PERIOD PAIN... HELP !!!!!
Replies
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I take extra turmeric during that week, and it helps me a lot.0
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I found Dong Quai helped my cramps. I know someone above said it makes theirs worse, but I had the opposite reaction. Red Raspberry leaf tea is good too.0
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Endometriosis can cause the GI symptoms you're experiencing. I'd find a new gyn. I had similar issues ever since my first period, and went back on the pill (combination pill). I skip my period for 4 months at a time, then have my "period" for a week and start again. My cramps are minimal now, and bleeding is super light. It's been a life saver for me.
Also, Tylenol with codeine is NOT over the counter in the U.S. Prescription only.0 -
mumblemagic wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »mumblemagic wrote: »I was given mefanamic acid when I was a teenager for heavy, painful periods. I can highly recommend an IUD however, no more heavy or painful periods, or in fact, anything more than light spotting once every 5 or 6 weeks. Problem solved, with the added bonus of 99.99999999% reliability on pregnancy prevention.
ETA:
Period pain is not listed as one of the things Slippery Elm can be used for on Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-978-slippery elm.aspx?activeingredientid=978&activeingredientname=slippery elm
It also says:Slippery elm is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth. When applied to the skin, some people can have an allergic reactions and skin irritation.
If it causes skin irritation or allergic reactions in some people, is it possible this is making your intestinal issues worse, which in turn are making your period pains worse?
Yup, I've read that. But yes, it was used as an abortifacient, so go figure.
as for the Mirena: I'd be wary of adding synthetic hormones back into the mix.
Actually the Mirena is recommended to people with other medical conditions because the hormones stay inside the womb and are not transmitted into the blood. That's why I use it - I have epilepsy which can be affected by changes in hormones so I can't go on the Pill, but I have to make damn sure I don't get pregnant since pregnancy hormones can make epilepsy go haywire!
I read the bit on the abortion. Interesting the folklore went from 'when inserted into the cervix' to 'when taken by mouth'.... pretty sure they're different! And I would think that most things inserted into a pregnant woman's cervix have a high chance of causing miscarriage.
ETA Mirena is also used to treat endometriosis.
It doesn't stay "in the womb". It has systemic effects just like the others. Thus all the side effects listed. And no, things in the cervix (like your doctor's fingers, the "duck lips" etc.) don't cause miscarriage.0 -
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I found Dong Quai helped my cramps. I know someone above said it makes theirs worse, but I had the opposite reaction. Red Raspberry leaf tea is good too.
I had heard good thing about Raspberry leaf tea but it has done nothing for me sadly. I drank it consistently leading up to and during my periods and they didn't improve at all
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Fay84Vegan wrote: »
fwiw, I add both ginger and turmeric root to my green smoothies...0 -
iWillGetCrowSomeday wrote: »Endometriosis can cause the GI symptoms you're experiencing. I'd find a new gyn. I had similar issues ever since my first period, and went back on the pill (combination pill). I skip my period for 4 months at a time, then have my "period" for a week and start again. My cramps are minimal now, and bleeding is super light. It's been a life saver for me.
Also, Tylenol with codeine is NOT over the counter in the U.S. Prescription only.
I was thinking it sounds like the symptoms of endo as well.0 -
These symptoms sound like what I used to have. They thought it was endometriosis; turned out to be fibroids and adenomyosis. You've got to see a doctor when things hurt that much. If your regular MD isn't working for you then u need someone else. Preferably an obgyn. I ended up having to have a hysterectomy, but most women can get satisfactory treatment in other ways. Herbal medicines are wonderful but they don't fix everything all the time, especially when you don't have a definite diagnosis so you don't know what you have to treat exactly. Once you find out what is making your cycles so terrible, you can work with your doctor to find the best treatment, be it natural or prescription or both. Take care of yourself, ok? Please don't try to ignore it. the sooner you get help the better.0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »iWillGetCrowSomeday wrote: »Endometriosis can cause the GI symptoms you're experiencing. I'd find a new gyn. I had similar issues ever since my first period, and went back on the pill (combination pill). I skip my period for 4 months at a time, then have my "period" for a week and start again. My cramps are minimal now, and bleeding is super light. It's been a life saver for me.
Also, Tylenol with codeine is NOT over the counter in the U.S. Prescription only.
I was thinking it sounds like the symptoms of endo as well.
