Blood Links
Here are a few links.... or a few ways to spend some time procrastinating!Blood Sisters Menstrual Action: A site supporting action to break the silence surrounding women's bodies
Menstrual Lodge: a collection of articles, reflections, and menstrual products
The Red Spot: all about bleeding! Not a medical resource - rather a gathering place for women's knowledge and experience
Wild Genie: a space encouraging women to appreciate their menstrual cycles
www.menstruation.com.au: information on menstruation, fertility, conception, pregnancy and menopause
Please note that I do not support all of the views expressed within these web sites, they are simply places I have visited in my journey reflecting on what it means to bleed.
posted by Laura @ 5:39 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Now laura... apart from some light entertainment in the area of how to get rid of cramps... I found this one story, from a girl on red spot, interesting from a medical perspective. Tell me what you think of my diagnosis... :o)
Here's the story:
My period is no fun. I have really bad cramps starting the day before, my back aches, my thighs ache, and I get headaches. I take Advil for the cramps, four pills at a time. I bleed like crazy. I can go through a super- plus tampon in an hour or less. The first day of my period I'm always running back and forth to the bathroom. If I don't stay on top of it, blood would literally be running down my legs.
Now advil I think contains Ibuprofen, and is a diaretic? so wouldn't this be contributing significantly to the bleeding? Also four pills at a time seems to be a nasty nasty amount... enough to disolve the stomach lining etc!!!
If I ever had a student on a camp who presented with these symptoms, what sort of response should I give? (hydration would be top of my list... and maybe a hot waterbottle for the shoulders & neck at least at night.) Anything else I should know?
Hello Dr. Tim!
Hmmmmm. This girls situation is nasty.
The most concerning thing is that she's going through a super tampon in an hour or less! Bleeding that much is concerning. If the bleeding experienced is filling a tampon within an hour or less for consecutive hours it's definitly an indicator of menorrhagia (very heavy menstrual bleeding). I would suggest that any woman bleeding this much see a doctor to discover if there are any underlying causes such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, or hormone imbalances.
Advil is Ibuprofen (you know your drugs!). Taking four pills at a time is a no-no unless it is prescribed by a health professional. I think most tablets contain 200mg each.... and the acceptable dose is 1-2 tablets every 4-6 hrs. By taking more than the recommended dose she's increased her chances of experiencing side effects.... one of which is bad headaches, which she complains of.
The drug is a diuretic so will thin the blood slightly, though it doesn't affect blood clotting times. It can prolong bleeding times. Obviously if she's taking more than the recomended dose this could be affecting her bleeding.
Scouring through my drug books I found a very short sentance saying that any unexplained bleeding with the use of ibuprofen should be reported to a doctor. Menorrhagia would be considered unexplained bleeding and is a concern.
For regular periods Ibuprofen is a recomended drug. It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug and works by blocking the enzymes which create prostoglandins. Women with bad cramps have very high levels of prostoglandins... which is usually why Ibuprofen is recomended, it can be very effective.
The fact that she is bleeding so much means she is probably anaemic. In turn being constantly anaemic, with low Hb levels can lead to heavier bleeding... it's kind of like a cycle.
If you had a student presenting with these symptoms I'd suggest:
1. Keeping her on the recomended dose of Advil! If she has a percription from her doctor then follow that, other wise 200-400mg(1-2 tablets) of Ibuprofen every 4-6hrs. It should be taken on an empty stomach or 2 hrs after eating as food slows the absorption rate. Taking it without food can be disagreable, if it seems to be a problem, it can be taken with milk. The drug peaks 1 hr after administration, so it's best to use it before the pain get's "bad". If she's due for her next dose of Ibuprofen but isn't feeling that much pain, she should take it anyway rather than waiting so that the drug can reach it's theraputic range before the pain starts to increase. Don't mix any other drugs with the Ibuprofen especially drugs like asprin... they can be nasty together.
2. Keep the hydration happening! It's important.
3.Obviously if she's not popping four tablets of Advil as she normally would she'll probably be quite distressed by the idea of a lower dose, so trying alternative forms of pain releif would be good. Heat packs or hot waterbottles are great on the lower back and tummy! Keep them HOT.
4. Ensure she keeps her feet and legs warm, cold extremities make cramps worse. Longs socks are good, ankle socks are no use!
5. Counter pressure on the sacrum can be effective for relieving pain. A very firmly pressed palm of the hand on the sacrum is good. The other benificial thing about sacral pressure is that it is easily applied when one is on all fours... the added bonus of this is that the body position moves heavier organs off the uterus. Much more comfy. Pelvic rocking can help too.
6. Massage! This is great when cramps run down legs. Long firm rythmical or strokes are best on legs, circular movements on the lower abdomen or back.
Both this suggestion and the sacral pressure would probably be something you can get some of her close girl campers do for her.
7. Make sure she rests if she is bleeding that much. Gentle exercise is good when women have pain with normal ammounts of bleeding but with this much bleeding it would, to put it simply, just be messy : ) and also there is a high chance she's anaemic, so could be feeling faint/dizzy and tired. Rest!
8. Obviously in a camp situation you might not have essential oils on hand... but if you do there are some really good ones. Lavender is very calming and relaxing. Burn it or drop it on a pillow that is being used, or even put a few drops on the heatpack. Even lavender flowers crushed and in a heat pack are great. Four drops of geranium essential oil can be applied topically and spread over the lower abdomen/uterine area. Cover the geranium oil with some carrier oil (vegi oil is fine) and put a heat pack over the top.
Stress really increases the pain experienced during bleeding. Muscles are often tense from stress... if she can relax her muscles in her abdomen and legs it will help. The oils while having medicinal properties to help with cramps will do wonders to help relaxation.
And lastly advise her to see a doctor about the situation after camp if she hasn't already. This sort of bleeding should be checked out.
If she's always bled like this there is really no immediate emergency action that should be taken... but if you suddenly had a camper who had very regular problem free periods in this situation I'd think about getting her to a doctor asap.
Whoops, just realized how long this is... sorry!
Hope it helps Tim!
Hold on! I need to correct something I wrote about Ibuprofen. My doctor Mother just informed me that my nursing text suggesting taking the Ibuprofen on an empty stomach is delusional. I thought the idea of taking it on an empty stomach sounded weird considering how strong I knew it to be, but decided to beleive the text.
Mum says it's a matter of weighing up loosing the lining of your stomach or how quickly the drug is absorbed.... so take Ibuprofen with food, please!... you'd need to have a gut of cast iron otherwise!
Wow, so much more information there than I could ever use!!! but in some ways I enjoyed asking the question to read the answer... intriguing. Just be careful to put a disclaimer in somewhere that this isn't proffessional medical advice so no one sues you eh... I'd hate to be responsible for that!
Of course its unlikely as a bloke that I'd be the primary responder to a situation like that, given the laws about ratios... (very good thing) but its so good to understand this stuff and be able to support in it, rather than feeling at a complete loss, and alienated by it. Thanks for letting me in!
I mean i'm not saying your unprofessional... its great information... ah heck you know what I mean. :o)
:)
Disclaimer* This advice is not in any way meant to substitute seeing and seeking the advice of a doctor. Please see a healthcare professional if you are experiencing any abnormal bleeding. I can not guarentee the suggestions made in the previous comments will work for every woman, or that Ibuprofen is the most appropriate drug of choice in this situation. Please see your health care provider.
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