more manageable than they were when I was younger/before I went on bc.

If I stopped taking birth control/naproxen, I would spend four days of every month curled up in a little ball, puking my guts out. No thank you. I'll take the chemicals and the consequences.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Demeter

A friend mentioned using robaxacet, it apparently gives a lot of relief, easing muscle cramps, and helping to get rid of the excess swelling.

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snowy

Unfortunately that's harder to come by in the States than in Canada (here's it's prescription-only). I buy a big bottle of the generic stuff whenever I visit Canada and use it normally for cramps...unfortunately I have no idea where my current bottle ran off to. Oh well...I'm supposed to go to Vancouver in a few weeks anyways.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Demeter

Heh heh
I can see me starting an underground online pharmacy...

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maleficent

Seasonale hasn't been around long enough for real statistics, but from what I've read... the fewer periods you have in your lifetime, whether by stopping them thru birth control or pregnancy, you exponentially lower your chances of getting ovarian cancer, and possibly other forms of cancer as well..

The Rhythym method is probably as effective as any other provided the person is religious (no pun intented) about it. (and I don't mean praying either) You really have to pay attention, there are a lot of women out there who have a tough time remembering to take their birth control pills.

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lurkette

I just went to see my doctor and he had this wonderful nurse with him - she told me all kinds of good stuff about nutrition and such - the most relevant of which is to start taking B12 vitamins about a week to 10 days before your period - many women have experienced a complete disappearance of PMS symptoms and cramps. I'm gonna try it - they're putting me on B12 and iron for anemia and fatigue, so we'll see how that affects my next period.

And hunnychile, I appreciate your perspective, but I have to disagree about the evils of The Pill. Before I went on it, my period was erratic, I had raging mood swings and cramps that literally dropped me to my knees and kept me in bed for 2 days. The pill has been a godsend, and even more so since I started taking it "full time" and only stopping to have a period every 3-4 months. All of the studies to date have shown that there are serious benefits to taking the pill (decreases in rates of ovarian and uterine cancer), and the hormones are just altered doses of hormones your body produces naturally anyhow. I'm a huge believer in alternative medicine, but natural != always better.

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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."

- Anatole France

maleficent

[catty mode] oh gawd, I wish that were true, I would start spiking the water bottles of some of the women at a few different client sites. [/catty

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hunnychile

I want to apologize for using the term "freaking sick" about having periods every 3 months. That wasn't my intent at all. My emotions took me to the wrong place and that was not very kind in terms to those of you who use the pills that operate in that manner and those of you who clearly appreciate having less periods per year. I do have an issue with the drug companies & their controlling us in a way so unnatural to the biomechanics of a woman's body and cycles and the healthy release a monthly period gives us mentally and physically. Having worked for a drug company (who's name shall rename out of this post), drug companies do release pills for use well before all the clinical data is collected and long term effects have been deemed safe with no long term problems. It is the detailed knowledge of our bodies that remains important for all women and I am certain both sides of the actual data are extremely important to know before anyone uses a birth control that is truly safe with no long term effects.

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"I need compassion, understanding and chocolate." - NJB

TigerAngel

Wow, this site has a lot of good information. I'm one of you unlucky women who has cramps from hell and wouldn't survive without medication. Unfortunately, I've run into a slight problem. Naproxin is the only thing that would help my cramps, but I have a history of heart problems and that's one medication I can't take anymore. Ibuprofen makes me throw up, asprin makes me so dizzy I can't function, and Midol and Tylenol don't work at all. I spent most of last week in bed because I couldn't get up to do anything it hurt so bad. Does birth control really help stop the pain that much? My sister was on the pill and she's 8 months pregnant. (I don't think she stayed on schedule.)

snowy

I'm on the ring and I've already noticed a difference this period (I just started after being off hormonal bc for a year). The first day was terrible but the second day was manageable and today, the third day, is very light. No cramps at all. I know hormonal bc made a big difference for me when I was 18 and first went on the pill, and I can see the ring is doing the same. It is very helpful. I'm sure the longer I use the ring the better my periods will be.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

typette

tigerangel, while it is different for everyone, I recommend trying the pill. I had cramps to the point of puking, along with very heavy bleeding, for years, and when a friend finally convinced me to try the pill I couldn't believe the difference. Very minimal cramps, finally a regular schedule, pretty much down to the hour most of the time, and much lighter bleeding. And now I've been married for 4 years and so far so good on not getting pregnant, although I know some people do get pregnant on the pill.
I've tried taking the pill straight through to skip a period though and it didn't work. It basically delayed it for a week and then I'd spot for 3 weeks straight. Not fun.

cowgirl02

Yah i have heard that to, itis said to lower the amount of estrogen you produce and that lessens your chance of getting different kinds of cancers especially ovarian. I learned that in my Bio 101 last semester and thought that i should share!!!!! Well i hope that you feel better and take some time for yourself even if it is only an hour, bubble bath, reading, anything that you can do to relax would help!!!! Feel Better!!!

