I for one even get the period flu,
which is weird but surprisingly I get a little “flui-sh” around “that time”,
and sometimes I can actually think it’s “real” flu until the period comes and
then am like “”a-h-a” no wonder...
Just bringing this out here so
that if any women have this, they shouldn’t feel alone and that men can also
understand what happens during this challenging time of the month for some of
us.
“Some of us” of course,
because not all women go through hell during their period.
They move on from month to
month like a ballerina in a breeze, with only slight discomfort or none at all
and are perplexed by some of us who literally feel like we are on the verge of
dying from period pain.
I have come to dread my
monthly “visitations” due to the pain that often accompanies them.
Besides the usual tummy cramps,
I have occasional terrible rectal pain that shoots through my anal region and holds
me a prisoner for a good few seconds or minutes and let me go like it never
happened.
This pain would freeze me in
one posture and any movement would invite more spasms.
This pain is almost
debilitating because I don’t function properly in my normal day to day
activities.
I recall one incident where
this “savage little demon” possessed me during a meeting where I was chairing
and I had to act like I was ok through it all. It was definitely not the
easiest thing to do….I couldn’t concentrate on what participants were saying
all of a sudden because I was so focused on squashing this pain with the least
amount of facial expressions possible that would not give me away. Lord…
Running is definitely out of
the question and any other strenuous activity during these “episodes”.
All I want to do during this
time is lay in bed and take it easy.
It’s interesting how some supervisors at the work place underestimate the need for a woman to take a break from the office during this time. When you request for a “mother’s day” (fashionably named this to escape calling it “period day”)
Sometimes you receive snubs as to why you need a day off, after all “it’s just a period”, you are weak, you are lazy…truth be told a period can actually make you feel weak and pretty much unproductive. Not by choice, but because you simply don’t have much control of the drama that is currently going on inside of you during this time and your body is literally drained.
Sometimes a supervisor will tell you to push your "mother's day" to the next week because the current week is busy. By then you'd have already "crossed the bridge".
Sometimes work gets in the way
that you cannot even get yourself this day off; what with deadlines, short
notice meetings, running around with family errands and basically catching up
on trying to survive in this crazy world; but it’s very necessary to do so as
you need to replenish. I personally feel a day is not even enough, I’d go for 3
days at least.
I honestly feel like
commercial ads on tampons and pads that show girls and women jumping up and
down are not a reflection of what actually happens.
Who wants to jump hoops when a
cough can deliver a litre of blood right out of you?
No one.
Who wants to run around the
yard when you feel like your ass is getting kicked and your tummy feels like it
is being ripped from the inside? Absolutely no-one.
So, I became curious and
wanted to find out what the pain in my butt was because I needed some relief,
also whether it was actually a real thing or if perhaps I was a unique case.
To my relief, I found that it
was quite a common symptom of pre-menses and also during one’s menses- or
period if you will.
This shocking symptom of
periods is called proctalgia fugax – or in layman terms, “anal pain that has no
specific cause”.
According to Dr Raj, this is
why you can get anal cramps on your period...
"It's known as proctalgia
fugax - fleeting anal pain. During your period, hormones called prostaglandins
are released, which causes the muscles of the uterus to contract, causing the
lining of the uterus to shed and it causes pain and cramps.
"Prostaglandins also
cause contractions of the rectum and the pelvic floor muscles around the anal
canal. These intense contractions can cause muscle spasms and anal
cramps."
According to Webmed’s website,
Proctalgia fugax is a sudden intense spasm of the rectum that lasts anywhere
between a few seconds to a few minutes, or as in my case the other weekend, it
lasted for close to an hour.
I had to lay there immobilized
for a good hour as any movement triggered spasms to course through my anal
area. Spasms so sharp that left me clutching my fists, gritting my teeth and
leaving me breathless.
One thing that helped me find
some relief was a hot water bottle that I put under my butt for the duration I
lay on the couch in a limited angle.
I also took a pain killer,
what works well is probably a pain killer such as nurofen, (costs an arm and a
leg but can provide relief).
Much like with period diarrhea, shooting anal pain during your period is also the result of overactive prostaglandins.
These mean hormones don’t play; it actually feels like a knife is stubbing your bootyhole...
Simply put, periods are quite literally a
pain in the ass
**If it gets too bad for you,
please seek medical help as this may be due to other underlying issues.**
