Periods

[Dash01]

Hey

Anyone else’s periods messed up like really unregulated. I use to have such a regular cycle.

I’ve had all the tests etc nothing come back wrong. It’s been 57 days since I last had one.

Definitely causing anxiety and discomfort as I never know what to wear etc

Anyone got any ideas???

*yes I’ve been to the doctors and tests etc just writing for a convo really *

thanks x

[golly123]

Hiya. Sorry to hear that. It could just be caused by stress. Have you done a pregnancy test? Hope you are OK. Stress can cause this. Possibly see your gp. How are you getting on with FM. I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been poisoned. Felt pain everywhere. I'm trying to come off pregabalin and go on tramadol due to serious weight gain but had to take 2 today. Slept all afternoon so I'm now up. I have no time zone anymore at all. Anyway I do hope you are OK. Best wishes Golly the nocturnal owl!

[Dash01 in reply to golly123]

Hey

So I’ve only really been on pregabalin a couple of months, I’ve recently had it upped. To be honest I don’t see it working and the next medication is gabapentin, have you tried that?

I just worry with being so young being on all these medications

Pain is not too bad it’s the feeling on fire that is new for me.

Definitely not pregnant 😂. I’ve had unregulated periods since being unwell.

I hope you’re feeling better also. X

[golly123 in reply to Dash01]

Hi Dash01. I'm coming off pregabalin die to serious weight gain. I started taking it last August (2022). Then I weighed about 8 St 9. Today I weigh 10 stone 1. This is in 9 months. I'm about to try tramadol next. Pregabalin and gabapentin are very similar, I believe. The Pain Clinic here in Trafford have been amazingly helpful with painkillers and advise. Pain Clinic are the ONLY people who are speedy. Helpful. Listen. Really try to help and are speedy when you start at the top of the list. All the other consultants such as Rheumatology are the worst, most useless a*****s I have ever encountered in my life. It took them A WHOLE YEAR BEFORE I GOT MY FIRST JAB. If I break any more bones in my delicate little body which I found out last March I.will hold them personally responsible for this for delaying treatment that I needed for this. All it took was one bloody signature on a prescription.

GP is useless. Useless. And useless. He should have put me in for a DEXA scan in 2021 b4 I fractured my spine and my leg. He was asked to this urgently by physiotherapist or put me on medication for osteopenia. Completely ignored this. The constant pain I told him about when this all started. Ignored. He did finally refer to to rheumatology. Keep ringing gp and 111 about the severe joint pain. He finally listened and made it urgent. Then took 3 months before Rheumatology even saw me. Then a month later I found out the awful truth. Fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteo-arthitis. My world just crumbled. Still crutching it around 2 years later having nearly died twice in hospital after op on my leg. Had to re-learn to walk. I had Covid in hospital and was on a ventilator in ICU. My son not having heard from me 2 days after the leg op insisted on visiting me. I tested positive for Covid in A & E with leg/hip fracture so was put in a room on my own.. op was on Monday. He came to see me on Friday to find me in a room on my own choking on my own saliva, having difficulty breathing and incoherent and unresponsive with a great got of saliva round my mouth. He got me moved into intensive care - don't think the nurses were looking at me often do you. Nearly died twice. 2 lots of pneumonia- one when I swallowed my own vomit. Multiple organ failure. I'm still here. Enough said. Sorry about the rant.

Do hope you are OK. I try to only take painkillers when I'm going out. If I'm in severe pain like yesterday was awful. So was this morning. Awful joint pain everywhere. Yesterday slept all afternoon. Took 3 x 150 mg yesterday. This morning took 1 x 150 mg in the morning as I had difficulty walking. I don't like the series weight gain. I believe gabapentin is similar to pregab. Pregabalin does work - I may need a higher dose. Pain Clinic about the weight gain on preg and the pain clinic doctor an absolutely lovely man who listens. He takes time. He gives advice. He suggested 3 options to me). I have chosen tramadol. Other options given were dulexotine and amytriptaline which was gp was supposed to start me on last February. That's what Rheumatology told her to give me. I knew NOTHING ABOUT THIS AT ALL. Several months later given NOTHING. NO ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES. ZERO. All of them are a useless waste of space. I was at one point going to chain myself to a chair in hospital outside the Rheumatology department and do a sit in. Refuse to move until they started my osteoporosis treatment. I tried emailing Rheumatology. Ringing them. No answers to any emails. Phone just took messages. Got a letter and went to thee hospital to hand deliver a letter to Rheumatology ( who I found out were based at a sister hospital. It went in the internal mail. This story goes on and on and on ....