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la petite moi

Well, I have to vent too:

Every three months, I get my period (and this is a three months of hellish no-libido)...this time it has lasted a little more than a month- AND ITS STILL GOING.

JustJess

La petite moi, have you talked to the GYN about that??? When I was on depo provera (one shot ever three months=no periods, ever), I ended up bleeding all the time too. Eventually, when I went to a regular schedule, things calmed down. My GYN has me on the ring every single week/no period until I have some bleed through - then I'll go off for a week to "reset" my system. Perhaps that's what you need?
I don't have cramps, I just have migraines. I think we're all cursed!!

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la petite moi

I don't have a gynocologist- only a physican who doesn't care about her patients' feelings. Now, I know I should get a good doctor; however, I'm moving very soon. Yep.

I have been on depo for over a year (almost two), but I am just now quitting. I was supposed to get my shot today, but instead, I'm going to get an IUD. Anyway, everytime I get the shot, I end up having one episode of bleeding for a long time. This time has been the longest. I've gone through at least three boxes of tampons.

And hey! I get migraines too! At least one a day! Yay for periods!

Supple Cow

I'm in the middle of my first not-so-bad period since... probably the first year I had my period. I remember writing a piece called "Scarlet Perfection" about periods and how great they are for my friend's zine. Given the sharp nosedive my quality of life during that time of the month after the first year, it's hard for me to remember what it was like. I never imagined that being 13 could feel so far away, only being 21 and all. But I do still remember the first day I got it (a funny story, in retrospect):

My dad, brother and I were watching a Laker game on TV (right after I told my mom about my "visitor"... who said she would procure some pads for me). Being in her 60s and from the Philippines, she had mostly used the old belted napkins before menopause. She decided to ask my sister-in-law for some until she could go to the store and motioned "discreetly" in front of all of us that I needed pads by making an upward wiping motion in front of her crotch and then a belt motion. My sister-in-law was confused because she had never even heard of these, but my brother sure remembered my mom having them in the bathroom when he was growing up. After about 5 minutes of my mom making these motions and my sister-in-law going "WHAT???? She needs some WHAT?????" my brother just turned his head toward her, and without moving his eyes from the TV, said, "She needs pads. Supple Cow needs pads."

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la petite moi

Don't worry, Supple Cow. When I got mine, my sister suggested that we have a party in which we poked holes in jelly-filled dougnuts and squeezed out the red jelly to celebrate my period. My sister made fun of me from outside the bathroom, while I tried in agony to jam a tampon in for the first time. :/

maleficent

I'm sure you wanted to crawl under the couch, but that's about the funniest thing I've ever heard..

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Gilda

I haven't used any form of birth control in about four years now. I get bitchy for about a day before, and some moderate cramps with heavy bleeding and occasionally a migrane the first day, but after that it's not bad at all. I also get incredibly horny during. An industrial strength dose of ibuprofin is usually sufficient to dull the cramps and headache to a bearable degree, a nice relaxing massage from a talented young nurse I know helps with that and the bitchiness, and it's only two days every 24-36 that I have problems anyway.

I hadn't really considered using bc as a method of regulating symptoms in the absense of the need for pregnancy prevention. I'd always thought of that as being a beneficial side effect, and not really reason enough to use given that I have zero risk of pregnancy, so the primary purpose is lost.

My gyno has suggested a low dose pill to help mitigate symptoms and regulate my cycle, but having an irregular cycle isn't really any more than a moderate inconvenience, especially after hearing the list of potential negative side effects.

I figure, this is normal, it's how my body is supposed to operate, and if it means a little inconvenience every 3 to 5 weeks, so be it.

snowy

Oh goodness, SC...my first period was nearly as mortifying, though my mother claims you could've put me on a float in a parade I was so happy about it at the time.

I didn't realize I'd gotten my period and thought I just had constipation or something--really bad stomach cramps or whatever. So I sat on the toilet all morning, not bothering to look at my underwear or anything. I mean--they hadn't said it HURT in any of my sex ed classes and my mother certainly hadn't said so either. At some point in the morning my mother left to go to town and go shopping, leaving me at home with my brother and grandfather. Finally, after some time, I looked down at my undies to see that they were covered in something--blood. Now, I knew the likelihood of us having any kind of pad or whatever in the house was slim to none as my mother had had a hysterectomy four years previously, and I was right. So I had to go down to the basement, where my grandpa was watching television, and tell him that I had gotten my period and needed to go to the store. Luckily my grandfather was the coolest guy in creation, so it wasn't nearly as embarassing as it could've been.

My mom still tells every female friend of mine that story to this day.

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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau