intense cramping

[muidet]

i just ended my period but ive always wondered about the intense pains i get on the first day of it. i get heat flashes and break into a cold sweat, i drool and puke and cry and scream usually. ive had to silently endure the pain in class until i cant take it and faint. ive been sent to the ER for it before and it was labeled as mini labour like pains, when this happens i hallucinate crazy things like TV screens or goats or something... is there any diseases or something to label this as? what do you think it could be? Thank you

[Sam W]

Hi Muidet,

When you went to the E.R and they gave you that diagnosis, did they give you any ideas about how to treat it or manage it? If not, your next step should be to go to a healthcare provider and have them check you out and see if they can work out the cause of these symptoms (some of what you're feeling could just be really terrible PMS symptoms, but other aspects definitely merit a further check-up).

[BookBelle]

Hi Muidet,

I agree with Sam. I've personally experienced many of these symptoms during past periods (hot/cold flashes, intense cramping, puking, and slight hallucinations). I would definitely recommend talking to a healthcare provider to find out the cause (in my case, I used to clot terribly on my period) and see where to go from there. You shouldn't have to suffer this much!

[snailshell]

That sounds really intense - hallucinations, vomiting, etc. - and should be taken seriously as a medical condition. Unfortunately, it is REALLY hard for people who menstruate to get symptoms like that taken seriously by most doctors - we get told to take an Advil and have a lie down.

My recommendation is for you to document, document, document!
Every day, keep track of:
-What you eat
-How you sleep
-What medicines and supplements you take
-Recreational drugs or alcohol
-How you feel in your body
-Anything else relevant (exercise, emotional triggers, etc.)
-The time, nature, and duration of each symptom - be specific!

You can use a Google doc, an app, a pen-and-paper journal, whatever. Then, take that journal into an OB/GYN and show it to them. Tell them that monthly vomiting, hallucinations, intense pain, etc. are disrupting your life and are NOT normal.

They may test for all sorts of things - you may get an internal ultrasound, tested for various STIs, food allergies, all sorts of weird and invasive things. Also, in my experience having ~*~mysterious womanly pain~*~, doctors tend to brush you off when you try to self-diagnose or come in saying you know the name of a disease that it might be. My advice is to instead share very specific documentation of your symptoms: "The day before my period, 2 hours after I woke up, I vomited. Then I had intense throbbing pain just below my belly button for the rest of the day. I took 2 Tylenol, but it did not help. I had trouble sleeping that night, so I took some melatonin. The next day, my period started - it was a light flow and no clots. That afternoon I had a light-sensitive migraine and hallucinated a goat." Etc. Be prepared to document and answer weird and embarrassing questions about the exact specifics of everything.

You may have to keep pushing to get an answer. Let every doctor you meet with know that you are willing to advocate for yourself and that you will fight to get well, no matter what it takes. Keep documenting every test, doctor's appointment, and symptom.