*GRAPHIC* it's a girl thing (guys be warned!) [Archive]

Binky

11-04-2006, 12:56 AM

Yeah, so as I said GUY be warned this is girly! But then again you might learn something by reading this...

OK! Just wanted to know, when it come that special time in the month, do you go crazy? Like I mean mood swings that are so rapid and dramatic that for a few days out of the month you seem like a crazy psychopath that should be locked up?

OK maybe not that bad, but anyways, what do you do to try and stop this from happening? What do you do to try and release all that weird pent up energy and anger?

Because I'm just at a loss...me I go absolutely psycho! I mean that! I go so crazy that one minute I could rip everyone I come into contact with a new one simply for looking at me, or get suicidal depressed because the cashier at the didn't smile at me..I'm really not joking here! This will last for 2-3 days sometimes 3-5 days...I stop thinking straight, I say, do and write things I shouldn’t :( it's no excuse really, because in the end it's still me doing it, and I'm old enough and ugly enough to know better but yeah I just become...like the hulk! You don't want to make me mad!

I don't know, has anyone got any solutions? A good over the counter sedative that I could get LOL...just something that might help me become normal in that time...because it's really starting to grate on the people around me...because they really just don't understand

Misanthropical

11-04-2006, 01:23 AM

I actually take birth control where I skip the last week and move on to a new pack, so I don't get a cycle at all.

My doctor told me to do this because my cycle was so heavy it dropped my iron levels too much.

I still get a bit moody, but not nearly as much as I did and I don't get the cramps and bloating.

What drives me nuts is when new doctors (since my regular doctor moved out state) ask me when my last cycle was and then want to do a pregnancy test. I had a tubal and I take birth control, so I'm more likely to win the lottery than be pregnant.

that_chick_in_I.T.

11-04-2006, 01:30 AM

Ouch. That sounds more like PMDD than PMS. There actually are treatments for it.

Plaidman

11-04-2006, 01:51 AM

O_O (can't help) but um. Don't say ugly! That's bad! Think postive. :) <-- there is the cashier's smile for you.

Melxb

11-04-2006, 02:33 AM

Really bad anemia was the main reason I went on the pill 2 years ago (the fact that I started going out with my sweetie a few months later was just a bonus :D ).

I lost way too much blood during my periods and my mood swings were horrific. I was told by my mother that I should just lock myself up for 3 days and come out when I was normal again. I was so weak for about a week after my period that I could barely function. The pill totally cut down all that blood loss and pain. I don't skip the placebo/"period" week though. I kinda like getting my period now because I know it won't be awful--2 days tops. I love it.

My only suggestion is ibuefrofin (sp?)--anything with that totally helped me. I was popping pills with that drug like candy before I started the pill. Helped me with my cramps and my headaches and that really helped me just function better, ya know?

Seanette

11-04-2006, 02:36 AM

OK! Just wanted to know, when it come that special time in the month, do you go crazy? Like I mean mood swings that are so rapid and dramatic that for a few days out of the month you seem like a crazy psychopath that should be locked up?
I don't get *quite* as bad as you do, but do have trouble (as my husband could testify :o ). I find tyrosine (amino, available at just about any health food place) quite helpful here.

Binky

11-04-2006, 05:22 AM

TAHNK YOU ALL OF YOU! I think I might go to the doc...I'm actully on the Pill...went off it for a while and tried Implanon (for those of you who don't know, it's a rod that gets placed under the skin on you arm that is pretty much the pill but 24/7) that made me worse! I went off it pretty much 3 months later (in which time I had my "special time of the month" for 5 weeks striaght! TWICE!) But yeah....I think I might have to start popping some pills and go back on the pill...I'm too disfunctional when I'm off it BUT THANK YOU ALL!

RecoveringKinkoid

11-04-2006, 06:28 AM

Yeah, sounds like you need to tell a doctor this. You shouldn't be suffering like that.

I never got particularly nasty, but my particular affliction was that I got really paranoid and convinced my husband was cheating.

He wasn't, of course. But that was my bit of madness.

