Periods

[FloralBunting]

It's the middle of the night, and I cannot sleep because the cramps from my period are so intensely painful it is taking my breath away. I've come on FWR because it helps to distract me. I've taken painkillers. Twice today I have flooded and I suspect the intensity tonight means another heavy gush is incoming. It's also quite a warm night, and my temperature always goes up a bit when I'm on which is making the discomfort worse. The pain is coming in waves, much like early labour, from the small of my back, deep into my abdomen and radiating down my thighs. Every few minutes I am gasping when it gets a bit too much.

Of all the things about being a woman that are difficult, periods are one of the suckiest.

Sympathies OP
I feel exactly the same. The pain wakes me up and the flow is ridiculously heavy. My mooncup runneth over. But I think the premenstrual symptoms are even worse for me. My emotions and the breast tenderness are just unbearable and seem to last a good 2 weeks.
I've thought about the Mirena coil but got scared about possible side effects and I read that there might be a link to breast cancer.

I used to get that too, Prawn.

You have my sympathy, OP.

I am 52 now and still perimenopausal. I have been experiencing flooding for the past three or four years, which is exacerbated by a sizeable fibroid. I haven't had too much pain, but the flooding alone, and the unpredictability of it makes me afraid to go out for several days a month. After that I have about another week of significant bleeding. I can also never be sure when a period has actually finished and whether it may suddenly flood back on again.

I don't feel comfortable with the idea of the mirena coil. My GP also stopped pushing the idea after we found out about the fibroid issue. So my options are either hysterectomy, ablation or wait it out hoping that each period will be my last.

I am tempted to a hysterectomy if I could persuade them, but at 52 is it necessary? Each period could be my last, so an I at the end of periods or how long is a piece of string?

Ablation I might enquire further about.

Currently I have been trying the wait and see approach but so far I keep having periods (and flooding). I get furious each time yet another starts. I want this to end.

I am considering another GP appointment soon.

I hope you start to improve today. You aren't alone.

Glad to hear it, TinselAngel. I only mentioned it because this is an anonymous forum and I wanted to know. The only times I've said anything about it in real life the other women looked at me as if I was showing off and I felt silly.

I always assumed it was my body saying "well there's no way you'll get pregnant, so you might as well enjoy yourself!"

Cocodamol is available OTC, as are Joy-Rides. Joy-Rides are a brand if travel sickness pills. I don't think there's a generic version.

TinselAngel, that's how I read it too.

So my options are either hysterectomy, ablation or wait it out hoping that each period will be my last

I am tempted to a hysterectomy if I could persuade them, but at 52 is it necessary?

Hysterectomy is major surgery. Ablation is a day procedure. I was in and out in 6 hours. It can be done under local anaesthetic. Mine was done privately and they used a general anaesthetic. I don't know if the NHS would.

The worst part, only bad part, was throwing up after the op and it took days for the general anaesthetic to clear my system but that's because I'm a female, non- smoker with a tendency to travel sickness- apparently high risk factors for a bad reaction to anesthetics.

Joy Rides are hyoscine hydrobromide. Kells are the same. Because I can't get Migraleve Pink anymore I'm doing the same DIY on drugs that stop nausea.

Kwells, not kells.

Someone mentioned Viagra. Low-dose Viagra is also available OTC, but no idea how safe or what dose for periods and would also be off licence, so a man would have to buy it I guess. Has anyone actually tried it for this purpose?

I know doctors are dismissive but for women still going through this it's worth going back (again and again and again) until you get help.

The coil works for some, weigh up the side effects against the potential benefit rather than decide to suffer on.

Lots of women have benefited from abulation (don't know why my gp never went with that option).

I didn't get a hysterectomy until I was desperate enough to plead for one and say the magic words 'I have health insurance' that was when I realised the gp knew full well I needed a hysterectomy and wouldn't do it on the NHS . So if you have health insurance start the appointment stating that, if you don't consider paying if you can, it honestly can be life changing.
Yes it is major surgery but the pain and discomfort of recovery was not much worse than I was used to then it was over.

Lass, yes. Part of the dilemma is that a hysterectomy is such major surgery, when at almost 53 my periods could stop at any time.

I was also told though that ablation was not necessarily guaranteed to solve the problem, although I am thinking of revisiting the idea now.

What is clear is that periods are not treated seriously by many Drs, my DD went back and forward to the male GPs crippled by pain so bad she would be crying the first day or 2 and spending the whole time in a hot shower (limited painkillers choices due to kidney problems). It was only once a female GP joined she was taken seriously, with the GP commenting it is medicine she uses herself that she prescribed.

I've been lucky in terms of pain and bleeding but terrible in terms of mental health. I have bipolar and when I'm in a bad place I end up suicidal and having serious meltdowns every month the day before my period. Think normal PMT but amplified since the baseline for mental health is far more fragile than average. I still have problems getting that taken seriously.