ok, so it's that time of the month and I don't know why, but lately it's been kicking my a**!
I left work yesterday morning feeling super crampy and nauseous, felt blah most of the day, called in sick at 5pm and slept until 10am only waking long enough to move to the bedroom from the living room floor and again to get up to pee and eat a piece of chocolate.
I still feel totally drained.
I didn't used to feel so bad that I couldn't function at a semi-normal level. Anyone else go through this or know why it's so bad? Anemia perhaps? Lack of other nutrients that get lost during bleeding?
I feel I could sleep another 12 hours without a problem.

I get that a lot too, just totally drained of all my energy and and I get really depressed and have these freak out attacks about nothing. This last time wasn't nearly as bad, I think because I started taking my vitiamins and eating more than I do normally. Like b-12 and iron and a multi-vitiamin...it really helped but the depression still gets to me.Maybe you need to get more sleep and try to chill out around that time.Yoga also helps calm the nerves....I hope you feel better :hug:

Are you bleeding any heavier than usual?

Are you drinking caffeine or alcohol? Either one makes my symptoms so much worse.

I hope you feel better soon. :(

How well have you been eating lately? I've noticed that if I eat a lot of junk around my period, it makes me feel a lot worse than usual. I also notice that if I don't eat regular meals, it makes it worse, too.

From my experience, it helps ease the pain of cramps to eat things that have a lot of calcium in them. The nausea could be from being dehydrated (I know if I'm lying around all day miserable, I don't always bother with getting up for some water).

stress ?

The thing is, this time around I wasn't feeling the moodiness or anything, I was just lethargic. I do bleed rather heavy, so I thought the anemia thing made some sense.
From my experience, it helps ease the pain of cramps to eat things that have a lot of calcium in them. The nausea could be from being dehydrated (I know if I'm lying around all day miserable, I don't always bother with getting up for some water).
The water thing makes a lot of sense too. I am horrible about drinking water as often as I should and I'll have to try the calcium thing, thanks!
I too notice symptoms being worse when I eat really crappy, but the tiredness is debilitating some months even when I've been eating fairly well.

Last month, it was so bad that I stayed out of school for 3 days. Usually, the only symptom I have for my period is..well, the bleeding. I'm thinking I might have anemia, too. It was alot heavier, I was SO tired (I slept atleast 16 hours a day), I was in so much pain that I hardly got up, and I had literally NO appetite.

for some people, that sort of wiped out period happens once or twice a year. i'm not certain why. I have a raging menstruation in december and in july. bot are super heavy, super long. i get cramps. the rest of the time, it's nothing (no other symptoms).

right n ow i'm fertile. i can hardly think straight.

My periods lately have been alternating months, one being light and basically ignorable, the next being heavy and crampy and ick, in general. I'm on the pill, so its odd that it would fluctuate like that... just the same.. i've found if you're getting sick or are overtired to begin with or stressed out (stress?? near the holidays?? why no!!) it is just another thing on top of everything else that makes you get blah.

(so no one is too concerned, i will be addressing this issue with my doc at my annual in feb)

I wish someone would recommend some sort of herbal supplement so I don't go through all that pain every month. Even eating well doesn't help me. The last time I asked my doctor to help me she gave me some sort of medication (can't remember the stupid name) and it made me bleed for 11 days. It's in the trash can now.

I'd go to your obgyn. I used to get that a lot, once I even had my period for two weeks cause of stress. She recomended vioxx to help ease the muscle cramping ( works wonders ) and got me on birth control to help regulate my period. Both had turned it into just 3 days and if I take a vioxx the second day I usually won't need anything else. could be possible you have endometriosis also..

Someone once suggested to me about milk thistle. I cant remember the reason why- worth looking into?

My periods vary a lot too- sometimes I barely notice them. Sometimes I pass out in pain, I have been actually sick from my peroid a few times too. Sometimes I get very moody- it changes from month to month. I think if I cut down on carbs in the run up to P day- it tends to be less severe. I have never taken the pill and dont fancy it-

Kat