Guess what I'm doing? I'm going med-free!
No, no, no, not those meds. (Speaking of which, lupron is going fine, except I think my tummy is getting tired of the nightly puncture....little does it know that it's about to get two punctures per night!!.. follistim should start tomorrow night.... my RE will call to confirm because they don't want to start a ton of girls on stims at the same time, so they try to stagger "us"....like some people start tomorrow, some start friday, etc.)
I'm talking about cramp-fighting meds!
You read that right. I am proudly mid-day on CD2 without having taken anything for cramps so far! Are you proud of me? I am!
It all started with my acupuncturist. At our very first appointment, I didn't mark "Cramps" on the "symptom" list. She asked about it ("you don't have cramps?"), and I said, well yes, I do, but they are mild compared to what I hear others' are, so I didn't think it was anything to mark.
She went on to say that in Eastern Medicine, any pain or stress or discomfort is a sign of unbalance.
And that got tucked away in my head.
Fast forward to last Thursday, when I brought it up again. From what she had said about any pain being a sign of unbalance and that even the mildest cramps matter in Eastern Medicine, I made the shaky connection that if a person were to be 100% balanced, they would not have period cramps.
Hello, bizarro world!!!
So I asked her about it! And much to my surprise, she confirmed my suspicions!! She said that cramping is basically viewed as some sort of stagnation and that with better blood flow around the entire body, during your period blood will flow better and reduce the cramps (to nothing? I am still in sort of disbelief.). She mentioned that the traditional chinese do not even have a word for menopause symptoms- like we do here. Because of their diet, exercise, and traditional medicine, the women there did not start to experience the negative menopause symptoms until western society began to pervade their culture! Of course the dropping of hormones was always there, but because of the way they lived, they didn't have the side effects. Isn't that crazy?
So anyway, my acupuncturist has been working on kidney points for blood flow, and so I decided that I was going to put this concept to the test. Normally, I take 2 advil every about 4-6 hours for the first 3 days of my period or so.
But this time, so far, so good without pain meds!! And I do think that the cramps are less in intensity!! There were a couple times yesterday when I would have taken some advil previously, for fear that the cramps would get worse, but yesterday at those moments, I just focused on something else! Actually, one time I even focused on the cramps, to really feel how it felt. (Do you think I've lost my mind?) It was pretty neat, to be honest. I mean, we take medicine to mask the pain, but maybe it would be better to learn how to meet the pain and make our way through it!
After all, I'd love a med-free birth, and I'm pretty sure that will be a tad more uncomfortable! And I figured, this is the last time I'll feel these cramps until our baby is born, so might as well try it out now. Ha!!
So anyway, I am really enjoying this new period experience. (I'm pretty sure I have gone bonkers- did I just write that?!) I feel strong- don't need no stinkin advil!! I am so glad that my acupuncturist brought this up- I don't think it would have occurred to me to try a period without advil otherwise!!
I have a faith-based post rattling around in my head- stay tuned!!
16 comments:
My acupuncturist told me that about pain as well. I just assumed cramps were a give in, but she told me otherwise. It's really so interesting!
Okay, you are REALLY making me want to get acupuncture. I've always dreamed of a cramp-free period! It's nice to know it exists. :)
Cramp free?!!? I had no idea that was even an option. I may have to ask my acupuncturist about this...
Glad things are moving along and you are starting to stim tomorrow!!
I am going to ask my acupuncturist about a cramp free period too...sounds wonderful!
That is truly awesome. Cramp free! No idea that was an option. Glad everything is going swimmingly. :)
Good to hear!!!!! Actually, I've noticed that since doing yoga regularly, my cramps aren't as bad either :D Less advil and no heating pad necessary!
These are some interesting pieces of info... ooh the possibilities!
Yea for not having painful cramps and not having to take meds for them.
Isn't it amazing what those little needles can do (both meds and acupuncture)?
oh, i just left a long comment and stupid blogger deleted it :(. let me try and remember what i wrote -
basically, the only time I've had pain-free periods was after starting the gluten-free diet. now that i've been seriously slacking on it, and the cramps are returning (and it's heavier like it used to be), I really am motivated to really get back into it. I'm just amazed I can take Tylenol now, when I used to pop percocet like it was candy!
Acupuncture is truly amazing, that's for sure! I'm hoping that combining the two - diet and now acupuncture - will be the magic combination for us :).
Congrats on being med-free!
You are brave! My cramps are pretty vicious are require serious pain killers. My acupuncturist said the same thing about pain, but the treatments didn't really help the cramps. Maybe I didn't stick with it long enough?
Yeah for being med-free! My acupuncturist has told me similar things as well and she helped me to with focusing on the kidney area!
I am glad the lupron is not too bad for you! If your stomach needs a break, I actually found shots in my thigh to be easier than my stomach.
Best wishes to you!
Yayyyy!! That's great that you are not taking any medicine. I really need to start Acupuncture =)
You can do it! You are definitely on your way to having an all natural birth too. Those are methods you use to get through contractions.
Acupuncture sounds intriguing! I would like to try it out sometime. I wonder if it would help my scoliosis? hmm
That's so awesome!
So good to catch up with you! I've been computerless and missing following along with your journey. How great to be able to not take meds! It's good practice too, since you won't be taking any for the next 9 months at a minimum :). I haven't used most meds for 2 years now. It stinks when I have a cold, but oh well. It's worth it. Hugs and prayers for the upcoming weeks!!!!
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