Listen, if you all are bleeding to point of anemia, I would suggest strongly you be checked for fibroids. I had one that was undectectable and asymptomatic for years. My doctor eventually figured out to give me an ultrasound, and bam, there it was. Size of a large lemon. By that time, it had started causing all kinds of problems. Nothing unfixable, but you don't want to let that go forever. It's not normal to bleed that heavily. If you are, it's my experience-based opinion that you should have that checked out.

kerrisan

11-04-2006, 02:59 PM

Go to your gyno. That happened to me too (felt like I had the flu every month, couldn't get out of bed at all) and I was scared that I might have PMDD. But gyno ran some tests, ruled that out, and put me on birth control. I have moved from Super/Nighttime pads to Regular, Midol and the like actually work, I can attend classes again and live a normal life.

It sounds like this is interfering with your life, too. The only real solution is to see your gyno. Besides, it could be something serious.

BlaqueKatt

11-04-2006, 03:37 PM

just to add something here-I had the same problem when I was on BC Pills-in some people "the Pill" or any hormonal birth control can cause severe PMDD, along with severe depression(it took 8 years for someone to figure that out with me, they just kept giving me antidepressants that didn't work and eventually I was taking antipsychotics during "pms week")-I went off the pill and have been fine ever since(well still had the killer cramps and heavy heavy bleeding*-until I found some nice herbal stuff that takes care of both), now my cycle is 2-3 days tops(and I have endometriosis). Talk to your doctor, maybe hormonal BC is the cause and not the solution.

BlaqueKatt-nature girl

*by heavy I'm talking losing almost a full unit of blood over 7 days

BusBus

11-04-2006, 11:34 PM

I can also attest to the pros and cons of taking BC pills to quell the moods. I started taking them solely so I wouldn't get preggers, but the nice side effect was that my mood swings became non-existant. HOWEVER, this was when I started on the low-hormone pills. My doc had actually started me on Tri-Cyclen, which increased the hormone levels every week. By the end of week 3, I was psychotic. I was off of that one after 3 months (took me a bit to figure out what the hellwas going on).

So, if you are already on the Pill, you may want to consider changing to a different one?

TNT

11-05-2006, 01:18 AM

Yeah, so as I said GUY be warned this is girly! But then again you might learn something by reading this...

OK! Just wanted to know, when it come that special time in the month, do you go crazy?

Certainly, I'm sympathetic... but have some leeway for us men... we produce tens of millions of sperm per day, day after day, year after year...

Now you know why we get moody from time to time.

Zombi

11-05-2006, 02:33 PM

I actually take birth control where I skip the last week and move on to a new pack, so I don't get a cycle at all.

Same here - mine were so heavy and irregular, I just thought "To hell with it!". I mean, it is not normal to have your period, then get it again a week later, which is what happens when I don't take the pill (tried going off it on the advice of my naturopath). So now I just don't bother having them at all. ;)

sportsmom

11-06-2006, 08:46 PM

I have ot admit that I am one of the lucky few, I don't cramp and I don't get moody, and my periods are not bad. I do try and empathize, however. Being a girl can be very cool and very sucky all at the same time.

However, I would suggest asking your doc about an IUD. I have had mine for 2 1/2 years and I love it. I have the Mirena and it is good for 5 years, it is covered by insurance, and I have no period at all. Like everything else, there are risks of still getting pregnant with it, but I really like that I don't have to worry about it everyday, week or month. I am covered for 5 years for a whopping $25 (my co-pay).

LadyMage

11-07-2006, 05:17 PM

Sounds like me *hugs*

Before I start my cycle (now that I have a copper IUD and have been off birth control for exactly 6 months this Nov. 21st), I usually go through, like clockwork, cramping, hellacious headaches and a bout of mood-swings.

My recommendations are as follows:
1- Talk to the doc. It's a given. If hormones don't ease it at all - you mentioned Implanon makes it worse - then you actually may want to consider an endometrial ablation; it would put your periods to a screeching halt for a good while.

2- Comfort Food. It may sound like a given, again, but light comfort food does solve a lot.

3- From what I hear Pamprin is a very good medicine to help with severe PMS/PMDD symptoms. It contains also a slight muscle relaxant - but again, ask doc.

From one sufferer to another, much hugs and much love.

MystyGlyttyr

11-07-2006, 06:32 PM

I'm not sure why mine does me this way, but my mom refers to it as my "mini pregnancy" every month.

