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Original poster

Painful periods - getting too much

25 replies

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:23

I wouldn't normally post things about my health but I'm not sure if I cope with this any more.

I have always had uncomfortable period pains but since having my 2nd child, they have been getting much worse.

This is probably too much information but on the 1st 2 or 3 days of each period, the pain has got so bad that it feels like I'm in established labour. And the pain gets really acute when I have trapped wind. Just now, I had an acute pain (which is ontop of the achey normal cramps), I felt really light headed and faint.

I guess my question is, is this normal? I mean the acuteness off the pain when I have wind?

Sorry about the TMI

OP posts:

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 17:28

I really do sypmathise with this Cadbury

I suffered terribly from the age of 16 onwards. Tried going on the pill, various painkillers, had a laparoscopy to check for endometriosis etc etc.

In the end i was prescribed Mefanemic Acid - excellent excellent stuff - as long as you take it right from the outset of your period.

That kind of pain sounds very much like the pain i had. The GP described it as too much of a particular chemical in the uterus that causes the problem. I got sharp stabbing pains up inside and the extra wind pains too.

I am still b/feeding DS partly because i dread mine coming back again.

Have you been to the GP yet?

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 17:30

And i agree - mine were very much like labour type pains in the first day or two, and before my two were born i had pains that made me contemplate going to A & E because i couldnt imagine that much pain (so much so that i couldnt move) was normal.

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:33

no I haven't. I take voltarol (anti-inflammatory) and paracetamol when I get this and this is ok for the underlying pain but the sharp stabbing pains are just too strong for that. I have been on the pill in the past but I can't go back on that because of my weight.

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 12/01/2006 17:37

have you tried Buscopan? they are marketed for IBS relief but what they do is stop those dreadful cramps. I too get awful period pain but if I take 2 buscopan as I feel the cramps coming on, it completely dulls that terrible crampy ache so much so that I hardly have to take painkillers anymore.

The doc told me to try them. They are called buscopan but I think if you look for them in Boots etc. they are now called buscopan IBS relief.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 17:43

Well, obviously, see your GP, i found the mefanemic acid very good.

There may be other underlying problems other than "just" period pains that you ought to just discount like prolapses etc. (Doubt this is the case but worth just checking)

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:53

OP posts:

Kittypickle · 12/01/2006 17:56

As soon as I saw the title of this I was going to suggest buscopan which I take for gallbladder pain but also sometimes for period pain, but I see foxinsocks has beaten me to it !

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:56

prolapses? what does that mean?

OP posts:

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:56

caan you get buscopan over the counter then?

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 12/01/2006 17:58

yes you can get it over the counter

Kittypickle · 12/01/2006 17:58

Yes you can, it's an anti-spasmodic I think. I've also found things have got worse since my 2nd child for some reason, strange isn't it, I assumed things might improve not get worse.

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 17:58

sorry, It's weither that mumsnet seems to be on a go slow or because My head is feling very dizzy right now but I'm asking all kind s of silly things and not being terribly coherant

OP posts:

foxinsocks · 12/01/2006 18:01

I think the dosage bit says take one 3 times a day but my doc told me to take 2 tablets the MINUTE you suspect you'll be getting period pain. It works quite quickly but it works best when you can catch the nasty cramps before/as they are starting (as it's not a painkiller, it's an antispasmodic).

I think on the insert it says you can take 2 tabs 4 times a day if the cramps are really bad.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 18:07

oh, didnt mean to worry you - prolapses are where the uterus (or whatever) has tilted or dropped from its position. Alot go unnoticed/diagnosed so they arent generally worrying but can cause other problems.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 18:08

ie problems like you describe, sometimes incontinence etc. etc.

Original poster

Cadbury · 12/01/2006 18:59

Oh ok. Thanks for your thoughts. Will go to the chemist and see what I can get there but can see myself needing to go to the dr very soon as this seems to be getting worse each month.

OP posts:

VeniVidiVickiQV · 12/01/2006 21:16

No problem. I hope you get it sorted, its miserable isnt it.

FrayedKnot · 12/01/2006 21:35

Seriously painful periods could be a sign of endometriosis Cadbury so I think you ought to see your GP.

I would describe the pain I experienced with endometriosis as being worse than most of labour.

joanna4 · 12/01/2006 22:51

I use ladycare magnet i used to be dosed to the eyeballs with painkillers but now i rarely ever need any, my periods are shorter by about half I am like a woman possesed if i cant find it and i need it.

MeerkatsUnite · 13/01/2006 07:13

Cadbury

I have had very similar am sorry to report. I would also describe my endo pains as worse than any labour pains I felt.

The first thing I thought of when I saw your message was endometriosis. It can also cause bowel and bladder involvement (the endometrical deposits can go there).

Please visit your GP asap and ask for a referral to a gynae.

You need a diagnosis of the underlying problem. You should be referred to a gynae as a matter of course. Do not let the GP fob you off!!.

morningpaper · 13/01/2006 07:41

Cadbury have you looked into the Mirena coil? It is a low-dose coil which on average reduced menstrual flow by something like 97% over 12 months, if I recall correctly. It's used in some countries as an alternative to hysterectomy for women with menstrual problems. I used one for about 5 years because of awful periods. Even when I had it removed my periods have never returned to the awful painful bloody mess they were before. It was a miracle. I'd really recommend it.

Original poster

Cadbury · 13/01/2006 08:44

Thankyou for your responses. I will go to the dr.

Can endometriosis start later in life then or will I always have had it. I have had loads of scans and surgery in that area between having my 2 kids for a dermoid cyst on my ovaries but have had a successfull pregnancy after that. Could it come on at this stage? Is it the same as adhesions? If it is endometriosis, will that mean that having a third child will be difficult?

My sister has a problem with polyps on her womb.

As for the Mirena Coil - thatnks foir the advice. I had looked into this as a contraceptive device but My body gets really screwed up with constant ammounts of oetrogen (as with the mini pill) and to be honest, the idea of what the coil does goes against my beliefs on life.

OP posts:

Radley · 13/01/2006 08:54

cadbury, nothing really to add, except that you need to go to the doctor and i know EXACTLY where you are coming from.

I have pain about 4 days before and all the way through, it gets so bad that i have actually passed out with the pain with trapped wind and also after a bowel movement.

i'm on 21+ painkillers a day & 8 of those are the strongest tabs i can get from the doc, the next strongest being morphine.

get a wheatbag they are a godsend they ease the pain dramatically

MeerkatsUnite · 13/01/2006 12:43

Hi Cadbury,

Endo can occur at any age after menstruation has started.

The surgery you have had has certainly caused adhesions to form (infact any abdominal surgery carries with it a risk of adhesion formation). Adhesions are sticky strands that tether organs together.

Endo can cause problems with conceiving, if you have had lots of surgery as well the adhesions may also be a factor.

I've also had a uterine polyp removed from my uterus (mine was congenital i.e from birth). These benign polyps can cause problems by pumping out hormones.

Endo can be driven as well by oestrogen, its is very much oestrogen dependent.

The National Endometriosis Society have a very good website and would suggest you look at this too if you have not done so already:-

www.endo.org.uk

Good luck at the GP's and don't be fobbed off!!!.

MeerkatsUnite · 13/01/2006 12:48

Radley

What did the doc say about your symptoms?. 21 plus painkillers a day will do you no favours at all in the longer term.

I would have to say that endometriosis is a possibility with your good self also. It can also give rise to both bowel and bladder involvement.

Have you been referred to a gynae?. If not I would insist on a referral to such a person for further evaluation and treatment. You should not have to put up with this.

Do not be fobbed off!!

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