Way Too Much Information

I'm about to make a TMI post about my period. You see, I have never liked my period. I thought I would at first. I remember being 10 or 11 and reading 'Are You there God? It's Me, Margaret' and hoping like mad for my period. One summer when I was staying with my grandmother in NY, I remember spending my ice cream money on pads for teens (I thing they were in a purple package or something like that). When my great-grandmother asked me whether my period had started, I said no - I just wanted to be prepared when it did.

I think it started a year later when I was doing a dance recital. I wasn't prepared and it was literally the night from hell to get through that show. I don't remember telling my mom when I got home and I also don't remember her reaction. I do remember the cramps - and the cramps for months and months thereafter. The first two days were always the worse. I became intimate with tylenol and advil, hot water bottles, electric blankets or whatever would make it feel better. My doctor put me on iron supplements - many different types since my tummy hated them. At 17 I was finally put on BCPs because the cramps were so bad. 4 years I lived a wonderful life with 3-4 days of what passed for a period. When I hit 21 though and received the official dx for PKD, I had to stop taking them. I was sad but rationalized it well. I got into a routine to get through the first two days and basically ignored the rest of it. My period was just a 5-7 day inconvenience and as long as I was drugged up for day 1 & 2, I could survive.

I never examined my period again until we began TTC two years ago. I started with charting so I would actually enter everything into fertility friend in those first few months. I realised I was extremely regular - started usually at 10am on a Friday (unless I was stressed), Saturday and Sunday were usually hell (thank god I was at home most of the time) and the days 4-7 just petered off. Sometimes I took iron, sometimes I drank lots of water and sometimes I went running to get through the cramps. I hated the clots, hated tampons that didn't do anything during the first two days and hated my 'black' wardrobe that I had to wear fro days 1-4. I stopped charting when we hit the 6 month mark and referred to the NJ-based RE. I had had enough of getting to know myself. That wasn't the end of it though.

Last year, I discovered the diva cup when I was trying to stop using tampons. It is n't useful for me on day 1 & 2 but it is a wonderful tool for the rest of my cycle. Last year I also discovered that I hated the regularity of my cycle. Every month on 10DPO I'd start to get antsy. I was usually focused on whether my upcoming Friday morning would bring AF in all her glory - and it generally did. A few stressful months may have had late starts but start it did.

When I went to the acupuncturist in June of this year I had to share the details of my cycle and particular my period in technicolor glory. I had to describe everything from duration, to volume, to colour, to the size of the clots, to whether I felt hot or cold and where. With treatment my June cycle was almost pleasant. Hardly any cramps, shorter in duration and hardly any clots. This cycle is the closest to heaven I could have imagined. No cramps or clots at all. I just feel like me. I'm not moody, drained or a witch. I was still up a few times last night dealing with pads, etc but it wasn't the hassle of previous months and years. I even called my mom to tell her about it. I can't wait to tell my acupuncturist either. I feel normal for the first time ever during my period.

So that is my TMI post - looking at what I've written it seems a bit weird to write about it... I has gotten my mind off of BCP side effects and stims though - for a while at least.