Bad Bad TOTM remedy?

CuddlePaws

Full Member
Does anyone suffer from bad, heavy TOTM?

Two weeks out of the month I am like a demon. Even my hamster cowers at the back of his cage! I currently take a multivit-a-day and am watching what I eat, but the scales are still chaotic, I have nasty abdomen and lower back pain for hours on end, and my clothes are horribly tight.

I feel just awful physically and mentally!! I am soon approaching my 40's and have an 18 month old baby. Is this normal after having a baby this age? I weep a lot and many days don't want to move from the bed at all which is not helping my family! :(

I'd just like to know if anyone who suffers from this has found any herbal, nutritional or other type of remedy! My doctor recommended the Mirena coil but my sister got pregnant on the coil and so I am a bit wary about it! I cannot take the contraceptive pill for other reasons.

Any feedback appreciated.
 
Poor you. I used to be awful, 10-14 day periods, very heavy and such bad cramps and used to faint during it. My doc gave me mefenamic acid (Ponstan) for the cramps - that worked really well and was much more specific than a general painkiller. I took loads of B6 and B12 for about 1 year and that seemed to sort me out. Quite high doses though, more than you get in a multi-vit. Never been as bad since though I know people who keep taking the vits for ever and it doesn't seem to do them any harm.

Personally, I also find male GPs far more helpful than female ones on these kind of things. Men tend to believe you whereas too many female docs won't believe that your TOTM can be any worse than theirs! Also family planning/well woman clinics often give better advice on this than GP surgeries as they're dealing with it all the time.

Oh and I was also told to be wary of supplements involving iron - that if you take them throughout the month you can make the bleeding heavier. Best to only take them for about a week each month.

That worked for me but everyone is different. might give you something to google or discuss with your doc though.

Evening Primrose and Starflower oils never did anything for me but plenty of women find they help.
x
 
Island Breeze thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! I'm not happy about giving up my cuppa though lol, plus my downfall is that I drink a lot of diet coke and not enough water either (which probably isn't helping).

I've decided to try out the coil, which is what the GP recommended, although yes she was female, and didn't seem particularly interested in my condition, but she did say it would stop the heavy bleeds. I feel I have very few options with regard to contraception, so what's to lose? It may work well for me. I shall just pray like mad that I DON'T get pregnant on it. Everything else I can live with.

Thanks about the advice on the B-vits! I shall take some of those too and see if it helps. I really need to get a grip on this now as hubby is at end of his tether trying to deal with my mood swings.
 
Cuddlepaws, I have the same problems as you and have used those coils for the last 15 years. It transformed my life! Give it a go. Terrible flooding and pain have been reduced to barely a period! Wonderful!
 
Cuddlepaws, I have the same problems as you and have used those coils for the last 15 years. It transformed my life! Give it a go. Terrible flooding and pain have been reduced to barely a period! Wonderful!

Sounds too good to be true lol! Well after much thought and chat with hubby, I think I will go and have a consultation and have it fitted.

Got some B12/B6/B1 vitamins today and the chemist recommended Seven Seas Pure Starflower oil for hormone regularity! Hopefully with that and the coil I'll be a new person! Thanks to both of you for the advice. :)
 
One of my best friends went on the coil recently and it has transformed her life.

I also recomend Mefenamic acid for cramps but be careful with B6; if I take more than about 200% RDA of the stuff I get really bad pins and needles in my hands and feet (which is a pain as I can't find a vitamin B complex with a small enough dose!)

However the best thing I have ever done for my TOTM is dieting. I have always felt much better both in terms of mood and pain when on a diet, especially a VLCD.
 
OK I am not a happy bunny today. Major lower abdomen pain and lower back, does sort of feel like TOTM pain but I just had that a week and a half ago! Is it possible for it happen again????? Been crippled in bed, the pain really low down the abdomen and coming and going in waves, took neurofen..and ended up going to the hospital around 4pm as I was getting into a panic thinking it could be my appendix or something and I'm sitting about not checking it out cos I have no clue!!

