• blue • he/she/they • adult •
they should let you rip out your uterus with your bare hands. with no negative physical consequences
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#endometriosishey so it’s march now aka the beginning of endometriosis awareness month and i feel obligated to remind you that debilitatingly painful periods are not normal. if you or someone you know is ending up sick or bedridden every month, you are not crazy and deserve medical attention from someone who will take you seriously
hey it’s march again let’s get this post circulating again
So many people who get periods are like “Ugh it sucks that having a menstrual cycle makes you almost die every month” like no that’s not normal you need to go to the doctor
If any of your symptoms go beyond “just like, super annoying ugh whatever” levels you should probably go see a doctor about that
You should not feel so depressed you want to die, you should not be getting mood swings so bad that you become violent, your cramps should not be so bad that you can’t get out of bed, your period should not last more than a week, you should not be losing so much blood that you feel dizzy. Go to the doctor.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
(Cleveland Clinic & Mayo Clinic are both pretty good about using gender-neutral language in their articles).
Adding Adenomyosis here, Endometriosis’s lesser known but equally awful sister. If you have chronic pelvic pain and your periods are very painful and full of clots, get checked. Even my neighborhood gynecologist managed to diagnose me with it.
I had endometriosis and fibroids. They caused pain that was so severe when I was in labor with my first child, the labor pains were exactly the same as the cramps I'd get on the first day of my period maybe 3-4 times a year. No doctor would take me seriously. I was always given Ultram for pain, or they'd try birth control pills or depo-provera shot, both of which would cause terrible symptoms but not cut into the pain. It wasn't until I was in my late twenties that a coworker who also had endometriosis referred me to a doctor who actually knew what it was. If you have this condition, the only way to find out is getting a procedure called a laparoscopy where they insert a camera and surgical knife into the pelvis through a couple of small incisions. There's no way to test for it without actually seeing it.
Ok breaking containment for this one because I need everyone who will listen to hear this.
Women who suffer bad cramps are told cramps shouldn't affect school/work/etc, but no one ever investigates further because no one can possibly know if what someone experiences is just typical pain or something much worse.
Well after 15 years of stage 4 treatment-resistant endometriosis that came with pain as bad as, if not worse than, actual labor contractions every month, all the while being told I was 'typical' and 'just had bad cramps', I've finally been healed (another post for another time). I have had what everyone describes as the elusive 'normal period pain' for several months now, and I am begging you to look me in the eyes and listen because I need everyone who can hear this to hear this.
Even during of the PEAK OF CRAMPING (i.e., as bad as your cramps possibly get), you should still be able to stand, speak, walk, eat, work, and sleep with no problems. These tasks should require very-little-to-no extra effort beyond what you would normally do when you aren't on your period. When you do these things, you should feel grumpy and a little bit icky and maybe a twinge of nerves and NOTHING MORE.
If you have to sit in the corner and hope no one approaches you because you can't speak or stand without showing pain, even slightly, you need to get help. If your pain is showing on your face, you need to get help. And most importantly, IF YOUR PAIN DOES NOT RESPOND TO 1-2 TYLENOL OR IBUPROFEN, YOU NEED TO GET HELP.
Your period cramps should make you grumpy. Your period cramps should make you feel a little icky and tired. Your period cramps should make you feel your insides existing/moving a bit and a twinge of nerves that makes you groan slightly then the "pain" should stop there, NOTHING MORE.
If your cramps put you on the floor but you make believe you're the captain of a ship who has just been stabbed and has to hide it to fight on, and you force yourself to power through the day, please understand: you are not okay, that does not make you okay. Just because you can power through the pain doesn't mean you aren't sick. If you have to force yourself through any basic task beyond the effort it takes you to do when you aren't on your period, and I am holding your face and looking you in the eye as I say this because I need you to hear me: You aren't normal. You don't 'just have bad cramps'. You are sick and you need to get help.
Now most people will tell you if your cramps are beyond a 3 out of 10 on the pain scale, you should see a doctor. While this is usually true, you have to consider chronic pain CAN AND WILL BREAK YOUR PAIN SCALE. Most people will only compare pain they currently feel to pain they may experience one day but probably never will. "Sure these cramps feel bad now, but if I had a leg amputated with no anesthesia, that would hurt WAY worse, so this pain can't be that bad-" No. Your pain is what it is, objectively, full stop. My cramps were at a 10 out of 10 every. Single. Time. And nobody told me claiming they were a 6-8 because I thought to myself 'what if I lose a limb one day?' was completely wrong. 10 pain is 10 pain. And if there's something that hurts worse than that, guess what. The thing you are experiencing right now is still a 10 out of 10 on the pain scale. Just because you experience it every month doesn't mean it's magically not as bad is it is. And if your pain is worse than a 3 out of 10, you need to get help.
Now when I say get help, I mean find the root cause of your pain. You can't just throw drugs and hormones at it without knowing what it causing your pain. Endometriosis, fibroids, pcos, cancer, adenomyosis, polyps, thyroid issues, there is always a cause. And if you leave it untreated, it will grow and get worse to the point where it resists treatment and the drugs and hormones you've been throwing at it for years don't work anymore. You have to find a doctor that will investigate. If your doctor tells you you 'just have bad cramps' get a new doctor. I know you've been told that but please hear me: no one ever just has bad cramps. A healthy human body doesn't spontaneously cause itself pain so bad you can't stand up; there is ALWAYS a cause.
I was sick for more than 15 years. My entire life was put on hold and now I'm in my late 20s trying desperately to play catch up for everything I missed. I want to pick up 12yo me, spin her around, and tell her she doesn't have to die before she finally stops hurting. I don't want anyone to suffer the same fate I did simply because everyone told them they were normal. A little twinge of pain here and there is normal, suffering is not. I promise you your pain is real, it is not normal, and dear heavenly day I am begging you you need to get help now.
TL;DR: There is no such thing as 'just bad cramps.' If you feel anything more than grumpy, icky, and pain greater than a 3 out of 10, you need to find out what's wrong with you before it gets worse.
ALTIn an ancient forest, shallow pools reflect not the trees above, but a luminous city of elsewhere.
[ID from Alt: an illustration of a clearing in a dark forest with pools of water on the ground among the trees and vegetation. In the water is a reflection of a cityscape with skyscrapers in vibrant orange and yellow with a bright blue sky, contrasting with the murky blue-green colours of the woods. In the far distance an early sunrise can be made out through the trees. End ID]
have you seen him?
just checking in to make sure you've seen him. have a great night.
or morning, or afternoon, if you got the chance to take a look at him. if possible. thanks.
"We need trilllions to replace all workers" is quite the ask for an industry that has no profits.
