A day in the life of my period..
I was working yesterday and then just as my shift was ending, my period came to say hello a week early. Not something I was expecting, but luckily it didn't bother me much and I am always prepared with tampons in my bag as you just never know. The pain was more like a slight discomfort than anythign else, and so that was a breeze. A couple of painkillers and I felt fine all evening and managed to sleep well too.
This all changed from about 4am this morning when I was woken up by horrendous period pain. This was sort of bearable for the first hour or so and then after that I was in the worst pain I could even imagine possible. The only way I could describe it, would be to say it felt like I was in labour. This isn't me being dramatic as I am part of a group on facebook where those that have had children, have said that their period pains, having endometriosis, are worse than giving birth. I was shocked to find this out, but at the same time, I could understand, as this pain is like nothing else, and would put me off having children if that would be worse. I had at least 4 minutes of absolute agony and then around 30 seconds to recover and breathe a little, before it happened all over again. Those minutes felt like hours each time. I was screaming and crying. The pain wouldn't stop. I couldn't get comfortable, one minute I was really hot and sweating, lying on the cold bathroom floor to cool my temperature down, and the next minute I was freezing cold putting all my clothes back on including fluffy socks. I was sick and nearly fainted. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. I am feeling a little better now, but cannot stand or even walk for long, as I am so weak after this morning. I am spending the day in bed watching After life, which I would highly recommend if you haven't seen it, it's on Netflix.
I saw my consultant last month and he said to give it about three months and see how I am then, and how my periods have been in that time, but I can honestly say after this morning, I do not want periods anymore. I cannot continue like this.
ENDOMETRIOSIS
For those that don’t know, endometriosis is a chronic long-term condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body such as on the ovaries.
Endometriosis takes an average of around eight years to be diagnosed, which is why it is so important for young girls to be aware of the signs, and to be aware of what is considered normal or not. Symptoms can vary from person to person, but the majority will experience severe period pains with heavy bleeding, vomiting, diarrhoea, pelvic and hip pain, as well as bloating. Endometriosis can sometimes also result in fertility issues.
MY PERIOD STORY
I can remember my first period as if it were yesterday. I was going to the New Forest with my family, and a few minutes before we were about to leave IT HAPPENED. Talk about bad timing. I went to talk to my mum which at the time I was very shy about, but at the end of the day, she is my mum. I told her, and she said she knew this would happen soon so had kept a few things stored away in preparation. Bless her, she explained it all to me and said it was my choice what I wanted to use, but without a doubt, I went straight to using tampons, and I have not looked back since. They are so easy to use, although they may look a little scary at first, but trust me, it feels a lot better than having a thick pad in your pants just getting in the way. I could continue with all my activities like normal, which for me was great as my mum was a swimming instructor at the time, and we used to go swimming often, so for me using tampons was the best option. I am honestly so glad I started using tampons right from the beginning as I know a few of my friends are still anxious now to use them, having always used pads since day one.
The first year I was lucky and it really did not affect my life in the slightest, but this then changed. The older I got, the worse it became.
On the first and second day of my period pretty much every month, I would feel rather sick and weak, and occasionally I would faint too. With age, my pain became worse, and the heaviness of it too, so after months of fainting and being sick, I finally got the courage to see a doctor. I always had a fear of doctors, I am not sure why, as they really are all so lovely and I had not had any bad experiences. It was just a little phobia of mine, along with spiders.
I found it embarrassing to talk about periods at first, but it now seems to be a daily topic for me. I was given the contraceptive pill to try, which I took for 21 days and would then have a week’s break. This worked and really helped me at first, but I then got some rather bad side effects such as migraines, so they switched me to another pill. After trying five different pills over the years, I stopped taking it completely to give my body a break and to see if I could manage without it. For a few months, I was fine, and then suddenly, my periods became really bad every month again. The office where I used to work even had to call an ambulance out once, as my blood pressure had dropped drastically, and I was in unbelievable amounts of pain to the point where I could not walk, I was shaking, and being physically sick. There was not anything they could give me or do about it so back to the doctors I went, which is when I was offered the coil in an attempt to level my hormones out. This caused me more discomfort than anything else, and even though my periods were lighter, I was also getting random pain and bleeding throughout the month too. Back to the doctors I went again, but this time they did a few ultrasound scans which alerted them that a few things were not quite right.
I was then booked in for an operation called a Laparoscopy, which is where a tiny camera goes inside you to have a look around. For me, they did not resolve anything by doing that and I was put back on the contraceptive pill, although this time it was the mini pill, which you take every single day, in the hope to stop your periods completely. This I took for around three years and although I still had a lot of pain, the severity of it decreased. It settled my periods a little but never stopped them as the doctor had hoped, so I came off the pill completely to give my body another break. At this point I had been on a contraceptive pill for around 10 years which is not advised without a proper break. I then pushed to see a gynaecologist, and after six months of appointments and scans, I was booked in for another laparoscopy to remove an ovarian cyst and was also diagnosed with endometriosis.
I have noticed my mental health is also massively affected by my periods. This is normal for anyone, due to the possible hormonal imbalance, but as I feel so unwell with mine I am working on ways to resolve these feelings. I have focused on my self-care recently, to ensure my mental health is more controlled. Coping mechanisms that work for me, such as meditation and journaling, are good ways to release my emotions, but it may take time to find what works for you. Make sure you give time for yourself, self-care is important and I for one do not do enough of it.
I really hope my story has helped those who suffer with their periods, and that you now realise you are not alone and that there are so many people out there wanting to help you. Please do not push it aside, doctors are there for you and the sooner you get help, the sooner you can start feeling better.
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