Menstrual Hut

[cymbidia]

Cym - I have a copy of The Red Tent if anyone wants to borrow it - just pm me an addy and I'll get it right out. I'd love to share it with someone.

What a sweet offer! Thank you. You're very generous.

We have two copies, however, that are already making the rounds - or were. One of them was mine. It went from me to april_wine, and from her to...whom?

And what happened to Ruby's copy?

Anyone?

 

[seXieleXie]

What about clots?

Today, i passed (is that the right term?) the biggest clot i've ever seen. It was gigantic, relatively speaking. I felt it coming out.

Spontaneous abortion?
Change in body chemistry?
I've been doing a lot of unpacking and moving furniture and boxes of books and stuff - maybe that had something to do with it?

What the fuck?

tell me cym, have you been experiancing unusually heavy bleeding this cycle or has your period been unusually long?

 

[freakygirl]

What about clots?

Today, i passed (is that the right term?) the biggest clot i've ever seen. It was gigantic, relatively speaking. I felt it coming out.

Spontaneous abortion?
Change in body chemistry?
I've been doing a lot of unpacking and moving furniture and boxes of books and stuff - maybe that had something to do with it?

What the fuck?

This is how my periods are every month. I can't even leave my house for the fear that my pad isn't going to hold in all that is coming out. (forget tampons, my periods are so bad they do no good)

The clots are never ending for me.. and the cramps are killers.

I have a drs appointment.. because this isn't how my periods were before. I used to have a very light flow. Barely any blood loss at all. I had my kids.. then had my tubes tied and my periods have gotten progessivly worse over the last 2 years.

My periods last anywhere from 10-14 days (this isn't my norm either, it used to be about 3-4 days)

 

[cymbidia]

Yes, lexie, to both.

Why?

Something ringing a bell?
Shall i call my doc in the morning?
Does this sound like something you've heard of in some manner?


edited to add:
freaky? Mine are *always* the same. 2-3 days of light to moderate flow, no cramps worth mentioning, no real clots, no discomfort beyond some pre-menstrual bloating and irritibility.

Not this time, though.

 

[seXieleXie]

yeah cym, it sounds like you are hemorrhaging.

wait! don't freak out. take a few slow deep breaths and keep reading.

it is not as bad as it seems. it can be related to a large increase in physical activity. it does not necessarily mean something is seriously wrong. however, it should probably be checked out just to be safe.

has this happened often before? ever before? how about last month? have you noticed any spotting (bleeding between cycles)?


*edited to add*

what freaky is describing is definitly hemorrhaging. freaky, when is your appointment?

 

[april-wine]

What a sweet offer! Thank you. You're very generous.

We have two copies, however, that are already making the rounds - or were. One of them was mine. It went from me to april_wine, and from her to...whom?

And what happened to Ruby's copy?

Anyone?

I sent it to expressolover she was supposed to send it to cheffie...........

 

[freakygirl]

yeah cym, it sounds like you are hemorrhaging.

wait! don't freak out. take a few slow deep breaths and keep reading.

it is not as bad as it seems. it can be related to a large increase in physical activity. it does not necessarily mean something is seriously wrong. however, it should probably be checked out just to be safe.

has this happened often before? ever before? how about last month? have you noticed any spotting (bleeding between cycles)?


*edited to add*

what freaky is describing is definitly hemorrhaging. freaky, when is your appointment?

It was supposed to be tomorrow.. but ofcourse they won't see me while I'm having my period. (which makes no sense to me.. I mean, yes it's gross. But wouldn't it be easier to show the dr rather than explain to him what I'm going through?)

I had to reschedule and it's not until July.

 

[seXieleXie]

freaky, i don't know how your healthcare works so i don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, but you might concider calling back and explain that you hemorrhage during your periods and have been for ___ months. maybe ask them to call you if there are any cancelations before july.





i don't want to go into a lot of detail but i recently went to the doctor to talk about problems with my periods (they were nothing like yours though cym and freaky so i'm not giving some amature diagnosis, just expressing concern) and it turns out to be a lot bigger and a lot more serious than i had ever thought. finding it out was a shock and hard to deal with, hell i still can't really talk about it without getting upset, but i only went because a friend bullied me into it. i shudder to think what would have happened if i continued to ignore the problem.

 

[cymbidia]

If i'm still bleeding like this tomorrow, i'll call my doc.

However, i've done the hemmorage thing before (anyone remember that fisting accident i had last summer? THAT was hemmoraging!) and this really isn't it.

Well, i don't think so, anyway.

In any case, if it's still doing this in the morning, i'll call, lexie - and thank you for caring. Sincerely.

(Lexie? Are you gonna be okay? I'm not poking, not prodding, not trying to get info you're uncomy giving - just very concerned.)





Regarding The Red Tent and its rounds: Anyone seen espressolover lately? april? Maybe a little note to her asking what's up and if she's sent it on yet?

