I should not have to deal with this. I 'm on the stupid birth control to keep this from happening. And yet I’m cramped up to high heaven, stuck at a desk with no painkillers or heating pads in sight. I’m stuck at a desk and I’m bleeding and I hurt.
Die my evil cramping uterus, DIE!
:mad:
I feel for you- I went on the pill to stop severe bleeding and terrible cramping, and I"m much happier. I take mine for 3 months straight, then off a week, then 3 months straight again, and even when I get mine now, it’s just a shadow of it’s former self.
Sorry for your misery- and by the way, those Thermacare heat wraps are fabulous for cramps, FYI.
I feel for you. I have endometriosis, so if I’m not on medication, I can’t even get out of bed during my period. Even with medication, I’m still in a great deal of pain. Like Zette, I take three months straight of my pill, then one week off. (Along with meds for endometriosis, but the Pill is the best to control my period).
It’s going to sound weird - but since you have no medication or heating pads, and no access, something I always use for the pain I still have: breathing exercises. It doesn’t take away the pain, obviously, but it helps me concentrate on something other than the cramps. When I was in the hospital for surgery, one of the nurses taught me Lamaze breathing to deal with the pain of having my dressings changed. As the cramp starts, breathe in through the nose, and then slowly out through the mouth. Keep repeating until the cramp subsides. (And if you have kids and already know this, my apologies if I’m repeating something you already know…). It really does work for me.
Hope you feel better!
Ava
I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been getting debilitating cramps on the first two days of my period ever since 6th grade. Painkillers and heat didn’t help. Several years ago I went on birth control to try to lessen the pain. Since then, I’ve tried at least 4 different brands with no success. In fact, I just went to the doctor today because I’m bleeding and cramping during the second week of my pill pack. Thank goodness I got a prescription for Vicodin. When I take my next dosage, I’ll think of you.
Thanks for your concern, ladies. DoktorFluff was kind enough to drive me home after work so I could get painkillers, and I’m feeling somewhat better right now. If it stays away tomorrow, I’ll hopefully be done with the cramping for now.
avabeth, I do not have kids, so the technique might be handy to know. Thanks. AwSnappity, I was on the prescription stuff for a while too. If you’re not used to Vicodin, it can make you hallucinate. That was fun stuff… :rolleyes: Zette, I shall have to look those up. Do they stay in place easily?
I use them, too - they’ve got sticky stuff on them so it’s pretty easy to get them to stay in place. I usually wear them with pants - I’ll put them lower on my stomach, and stick it in place, put my pants up, and they stay pretty well. My biggest problem with them is that they get TOO warm and I start sweating.
Good luck - glad you’re feeling better. And Vicodin is some fucked-up shit. It makes me nauseous to take it, so I don’t ever use it anymore, but damn, it usually makes me want to jump off a building or something.
Ava
Have you been tested for endometriosis? Severe pain is something you shouldn’t have to live with every month. Find a reputable OBGYN (I find female doctors are usually more sympathetic than male ones in this regard) and tell them you want to know definitively if you have it or not, and what your options are, up to and including surgery.
For my part, I Pit birth control pills because they make me bleed constantly while I’m on them.
I don’t want to promote illegal activities in the SDMB, I’ll just tell you that I have had a number of female friends and relatives that swear by smoking a certain plant to relieve flat-on-the-floor-puking menstrual cramping - pain that various prescription painkillers don’t touch. This may or may not be a feasible option for you, given your political/moral stance on the subject, whatever it may be. Just relating what ended up working for them.
I feel for ya - I always thought the greatest arguement against a female God was menstruation.
Good luck in getting over this pain. I can imagine that it’s no fun.
Oh heavens, you poor thing. I used to suffer terribly when I was young too. Some months were so brutal that even my legs would be so cramped I could barely walk. My poor daughter had them even worse than I did. They’d actually make her throw up.
Wish I had something to add other than what others have posted. I agree with the above. Ask your doctor, it could be something other than “normal” cramps, and even if it’s not, he could prescribe something effective. Which we all know pamprin, etc are NOT.
In the meantime, I know that I managed to somewhat tolerate it by use of an ancient heating pad my mom had given me.
Two kids and one tubal ligation later, they are FINALLY not so bad. Although it did take several years after the tubal.
Good luck with them, and DO visit your ob/gyn, they can help with meds that actually work.
Oy I feel for you, sweetie 
My mom has had them as bad as you’ve described them, though (sometimes she’d have to go to the ER for a shot). She swears that sometimes drinking a glass of milk helped her. shrug I wouldn’t know but it’s worth a shot if you’re a milk drinker.
Ditto on going to the doctor. There is no reason you should have to live with this every month!
If it’s causing you that much pain, why not have the d*mn thing removed?
looks at qts and just shakes her head
Much sympathy. Cramps suck.
Slight hijack- I’m on the Pill and I tried starting a new pack immediately, and I still got my period. Is this normal? And yes, my pills are the 21-day sort. I was expecting to be able to skip it and start the two-months-with-menstruation, one-month-with thing.
I can’t find those heating, things, but there are sport heat strips I was thinking about trying.
I believe it depends on the pill, Lissla- I think the ones usually prescribed if you’re going to take them pack after pack are the ones that don’t vary in strength throughout the month. Ask your doc if there’s a better pill for you to try.
Also:
Thermacare Heatwraps
If you’re in the US, they usually are carried at Wal-Mart and most other major drug chains.