Amethyst Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. I absolutely fucking hate cramps, and everything that comes with them. I hate feeling like a thousand tiny baby dragons are trying to claw their way out of my lower stomach. I hate having to take shitloads of OTC pain medication to cope. I hate the fucking mood swings, the water weight gain, and all the other crap that goes with being female. It is the only part I absolutely hate about being human. I've tried taking calcium supplements, changing my diet, and all that good stuff. They help so-so but I still get cramps. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for prescription pain medicine, so I'm going to continue taking OTC meds. Dammit, I hate this time of the month. Off to play some World of Warcraft and beat the crap out of something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I was going to say it gets better when you get older but I looked at your profile and I see you're not all that young anymore. I don't remember when it changed for me. I never had cramps of your exact description though when I was a teenager I used to get times when I had to be in bed for the best part of a day. I don't remember too much about that anymore except that I'd feel sick. Sorry you're feeling so lousy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhia Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I take Lo-Ovral for that same reason. Maybe some form of hormone-replacing, combination birth control may help the pain, mood-swings, and other such horrible symptoms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skiergirl24 Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I totally hear you about the cramps. I get the worst cramps and I get SO FRICKIN moody. I have PMDD ) I have the urge to eviscerate people when I have my period. But I cannot take the pill since when I was on the pill my BP went from 120/80 to 150/100 On top of that I have to use a diaphragm for birth control. I don't trust it at all so we use another method at the same time. Needless to say I freak out each month that I am gonna get preggers. I got my period this morning and it was due yesterday so I freaked and bought a pregnancy test last night for $18-it came back neg and the bleeding started today. I want my $18 back!!!!!!!!! grrrrrr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Have you tried birth control? I used to have cramps like you are describing every single month, and the only thing that really stopped it was when I started using birth control to control it. I've considered it. The reason I haven't gotten it is my biological mother died from breast cancer and she thought she had gotten it from birth control pills. I don't want to risk it. Same for hormone stuff. I've tried progesterone cream and it did absolutely nothing for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 I totally hear you about the cramps. I get the worst cramps and I get SO FRICKIN moody. I have PMDD ) I have the urge to eviscerate people when I have my period. But I cannot take the pill since when I was on the pill my BP went from 120/80 to 150/100 On top of that I have to use a diaphragm for birth control. I don't trust it at all so we use another method at the same time. Needless to say I freak out each month that I am gonna get preggers. I got my period this morning and it was due yesterday so I freaked and bought a pregnancy test last night for $18-it came back neg and the bleeding started today. I want my $18 back!!!!!!!!! grrrrrr I've considered that I have PMDD. I've read over the symptoms, and I probably do have it, I've just never been officially diagnosed with it. I take Midol OTC, and herbal supplements as well for the mood swings. They lessen the symptoms to the point where they're annoying but barely tolerable. I've also changed my diet to a much healthier one including more whole grains, less meat, and more fruits and veggies. And calcium, which is supposed to help with cramps. I just can't see it making a difference in my symptoms, but I know it helps me keep off weight so I stick to it for the most part anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 I was going to say it gets better when you get older but I looked at your profile and I see you're not all that young anymore. I don't remember when it changed for me. I never had cramps of your exact description though when I was a teenager I used to get times when I had to be in bed for the best part of a day. I don't remember too much about that anymore except that I'd feel sick. Sorry you're feeling so lousy. Thanks. I do think it'll get better when I finally get menopause, so in a way it will get better when I'm older. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I can relate. I have serious hormonal problems too... I'm a different person in PMS, although the physical symptoms have only been bad since I had a miscarriage a few years ago. I've always had heavy, irregular cycles though. I seriously want to be spayed. Too bad there aren't any docs that will do a hysterectomy on a 26 (week or so away from 27) year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I totally hear you about the cramps. I get the worst cramps and I get SO FRICKIN moody. I have PMDD ) I have the urge to eviscerate people when I have my period. But I cannot take the pill since when I was on the pill my BP went from 120/80 to 150/100 On top of that I have to use a diaphragm for birth control. I don't trust it at all so we use another method at the same time. Needless to say I freak out each month that I am gonna get