I’ve had to deal with monthly pain and nausea for several years now. I know I was lucky that I got to avoid this for 15 years when I was on the birth control pill, but I’m still annoyed that I had to stop taking the pill because of my tumors. I wish I could still be avoiding this every month, but unless I take extreme measures (which I feel will be in the future for me), I don’t have many options. I know my doctor is always trying to think of new medications I can try, but I’m just in an unfortunate spot where there aren’t that many options for me. But I do the best that I can to manage it.
Because I’ve been dealing with this for a few years, I do have a bit of a routine that I rely on to try to feel better. But I do feel like each month things are getting worse for me. Sometimes I have more intense pain and nausea and sometimes it just lasts longer than it did before. Occasionally I’ll have a lucky month where things are just annoying, but then I’ll have other months where I really struggle to feel like I can get anything done. And this month is one where I’m really struggling.
Part of this struggle is my fault because I didn’t realize I was out of my preferred anti-nausea medication. I have another one I can take while I wait for my refill to come in, but it doesn’t help as much. And I have a feeling I won’t be nauseous by the time my refill gets here. But at least that means I’ll be prepared for next month.
I think this is true no matter what is making someone feel sick, but when I’m dealing with pain and nausea I’m not that motivated or productive. I try to do what I can, but sometimes I have to prioritize just doing what I have to do, such as work, and not worrying about anything else. But I also know that I can’t just do nothing for the next week or so because my brain won’t let me. So I’m trying new things this month to try to feel a little better.
I’m really focused on trying to stay hydrated throughout the day. Overall, I don’t usually worry about hydration because I know I drink enough water. But it can be in chunks of time where I drink a lot in the morning and then I might not drink any water for a few hours. So now, I’m trying to make sure I keep drinking water throughout my day. I don’t have an alarm or anything because I think this will be easy enough for me to do, but it is something that I make sure to focus on. And I think like most people who deal with pain know, a heating pad can really make things better. And I’ve had a variety of heating pads that I have used over the years. The main ones I have used were a microwavable one that was filled with rice and the one-time-use ones that have adhesive so you can wear them under your clothes. But I finally got a plug-in heating pad and it has been a very nice tool to help me.
I didn’t have a plug-in heating pad before for a few reasons. First, my old place had very few electrical outlets, so I could only use it in a few different spots that might not be as comfortable unless I unplugged other things that I needed. Also, the plug-in ones get really hot (which is a good thing), but I was always warm in my old place even with the a/c running. But now, I have central a/c so I have been running it to keep me cool when the heating pad was on high. I still feel a bit overheated, but it helps and lets me use the heating pad a bit longer than I would without the a/c.
I will just have to try my best for the next week or so. I hope that I feel up to being more productive again soon because I really hate feeling like I’m just being lazy. And maybe my refill will get here sooner than expected so I can use it this month. But just like always, I know this time is temporary this month and soon I’ll have 2-3 weeks of feeling good again.
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