It's trying to kill me...

Elle1036

...my uterus.

I'm currently balled up on the couch with a heating pad and some chocolate.  What are your cramp remedies?

marleylikeair

Ibuprofen. Like 3 pills' worth, maybe 4 if it's really bad. I've heard potassium is good for muscle soreness and cramps, so maybe have a banana.

BOOOO to stupid uteri. (Is that a word? I want it to be.) I hope you feel better soon.

jaycee7389

So everyone will probably hate me for this..but I've never had cramps. Is that weird? It kind of freaks me out that I don't.

I'd say what you're doing is probably best. I'm not sure about the banana thing because menstrual cramps aren't caused from low K like leg cramps are. But maybe it still works?? Haha

bethsmiles

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_not-engaged-yet_its-trying-kill?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:136Discussion:0ee565bf-d9f0-4d4a-b539-b04f06655bdcPost:d97ce5c7-1893-4a30-aafb-20ec6bee164a">Re: It's trying to kill me...</a>:
[QUOTE]So everyone will probably hate me for this..but I've never had cramps.
Posted by jaycee7389[/QUOTE]

I hate you (I'm kiddig of course!). I get horrible cramps.  You are lucky you don't get them.

For cramps I usually take midol and find the most comfortable position I can on the couch or my bed. BF is super sweet and will usually bring me soup and tea. I know the soup and tea don't really do anything but they still make me feel happy :)

Unfortunatly you just have to wait it out.

peekaboo2011

I curl up and sleep.  That's all that fixes it.  My mom was seriously concerned this past month when I came down and about died...she sent me up to her room with a heating pad and a large bar of chocolate and told me to sleep.

Talk to your gyno?  I know it sounds odd, but it kind of helps me to know WHY my pain is so bad - I get my cramps in my back, and when I talked to my doc about it, turns out my uterus tilts back.  It makes me feel better just knowing that it's a physiological error on my body's part.

desertsun

Ditto the ibuprofen and sleeping.

But also, honestly, yoga helps me too. Focusing on my breath and stretching my body distracts, and I also think increased blood flow helps ease the cramps a bit.

Cramps suck though, and I'm sorry you're in pain! Hope you feel better soon!

leia1979

My doctor says to take ibuprofen consistently. Keep taking it every 6-8 hours. For next month start taking it before the cramps come (assuming you're able to tell when this will be).

Before I got Mirena, the first two days would be the worst, so I would take ibuprofen regularly over those two days and then stop.

Remember to eat before taking it, as IB on an empty stomach can make you nauseous.

MLekathLEEN

I try to do crunches or I bring my knees to my chest for a few seconds then stretch my whole body out for a few and repeat, that seems to help me. A hot bath seems to help too. This is gross and possibly TMI but if you don't wear a tampon, watch out for floaties.

loves2shop4shoes

I get really severe cramps, especially lately.  It feels like someone is stabbing me.  I take pain well, but I often cry out in pain with cramps.

I have a heating pad that I use sometimes.  I also have this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250578528929&hlp=false

Which is sort of a heating pad, but it gets lot hotter and uses steam.  You put it in the microwave.

It's glorious.

Ember01

I stretch and use a hot water bottle (or a heating pad). Personally, caffiene helps also. So, I'll treat myself to Starbucks

ADTonk

Since I've been on birth control, my cramps haven't been very bad.

If they're bad, Midol is the only thing that works for me (or excedrin since it's essentially the same thing).  If it's really bad I'll pull out the heating pad.

cu97tiger

I usually only have about 2-4 hours worth of cramps (I know, I suck), and Advil really does the trick. I'm on a new BC now, though, where I take 9 weeks of pills before I have a period, so we'll see how this week goes. Last cycle, I spotted for 6 weeks straight. It sucked. This time I've had no spotting, so my fingers are crossed for a normal period!

CCO2012

Naproxen Sodium!!!! It is a god send! I used to get it as a prescription but then found out taking 3 Aleve is that EXACT same thing. Do it and I guarantee you will feel better soon. And it lasts for along time!

oceana919

Unfortunately, OTC pain killers do squat for me, so I usually have to prescription it up for the first few days of my cycle. I have found that sitting in a hot shower (so the water is hitting the painful areas) helps a little bit. If you can tolerate it, yoga does help.

heyimbren

Midol always works for me. I load up.

And besides a heating pad, I also like to take hot bubble baths. That can help as well.

ravenray

I find that some exercise can help. It will be painful at first but then it slowly goes away.

Elle1036

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Ember - caffeine works for me, too.  I downed several Diet Cokes yesterday at dinner, which helped some, but it also kept me up until 4 am, which sucked.

Ray - I totall agree with the exercise thing.  It's just so hard to force myself to start moving when I'm in pain like that.  When I can, though, it makes a big difference!

Oceana - I'm sure your cramps are significantly worse than mine.  Now I feel like a whiney baby.

lunarsongbird

I'm a big fan of Pamprin, actually.


My cramps used to be so bad that I actually had to start the pill. 11 years later I'm now off the pill and my cramps are a lot better. Still very much a friend with my heading pad though...and a glass of wine.