Menstruation

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    _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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 8,627 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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. ;)
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
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    Keep on trucking, girls. Have some dark chocolate, take a Midol, do some yoga, go for a nice walk, and win the war against your ovaries and uterus, those b!+ches!
  • Veryana
    Veryana Posts: 122 Member
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    I don't have this problem anymore because of birth control but when I still had it it was hellish. Bleeding lasted 11-13 days at a time and 8 of it I couldn't walk straight properly because it hurt so bad. Normal pain meds didn't help so I had stronger ones and those made me dizzy and/or drowsy so all I did was sit and lie down as much as I could and wish it was over. I just didn't feel like going out for a walk when it felt like someone was constantly stabbing me and everything from belly to thighs and back was cramping.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
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    The intense pain usually lasts 1-2 days for me, the rest of TOM can proceed as normal. An occasional rest day is a good thing. I've been looking into the EPBOT blog writer's suggestion of using a corset to apply pressure and how that can help the pain; I haven't found a corset I like that isn't wildly expensive, lol.
  • irishguns
    irishguns Posts: 53 Member
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    On those days I eat more than usual and I'm way more emotional than usual and I take my butt to the gym and I "leave it on the mat" (metaphorically speaking).
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
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    as many women on this forum have implied, thinking intuitively about what you can and cannot do is likely the way to go. I have days where there is just no way I'm doing anything, but most of the time, I go and workout. I have NEVER set a PR or showed major progress on a menstrual day, but the moving makes me feel better than not moving.

    I like a few others have said here, tend to be very hungry prior to my period, and not very hungry during. I usually intentionally up my cals before my period so that I don't make shady choices because of cravings.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    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.

    My GYN said nothing can be done other than removing my uterus, which of course wouldn't be done in the ER. We've discussed getting IV iron after my period, but by the time I'd feel well enough to go get that, my iron has rebounded on its own. (I supplement aggressively and get my levels tested regularly.)
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
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    My period generally lasts only 3 days. I tend to have increased general anxiety, tons of stomach pain, diarrhea (I'm sure you wanted to know), nausea, and lack of appetite. I figure, if I don't exercise those three days, it's probably okay.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    BunnyBomb wrote: »
    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

    Alkalizing juice is not a thing. If you could actually change the PH of your body more than 1 from its standard, you'd die. This on top of juices being acids, and anything you digest going through an acid wash in your stomach.
    Alkaline body is one of those fad theories that relies on thinking things operate on pure up down, plus minus, good bad scalars that just aren't true. Your health is not a simple result on a piece of litmus paper.
  • QueenofHearts023
    QueenofHearts023 Posts: 421 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Birth control actually took my pain away completely. I'm 22 now and I've been on it since high school. I remember it was so bad my mom had to take me out of school for 2 days sometimes because I just felt like dying.

    My hormones are permanently out of whack though. I used to skip a few then have some really heavy ones. It was just all over the place. The doctor prescribed BC to me to regulate it. Since then I've never had any cramps or cravings.

    But! Some things that might help is a heat pad, a hot bath, my sister tells me red wine helps for her.
  • chastity0921
    chastity0921 Posts: 209 Member
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    I check my IUD strings to make sure the thing is in place, and no period for me. :wink:

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