I hate the velcro winged-pads. I find the design to be the most useless concept ever. I’ve switched back to Always.
Poor you SFT. Hugs and a nice footrub.
Get your BP, iron and blood sugar levels checked out. Just to be sure.
I take either Codeine and Ibuprofen (Neurofen Plus, or prescription strength), Mefenamic acid (Ponstel) or Diclofenac (Voltarol), not all at once, obviously. Even on the pill I still get 3-4 days of bad cramps. As opposed to 4-5 days of mind-numbingly painful cramps.
Have you eaten or drank anything unusual over the past few days?
I crave salt, alcohol, chocolate and coffee when I have PMT…but all of them (except the chocolate) make my symptoms much worse.
Zazie, try a month of the basal body temp thing, to get a better idea of when you are ovulating - if knowing that is important (like you are backing up your birth control with ovulation awareness). You also might want to check out a book called “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” for clues on how to read the other signs of ovulation (primarily your cervical mucas).
OK, here is my question. When I gave birth to my daughter, I ripped. Ever since then (my daughter is 3 1/2) the first day of my period feels like I’ve been ripped again (but not as bad - say after about three days of healing). Anyone else?
To each her own, huh, Lsura?
I don’t like Always’ plastic covers, myself. They feel weird against my skin. The Stayfree ones have served me well, but unless they discontinue the ones I’m using now, I’m never going back.
Thanks Dangerosa. Hubby and I are thinking more seriously about getting pregnant. I haven’t been on birth control for a while, but still nothing. We never counted days, but I guess I am now thinking about it!
I used to have Monster Periods from Hell as well, but they were because I was getting ovarian cysts, which would burst and leave fluid in my abdominal cavity, irritating my internal organs. The pain was incredible and it was extremely gross.
TMI alert
I would begin by experiencing what felt like nausea in my stomach, but then as it became more intense it was more like cramps. Then the nausea would return along with the cramping, making me vomit and have diarrhea as I was hemorraging like a stuck pig. When I was still in high school, my mom would find me sitting on the toilet and puking into the bathtub, sobbing between heaves. My body was just purging every single fluid in it. I felt toxic.
TMI alert over
Once I felt a little pop! while I was in Drama class. That was fun. Thank god that cyst was a mini one. So these are my experiences with Painful Period Fun. Or rather, Un-Fun.
I got over it by going to my Naturopath. I told my mom I’d rather see him than my doctor because “He doesn’t make me take my clothes off.”
Haven’t had a problem since.
Zazie, in that case I highly recommend “Taking Charge of your Fertility” - which is an annoying book if you turn out to be infertile (3 years for me, then a surprise pregnancy after we’d given up.) as all unexplained fertility problems are solved by having sex at the right time (author doesn’t seem to believe in unexplained infertility or subfertility), but a great book at explaining how to optimize your chances.
Well, I’ve had run-around-the-house-in-your-underwear-screaming pain, and I’ve had sobbing-kneeling-scratching-at-the-carpet pain, and I’ve had half-collapse-but-still-conscious pain, but I have not had passing-out pain.
As one for whom Advil and its ilk are completely useless during Auntie Flo’s visits, let me just say that I would not be able to function like a normal human being or hold down a job without Aleve/Anaprox. It was prescribed to me in 500mg pills as Anaprox before it came out over the counter. I was allowed to take one, or two if the pain was bad, or three if it was REALLY bad. Yes kids, that’s 1500 mg of naproxin sodium I am approved to consume! Luckily, now that it’s come out over the counter, I can build up to that in 220 mg doses. The doc explained it to me like this: most drugs affect your reaction to pain. Naproxen-sodium actually stops the chemical reaction that causes pain. One thing I’ve learned over the last decade plus is that you need to take it immediately. The quicker you take it, the less you need and the sooner it works. I can now catch my pain early enough to get away with a single 220mg pill.
However, that doesn’t help me with the sudden someone’s-dragging-a-machete-across-my-uterus kind of pain. That you just have to grab for the bottle, swallow about 3 pills down and wait. Even then, if you take it immediately, it will get to work quickly, but if you wait, it will take longer and require more medicine.
Yes, Zazie, Monstro was right. My “First Day” is pretty obvious- I don’t have much ‘spotting.’ I second Dangerosa’s suggestion. ‘Ovulation awareness’ can be a bit involved, from what I can tell. Good luck in your venture for a baby! 
Irishgirl, I haven’t eaten or drank anything strange in the past few days, though with the visits from the Easter bunny, my chocolate intake has been much higher than usual. I’ve been craving chocolate a lot this week, and don’t have the heart to try and deny myself. Why bother?
Dangerosa, I cannot imagine being ripped. :eek: It makes me cringe inside. Did you become a raving lunatic? Lash out at anyone in sight? Curse the man whose child you bore? I think I would have, at least til it healed. I’ve never experienced anything like that, and hope I never do. I hope that sensation on your First Day stops and never comes back.
{{{kung fu lola}}} I’m so glad you are ok now. You are a brave girl.
Ah, gotta love that one. I think I should make a collection of the various Period Pains mentioned in this thread. Next time a man bitches about how whiny women with PMS are I’ll hit him with a grisly, mind-bending description of the various degrees and shades of PAIN. Cuz I’m a sick bitch, and that amuses me.