Hey, lovies!
Thanks for joining me!
Today, I want to share my story with you of how I got through period cramps.
I made a post about how you can get through the cramps mother nature sends every month. But I think including my own testimony will make it more relatable!
My Debut
I started my menstrual career quite early. I was only 9 years old when I had my first ‘monthly reds’.
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was July in 2002.
I thought it was the gift of the year. And I was secretly proud of my debut!
I was now in the ‘big girls’ league.
The entire family was concerned, but excited at the same time.
My period didn’t show up the next month and I forgot about it.
Then when September came, I was attacked by some monster cramps.
I kid you not!
The Cramps Attack
I was at school, in my homeroom, having lunch when I felt the worst pain of my life (at the time).
It was as if someone was stabbing me in my pelvic area. They came fast, sharp and hard!
I was screaming like crazy.
I had no idea periods were ever painful.
No one prepared me for that!
Getting help
Everyone in class got scared and frantic.
My friends scurried to find teachers who could help us, and nobody was available.
There was no school nurse to call for.
My friends came and took me to the principal and vice-principal’s offices. They weren’t there either.
They finally found a guidance counsellor who was able to put me on a couch in the sick bay.
There were no medications available to take the pain away.
A nightmare tale
I was still screaming in pain.
I was crying so hard that my uniform was drenched in tears.
I literally felt like I was going to die from the pain!
I never experienced anything that traumatizing before.
The Relief
I laid there on the couch curled up in a ball holding my tummy.
I was quietly praying for God to deliver me from those pangs of death.
I repented of all my sins as I thought I would have died that day.
I laid there for hours. The contractions became spaced further apart and the pain lessened in intensity.
I continued to pray for relief and it slowly but surely came.
When the school bell rang at 5pm for dismissal, I saw all my girlfriends standing at the door of the sick bay.
Though I was the first girl in the clique to have a period, they were so helpful.
They understood what I was going through.
They told me that their sisters went through similar pain crises like me.
That helped to put my experience into perspective.
We took the bus home together and they ensured that I got home safe.
I was sick that entire night with pain. I was out of school for 2 whole days after that.
From then until 2017, I battled with dysmenorrhea.
Pain Control
It’s been difficult to achieve pain control over the years.
Since menarche (the first period), I have been using almost every class of painkiller on the market.
Thankfully, I am yet to require opioids like Morphine or Pethidine.
But over the last year, I have decided to give natural remedies a try. I finally got my break through and so far, it’s been going well.
So, here are 4 ways how I dealt with my dysmenorrhea nightmare
Method #1: Prescribed Painkillers
The first painkiller I used was Panadol Ultra. But it didn’t help much.
After that, I used Baralgin. This one was amazing!
I would use it on the day I knew my period was coming and it would be smooth sailing after that.
The only issue I had with it was the bitter taste. It just tastes yucky!
Anyways, I could bear that one disadvantage for the peace of mind from knowing I would be pain free.
The start of my roller-coaster controls
After about a year of Baralgin, I decided on my own that I wanted to see if my body had healed itself.
I was good for about 3 months. Then every period after became worse than the one before.
I restarted the Baralgin, but it wasn’t working for me then. I am yet to figure out why.
So, I was then stepped up to Panadeine. This worked perfect for another year.
After that, I was stepped up to Panadeine F. This was the ultimate pain reliever for me.
I used it for another year and I was good. I then decided to discontinue on my own.
I could manage the cramps going solo.
But when they got more intense, I would occasionally need something for moderate pain control.
I used Ibuprofen on those occasions and was well after medicating the day before and on the first day of my bleeding.
I did well solo until university.
The Ibuprofen was losing its effect.
I spoke to my doctor and she placed me on NISE. And boy, did it work wonders!
It is the best painkiller I have ever used.
I would recommend it any day.
I used this for a year and went back to my solo, no-pill cycles.
I have mild cramps most days.
Process of Pain Elimination
Nowadays, when I feel overwhelmed by pain, I use a cocktail of Panadol 500mg, Voltaren 50mg and Zantac 150mg.
I only need a single cocktail and I am good to go.
Honestly, some days, too much is going on in life and the pain is like adding fury to the problems,
Hence, I go for the easiest and quickest solution: my cocktail.
I’m sorry. I can’t be a hypocrite. I am a stickler for eliminating stress.
Method # 2: Physical Exercise
This was the first thing I did to help control my pain midway through 2017. I got into the fitness mode.
I was exercising twice per day at first.
I would run/walk 2 brisk miles in the morning, then another 2 or 3 miles in the nights with my Leslie Sansone Walking Program.
The walking helped a lot to relieve the stress in my life.
My general health improved. I had more energy for the tasks of the day.
My brain was quicker and sharper than before.
I was able to generate great ideas in no time.
I was a super boss lady.
Method # 3: Weight Loss
I cleaned up my diet in early 2017 and it helped so much!
In just 4 months, I was able to shed all of 30 pounds!!!
Plus, this was without any exercise.
I was amazed!
I was both looking good and feeling good.
I noticed that with a period-friendly diet, I had less cramps.
I also noticed that my flow was not as heavy as it used to be.
Of course, I decided to lose weight independent of my need for improved menstrual health.
Hence, when I noticed the improvement, I did some research.
A study published by Ju et al in 2015 shows a link between body mass index and dysmenorrhea.
They concluded that women who were underweight or obese had more reports of dysmenorrhea compared to women of a normal weight.
Hence, as I was reducing my BMI, I was making my periods better indirectly.
Method # 4: Using Peppermint
If you have browsed through my blog, you will see that I am in love with peppermint.
I kid you not, this herb is amazing!
The pain relief I get from this plant along with its other health effects is helping to make my periods much more bearable.
The mint has also helped to suppress my appetite most days.
So, I have a chance to survive those intense sweet cravings I have during my menses.
All of this is taking me closer to my weight loss goals.
Wrapping up
I hope you have found some help here to deal with your own dysmenorrhea issue through my story.
It probably didn’t seem so glamorous to you, but I am happy to have finally found my breakthrough.
I am adapting the mindset of letting my body heal itself with the treasures of mother nature.
When those don’t work, I am free to step up to prescribed analgesics.
I have no regrets or hesitancy.
Neither should you!
Post your comments about how you have been dealing with dysmenorrhea.
Thanks so much for reading, lovies!
Have a happy period next month!
XOXO
References
Ju, H., Jones, M., & Mishra, G. D. (2015). A U-Shaped Relationship between Body Mass Index and Dysmenorrhea: A Longitudinal Study. PloS one, 10(7), e0134187. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0134187
See also
Post: Reasons to Use Peppermint