 

[seXieleXie]

cym, hemorrhaging on your period is a little different than hemorrhaging from trauma (like a wound). but your plan sounds good.

to answer the clot thing a little more in depth, a lot of physical activity could cause your clots (which are actually just tissue from the lining buit up in your uterus) to be larger. a change in diet and medications you may be taking may also contribute to the change in your menses.

also, i'm okay. i don't want to post about it, but i really am okay.

 

[ksmybuttons]

How goes it in the tent tonight? I am back to my normal self. A few more days and out I go. I know I am peri-menopausal. I know that is why I feel like I am 12 again. Clots, heavy for a couple of days and then just a nuisance. What I dislike is that the clots are just uncontrolable. They blast through any protection I have on.

Hope everyone elses bleeding is under control, too.

Freaky, there is a whole post-tubal syndrome with heavy bleeding. Not common, but worth checking out with your doc. Sooner than July.

 

[freakygirl]

How goes it in the tent tonight? I am back to my normal self. A few more days and out I go. I know I am peri-menopausal. I know that is why I feel like I am 12 again. Clots, heavy for a couple of days and then just a nuisance. What I dislike is that the clots are just uncontrolable. They blast through any protection I have on.

Hope everyone elses bleeding is under control, too.

Freaky, there is a whole post-tubal syndrome with heavy bleeding. Not common, but worth checking out with your doc. Sooner than July.

I called today. Nothing until July (sucks being in a small area with only two drs and a HUGE population of teen pregnancies)

They will call me if something comes open before my scheduled appointment.

 

[ksmybuttons]

Freaky, Just be careful and take care of yourself. July. I guess that is only one to 2 more really miserable 2 week periods. Yech. I went on the pill when I hit a 21 day bleed on a 28 day cycle. It was enough. Then I stayed on the pill forever. Now my husband is fixed.

Take care, dear.

 

[cymbidia]

...and i put on two semi-overlapping extra long, extra strong, overnight pads and went to sleep feeling like i was wearing a diaper. (Just for the record, diapers are not erotic, at least not for me. I don't get into that "Adult Baby" stuff.)

This morning, almost predictably, the pads were almost blinding in thier pristine whiteness. I am done flowing for the month.

So, after all my hysterics, it was simply a heavier-than-normal period. Moving? Stress? Vitamin change? Who knows.

Thanks so much for the concern and the advice. I knew someone here would discuss my ill-formed fear with me.

 

[freakygirl]

Today I was lighter also

This has been the weirdest period ever.

Started Friday.. really light flow.
Saturday.. my usual.. flowing like a faucet left on all the way. (had a baseball game to go to so I wore, like cym, the over lapping really long super maxis, a dark pair of sweat pants and long shirt)

Sunday.. hardly anything

Today.. NOTHING but slight spotting

I don't get it.. I bitch about it.. I worry about it.. and it goes back to normal.

 

[Kitte]

I DONT WANT TO BE A WOMAN ANYMORE

**heaving sobs**
**hysterical giggling**
WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM??????????????



**next mood swing three minutes

 

[Vivacia]

I finally have a date for my GYN appointment, 11am on the 31st of this month...

I am really relieved that I finally have "that date" rather then just the promise of being seen sometime soon, but I am a little nervous too - I wish I had some idea of what they will say/want to do, I have never had a Gyn appointment before.

I hope things are ok for all you that are suffering atm.

Cya all soon

 

[cymbidia]

I wish I had some idea of what they will say/want to do, I have never had a Gyn appointment before.

Oh darlin', GYN appointments are what make you a woman, not periods!

Okay, here's what will happen:

Note: Do not fail to bring your magazine with you into the examining room!

1. You follow the nurse into the examining room when you're called. The nurse will weigh you, takes your temp and pulse and all that regular doctor's visit stuff. Tell her this is your first time to have a THIS kind of appointment. Tell her you're nervous. She'll be sure the doctor knows.

2. The nurse will then pat a little folded pile of paper (if you're lucky it'll be cloth) lying on the table and smile. "Take everything off," she'll say, "and put these on. Doctor will be in a moment." She'll probably tell you that the opening should be in the front. If not, ask her. Then she'll leave.

3. Don't panic. You have PLENTY of time to change before Doctor comes in.

4. Take off all your clothing. Yes. All of it. Fold it nicely and put is out of the way.

5. Unfold the folded paper stuff. One piece will be flat like a sheet. Put it aside. Unfold the other piece. It will be a huge paper vestlike thing. Put it on, opening in the front probably.

6. Hop up on the table.

7. Put the flat sheetlike piece of paper over your lap.

8. Grab your magazine and wait. Hopefully it won't be too cold and you won't have to wait too long.

9. Doctor will come in. Tell her/him that this is your first GYN visit and you're scared and could s/he PLEASE explain EVERYTHING they're doing BEFORE they do it.

10. You should get lots of reassurance at this point. Then the doc will pull out the foot part of the table and indicate you should lie down. (Some docs do a visual exam of your breasts while you're still sitting at this point, some do not.)

