Vicious Cycle

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  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Machka9 wrote: »
    I'm guessing that the "it can't be that bad" people here have never had the flood gates open, and with one massive cramp that leaves you doubled over and dizzy, it's all pouring down your leg.

    Happily ... it doesn't happen often, but it was happening just often enough that I started wearing black leggings all the time just in case.

    Thankfully ... things have actually been pretty good the last 3 months.

    My last period I managed to leak out of the Always Infinity non leak pads... and it was an extra heavy nighttime one. And I was just sitting at my chair.

    I also managed to leak at the gym during my workout. Good times.
  • ZephieC
    ZephieC Posts: 162 Member
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    I'm sorry you are stuck with this. I ended up on Depo Prevera and that worked wonders for me. No periods at all. However, one of my friends can't find anything that works for her. Depo had the opposite effect for her. The body is an amazing and difficult thing to understand. Before Depo I had a prescription for Naproxen. Would your doctor be willing to give you something a bit stronger to take for the pain? By taking it regularly as soon as the TOM neared I could head off the worst of it. Heat was always helpful for me too.
    Now I have IBS and when my colon spasms I can barely even stand. Exercise helps but I'd rather crawl in bed and die so it can be a vicious circle.
    I hope you can find something that helps. ((hugs))
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,180 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I'm guessing that the "it can't be that bad" people here have never had the flood gates open, and with one massive cramp that leaves you doubled over and dizzy, it's all pouring down your leg.

    Happily ... it doesn't happen often, but it was happening just often enough that I started wearing black leggings all the time just in case.

    Thankfully ... things have actually been pretty good the last 3 months.

    My last period I managed to leak out of the Always Infinity non leak pads... and it was an extra heavy nighttime one. And I was just sitting at my chair.

    I also managed to leak at the gym during my workout. Good times.

    Yep!

    Just a few months ago, my husband and I decided to do a trial walk to one of the groceries stores and back ... about 6.5 km round trip so nothing we couldn't handle.

    I knew it was a heavier day so I changed my tampon before we left. When we got there (less than an hour), I had to stop in at a toilet and make a pad of toilet paper so I could get home. Walking home carrying a few groceries was quite an experience!!

    I also had to chew down a couple panadol (like tylenol) because the pain was that bad and we hadn't picked up anything to drink. Blech!

  • Ming1951
    Ming1951 Posts: 514 Member
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    HG210 wrote: »
    What to do to fight this vicious appetite 2 weeks out of the month? I am getting my cycle soon and I know because I want to take a bite of my desk right now. I don't track it at all but I know from the incredible overwhelming sensation of hunger I'm having. I feel out of control when this happens. I only have one normal week a month. One week of hunger followed by another week of hunger, headaches and cramps. Then the most horrible heavy period and it's over. The pain is horrible the hunger is horrific it is all a nightmare. Does anyone have any tips or trips to get through this a little better? Surgery is not an option. Something has to work besides Strawberry Ice Cream. I don't even want to log in this damn coca cola and doritos I'm eating. My husband wants to walk tonight and I want to hang on the couch. SMH :'( Also did I say that it takes away all my motivation to work out.

    Well I am 65 now so thank gosh this is all behind me. But I remember well. I had the worst ever PMS, cramps and pain so bad it felt like my insides were dropping out. I also had heavy periods but thank gosh they only lasted 3-4 days. I did go on the pill and it helped me with some of the pain but I always had the worst PMS and like you it was just before . Later in life I found out I had endometriosis and though I still have all my parts I'm all scarred. Never could have biological children as a result. Today I am sure there is help out there they just have to find out whats right. I truly understand.
  • CassidyScaglione
    CassidyScaglione Posts: 673 Member
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    Buy cabbage. Steam cabbage. Season as desired. Eat as much damn cabbage as you want. Seriously, eat 3 heads a day if you like (its about 300 calories per head).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I'm guessing that the "it can't be that bad" people here have never had the flood gates open, and with one massive cramp that leaves you doubled over and dizzy, it's all pouring down your leg.