1. I get wild, irrationally strong cravings. Driving ten miles to buy a package of bacon, cook it all right away and eat the whole thing at one sitting kinda cravings. My mother says she can always tell when I'm about to start because I suddenly buy stuff to cover all the basics: limes for sour, Cheetoes for...Cheetoes...chocolate for sweets, bacon for meat, and Kool-aid for fruity.

2. I "nest". Usually, I'm a slob, but for PMS I suddenly start throwing away and straightening and neatening and generally nesting every which way.

3. I get all emotional. Normally, I'm a raving lunatic who hates everyone and everything, but for a few days, I cry for the people on Maury who can't find their baby daddy and then go brood over a picture of Eddie in my room. (I HATE that part.)

My actual period is usually very short, but it's all the fun and frolic of a week crammed into 2 1/2 days. Everything from the start of PMS to finishing the period is the span of about a week, and I only have it every 34 days. The first day of actual period, I'm basically useless because of the cramps and anemia, but then I get my energy mostly back and can function until it's over with. (Yesterday was my useless day, heh.) But at least I get it all over with in a hurry and it's comparitively infrequent, so I don't really want to change too much at the risk of screwing up what I consider a good thing, heh.

officegirl

11-07-2006, 07:57 PM

Yeah I always know when I can expect my monthly because I will get real mean and anti-social and somewhat depressive. I pretty much just keep to myself and have a scowl on my face for about a week but once I get my flow, I am back to normal personality wise. I get debilitating cramps for two or three days, though. Ugh, it really sucks. I have heard a lot about the pill affecting chances of pregnancy though and I am hoping to have a kid in the near future so I am going to dop the pill for a while, although Ortho Tri Cyclen worked wonders for me when I was on it. I highly recommend it and I highly, highly condemn the shot. It was too much for my body to handle. It messed me up big time.

Zombi

11-08-2006, 04:29 PM

For me, it's bloating, and the achy stomach. I tend to lean forward against my counter at work, and that gets uncomfortable really fast. Also, my hip hurts more then than it does at any other time. I have NO CLUE what is wrong with my hip - I have sporadic pain in most of my joints. I've been tested for rheumatoid arthritis, and the doctor the insurance company made me go to blamed it on the fact that I'm "too tall" for the job I'm doing, which affects my posture (explains the shoulders, but the hip and knee problems?)
The good ol' time of the month definitely affects my work, though - the first two days, I'm utterly useless. I only work two days a week, but if I'm unlucky and get my period on either of those two days, I have to call out, because there is no way I can get through a nine hour shift.

About the shots - I've heard a lot of negative stuff about them, but a cousin of mine highly reccomends it. What are your experiences of it?

officegirl

11-08-2006, 08:42 PM

About the shots - I've heard a lot of negative stuff about them, but a cousin of mine highly reccomends it. What are your experiences of it?

The reason I condemn it is because the first time I got my monthly after I received the shot, it never stopped. I had it for about 5 months straight along with crazy cravings (like I was always starving) and mood swings. There were times it would slow down but it never stopped and I gained about 5 pounds. And even now (it's been 3 months after I was supposed to go get the shot again) I still get my period more than normal and it's become heavier than it ever was before. It's already happened twice within a three week time frame with only about a week in between. I don't know how to get my body back to normal but I know it can't be healthy to be flowing so often. I do know people it has worked for but I know more people who have tried it and not liked it. And the worst part is that you HAVE to go through whatever side affects it will cause for at least six months because the medicine is already in your system. With the pill, you can at least stop whenever you want.

Teysa

11-08-2006, 08:42 PM

I know when I'm getting close to my period I'll get really snarky with my boyfriend. Bless him, though, he's always very patient with me during those times. Also, everything sets me off.
Another thing is, you'd think after having this period nonsense for 20 years, my cycle would be a little more stable by now. But no, I can go anywhere from 3 to 5 weeks between cycles. It seems like I get more PMSy during the 5 week intervals than the shorter ones too. Not sure why on that.
The heaviness tends to vary as well. Some months I'll have extremely heavy bleeding and other months I'll have hardly any. It seems like I make up for the lighter months by having really bad cramps though.
I have considered the birth control option. The idea of no more or at least very mild periods is more than a little appealing.

purplecat41877

11-09-2006, 08:47 AM

I tend to get emotional around that time of month. I've even had cravings for sweet things like chocolate cake.:o

AFpheonix

11-09-2006, 07:36 PM

I was on the shot, and there were some good things about it, and some bad ones. I didn't do the period for 5 months thing, mine pretty much stopped, actually, but I would start spotting when I was getting due for the next one. I also gained 10 pounds on it because I was constantly hungry, and my libido totally disappeared. :cry:
I'm on the patch now, and I really like it. My periods are shorter and much less heavy than they were when I was on nothing at all, no cramps at all, and no wierd PMS "you don't love me anymore" crying jags. No more drinking my weight in fluid and then peeing for 40 days and 40 nights anymore, either. Yay!