11. Breast exam: You'll lie down, one arm over your head and the doc will begin to feel around your breast from the outside in. The outside = WAY outside, including, like under your arm and places you never thought you had breast tissue. The inside = all the way to your nipple. The exam will be circular, The doc will be feeling for weird stuff. Just look at the picture of a tropical paradise they have on the ceiling and think about what you're going to make for dinner. After the doc finishes with one breast, he'll do the next.

(Note: you do regular breast self-exams, right? We should ALL do them, every single month.)

12. The doc pulls the stirrups out and puts your feet into them. Then you'll be told to move down until your butt is just at the very very edge of the table. Then you'll have to move down a teeny tiny bit more.

13. The doc adjusts the light so your entire vaginal area is lit up like the White House National Christmas Tree. Actually, the light might be kinda pleasantly warm. I kinda like it when we get to that point; those rooms are always a bit chilly for my tastes.

14. Now your feet are in the stirrups, your butt feels kinda like it's hanging off the end of the table a little, and the light is showing off your goodies. The doc is right down there where all the action is, too, on his/her little stool. Oh yeh, and the nurse came back in a while ago, too. The doc can't do any of this stuff without the nurse there.

15. Visual inspection of your labia, external vagina, anus. A little pushing and poking, nothing intrusive or major. Keep your eyes on paradise, up above you. ASK QUESTIONS if you have them. It's your body.

16. The doc gloves up, lubes both you and him, and then inserts a finger into your vagina, then presses around feeling for things out of place. The doc will check your rectum in the same way.

17. The doc removes the finger, strips off the glove, puts on a new one, takes the lubed speculum from the nurse and inserts it into your vagina. The speculum is opened. Some kinda stick thing is inserted to collect a small sample of skin from the mouth of your cervix to check for problems there. The speculum is removed. None of this should hurt at all. The cervix scraping could prioduce a couple of very mild cramps but it doesn't have to, either.

18. The doc will leave. The nurse will tell you change back into your clothing, that the doc will be back soon, and then she'll leave, too.

19. You'll change. Use the flat sheet thing to wipe between your legs and your butt; that lube will be everywhere. Toss it and the vest into the trash.

20. Get dressed.

22. Read your magazine.

23. The doc will come back and answer all your questions.

The End.

There's nothing to it.
Honestly.
We all do this, every single year.

Ever had a mammogram?
Now THERE'S where you'll have some fun!

 

[seXieleXie]

vivaca, i know nothing about you or your sex life so i'm going to give you this little bit of info not because i think you'll need it but just in case.

the speculum the doctor/nurse practitioner/whoever uses to open you up can be uncomfortable if you have an extremely tight vagina. if you're a lesbian, a virgin, or haven't had anything of any substantial girth (like a penis, sex toy, whatever floats your boat) you might want to ask that the small speculum be used on you. i found this out at my last gyno exam... i've been celebant for quite a while and was way too tight for the regular speculum.

 

[Calamity Jane]

Is there a Doctor's union I can complain to? There is NO tropical paradise above the table. There is NOTHING on the ceiling except ceiling. And my doctor expects me to carry on a conversation with him while he's poking and prodding around inside my body. And in my case, it almost always hurts... I have a displaced cervix, so it's a little hard to find.

I love my doc though, I drive 70 miles each way to see him because I'm too chicken shit to find someone closer.

You'll be fine Viv, really.

 

[freakygirl]

wow

Cym.. were you a OB/GYN nurse or something?



You explain it perfectly. Not a detail left out.

 

[cymbidia]

Is there a Doctor's union I can complain to? There is NO tropical paradise above the table. There is NOTHING on the ceiling except ceiling.

~still giggling wildly~
PCG? Maybe you can take the "no paradise" thing up with him while he's doing all that poking and prodding around in there, You know, when he wants to talk anyway?

And lexie is right, of course; that's why those speculums come in different sizes and why Viv should tell the nurse it's her first visit - so the doc will know to treat her like the virgin (in this way) that she is.

I taught sex ed to 8th graders, fg. I can talk this kinda stuff all night long. (And thanks... )

 

[Calamity Jane]

~still giggling wildly~
PCG? Maybe you can take the "no paradise" thing up with him while he's doing all that poking and prodding around in there, You know, when he wants to talk anyway?

And lexie is right, of course; that's why those speculums come in different sizes and why Viv should tell the nurse it's her first visit - so the doc will know to treat her like the virgin (in this way) that she is.

I taught sex ed to 8th graders, fg. I can talk this kinda stuff all night long. (And thanks... )

I had NO idea speculums came in different sizes! I'm just glad my doc keeps them in a heated drawer. The nurses at planned parenthood always freaked me out. It was like having a freezing cold car jack stuffed inside you and then cranked open.

 

[cymbidia]

You're making me laugh too much tonight, pcg!

(And you're gonna scare Viv.)

And, which answer did you give your 5 year old daughter, anyway?

 

[Calamity Jane]

Don't be afraid viv, just go to a real doc if at all possible.

My kid was asking her father. I just sat and laughed my ass off. He started to yell at her, and I said "Just answer the question, darlin"