Cramps!!!

[Spookstress]

Suck ass!!!

Who gets them BAD and what do you find helps ease the pain best?

[Lacy]

Valium ..........But usually I just use ibuprofen and try to lay down

[Spookstress]

My doc gave me ultracet last time... they dont work as good as the vicodins... never taken valium for them.

[Puddles]

Cramps...they suck huge moose dick! I get them bad but have been managing them well lately with the following protocol:

Start taking the maximum dose or a little above that of an anti-inflamatory and a muscle relaxant (I use skellaxin) as soon as pain starts. I usually start cramping a few hrs. befor I start bleeding.

If I don't follow the above procedure and keep up with it for the first 48 hrs. of my period I will be bedridden, litterally. Also, if the cramps get super bad, either you or someone else can put your/their hands on your lower abdomen and press really hard (or they can sit on you, if you have a child they can sit on you as they won't have the strength to push for very long) for a good 10-20 minutes. You can use a heating pad prior to and during the pushing. After childbirth the doctors and/or nurses will often do this after the placenta is delivered to help stop bleeding and contractions...it's the same thing for the onset of a tough period. If you're alone and can't hold the pressure yourself, you can pile up a few pillows and lay face down...the goal is much like with a wound, to stop the bleeding. I find this works best on my back, but when I'm alone and get tired of pushing, laying on the pillows definitely helps.

Also, try to take it easy for the first day or two of your symptoms. Some women go through their monthly cycles nearly unaffected, others have problems, of you have difficulty, listen to your body and rest.

[Spook]

Unfortunately Spookstress has hit or miss periods. She may have a period one time and then 2 weeks or 3 weeks later it hits again....then it may skip for as many as 3 months. I know, I know, as a guy I should not know this, but I do. It does bother me to see the woman I love in pain.

[Voodoo]

I was all good til I had my daughter. Now they are so bad I want to eat raw morphine. My temperment is much worse too. I can't seem to shut out the whining of my children. It irritates me way more than on a non-crampy day.

Puddles, now I know why I am doubled over pushing my abdomen. Sometimes that is the only way I get relief. I never knew why though but I always seems to relieve the pain. Thank you for that post.

[Spookstress]

I will try the pressure thing Puddles... but my daughter weighs more than me so i'm not asking her to sit on me ROFL!!!

I do use a heating pad alot... and often find myself pushing it into my tummy just cuz it feels hotter that way.

Voodoo! I get really bad PMS mood swings... crumbling in the corner crying... yelling and screaming at people who've done nothing... i talked to my doc about it and he gave me prozac LOL Honestly... it's the same thing as the drug serafem (sp?) which is for PMS symptoms... he said to take it a few days before my period starts, until it's almost over... I found it to really help alot with my moods around my cycle, except as Spook says... it's not regular at all. If you are regular, you may want to talk to your doc about it.

Originally Posted by Puddles

Cramps...they suck huge moose dick! .

woah!!!

[Puddles]

For emotional/moodiness I've found andi-depressants to substantially help. Wellbutrin worked the best as it had no sexual sides. Cymbalta worked slightly better for my mood but it lowered my sex drive which in turn started to piss me off. Right now I'm off the anti-d's and have started HRT.

HRT...My progesterone was nearly non-existant and my estrogen was low, the only normal hormone I had was testosterone and that was at the high end of normal for women and my cortisol was a bit elevated but not bad. Now...supposedly getting all this shit within normal ranges should help my pms and heavy bleeding...we'll see.

Right now I'm experiencing a common side with the progesterone...water retention. I blew up 12 pounds this week and feel like a saussage! Christmas morning my boobs were so big and painful, they looked bruised but it was just cappillaries in the skin being stretched so tight. The progesterone is only taken from days 14 to 28, so since my period started yesterday morning, I'm off the progesterone and I don't think I've gained any more water, but it's not leaving me yet either. The doc told me to monitor my blood pressure and weight, if I continue to gain over the weekend he'll be on call and can see me or get in a script for a diuretic.

One good thing about all this water...it's nice to look in the mirror and have a few wrinkles gone from my face. LOL

I was pretty cranky and tearful for my pms this month but it's the first month in about a year that I'm not on an anti-d so that may be a part of it.

Monthly hormonal fluctuations...they suck the big moose dick too!

[McKenzie]

I seem to have worse periods (bleeding, cramping, PMS) when my bf is lower. I usually dont take anything for them except ibuprofen. I get tearful, cranky, easily agitated also....My flow is extremely heavy, but I always chalked it up to the old wive's tale of being a redhead ???

and yes, I knew about the pressure technique....it helps to reduce the size of the uterus, control bleeding, etc. I sometimes just hold a pillow or a water bottle next to my lower abdomen.