preggers. I got my period this morning and it was due yesterday so I freaked and bought a pregnancy test last night for $18-it came back neg and the bleeding started today. I want my $18 back!!!!!!!!! grrrrrr I'm convinced I'm pregnant every month too! I use the pill most of the time, but I get sick of the emotional side effects and weight gain... so I resort to using spermicide on top of the sponge and pulling out when I think I'm fertile. I'm paranoid. I hate being female sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyson Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I totally hear you about the cramps. I get the worst cramps and I get SO FRICKIN moody. I have PMDD ) I have the urge to eviscerate people when I have my period. But I cannot take the pill since when I was on the pill my BP went from 120/80 to 150/100 On top of that I have to use a diaphragm for birth control. I don't trust it at all so we use another method at the same time. Needless to say I freak out each month that I am gonna get preggers. I got my period this morning and it was due yesterday so I freaked and bought a pregnancy test last night for $18-it came back neg and the bleeding started today. I want my $18 back!!!!!!!!! grrrrrr I'm convinced I'm pregnant every month too! I use the pill most of the time, but I get sick of the emotional side effects and weight gain... so I resort to using spermicide on top of the sponge and pulling out when I think I'm fertile. I'm paranoid. I hate being female sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I totally hear you about the cramps. I get the worst cramps and I get SO FRICKIN moody. I have PMDD ) I have the urge to eviscerate people when I have my period. But I cannot take the pill since when I was on the pill my BP went from 120/80 to 150/100 On top of that I have to use a diaphragm for birth control. I don't trust it at all so we use another method at the same time. Needless to say I freak out each month that I am gonna get preggers. I got my period this morning and it was due yesterday so I freaked and bought a pregnancy test last night for $18-it came back neg and the bleeding started today. I want my $18 back!!!!!!!!! grrrrrr I'm convinced I'm pregnant every month too! I use the pill most of the time, but I get sick of the emotional side effects and weight gain... so I resort to using spermicide on top of the sponge and pulling out when I think I'm fertile. I'm paranoid. I hate being female sometimes. I'd like to see you men deal with the glories of womanhood. I am looking into getting my tubes tied soon so that will at least make things much easier in a practical sense. As for the other stuff, well it won't change, but I'm pretty good at coping. I just make sure I stay relatively hidden and slow to speak for a couple days. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freethinker Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. I absolutely fucking hate cramps, and everything that comes with them. I hate feeling like a thousand tiny baby dragons are trying to claw their way out of my lower stomach. I hate having to take shitloads of OTC pain medication to cope. I hate the fucking mood swings, the water weight gain, and all the other crap that goes with being female. It is the only part I absolutely hate about being human. I've tried taking calcium supplements, changing my diet, and all that good stuff. They help so-so but I still get cramps. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for prescription pain medicine, so I'm going to continue taking OTC meds. Dammit, I hate this time of the month. Off to play some World of Warcraft and beat the crap out of something. Two words: birth control Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Two words: birth control As I've said before, I don't want to risk taking it. My mother died from breast cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. S. Martin Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I was going to say it gets better when you get older but I looked at your profile and I see you're not all that young anymore. I don't remember when it changed for me. I never had cramps of your exact description though when I was a teenager I used to get times when I had to be in bed for the best part of a day. I don't remember too much about that anymore except that I'd feel sick. Sorry you're feeling so lousy. Thanks. I do think it'll get better when I finally get menopause, so in a way it will get better when I'm older. Well, that's more "older" than I meant. For me there seems to be some minor change about every ten years in some way or another. The cumulative change is noticable after four decades. This thread has made me aware of that. Hadn't thought about my younger days in a long time. I haven't hit menopause yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchu Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Amethyst, I totally support your choice not to screw around with your hormones. Have you thought of trying herbal/natural remedies? Long baths and hot footbaths, too, done frequently and consistently, sometimes help more than one would imagine. I had a hysterectomy at 42 and had to literally beg the surgeon to leave me any unaffected piece of ovary he came across, so that I could go through natural menopause. He did, and I did, and I've never had to take HRTs in any form. Short of a major condition, the body seems usually to want to take care of itself, with just a little easy help and understanding from its possessor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandora Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. I absolutely fucking hate cramps, and everything that comes with them. I hate feeling like a thousand tiny baby dragons are trying to claw their way out of my lower stomach. I hate having to take shitloads of OTC pain medication to cope. I hate the fucking mood swings, the water weight gain, and all the other crap that goes with being female. It is the only part I absolutely hate about being human. I've tried taking calcium supplements, changing my diet, and all that good stuff. They help so-so but I still get cramps. