I remember my Mom telling me how lucky "we" were that we didn't get painful periods. Heavy, yes. Painful, no. Well, at least according to her. And for some reason I can't pinpoint, this made me unwilling to speak up and say that I DID have pain. In the early womanhood years, the pain was bearable. The heavy flow (had to get up every two hours the first couple nights to change) was a tougher battle. But, over time and bit-by-bit, the pain came. At first, it was pretty minor but it steadily got worse. In college, I'd occasionally lie down to escape it. By grad school, I'd curl up to cry and lose a few days of studying. Within a year after finishing school (24 yo), it was at the "just hope to die" level. I still didn't speak up. I don't know why. I'd never been healthy. Two prior ENT surgeries, hives from nowhere, migraines…I was used to docs and talking but there was a block here. I went on the Pill for the heavy flow (and, well, the birth control side) and STILL didn't speak up … [Read more...]
