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[shmi85.livejournal.com]

I haven't posted in ages, seeing as the last period I had was the beginning of march of 2003. Now it's back, and it's getting me back for having to wait seven months I think. I'm so miserable. My cramps were horrible, I was getting hot sweats and shakes . . . And I can't believe how much I'm bleeding. Seriously, you know o.b.'s ultra tampon? I have to change it every 2-3 hours. The ultra! The ultra looks like a fucking NASA rocket.

Not to mention I'm now at college and while it's awesome, I no longer have my own warm cozy bathroom where, frankly, it didn't matter if there were blood spots on the floor. (Only a few, I promise). Now I have to share with three other girls.. and go to class, when all I want to do is lay down and die.. And I have to go on a day long trip tomorrow for my Russian class, and I have no idea how I'm going to get through it. By wearing black pants I suppose, and a lot of praying. This is my second day, maybe tomorrow will be a little less strong. But knowing me, it won't be. whimper..

Comments

[valancyjane.livejournal.com]

I was getting hot sweats and shakes . . .

Yikes. I've had that a few times. Usually combined with vomiting and, um, other bad digestive stuff. It's horrible.

I wonder if menopausal hot flashes will be like that? ... makes me want to keep getting my period until the day I die. I can take cramps, but those hot/cold sweats are too much for me.

[shmi85.livejournal.com]

I've never vomited, or gotten the runs because of my period, but I almost always get hot sweats and shivers and stuff. It feels like having an absolutely horrible flu. Ugh. But like, if I take painkillers for the cramps (which I did this time, out of pure neccessity; I usually don't take anything) the hot flashes go away. So it's kind of weird -- do they happen because of the pain from my cramps, or are they a seperate issue?

[valancyjane.livejournal.com]

Hmmm ... I don't know, that's interesting. When my hot flashes have gone away, I assumed they just were fading.

The more I think about it, the more I think it has to do with hormone levels. During and after menopause, our hormone levels (estrogen and progesterone, I believe) drop off. And that happens during the week we're menstruating as well. So maybe some months our hormones drop off more drastically than others, and that's why we get semi-menopausal hot flashes?

[ourika.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about the shakes, but I have had cramps so bad that I was nauseous and sweating. One thing that my doctor recommended was that I take a pain killer IMMEDIATELY. I mean, the moment that I think I may feel something that might turn ito a cramp. Once the cramps have started, it's next to impossible to stop them, but if you catch them early you can either stop them (if you have a high enough dosage of pain killers ;-) or you can at least keep them from getting as bad.

Also, even though it's really rough with a heavy flow, I found that when I stopped using tampons for a few months, my cramps weren't as bad. There are other options (menstrual cups and sea sponges, for example) if you still want something besides pads.

[editgirl.livejournal.com]

I also have to recommend taking a sturdy painkiller immediately for cramping. Perhaps the shakes and hot flashes are from a slightly elevated temperature? Most pain relievers are fever reducers as well, perhaps that is why they alleviated your shakes/flashes too.

I also recommend a ThermaCare heat pack. You can find these at the drugstore, or online. It's a disposable heat pack that is activated when you open it and expose it to air. Once it's activated, it stays quite warm for 8 hours! This is extremely effective on muscle pain like cramps. Plus, the adhesive is on the outside, not next to your skin, so it doesn't tangle up any, um, hair. These are amazingly effective at soothing cramps.