If so, what causes it?
Identifying the problem is important & so is finding out the cause in the first place..!
Painful periods run in my family but I am not one to pass it off as 'genetic', there must be a reason & prevention..?0 -
These symptoms sound like what I used to have. They thought it was endometriosis; turned out to be fibroids and adenomyosis. You've got to see a doctor when things hurt that much. If your regular MD isn't working for you then u need someone else. Preferably an obgyn. I ended up having to have a hysterectomy, but most women can get satisfactory treatment in other ways. Herbal medicines are wonderful but they don't fix everything all the time, especially when you don't have a definite diagnosis so you don't know what you have to treat exactly. Once you find out what is making your cycles so terrible, you can work with your doctor to find the best treatment, be it natural or prescription or both. Take care of yourself, ok? Please don't try to ignore it. the sooner you get help the better.
Thank you for your kind words and advice.
I am planning on going to a specialist as my GP hasn't helped at all.0 -
I take primrose for a couple of days beforehand. Seems to help a little. Not a lot, but I'll take what I can get0
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The yoga pose with your legs up straight against the wall can provide a little relief. It's not a super amazing cure-all kind of thing, but mine are awfulawfulawful too, so I just search for things that provide just a little relief.0
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Maybe stop self-medicating with "woo" and find a doctor/OBGYN to take you seriously. Sounds fricking dangerous!0
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If they gave you painkillers and the painkillers aren't helping, call them up and say, "The painkillers aren't enough. I'm still in pain."0
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If they gave you painkillers and the painkillers aren't helping, call them up and say, "The painkillers aren't enough. I'm still in pain."
It's not just the pain... It's the nausea & vomiting that is most concerning... Either way according to the a Doctor 'it's all perfectly normal' .. I should just get over it!0 -
My doctor gave me mefenamic acid capsules to take three times a day starting the day before your period, for a few days. It helped but I usually had an extra day of cramping the day after I went off them and it made me nauseous. Maybe they could help you, though.0
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Oi_Sunshine wrote: »My doctor gave me mefenamic acid capsules to take three times a day starting the day before your period, for a few days. It helped but I usually had an extra day of cramping the day after I went off them and it made me nauseous. Maybe they could help you, though.
I think they are the ones I have!0 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »mumblemagic wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »mumblemagic wrote: »I was given mefanamic acid when I was a teenager for heavy, painful periods. I can highly recommend an IUD however, no more heavy or painful periods, or in fact, anything more than light spotting once every 5 or 6 weeks. Problem solved, with the added bonus of 99.99999999% reliability on pregnancy prevention.
ETA:
Period pain is not listed as one of the things Slippery Elm can be used for on Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-978-slippery elm.aspx?activeingredientid=978&activeingredientname=slippery elm
It also says:Slippery elm is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth. When applied to the skin, some people can have an allergic reactions and skin irritation.
If it causes skin irritation or allergic reactions in some people, is it possible this is making your intestinal issues worse, which in turn are making your period pains worse?
Yup, I've read that. But yes, it was used as an abortifacient, so go figure.
as for the Mirena: I'd be wary of adding synthetic hormones back into the mix.
Actually the Mirena is recommended to people with other medical conditions because the hormones stay inside the womb and are not transmitted into the blood. That's why I use it - I have epilepsy which can be affected by changes in hormones so I can't go on the Pill, but I have to make damn sure I don't get pregnant since pregnancy hormones can make epilepsy go haywire!
I read the bit on the abortion. Interesting the folklore went from 'when inserted into the cervix' to 'when taken by mouth'.... pretty sure they're different! And I would think that most things inserted into a pregnant woman's cervix have a high chance of causing miscarriage.
ETA Mirena is also used to treat endometriosis.
It doesn't stay "in the womb". It has systemic effects just like the others. Thus all the side effects listed. And no, things in the cervix (like your doctor's fingers, the "duck lips" etc.) don't cause miscarriage.
LMAO at "duck lips". Unfortunately, now I'll probably break out in giggles during my next gyn exam. Awk-ward.
Also, I don't think I can look at Instagram selfies the same ever again.
