Menstruation

larali1980
larali1980 Posts: 162 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Sorry if this is a bit graphic for the forum... but I am wondering...

What do you ladies do on THOSE DAYS? Those really BAD days where you are in severe pain and bleeding your guts out?

I was going to exercise today but oh my god... I am having the worst period ever.
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Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    It's not going to stop me from my training, for sure. I'll probably need to binge. I'm learning to prepare for that rather than fight it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Exercise usually makes me feel better, although it's sometimes hard to get going. So I usually try to get the workout in regardless.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    like i tell my 17 year old ..... life does not stop because you have cramps.

    take some motrin, suck it up, and carry on ....
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    I tend to eat less because I'm not hungry during TOM but I also don't feel like exercising so I decide to eat less and move less.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I didn't not exercise during my period until my fibroid got so big that the bleeding was so heavy that it wakes me up many times at night. Asking my body to do my regular exercise program despite extreme blood loss and sleep deprivation is asking too much.

    I will go pick up sticks in the yard or something similarly light just so I don't get stiff from inactivity.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    tara_means_star wrote: »
    I tend to eat less because I'm not hungry during TOM but I also don't feel like exercising so I decide to eat less and move less.

    I'm the same way. The combination of the cramps and other symptoms often makes it harder to eat. Of course, my appetite and cravings the days before my period starts more than balance it out . . .
  • BunnyBomb
    BunnyBomb Posts: 143 Member
    I do two very specific things with my diet on those days, planning ahead to do them...

    1. I avoid any and all acidic vegetables and fruits, including fruit juice, citrus, etc. For me they always, always lead to more cramps! Instead I drink more alkalising juices that also work to reduce my arthritis (you'll hate it, but it's cucumber & celery juice with ginger root - I use a masticating juicer so it copes with ginger root)
    2. I soak in Epsom Salts in the bath (basically magnesium) to relax the muscles. If it's really bad I take a magnesium supplement before bed and find it stops the night cramps.

    I've been doing these same 2 things for years and darned if they don't work. I then carry on
  • sarahq81
    sarahq81 Posts: 35 Member
    I totally disagree with the 'suck it up' approach... Hormones can wreak havoc with how you feel and be really painful. I track my cycle on an app so it doesn't catch me off guard, and then have one day where I sit around like a sloth and completely indulge myself. One day a month does no harm, and three days later I'm bursting with energy and drinking loads of water, so any added weight falls straight off. Just make sure it's only one or two days!!! Listen to your body and get extra sleep if you need.
  • brinktofit89
    brinktofit89 Posts: 5 Member
    It really depends. I'll take some pain relievers and drink some red raspberry leaf tea (only recently learned about this stuff for cramps-best thing ever!). I try to exercise after that stuff kicks in. If after 5 minutes I'm overly exhausted, I stop and call it quits for the day. Some months I'm fine and can keep up my normal exercise routine, but other times I just can't do it for a few days. Meh, I just listen to my body. You could always schedule a rest day(s) for those day(s).
  • BoaRestrictor
    BoaRestrictor Posts: 194 Member
    I usually bite the bullet and workout. Exercising helps my cramps.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    You're the only one that can really judge. I skipped working out today because I tripped yesterday and feel too much discomfort in my knee to justify a run or my bodyweight routine. It's not just a sore muscle.

    My cramps were never bad enough to prevent me from exercise, but my anemic sister has had some really awful cycles.
  • kathakraz
    kathakraz Posts: 65 Member
    Exercising makes my cramps and other period-associated body aches more painful and last longer. I ran my first half marathon last year and my schedule worked out so that my last long run before the race was on day 2 of my period. I literally cried when I finished that run. I won't do that to myself again. The only time I exercise now during that time is if there's a race that's already been paid for.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited January 2016
    kathakraz wrote: »
    Exercising makes my cramps and other period-associated body aches more painful and last longer. I ran my first half marathon last year and my schedule worked out so that my last long run before the race was on day 2 of my period. I literally cried when I finished that run. I won't do that to myself again. The only time I exercise now during that time is if there's a race that's already been paid for.

    Oooh. Ouch. If exercise makes it worse I might not do it either.


    I'm stubborn though. I got a black eye (literally) on the way to the gym the other week, iced it in the locker room, and still tried to work out. It didn't go so well but I wasn't leaving until I tried. So cramps are definitely not stopping me.
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    Nothing wrong with making that an easy day or a rest day. I never have cramps, except if I try to go for a run! Then it's literally like childbirth for me. And I've had 5 so I know what that's like!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Very occasionally I will sofa, blanket and tv it

    Generally I will workout because it makes me feel better

    But sometimes, sometimes it is just too much and those times you need to give yourself a break
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I used to have periods that totally disabled me with the pain for 24 hours. I know people say that exercise can help. For me it never helped. Sometimes I had to take the day off of work because it was so severe I couldn't move. Best if you take the anti inflammatories before the pain gets really bad. 800 mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours around the clock for 24 hours generally does the trick for me.