Hope all goes well for you. I'm having a ranting day. Feel exhausted again. Judy feel like going to bed! Awful x

[Dash01 in reply to golly123]

Wow I feel lucky/ that I’m moaning for nothing lol.

I hope you get sorted soon.

I was put on arymtripine first and tbf they probably should never have put me on them because I am already on antidepressants medications, they completely counteracted my other medications and made me suicidal so I stopped taking them.

I’m definitely going to ring the doctors tomorrow, as I don’t feel any relief and to be honest I’m feeling worse since being on the pregabalin, hmm I know they are the same but I worry being on tramadol at such a young age, am I going to be able to carry on working and doing what I love, or so I suffer every day, it’s really hard to judge what to do.

Thanks for replying.

don’t feel bad about ranting I really hope your okay & im always here to talk.

I worked all the way through covid and I can never imagine what it was like to go through all that without any support from your love ones. I work within mental health and I love looking after people and making a difference, I am so sorry you didn’t get the care you deserve, no one should be treated like that , thank god your still here, your a very special person to go through all that and still want to talk about it and spread awareness and support to others, so thanks for being you.

Sending hugs 🤍🤍🤍

[Hidden in reply to Dash01]

Hi Dash01

I take tramadol but it makes me groggy and am not able to drive whilst on it as it impairs my judgement etc. I don't go out much unless my partner drives me. You have to notify the DVLA too that you are taking it. Tramadol has messed up my periods big time, I am 48 but not pre menopausal or pregnant. Some months I have a period, other months nothing but still have the pain etc. Tramadol has also caused me to have problems with my liver and diverticulitis. I keep getting very painful flare ups. Due to having a stroke 2 years ago I am unable to take any anti inflammatory medicines and therefore tramadol is my only pain relief available. I do take nortryptaline which helps a little and am also prescribed lidocaine patches which are ok but you can only use them once in a 12 hour period and only up to 3 patches. I find they don't help for longer pain episodes. I have tried amytriptaline, pregablin, gabapentin, fluoxetine and others in the past but have all had their own side effects. I hope you get sorted with pain relief. Be aware though Tramadol gives you some nasty side effects (I once became so confused when washing my hands after visiting the loo that I left the tap running in the sink (didn't realise the plug was in) and nearly flooded the house. I blacked out and when I came too there was water running down the stairs of my house). I've had some other weird symptoms too and can black out for hours. It got to the point that I wouldn't take tramadol whilst working (no longer working due to stroke) and would only take at night or weekends as it made me foggy headed all the time. I'm not saying don't take it if offered but just be aware of the side effects. It is also very addictive sadly. My GP will only prescribe on a request only and will not put on repeat due to some new policy here in Scotland. In England they were given to me on repeat. Hope you get something sorted soon. Take care.x

[Dash01 in reply to Hidden]

Hello Croftgirl75

Arugghhh how awful, I hope your feeling better and aren’t in to much pain.

To be honest pregablin isn’t working I’m still in awful amount of pain. I am waiting to go back to rheumatology as due to my excessive swollen joints they feel it may be something other than fibromyalgia. The GP said that they wouldn’t offer me Gabapentin normally they would offfer that first before pregablin and with my anti depressant tablets pregablin is the best cocktail apparently.

I was started on Naproxen which at the beginning was great, I thought this is the moment I’m going to be pain free which sadly ended quickly!! I’m in so much pain and everywhere is swollen my hands are the worst (killing me to type this lol) but I’ve gotta keep going. I am really struggling to manage my work load due to the pain, but I can’t afford to drop my hours or my job as I’ve only been in the post six months and love my job.