OP, I have found a lot of relief using a TENS machine. I originally got it to augment physiotherapy for my ankle and wrist, but read about people using it for cramps, and I tried it because I get awful cramps on the first day of my period. To my complete astonishment, it worked!
http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/pain/other/tens-treatment-primary-dysmenorrhea
In the US, portable TENS machines are available in pharmacies and online for under $100; not sure about elsewhere.0 -
Track your period (I use the ptracker app) so that you know when to expect it, and start taking your painkillers one or two days before it starts. Heading off the pain before it gets there somehow helps. I have terrible cramps and if I forget to start taking meds at leasdt 24 hours in advance, it takes much, much longer for it to kick in once my period starts. My anatomy professor (who is a medical doctor) actually brought this up in class the other day and said that women with a lot of menstrual pain should do this0
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LMAO at "duck lips". Unfortunately, now I'll probably break out in giggles during my next gyn exam. Awk-ward.
Also, I don't think I can look at Instagram selfies the same ever again.
OP, I have found a lot of relief using a TENS machine. I originally got it to augment physiotherapy for my ankle and wrist, but read about people using it for cramps, and I tried it because I get awful cramps on the first day of my period. To my complete astonishment, it worked!
http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/pain/other/tens-treatment-primary-dysmenorrhea
In the US, portable TENS machines are available in pharmacies and online for under $100; not sure about elsewhere. [/quote]
Oh wow... Thank you, I'll give it a try!!0 -
rawhidenadz wrote: »Track your period (I use the ptracker app) so that you know when to expect it, and start taking your painkillers one or two days before it starts. Heading off the pain before it gets there somehow helps. I have terrible cramps and if I forget to start taking meds at leasdt 24 hours in advance, it takes much, much longer for it to kick in once my period starts. My anatomy professor (who is a medical doctor) actually brought this up in class the other day and said that women with a lot of menstrual pain should do this
Good advice, Thank you!!0 -
Go to an OB/GYN and see if they can help.
You may have something like endometriosis, pcos, or other hormonal factors at play that need to be balanced out. I know you said you don't want to take the pill again, but It's the only thing that's helped me and i had a very similar experience with periods before. My mom also has similar issues and also has to take hormonal prescriptions to balance everything out.
"I started taking L Glutamine & Slippery Elm tablets 8-9 weeks ago to help heal my digestion from the damage the gluten has done."
I would highly recommend you stop taking the slippery elm as well as any herbs that may be emmenagogues. They can induce a period or even a miscarriage.
Lastly, are you actually a celiac?
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Jesus get a second opinion from a real doctor instead of talking to strangers on the internet if you're in that much pain. I'm not unsympathetic. My cancer med has caused a 3 month long period. I cannot stand it. But I've gone to specialists because it's kinda important.
Don't take weird stuff people you don't know tell you to take. See another doctor.0 -
MakePeasNotWar wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »mumblemagic wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »mumblemagic wrote: »I was given mefanamic acid when I was a teenager for heavy, painful periods. I can highly recommend an IUD however, no more heavy or painful periods, or in fact, anything more than light spotting once every 5 or 6 weeks. Problem solved, with the added bonus of 99.99999999% reliability on pregnancy prevention.
ETA:
Period pain is not listed as one of the things Slippery Elm can be used for on Web MD
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-978-slippery elm.aspx?activeingredientid=978&activeingredientname=slippery elm
It also says:Slippery elm is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth. When applied to the skin, some people can have an allergic reactions and skin irritation.
If it causes skin irritation or allergic reactions in some people, is it possible this is making your intestinal issues worse, which in turn are making your period pains worse?
Yup, I've read that. But yes, it was used as an abortifacient, so go figure.
as for the Mirena: I'd be wary of adding synthetic hormones back into the mix.
Actually the Mirena is recommended to people with other medical conditions because the hormones stay inside the womb and are not transmitted into the blood. That's why I use it - I have epilepsy which can be affected by changes in hormones so I can't go on the Pill, but I have to make damn sure I don't get pregnant since pregnancy hormones can make epilepsy go haywire!
I read the bit on the abortion. Interesting the folklore went from 'when inserted into the cervix' to 'when taken by mouth'.... pretty sure they're different! And I would think that most things inserted into a pregnant woman's cervix have a high chance of causing miscarriage.
ETA Mirena is also used to treat endometriosis.
It doesn't stay "in the womb". It has systemic effects just like the others. Thus all the side effects listed. And no, things in the cervix (like your doctor's fingers, the "duck lips" etc.) don't cause miscarriage.