    Happily ... it doesn't happen often, but it was happening just often enough that I started wearing black leggings all the time just in case.

    Thankfully ... things have actually been pretty good the last 3 months.

    My last period I managed to leak out of the Always Infinity non leak pads... and it was an extra heavy nighttime one. And I was just sitting at my chair.

    I also managed to leak at the gym during my workout. Good times.

    Fortunately, I work from home and do not need to leave the house during my two heavy days. I'm also too tired from blood loss and sleep deprivation those days to want to leave.

    I use a menstrual cup most of the time, but when the floodgates are open full I switch to OB Ultra (the purple box which is not carried everywhere - I often get it online but have also seen it at Walmart) and at night I use the even bigger European Ultra which I get from Amazon. They are $0.51 each which is more expensive than OB tampons in the US, but they are worth it. This listing only shows one box of 16, but since the title says 48 count it is actually 3 boxes of 16, and the Price Each corresponds to that as well. I've ordered from this seller before and they come weeks before the expected delivery date.
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
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    For me, it got to the point that I was calling in sick to work 2x a month. I just couldn't deal with the pain and the flooding anymore. At my worst, my body temperature dropped around 4°C, my HR dropped by 10-15 points below my resting average and I couldn't keep anything down. Try and find a comfortable position on the toilet when it's coming out both sides, the blood is flooding, your head is swimming and you're shivering with no chance of getting warmer. That's around the time my mother put her foot down and called an ambulance to have me taken to the ER - I was too stupid to go see a doctor so she had me taken to one.

    I'm on BC again and fighting against the negatives (migraines and difficult to control appetite). But those are minor compared to the quality of life I've gotten back. My doc's going to tweak and adjust the dosages in the coming months to see if there isn't something that can be done with the negatives, but I'm willing to accept those if instead I can just go about my day like a normal person.

    I know that BC isn't for everyone, but I hope that you find something that helps you @HG210!
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Dearest OP, you have my sympathies. I can remember as a teenager writing around on the floor from the pain, vomiting, and being so sick my parents would have to come pick me up from school.

    I don't have any profound words of wisdom, other than to recommend my recent discovery thanks to these forums: Halo Top ice cream. 240 calories for an entire pint. I have the Lemon Cake flavor, but imagine they also would make a Strawberry. It is very psychologically satisfying to be able to shovel in spoonful after spoonful without doing too much damage calorie-wise. While not terribly helpful for your overall trauma, hopefully this suggestion helps provide a little spark of hope at least in the ice cream category. <3
  • HG210
    HG210 Posts: 103 Member
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    Wow! You all are amazing. Thank you so much.
  • Sheisinlove109
    Sheisinlove109 Posts: 516 Member
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    Get your hormone levels checked and do a blood panel to make sure everything is in check from that perspective. I,too, feel like eating my flip flop. One thing that has helped me a little is drinking a sip of water between every single bit, snack or meal and also amping up the protein.
  • counting_kilojoules
    counting_kilojoules Posts: 170 Member
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    This thread is a little on the old side, but issues like the OP's don't just go away, so I thought I'd post. I had long, really heavy periods for which none of the birth control methods worked and I ended up having an endometrial ablation. I'm so happy I had it done. No pain, very light period that I barely notice. It's certainly not a procedure for everyone but for me it was great.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    OP, not sure where you are with the having kids thing. But if you're not looking to procreate from this point, you can talk to your doctor about an endometrial ablation and tubal ligation. Permanent BC and no more periods. No more pms. Best thing I ever did. Insurance covered the whole thing except my copay.

    Ovaries stay in place, so no hormone issues.

    The testing before isn't so much fun, but it was all worth it.

    Sorry if this wasn't helpful for you because of where you are in life. Hang in there!

    --girl with no more pms :blush:

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Ok I'm curious - if you still have your ovaries, and PMS is hormone related, how does an ablation stop PMS?

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