Should I see the doctor?

[CasWasHere]

Hey, not sure where this belongs, so here I(14NB) am! Im not asking for medical advice or help, just if I SHOULD seek medical advice or help. Basically, recently my period cramps have gotten increasingly painful. At first, it hurt, yes, but take an acetaminophen and I’d be fine. When I didn’t take anything, I would have to sit on the floor or lay down, but it was never as bad as it is now. Now, they are genuinely unbearable, all medication has seemed to stop working. Acetaminophen effects wore off, and I stopped taking it because it was to the point I was taking 10 to get the pain to stop, and I didn’t want to cause any damage to myself doing that. Switched over to Ibuprofen because I heard it’s better for cramps, which yeah, they worked well! Loved it honestly. But they slowly stopped working too. I took two this morning, about 10 hours ago, and nothing. Took another a little bit ago, and hopefully that works. If not, I might have to wait it out, the first day is always the worst. The last time I was recently on my period without meds, the pain was so bad I puked, multiple times while on the bus. It was horrid, and spending all day like that was miserable. Im wondering if this is normal and if I should bring this up the next time I see my doctor? Thanks for reading!

[Willa]

Hi CashWasHere,

I am so sorry you are experiencing this! Period cramps are the worst. If you are experiencing an increased level on pain during your period very suddenly, I would advise you seek medical advice. As well if you period cramps are not responding to your usual dose of pain medication and the pain has increased to a point where it is disrupting your life and causing episodes like on the bus, it seems like definitely time for medical intervention. Is this something you can request a parent or guardian to take you to?

[CasWasHere]

I asked my guardian but they basically were like “You always go straight to the doctor when something is wrong”. Like…yeah? That’s what you’re supposed to do. It’s crazy because they also criticized me for not seeking help for other medical issues sooner, but when I try to get help ASAP, it’s also a problem. I probably won’t be seeing a doctor anytime soon unfortunately. I might try to convince them because again I can seriously damage my internal organs by taking so many pain meds and that’s assuming they aren’t already damaged from me doing it in the past. I suppose I could go to a school nurse? Also sorry for any typos or missing words. Thank you for your support!

[Latha]

Hi CasWasHere,

You are right, that is what you are supposed to do. I think starting with the school nurse is a good idea- if they believe you, you may be able to ask them to speak to your guardian. Keep advocating for yourself until someone takes you seriously and gives you the help you need.