LMAO at "duck lips". Unfortunately, now I'll probably break out in giggles during my next gyn exam. Awk-ward.
Also, I don't think I can look at Instagram selfies the same ever again.
OP, I have found a lot of relief using a TENS machine. I originally got it to augment physiotherapy for my ankle and wrist, but read about people using it for cramps, and I tried it because I get awful cramps on the first day of my period. To my complete astonishment, it worked!
http://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/pain/other/tens-treatment-primary-dysmenorrhea
In the US, portable TENS machines are available in pharmacies and online for under $100; not sure about elsewhere.
Smiles. It's not mine. It's from "The Vagina Monologues". But yes, it does, umm, color, how I see duck lips selfies!0 -
I don't know if this would be it, but in case it helps.
You might explore something called a mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS, or MCAD). It's only had standard diagnostic criteria in the last couple of years and most doctors haven't even heard of it, or if they have, they think that the symptoms and tests for it are the same as a related disorder, mastocytosis, which is incorrect. It's currently listed as a rare disorder, but experts studying it think it is more 'rarely diagnosed' than rare, possibly up to around 6% of the population.
Basically, this disorder causes the body's mast cells to degranulate and release their contents to stressors on the body (physical, emotional, environmental - things like foods, pollen, stress, temperature extremes, hormone shifts). The commonly diagnosed version is when the mast cells release histamine and it causes allergy symptoms, like hay fever or hives or anaphylaxis (because these symptoms are the most easily recognized). However, the mast cells can release other substances too, or lower levels of histamine, and cause dizziness, fatigue, gut and bowel issues, headaches, and so on.
One of the substances released is heparin - which can cause problems with excessive bleeding, especially for women during their periods. Another substance that can be released is prostaglandin, which is involved in multiple aspects of your period, as well, and can make it much more intense.
This disorder is rarely detected by regular, or even intense, testing, because the doctor needs to pick just the right test to tell this is happening, and even then, the markers may not always be abnormal (depends on coinciding with a reaction).
- Also of interest. I'd say at least 2/3 of the people I know with this have gluten as a trigger for their mast cells.
- Pain meds don't usually affect the pain caused by this disorder.
- A fair number of folks with this who were celiacs had their bodies just go kind of nuts when they were diagnosed and went off of gluten. That happened to me. I was diagnosed as celiac, went off gluten, and within a week or two I started reacting to everything like crazy because of this disorder. My daughter has insanely intense periods because of this disorder.
There is little good information on the web for this - most information is relevant only for mastocytosis or severe MCAS. But there are support groups for this on face book that Do have good info, if you search for MCAS, MCAD, myastocytosis, or mast cell disorder on the site. The folks there can answer questions, and also help you find doctors in your area who know how to test for this. I live in a city of 1 million people. There is one doctor here who tests for this, and even she is not an expert - the nearest expert is about 500 miles away in another state. So it really takes some research to find a knowledgeable doctor.
Again, I really don't know if this is what you are experiencing, but it sounds very similar to experiences that some folks with this disorder have described, so it might at least be worth exploring. And if nothing else, many times, people with this disorder have researched so much in trying to get diagnosed that they might be aware of something ELSE it could be, so could help that way.
Good luck, hon!
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My periods have become MUCH less painful since a started taking an iron tablet daily.0
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Go see a doctor. Honestly, I think the only way I've heard is to find a BC pill that does that for you. That's what the doctor had my friend do when her cramps were so bad she went into false labour (not pregnant). But the doctor would likely have other suggestions.0
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SimoneBee12 wrote: »
ETA: Both those pain killers are over the counter, by the way.
Tylenol with codeine is not over the counter
they sell warming patches that are for the lower back but I've used them on my front side. so I can walk around and not be stuck with a heating pad0 -
Fay84Vegan wrote: »
Many women have improved their periods through diet or other methods and I am interested to see if anyone has suggestions that I haven't tried.
You should see a doctor because I think there are other things going on. But for cramp symptom relief- COLD chamomile tea (brew hot and strong, let it cool down)- it works as an antispasmodic (anti-cramping). Otherwise Evening Primrose oil can be quite effective as can Vitamin b6 supplements to reduce PMS symptoms. Calcium/Magnesium supplement can help as well.
I find my cramps are worse if I eat too much dairy or sodium0
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