There's some birth control pills out now that are a 90 day pack, in which you only allow yourself 4 periods a year. Seasonale is one (it just went generic, too) and there's a new lo-hormone one now called Seasonique.

There's also a variety of low hormone pills out there: Yasmin, Yaz, Ortho-tri-cyclen lo, loestrin, etc etc if you're too sensitive for higher hormone pills.

There's so many options out now, if something isn't working for you, keep trying other ones, chances are there's something with the right formulation for your system.

Misanthropical

11-10-2006, 12:23 AM

I tried Noraplant (that is the one where they put the small rods in your arm) after my oldest was born. It was horrid! I had them taken out two months later.

The shot is EVIL! I started losing hair and I had a constant period. I had mood swings and huge depression. It was horrible. The shot was so bad that my husband begged me not to get any more. He hates to see me cry and not be able to fix it, and with the shot I was always crying. I hardly ever cry, so he knew something was really wrong with the shot.

I tried Seasonale and my cycle would not stop!

My doctor told me that if something has a side effect, I will get it times 10. He said he would try one more thing and if that didn't work, he didn't know what to do. So, he gave me Ovarl and that worked.

stormtreader

11-10-2006, 01:11 PM

I dont recommend the shot either. I was on it for 4 years and the symptoms built up gradually without me realising - loss of libido and serious weightgain of about a stone (14 pounds) a year (although i wasnt watching my weight to be fair).

My main problems are now ive stopped - its taken over a year to get back periods in any shape or form, and now theyre really heavy, irregular and crampy (i never used to cramp before).

I wouldnt be surprised if they withdraw it in 5 years time, especially now the whole bone-density-loss thing has become known.

Melxb

11-11-2006, 03:03 AM

I'm on Kariva, which is the generic for Mircette, which has one of the lowest dose of hormones on the market. I have the option of skipping the period week if I want for a cycle or even two. I do that if my period is gonna come during an inconvenient week.

One thing I did notice was that my libido did go down for about 6 months (I've been on the pill for two years, five months). It was a mystery to both my SO and I. I just didn't connect it with the pill. After 6 months I went back to normal, so I think my body was just adjusting. I mentioned it to my ob/gyn during my yearly visit and she just said, "Yeah, that happens to some women." Uh, thanks for telling me? :eek: We totally didn't know what was going on. I was just unmotivated and, um, dry for six months. I felt like I was letting my SO down.

Now, though, I'm back to being fully responsive. I'm really good. Just a minor setback. ;)

I wanted to try the patch or even the Nuvaring. The Nuvaring wouldn't be a good idea for my SO and I. I talked to my ob/gyn about it last month when I went for my annual. She asked a bunch of very personal questions and apparently if you and your partner are even a little bit, um, acrobatic, it could get dislodged and you have to put it back RIGHT AWAY or it won't work at all. Nope. I decided to keep on the pill. :D

Binky

11-11-2006, 08:49 AM

hey guys LOL your all the greatest, I still have not been to the doc, but I should go soon (need to get a refill scrip for the pill anyways). BUT I am glad to inform that the special time is over for another month so my mood is somewhat normal now.....man that was a rough week and a half for me and everybody around me...I stepped on quite a few toes :( anyways..it sounds like there are a few people who share my proble :) and a few who have their own...some times I wonder if it's good to be a girl at all ;) I quickly remember it is!

anyways thank yo uall for the kind words or wisdome ....I'll let you all know if I learn any good info from the doc

Jpurple

11-12-2006, 01:16 AM

However, I would suggest asking your doc about an IUD. I have had mine for 2 1/2 years and I love it. I have the Mirena and it is good for 5 years, it is covered by insurance, and I have no period at all.

