My wife suffers badly!
Doctors seem to perscribe Flintstone type Medication and she
continues to suffer month after month.She hasn’t been able to
find any real help. She injests up to 20 Advils on “Bad” Days.
This can’t be good…
She’s 44, 108 lbs. great physical condition. She drinks plenty of
water. She has heard of herbal remedies maybe you have to.
I would like to contribute something more than,“Oh Sweetie,
if I could just Take those cramps upon myself,I would”
My once Brilliant Armour is slowly Tarnishing and she is losing
faith in her doctor.Any Recommendations?
Get a new doctor.
Seriously, if 20 Advils are doing the job (and if that’s all she’s getting) you need to find someone who takes her pain seriously and will also check her out to see if there is some physical thing awry that can be corrected. At a minimum, she needs to be checked for fibroids and pelvic inflammatory disease.
Has she had this all her adult life, or is is a recent development?
Well, I was going to pop in & say that moving (walking) and heat often help, in addition to some OTC meds (tylenol, advil) - but that’s for average-type crampage. From your description, however, your wife seems to experience far-beyond-average pain… So how about a different doctor? Maybe just for an alternate opinion; if she wants to stick with the regular Dr. for other stuff/isn’t ready for a complete change, that’s understandable…
You’re a thoughtful husband to inquire on her behalf.
I used to have that many many years.
My former gyno offered to give me a prescripfor morphine if it got bad enough.
I was taking lots of ibuprofen too (once 8 at a time)
Fibroids cause ibu to not work so well I was told.
20 is too many and will damage her liver eventually.
What FINALLY worked is a year ago I was given birth control pills (I am 45)
It worked perfectly.No more cramps.
I read a study (in Lancet, I think) that seemed to indicate that a vegan diet helps to alleviate menstrual symptoms (cramps, etc.). Apparently, they had demonstrated a link between animal fats these symptoms.
I’m mostly a vegetarian now, though I’ve never been able to successfully cut all animal products from my diet.
I mention it only to add to the discussion. If your wife is so inclined to try a vegan diet, I’d be interested in hearing how successful it is.
One of these days my cramps will be bad enough for me to finally give up cheese!
In terms of medication, I use over-the-counter stuff. In the US, we have these heat-type things you can stick to the insides of your panties to help (they make them for back pain, muscle strain, too). It’s like a heating pad, but you can wear them up to 8 hours. They help me a little.
Best of luck–if these methods don’t help, a Russian ex of mine said that vodka would do the trick. Seems to work with every other type of pain, though that may just be me!
I would recommend inquiring about possible diagnoses like endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, fibroids, etc.
By what you post, I’d say an evaluation is in order: Complete pelvic exam and pelvic ultrasound.
IMHO.
QtM, MD
My girlfriend used to have really bad crampage when she was younger. Now she takes birth control pills (partially for complexion). Enormously less pain and great even if you aren’t sexually active.
I’ve heard that minimizing caffeine and/or salt intake, and making sure you get enough iron and calcium, can help. I suppose a multivitamin couldn’t hurt. Plus that’s an awful lot of anti-inflammatories. If my doc weren’t taking me seriously after that much pain and that high a dosage of ibuprofen, I’d be shopping for another doc.
She may have endometriosis.
I have it, and I used to suffer horribly. The pain was incredible-- puking, crying writhing-on-the-floor-wishing-I-was-dead kind of pain. I went to a good many doctors before I finally found one which understood the problem.
I finally found a new doctor who explained to me that a good many doctors either don’t understand what endometriosis is, or dismiss it as exaggeration. This wasn’t news to me: one doctor told me it was “all in your head”; another told me that it would “clear up” if I had a baby (I was sixteen at the time!); and another just gave me the Naproxen so I could deal with it.
The first doctor that diagnosed me with it prescribed Naproxen Sodium. (Now sold over-the-counter as Alleve) I was taking a high dosage, and while it didn’t entirely relieve the pain, it made it bearable. As I understand, Naproxen reduces the swelling of the tiny cysts which cause endometriosis, and thus relieves the pain.
The doctor I have now put me on Depro-Prevera, which stopped my periods all together. Not all women have such a positive outcome from Depo injections, but they changed my life. Your wife may want to discuss this option with her doctor.
I strongly suggest you do an internet search on endometriosis, and see if your wife fits the symptoms. If she does, she needs to see her doctor to talk about treatment. There’s no “cure” for endometriosis (it’s not even fully understood) but there are effective ways of dealing with it.
My wife used to suffer greatly horrible cramps and back aches during her period. Oddly enough, having sex helped a lot. I was always willing to take one for the team.
We eventually found out she had fibroid tumors, and ultimately ended up having a hysterectomy.
My wife used to suffer greatly horrible cramps and back aches during her period. Oddly enough, having sex helped a lot. I was always willing to take one for the team.
We eventually found out she had fibroid tumors, and ultimately ended up having a hysterectomy.
I started off by jokingly suggesting that to my first sex partner many years ago as a way to score more sex. Well it proved to be true and has been with any woman I’ve been in a sexual relationship with.
One thing to be careful of though - it’s actually orgasm that does the good work and when she figures she doesn’t need you for that …
Menstrual Crampage - Heavy metal band name!
Hormones help a lot of women, but they can make things worse for some. She needs to consult with a good gynecologist. When was her last pelvic exam, and did she tell her doctor just how many ibuprofen she was taking at that point?
That’s a good point - does her doctor know how many pills she’s taking? Some people hold back when talking to a doctor and that’s just not good.
For that matter, there’s no reason YOU, the husband, can’t express your concerns to the doctor. I hate to say it, but it is still true in some cases that a doctor will take a man’s word about pain and suffering more seriously than a woman’s. It doesn’t matter that you’re not a woman, you still recognized that there is something wrong about your wife’s cycles.
I second (third?) the birth control pill suggestion. Keep trying until she finds one that works.
Also yoga has much to teach on the subject. There are a few poses that really stretch out the pelvic area. This page has a list of suggestions of poses. Please ignore the silly names and blurbs for the poses: she just needs to do like the nice ladies in the pictures.
I soundly agree with the Pill suggestions as well. I work at an OBGYN office and they often prescribe them for just this reason. As a matter of fact, I take my pills all the time, having a period only every 4 months or so. There is actually a pill out now
(Seasonale) that is specifically designed so you only have a period 4 times a year. YAY!
Agreeing with Enright3 et al here; sex or masturbation to orgasm is a real good way of loosening up the distressed muscles. A hot bath is your friend!
Seasonale is on the market? Ooo! I’m trying skipping periods – I’m only into the second month, but it’s been longer since I had a period than since I was 13! – and everything’s fine, but I’ll have to find out about switching the next time I go in for an exam. I’d think it’d be cheaper, at least!
We just got some sample packs a month ago- they come in a three tiered little case with a three month supply.