Anyway they rule out any infections and appendix and say yes it could be a gynae problem (since i have heavy periods and that or could be a viral bug thing. i dont feel sick, although choco drops have been loose (haha sorry) I am really confused :(

If its a gynea issue im really worried about it, is it possible the cramps are that even though I've just had TOTM? Been taking vit b complex for a week or so and starflower oil and feel so rough at the mo :( Going to see gynae on the 17th now and check it all out.
 
The timing of my periods has gone a bit wierd since I started dieting so it could just be your body doing something odd. The best of luck with your appointment, I hope the pains go away before then.
 
Thanks for your message spannerwanner.. well I finally got to see a gynae... definitely do not have any visible problems in the reproductive area..phew, the gynae told me the cramps/pains were more likely a tummy bug which they did in fact end up being!

So have made an app for the end of the month for mirena fitting. Does anyone know if that is painful at all and/how long does it last? :eek:
 
nope but to be honest your body burns almost double the ampount of calories during this time meaning its greatt for us trying to loose weight so at least take comfort in that :)
 
OMG ladies, i had the fitting this morning and nearly passed out! I felt so whoozy and the cramps nearly made me cry. I had no idea that thing went in the uterus, thanks very much but when I saw this clamp thing coming along I nearly jumped out of the bed. I spent an hour in the recovery room and got taken home by the medics.

I was told that a small number of women get a bad reaction and if its not gone by tomorrow morning i've to have it taken out :( sniff No way do I want that procedure again! I feel better now after a cup of tea and painkillers though so fingers crossed it'll ease up!
 
It takes a week or so to truly settle in in my experience but once it is settled WOW! I can't remember my last period - it only lasted a day lol. BTW i got mine fitted because every time I started losing weight my period would start and then not stop till i stopped losing...not fun. A gynae told me it was because all the hormones were stored in my fat - lovely - unsure if thats even true but hey ho!
Good luck flower x
 
Don't worry...the first time I had one fitted I thought I'd gone into labour and was nearly passing out and felt sick! It's your body's reaction to a foreign body being put in it. It lasted a few hours but painkillers did help. Having it taken out is a breeze so don't worry about that when the time comes! Also, I never got the same reaction on subsequent fittings as it was usually 'one out and one in' straight away! :D
 
Thank you ladies, it is comforting to hear this, cos right now ive gone to bed in my jimjams feeling so sorry for myself, as I was in such good spirits before I went. I just feel a little nauseaus and weak, its ever so weird, i dont feel ill, but I do feel like i just want to stay in bed and stop thinking about it! Thanks again.
 
I have a mirena fitted mine is due to be changed in November,

A male dr fitted mine and he told me to take an ibroprofen an hour before i turn up as this helps also he fitted mine when i was on as the opening is "looser" (sorry) when its the TOTM,

I still get periods but very light and only last 4-7days i'm still a bit PMT but my partner says i'm much better and he dont need to tip toe around me:mad: lol (cheeky sod)

Mine took about a week to settle down but its worth it,
 
Thanks for all your experiences ladies. Well I still feel some bloated discomfort, sore breasts, period pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen and even sore-ish down there a bit. It's all on and off. I'm still bleeding too but very lightly, I hope that stops at some point??

I am a little anxious about the whole thing because I don't know what my body is up to now or what to expect. Doc did say I could get irregular bleeding for up to 3 months after (great!) but I'm not sure I can cope with period pain for a whole 3 months!!
 
OK, still spotting, spent the entire weekend in discomfort and haven't left the house at all, taking ibuprofen to try and lessen the dull ache and cramps. VERY tempted to go back to gynae tomorrow and tell her to pull the thing out!!!

Oh yes! And ate two large choc chip muffins yesterday to cheer myself up which it did whilst I was eating them, then made me upset for the rest of the evening because I gave in to using food as a comforter!!
 
Back
Top