Aleve experiment

So I've faithfully taken the Aleve every 12 hours for the past two weeks. I'm supposed to start...any day now, really. (I had a period last week, but this week's the real thing.) So far, so good, I guess -- I've had to take the heating pad to work for the past two days, but I've not had to take a pill. However, I'm not declaring it a success until I see how the period itself goes. I'll let you know how that works out.

The pain is weird this time. When I was younger, I did something incredibly stupid, particularly for someone as uncoordinated as myself: I did a high-kick while wearing roller skates. Fell straight on my tailbone. I didn't break it, but I bruised the snot out of it. That's what my back feels like right now. And about where the pain is, too. Seems such an odd place to cramp, but I never said I was normal.

I've also been really nauseated. (Don't give me that look. If I were pregnant, I'd know.) All I've eaten for the past few days is cottage cheese and toast. Food just doesn't sound good. I know that's somehow tied to the endo, but couldn't begin to explain it.

Stress...lots of stress

I had my first massage Friday -- a shiatsu massage, which I'd read helps the endo. So far I don't see a difference, though my upper spine does feel a little looser. (Still sore, but looser.) I decided that next time (when I can afford a next time), I'm going in for something more relaxing.

Seeing as I've started spotting again, I think a little relaxation is in order.

It's amazing what stress will do to you. I can understand it interfering with sleeping and eating, but how it turns the flow on and off like a faucet dumbfounds me. Years ago, when we visited my hometown quite frequently, I could count on not starting my period until we came home...sometimes within the hour after we came home, in fact. Even if I was supposed to start while we were gone. Even if I was late.

Now, it seems like my body's reaction to any amount of stress is to open the floodgates. How do you deal with that? My life's just going to be stressful for a while...nothing I can do about that.

The wonders of sex

I did, in fact, start my "real" period -- in the middle of my "fake" period. It's very odd to start while you're already bleeding; basically what happens is the cramps get much, much worse and the flow picks up. This weekend was okay for the most part...until this morning.

Nothing like waking up to excruciating pain, flowing so heavily it feels like you're wetting yourself. Happy Sunday! My darling boyfriend gave me a backrub -- unsolicited, but much appreciated. However, my body was so wound up that even the skin on my back was sensitive; he worked a few knots out, but it was more painful than soothing.

Then we had sex. Honestly, I think that helped more than the backrub. Knocked some things loose, so to speak. It was painful during, for the most part, but afterward the cramps pretty much went away. The flow picked up to scary levels for a few hours, but now I think it's dying down. (I haven't had to change my pad for several hours...always a good thing.)

So, more than anything else I've tried so far, I recommend sex if you can get it. It's a good way to hurry things along. And if you've got to suffer, isn't it better to suffer for as short a period of time as possible?

My feet are pale

My feet are never pale; they're usually bright red, especially on days as hot as this. During lunch, it was like someone pulled the cork. It's a bit unsettling to see that much blood. Makes you wonder if you should go back to work or straight to the emergency room.

I have to admit my willpower is quite low at the moment. I stopped by the grocery store and stocked up on all kinds of junk -- chips and dip, Oreos, mac and cheese, Triscuits. So I can't use this month as an example of anything. Next month, though, I'm going to make a concerted effort to control my diet and take prophylactic Aleve. And report back, of course. In fact, I'm going to write myself a reminder right now.

Encores

My body loves 'em. After the first day of this week's "period," things tapered off to a dribble. Fine, I thought. Well, this morning, I started again. Woke up cramping, and found that the Period Fairy left me a present in my underwear (which were, of course, one of the two white pairs I own and not one of the numerous black pairs -- like what I really wanted to do this morning was laundry!).

Bet you anything I start again next week. And have a full period.

So the Pill makes you regular, huh?

I started today. Two weeks early. Which kind of negates my food theory in the last post, as the symptoms were right on time based on a start date of today.

I'm kind of at a loss here. I mean, if I'm taking a steady level of hormones, why does my body not react accordingly? Why do I have early periods, late periods, and no periods? That shouldn't be possible, right?

I suppose I can understand the late periods. My natural cycle is (or at least was...it's been many moons since I had a natural cycle) closer to 34 days than 28. So maybe my body is hitting the snooze button when I'm late. I am a snooze kinda girl, after all, and have been a procrastinator since birth (for which I was also late).

But the early periods...those I just don't get. As heavy as my flow is, I can't believe that it's just the excess forcing its way out ahead of schedule. Is there some sort of physical or emotional trigger? I've been under a fair amount of stress lately. If so, how does that work, exactly? Is there a way to control it? (The reaction, not the stress...for the time being, at least, the stress is a given.)

It's my body. I want to understand it.

Food matters

I thought diet (by which I mean junk food binges) only mattered the week before my period. However, I'm only in week 2 of my cycle, and I'm feeling the effects of the chips and sugar I've been indulging myself with. I'm bloated, my breasts are tender, and I'm generally sluggish and grumpy.

Good to know...I'm up for anything I can control.