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for prescription pain medicine, so I'm going to continue taking OTC meds. Dammit, I hate this time of the month. Off to play some World of Warcraft and beat the crap out of something. Two words: birth control There are quite a few women who find that oral contraceptives make things worse in other ways. I'm so sensitive to hormones and I find screwing with them does a number on my emotional well-being. I also gain weight and get morning sickness. They just aren't that great for many of us. I don't know why I can't find a dose that works for me... once I go too low, I worry they are not effective anymore, especially since I am overweight and smoke (any kind of smoking will speed up your metabolism of certain drugs... tar induces liver enzymes). The two words of the day for me are "tubal ligation." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DucorpsToo Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 ^^^^^ I've had nothing but female problems throughout life. My cycles have never been regular...hence I've been on the pill now for over 20 years.(with that occasional "breakthrough" bleeding" that comes with it) I will have cramps on occasion..but usually they're not too severe. Although the pill results in a somewhat lighter period.. they have become even more light as I have become older. Still waiting for "the change" to occur..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Amethyst, I totally support your choice not to screw around with your hormones. Have you thought of trying herbal/natural remedies? Long baths and hot footbaths, too, done frequently and consistently, sometimes help more than one would imagine. I had a hysterectomy at 42 and had to literally beg the surgeon to leave me any unaffected piece of ovary he came across, so that I could go through natural menopause. He did, and I did, and I've never had to take HRTs in any form. Short of a major condition, the body seems usually to want to take care of itself, with just a little easy help and understanding from its possessor. I've tried progesterone. It didn't do anything for me. I do take a multivitamin specifically for PMS that has some herbs in it. I've also tried changing my diet, it helps a bit but I still get the cramps. I looooove hot baths. My favorite simple luxury is a hot bubble bath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fweethawt Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. Umm... I'm not trying to push your buttons or tweak your temper... But the only semi-offensive FOUR-letter word that you used in your initial post is the word, 'hate'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unknowing1 Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 I can definitely relate. When I was younger I had none of the mood swings, cramping or irregularity but as I have gotten older and started into pre menopause I've gotten it all. My biggest issue is the mood swings and the backache. I have a bad back anyway and when it's that time of the month it compounds it. I am in so much pain I can barely walk. And if someone had said something to me like Free said even though joking, I'd take their head off if I was PMS'ing, I become a raving lunatic. Do the natural/herbal remedies help with the mood swings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Challenger Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. I absolutely fucking hate cramps, and everything that comes with them. I hate feeling like a thousand tiny baby dragons are trying to claw their way out of my lower stomach. I hate having to take shitloads of OTC pain medication to cope. I hate the fucking mood swings, the water weight gain, and all the other crap that goes with being female. It is the only part I absolutely hate about being human. I've tried taking calcium supplements, changing my diet, and all that good stuff. They help so-so but I still get cramps. I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for prescription pain medicine, so I'm going to continue taking OTC meds. Dammit, I hate this time of the month. Off to play some World of Warcraft and beat the crap out of something. Some (most) of you ladies have to deal with pain, that on a regular basis that would literally incapcitate just about every man. It doesn't seem like a picnic, and guys who make light of women during that time really annoy the living hell out of me. I've never seen anything even remotely funny about it. Believe me, you have my sympathy and I hope it passes soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitchu Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Do the natural/herbal remedies help with the mood swings? You can Google to find all kinds of good, bad and questionable sites on herbal remedies and PMS, so using judgment and checking with your medical caretaker is advised. Here's one Q&A on mood swings, from here: http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/menstr...