This is a good idea, UNLESS you are prone to Bladder/urinary tract infections or yeast infections, because an IUD mixed with a UTI is very very nasty. (It's called Pelvic Inflammatory Disorder, and it was so painful I thought I had appendicitis)

Of course being a girl is a good thing- we just all have to figure out what works for us when we have hormonally-induced homicidal tendencies!

Binky

12-05-2006, 09:59 AM

Hey updates people..I went to the doctors...ran some tests...they unfortunately didn't find anything wrong...so now I have to go to a specialist next MARCH and see if they can figure out whats wrong with me...BUT the anger is getting a TAD better now that I'm heading to the gym and taking it all out on the treadmill instead of the peopel around me...:D :D I'm also playing a bit of netball and learning to take the agression out there as well...so things are getting a little easier :)

Zombi

12-06-2006, 05:52 PM

Squash is a good game to play when you're angry. Smash that smartarsed ball! :D

Mighty Girl

12-06-2006, 08:05 PM

I usually go into a cleaning frenzy. Literally. Baseboards get wiped, everything gets cleaned within an inch of it's life. I give my hubby a fair warning, and he knows not to agitate me. I save all my patience for my daughter, and screw everyone else.

Designate one person or one place where you have to be nice, and disregard everyone else. I'm not saying to use strangers for a verbal punching bag, just don't engage them, give everyone the death glare if necessary just so they stay away. Usually works unless they're a masochist.

blas

12-29-2006, 09:02 PM

I know this thread has been pretty inactive for a while, but I felt the need to jump in.

I got my period when I was 12. Now, doctors will say it, and ask any woman and she'll tell you too, periods can be irregular and weird until your 20s (maybe even after that). Well, mine was down to a T. I had a little calendar where you tear each day off, and I could always count from day 1 (the first day of my period) to day 6 (when it ended), and when I got to day 27, I knew that tomorrow I'd start my period again.

Then once I hit 16....it all went downhill. I had a period last 4 months, then it went away for a week, then came back for another month, then went away for a few days, then came back for several months without stopping. That was also the time I had my first....Pap. Anyways, even though I wasn't sexually active, I asked to be put on the shot because I could not handle my period any longer. I know it's part of being a woman but I could not live life going to the bathroom every 30 minutes to change my super plus tampon that was completely full and t minus 10 seconds from leaking. I had every teacher in school thinking I had a bladder problem, I'd go before class, after class, and on bad days, right in the middle. Of. Every. Class.

I am a result of the birth control pill (granted, that was spring of 86 but bear with me), therefore I will never go on any birth control PILL of any kind.

I hate things that stick to your body and leave bandaid residue, so the patch is a bad idea.

I have been able to maintain my figure for the past 3 years on the shot without a problem, but it has made me a bit of a basket case. The things that happent to mer certainly don't help, but I am constantly either angry or really depressed. My hair is thinning, but that could also very well be a result of over bleaching and dying my hair for the past almost 10 years. My appetite hasn't changed, but my mood swings are, at times, out of control. I've lost friends and many boys because of it. My family are the only people who know that it's not me, it's the shot.

Even though I despise children and would never consider even for one second having a child, and would probably do something stupid if I did end up pregnant, getting fixed isn't an option until I'm 25.....so I guess it's the shot until then.

RecoveringKinkoid

12-29-2006, 09:57 PM

It's my opinion that you should be checked for fibroids. They can cause all sorts of havoc. I had one the size of a baseball very neatly hiding inside my uterus. Since they don't tend to do ultrasounds on younger women, they didn't find it until it really started causing problems. Such as severe bleeding, like you describe. I think it really is worth a look, just to make sure. They are pretty common, although probably not so much with women your age. But I think you should have a doctor at least rule that out.

I see that I have already posted something to this effect, and forgotten about it. Oh, well, it bears repeating.

LadyMage

12-30-2006, 08:57 AM

RecoveringKinkoid, that's exactly what I thought. That or severe endometriosis.

Blas, hon, from one heavily bleeding never-having-kids lady to another, this is what I suggest:
1. Endometrial ablation. It's a procedure that either freezes or burns a layer of the inside of the uterus (under anesthetics) and puts your periods to a screeching halt temporarily. Temporarily = for about 10-15 years. You can still get pregnant with the procedure though, but believe me, your life will be MUCH easier. For more info: www.novasure.com.

