Other people deciding they know what works for me

[feelingalittlebitagitated]

I have always had bad cramping when I have my period, it's a fact of life for me. I have to dose myself up on painkillers, take a hot water bottle to work and know for a week i will be coming home to veg out in my most comfy pyjama bottoms. Recently I have reached the limit with well meaning friends telling me excercise helps with cramping.
I do excercise, regularly, but if I excercise during my period, the cramping increases tenfold. I seriously pissed off with so many people telling me excercise does help and "I must be doing it wrong" that I should try light stretching, or yoga, or a nice leisurely walk. Even hoovering causes me agony, yet my friends, refuse to accept this. Am I being unreasonable to want to throw a shit fit every time they remind me excercise is scientifically proven to help?
You would think after thirteen years of these damn things I would know how to handle my own cramps!
Does anyone else have friends like this? I'm ready to explode!

In what context do they offer advice? If It comes totally out of the blue they need to stay out of it. If you complain each month maybe they feel they need to offer some advice or ideas on how to improve the situation

YANBU Everyone seems to know how to run everything in my life better than me :)

Can't say I've ever discussed period cramps in any detail or on a regular basis with friends - why are they giving this advice so regularly? Do you complain about it to them every month?

If the conversation starts heading in the direction you can just say i dont wish to discuss it.

Oh and the gentle exercise line was debunked a few years ago. I remember reading about it and wanting to track down my pe teachers and force them to read it.

Oh YANBU! I used to have cramps so bad that the walk from my bed to the loo made them intensify to the point they were almost vomit inducing.

I find that a good way to make people understand is to be more explicit about the pain. I'm usually understated and hide my feelings, so me describing the effect of moving on my cramps as "It feels like I need to vomit, plus I get cold sweats, light headed and a dodgy tummy, let alone the cramps that are from belly button to my knees, all because I turned over in bed" made dp start to understand a bit more of how bad it was.

Have you considered seeing your gp as it shouldn't have to be that bad.

My cramps come up because work colleagues (my friends) see me at me desk with my hot water bottle and decide they need to give me advice.
I'm one well meaning comment from telling them to Fak off!!