=wh|07-31-2007| Menstruation: How Can I Alleviate PMS Symptoms? By: Kelly Shanahan Question : What is the most effective medication or herbal remedy for moodiness during PMS? I am about to start taking birth control pills again, and the last time they made me nuts! My mood swings were so extreme that my father wanted me to see a psychiatrist. I have seen a natural product advertised for PMS. Would something like this help, and can I use it with birth control pills? Marisol Answer : First of all, you might want to discuss with your doctor that the last pills you were on made you nuts; sometimes something as simple as changing to a different brand will eliminate the problem. Beyond that, your first line of defense against the mood changes of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is to make sure you are exercising (a known mood elevator) and eating a well-balanced diet. Often eating frequent, small, high-carbohydrate meals around midcycle can help with mood swings. Vitamin and mineral supplements that are helpful are B-complex and calcium/magnesium/zinc. St. John's wort is probably the most effective natural remedy for the mood changes of PMS. It has been extensively used in Europe, and studies done on women with PMS showed it to be effective. The usual dose of St. John's wort is 300 mg of a standardized preparation three times a day; I recommend taking it once a day to start and increasing it around the middle of your cycle. Never exceed the recommended dose for this or any other herb. Other herbs that may help are valerian root, evening primrose and chamomile. St. John's Wort may interact with certain medications; make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new drug and discuss other medications you might be taking. As far as the "natural" PMS remedies, the ones I've seen typically contain a mix of St. John's wort, valerian root or chamomile, chaste tree and a few other herbs. I am a fan of using single-ingredient remedies wherever possible (why take things you may not need?) so I'd recommend trying the St. John's wort first. That herb alone has no interaction with birth control pills, whereas a mix of herbs is more likely to pose problems. Challenger, What kind words. Nice to read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 Warning: this could get really offensive, so if you're sensitive to four letter words, you may want to hit the back button. Umm... I'm not trying to push your buttons or tweak your temper... But the only semi-offensive FOUR-letter word that you used in your initial post is the word, 'hate'. Thanks Fwee. I just didn't want to scare off any newbies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Challenger Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 Do the natural/herbal remedies help with the mood swings? You can Google to find all kinds of good, bad and questionable sites on herbal remedies and PMS, so using judgment and checking with your medical caretaker is advised. Here's one Q&A on mood swings, from here: http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/menstr...=wh|07-31-2007| Menstruation: How Can I Alleviate PMS Symptoms? By: Kelly Shanahan Question : What is the most effective medication or herbal remedy for moodiness during PMS? I am about to start taking birth control pills again, and the last time they made me nuts! My mood swings were so extreme that my father wanted me to see a psychiatrist. I have seen a natural product advertised for PMS. Would something like this help, and can I use it with birth control pills? Marisol Answer : First of all, you might want to discuss with your doctor that the last pills you were on made you nuts; sometimes something as simple as changing to a different brand will eliminate the problem. Beyond that, your first line of defense against the mood changes of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is to make sure you are exercising (a known mood elevator) and eating a well-balanced diet. Often eating frequent, small, high-carbohydrate meals around midcycle can help with mood swings. Vitamin and mineral supplements that are helpful are B-complex and calcium/magnesium/zinc. St. John's wort is probably the most effective natural remedy for the mood changes of PMS. It has been extensively used in Europe, and studies done on women with PMS showed it to be effective. The usual dose of St. John's wort is 300 mg of a standardized preparation three times a day; I recommend taking it once a day to start and increasing it around the middle of your cycle. Never exceed the recommended dose for this or any other herb. Other herbs that may help are valerian root, evening primrose and chamomile. St. John's Wort may interact with certain medications; make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new drug and discuss other medications you might be taking. As far as the "natural" PMS remedies, the ones I've seen typically contain a mix of St. John's wort, valerian root or chamomile, chaste tree and a few other herbs. I am a fan of using single-ingredient remedies wherever possible (why take things you may not need?) so I'd recommend trying the St. John's wort first. That herb alone has no interaction with birth control pills, whereas a mix of herbs is more likely to pose problems. Challenger, What kind words. Nice to read. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted November 27, 2007 Author Share Posted November 27, 2007 I have also checked out www.pms.com. It has a lot of good info and a monthly symptom tracker, as well as a PMDD checklist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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