I've done my research on this. Another one is Her Option . Talk to a doc for more info as well.

2. IUD post-ablation. There is a nonhormonal one - which I have, www.paragard.com - and one that secretes a synthetic progesterone to keep the uterus inhospitable to pregnancy and periods minimal to nonexistent: Mirena. The insertion is done under painkillers. I won't lie, it's not pleasant but worth it.

I definitely suggest checking out if you have fibroids or endometriosis or, worse, ovarian cysts. This kind of stuff can get dangerous if left unchecked; especially where the lady parts are concerned.

If anything, drop a PM my way or an IM - i think it's in my contact info.

iradney

12-30-2006, 09:20 AM

have you ever considered IUDs? From what i hear, there are two types now, the copper one and the Mirena (i think that's the name) one. The copper one can cause heavier bleeding, so it might not be a good idea, but from what i've heard of Mirena (even my Dad thinks it's good - he's a doctor) it's progesterone based and in some cases some of the women stop menstruating altogether. The rest of the users experience much lighter periods too. As for moodswings, well, I can't really say. I'm considering it myself, and if I do try it, i will let you know.

blas

12-30-2006, 06:24 PM

I completely forgot about the IUD....but from what I hear, doesn't it hang below the cervix a little bit? I always imaged it was surgically placed inside the uterus.

I just went through an abnormal pap which led to me needed chrysurgery about a month ago, and that was an extremely uncomfortable painful experience. I hope that never happens again.

I'm sure the doctors won't let me stay on the shot forever......if they ever recommend I stop, I'll take your advice on the first suggestion Lady Mage. If I can't stop bleeding even for a few years, I'd be happy. Can you have it re-done once it comes back?

NightAngel

12-30-2006, 07:35 PM

Listen, if you all are bleeding to point of anemia, I would suggest strongly you be checked for fibroids.

Here's a weird one for you. Before I had my C-Section/ Tubal I had what most women would consider the ultimate period. Three days, super light, no cramps, no hormone problems.

When they went in for my operation they found two almost orange sized cysts on my ovaries and a few smaller ones. Apparently it was a real mess the doctor said something like, "Your ovaries are riddled with cysts." Of course they removed them all. Ever since then I have had the WORST problems! Cramps that double me over and shoot down my legs- sometimes to the point of buckling my legs under me. 7-10 days long and so heavy it's nearly uncontrollable. I also have mood swings now but those are directly related to how much pain I'm in and for how long- I don't know if it's really a hormone thing so much.

I recognize that the cysts were dangerous and needed to be removed but aren't you supposed to feel BETTER after? :confused:

iradney

12-30-2006, 08:10 PM

I completely forgot about the IUD....but from what I hear, doesn't it hang below the cervix a little bit? I always imaged it was surgically placed inside the uterus.

i could find out from my Pops and my Mom if you like, but it'll have to wait till tomorrow - tis 10pm here and the old folk are in bed :lol:

Ree

12-30-2006, 08:55 PM

I recognize that the cysts were dangerous and needed to be removed but aren't you supposed to feel BETTER after? :confused:As someone who has 'been there, done that' and had her own share of 'female problems', I have to say that, I think, because they operated on the ovaries, there was probably a small amount of damage to them, and your system is now compensating.

The cysts forming alone is a sign that there was a problem. Perhaps the cysts were masking things all along, and causing short cycles.

You say you don't think it's hormonal, but it very well could be.

You should still ask a doctor if your situation is normal, though, since you had no problems before.

The sudden onset of pain that was never present before concerns me.

Is it possible that you may have some adhesions as the result of the surgery, and that is why you are having pain like that?

AFpheonix

12-30-2006, 11:15 PM

They recommend these days that you only stay on the shot for 2 years max anymore, because of a link to bone thinning.

As for pills, maybe rethink them. The tricyclics that are out now kick the old birth control pills' asses. Also, there's low hormone versions out now if you have trouble with the regular strength. Heck, if you have problems swallowing, there's chewable BC out.
Also, there's nuvaring, another once a month lil' jobbie.

I would recommend working with your OBGYN though, the cycles you're dealing with are very very wierd, and bleeding out that much isn't good for you, it could put you at risk for anemia.