I’ve been on amitriptyline but because of my other anti depressants it made me suicidal so I had to stop taking them.

If I’m honest taking Tramadol, I’m unsure if I’d try it as I have to drive to work & to be able to see my family so that would cause a lot of my independence. I’m also very medication sensitive and all my medications have to be increased and decreased very slowly by tiny amounts because in the past it has sent me manic lol or ridiculously sleepy that I can’t respond.

So for me it’s probably best me not trying it lol. I do take codamol (unsure if I’ve spelt that right) but I only take when I literally can’t think of anything else to do.

I use ibuprofen gel a lot which does ease it off but never completely stops the pain. The GP has said he would offer me other pain relief if needed but I’m really trying to avoid it.

I do worry that all the medications extra pain relief is no good for me when I’m so young!

Thanks for sharing your story, I do appreciate your time as I do thing GPs and other professionals are very quick at prescribing you medication without explaining the impacts it can have on you not just now but future.

Take care x

[gemimafibro]

Hi Dash! I too have been having bizarre periods and symptoms of late. The past few months periods have been utterly wild. I've had like 40+ days between some and then as little as 14 days between others with more intense symptoms. I was utterly stunned when the one 14 days after the last appeared. It wasn't even like a short, light period, it was a full heavy crampy 7 day thing 🙄.

I seem to be having period symptoms, except for the period itself, when I'm in the ovulation window too. Sore boobs, period poops, excess discharge (sorry, TMI I know but better to give a full list 😂) I keep track with an app called My Tracker. It's pretty handy to have to track my symptoms when they're extremely bad.

I haven't been to the GP about them yet, as I've had a surprise ✨undiagnosed heart condition✨ to contend with on top of my Fibro and IBS-M 😂 so I can't offer any advice but I hope your GP manages to figure out what is going on with you swiftly and that helps relieve your anxiety a bit.

Try to keep positive (I rolled my own eyes as I typed that), I know that's easier said than done, but perhaps finding and doing the things that bring you joy can take your mind off it and help reduce the stress it's causing a little.

Keep us updated on how you get on, or just come here for a moan if you need one.

Gemima 😊

[Dash01 in reply to gemimafibro]

Hey Gem

I am 100 percent with you regarding periods it’s got to be related to fm as I never suffered before. I constantly have like really bad period cramps(which I never use to have) and I’m like yep I’m due on and then nothing.

My current cycle is like 40 days plus but before that was like a normal 30 day cycle then I had like a week off then I came back on for like a week.

Again same as you as in the heavy period when I do have my period.

It has caused me a lot of anxiety because I never know if I’m going to have my period or not.

I am very grateful that you answered me. Literally feel like I’ve a list for the gp, feel like someone needs to just reset my body or just give me a new one lol or it would be good to just iron out everything but everything takes bloody time.

Thanks for replying Gem, here if you need anything 🤍xx

[Dash01]

Hi Gemma

Thought I’d post so I’m still having wild periods and either have two in one month or none for months so frustrating, do I wear something or do I not lol 😂

If Im honest I’m fed up, I’m due to go back to rheumatology because I’m constantly swollen and in pain, if I’m honest the pregablin is not working. They say because of how swollen I am that there must be more to it than fibromyalgia. So I will keep you updated. Currently also now taking napoxen which for the first few weeks allowed some of the swelling to go down and I though great maybe this will do it but unfortunately it’s just gone back, not doing anything. This past week and half I’ve really struggled with keeping up with my work load as my fingers are even swollen and painful (it’s hurting to write this) but I’ve gotta keep going, do not want my mental health to suffer. I am rubbing ibuprofen gel on my joints like moisturiser (ovbs within the limit fyi)

So yeah that’s me in a nutshell currently gone over 40 days without a period but keep having period cramps so I’m like yep and then nothing lol.

Hope your well, sorry for the rant!