Here's the standard TMI warning - gonna talk about my personal lady-bits issues, and if you're too squeamish or don't care to know such intimate medical details about me, then please stop here.
So those of you that are regular readers, and who know me personally, know that I have period issues. Since I went off the pill in 2012, my periods have been almost like clockwork, every 28 days, give or take a day or 2. But, they've gotten increasingly heavier, more disgusting, and more painful. I was told last year that this was most likely due to a condition called adenomyosis, which is like having endometriosis within the uterine wall itself. This will cause all the period issues, as well as some other issues like abdominal pain, pain when using the bathroom, and pain during certain extracurricular activities.
Over the past few months, the pain level and nausea I experience has increased significantly - I actually had pains that felt like ice picks, stabbing me in my ovaries. As I mentioned in a previous post, I tried numbing the pain with Tramadol and while it helped a little, the nasty drug hangover was not worth the minute amount of relief obtained. So when my period started last month, I called my doctor's office to ask them to prescribe something stronger than 800mg ibuprofen. Unfortunately, they would not do anything stronger without me being seen, so I had them call it in and scheduled an appointment to talk to the doctor about what we can do. (and fortunately I ended up not even needing the ibuprofen for that cycle!)
This past Sunday, I was laying on the couch and talking on the phone, and I got the ice pick sensation in my left ovary. This was weird, as my period wasn't due for another 10 days or so. Tuesday and Wednesday I had spotting, which many times is a direct beginning to my period, but it was way too early for that, right? I mean, my freaking period is almost like clockwork, and I'm not due until the 21st!!!
My doctor's appointment was yesterday afternoon, and I didn't know if I was gonna make it to then, as I got some kind of nasty sick while I was at work and started up on a puke-fest. I left work, went and crashed at my mom's house until my appointment time, and then went to the doctor. The nurse said I was the 3rd person that came in telling of having the throw-ups all morning, and there was some kind of bug going around. Great.
I see the doctor, and we discuss all the continuing period issues, and I give her my recent symptoms, and she said it was some sort of ovulation malfunction disorder (I cannot for the life of me remember the actual name she called it dammit), that apparently my eggs are become cysts before they release and as they pop free of the cyst, that's giving me the ice pick pains. And the only thing she could do at this point to help would be to put me back on birth control pills, which I don't want to do, and she doesn't really want to do that either.
She said most like I am in peri-menopause at this point, given the changes in my periods, although she was thinking that the spotting I had up until the appointment was related to the ovulation thing and not an actual period. Well, after getting up this morning and checking things out, I'm pretty confident that this IS my period, 8 days early. Aaaarrrggghhhhh!!!!!
She ran some hormonal blood tests, and also checked my thyroid, and they told me today that everything was normal. Nothing out of whack when it comes to my hormones or thyroid. Good right? Yes, but no, as it doesn't give us a reason for what's going on. I would think the hormonal test would have definitively indicated that I was in peri-menopause, but it doesn't. Oh well.
So now, if I experience this horrific ice-pick pain again, hopefully they'll be willing to prescribe something stronger than 800mg ibuprofen! I don't know how much longer I can deal with the pain, nausea, and gross stuff. Ewwww.
And okay, I'm going to say this - I know of some women that are able to look at their periods in a positive light (other than those who are happy to get a period as their sign of not being pregnant) - they are happy to have periods, they embrace their monthlies, and how it makes them more womanly or something. I don't mean to sound like I'm criticizing them, I just don't understand the joy and wonderment of having periods. Yes, I understand their function, and why we have them, but it doesn't mean I have to like them or embrace them. I honestly don't understand how embracing my womanliness is going to make my periods a pleasant experience. If you are one of these women that finds a true joy or ability to embrace having periods, please let me in on your secret. Thanks!
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