    Add in a heating pad or one of those Icy hot heat patches on your stomach or soak in a tub as hot as you can stand can really help if the pain is already intense. Be careful this can really raise your blood pressure so don't stay in too long.
  • ErinR82
    ErinR82 Posts: 50 Member
    It's hard for me to get motivated during that time... I'm ridiculously tired and hungry and emotional. However, I find that if I can push around that and just get moving, it makes a big difference. It's lighter, doesn't last as long, and I have a lot more energy. It's getting to that point of "just get up and do it" that I struggle with big time!
  • Lasmartchika
    Lasmartchika Posts: 3,440 Member
    Listen to your body. There will be days that you don't want to do anything, while other days you'll actually feel like exercising. Everybody's different. :)
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Some months are worse than others. If it's really bad I won't work out for a day or 2. I had my period this past week and the pain was so bad I actually called out sick from work and didn't work out that day.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    800 mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours around the clock for 24 hours generally does the trick for me.
    I'm a pharmacist.
    Just for the record- that dose of ibuprofen is way higher than the recommended dose for adults (normally 400mg three times a day). Don't take that dose without a doctors prescription (and even then I would question it).
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    _runnerbean_ wrote: »
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    800 mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours around the clock for 24 hours generally does the trick for me.
    I'm a pharmacist.
    Just for the record- that dose of ibuprofen is way higher than the recommended dose for adults (normally 400mg three times a day). Don't take that dose without a doctors prescription (and even then I would question it).

    How much is that? I have to take 4 ibuprofen for it to do anything for my cramps.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    I didn't not exercise during my period until my fibroid got so big that the bleeding was so heavy that it wakes me up many times at night. Asking my body to do my regular exercise program despite extreme blood loss and sleep deprivation is asking too much.

    If you are experiencing "extreme blood loss" you belong in the ER.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    _runnerbean_ wrote: »
    shadowfax_c11 wrote: »
    800 mg of ibuprofen every 4 hours around the clock for 24 hours generally does the trick for me.
    I'm a pharmacist.
    Just for the record- that dose of ibuprofen is way higher than the recommended dose for adults (normally 400mg three times a day). Don't take that dose without a doctors prescription (and even then I would question it).

    How much is that? I have to take 4 ibuprofen for it to do anything for my cramps.

    Same. Some months my cramps are so severe even my gyno prescribed 800 mg ibuprofen for them.
  • zenjen13
    zenjen13 Posts: 174 Member
    edited January 2016
    I have endometriosis (had surgery, hormone therapy the whole shebang) so I can definitely relate to OP. If I can exercise then I will bc it does help. If I am in severe pain then there's really no question about it, I just rest. Some things that help are: taking anti inflammatory a few days leading up to TOM, hot water bottle and baths on the bad days, using a menstruation cup (my saviour), not eating gassy foods, lots of water to drink and not pushing myself to exhaustion. Don't guilt yourself, there's a difference between normal TOM cramps and severe cramps that make you want to cry.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    9/10 times some light exercise like walking helps my cramps. Long runs are out of the question for logistical reasons on heavy days, and I often feel weak so skip resistance training; I do often dial back my planned exercise if I'm suffering a lot. Some times it just doesn't happen, which is not the end of the world; I just get on with it the following day.
    My periods can be quite heavy and painful, but my mum's are much worse due to endo, so I was raised (or forced) to be in the 'suck it up and get on with it' camp. Plus I turn into an absolute whingebag when I'm on so often need to have a stern word with myself; you might be braver than me! Only you know whether you need to rest up or whether you can exercise. Don't force it if you're going to throw up or cry or something!
  • Igotthatcake
    Igotthatcake Posts: 169 Member
    larali1980 wrote: »
    Sorry if this is a bit graphic for the forum... but I am wondering...

    What do you ladies do on THOSE DAYS? Those really BAD days where you are in severe pain and bleeding your guts out?

    I was going to exercise today but oh my god... I am having the worst period ever.

    This REALLY works, I was having awful cramps and did this 3 times and the pain eased a lot, enough for me to work out :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmYPhEMuYNM
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    800 mg is prescription strength. as long as your doc knows youre doing it i dont see an issue. Now, if you have blood pressure, kidney or liver issues you might want to try something else....

    i have a very high tolerance to pain meds. it takes a LOT for me to get any effect from them. even my ex's RX pain meds dont touch me.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
    Igotthatcake wrote: »
    larali1980 wrote: »
    Sorry if this is a bit graphic for the forum... but I am wondering...

    What do you ladies do on THOSE DAYS? Those really BAD days where you are in severe pain and bleeding your guts out?

    I was going to exercise today but oh my god... I am having the worst period ever.

    This REALLY works, I was having awful cramps and did this 3 times and the pain eased a lot, enough for me to work out :)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmYPhEMuYNM

    That woman on that video looks so comfortable, I might try it now and it's not even my TOM.
  • FitGirl0123
    FitGirl0123 Posts: 1,273 Member
    99% of the time I feel better during and after exercise while on TOM. Seriously it helps the bloating and the cramping for me. Sometimes you just have to get up and do it regardless. I know some women experience worse symptoms than other but for the majority of women it's a matter of just getting up and doing it anyways and dealing with it rather than using it as an excuse. It's not like we haven't been getting periods for years now. It's not something new to us.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Midol.

    And exercising actually makes me feel better and makes the cramps go away. Seems contradictory, I know, but it really does help.

    Also, hot bath/shower and some chocolate. ;)
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