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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Fee - you have a coil that actually reduces flow? Wow. They are notorious for increasing it. I imagine yours has some hormones that it releases?
Jean - Ick!   |
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| Jean, yes, the Mirena slowly releases a progesterone analogue over 5 years. It works differently to progesterone taken orally and local application means you need a much lower dose (thank goodness given that this was the surgeon's first attempt at correction - so much water retention that my RSI in my wrists meant they felt like a car had driven over them). It stops the cells of the endometrium dividing so you don't build up a lining to be shed. You still get PMS like symptoms but little or no bleeding. My surgeon said one has to persevere with the Mirena for 6 months at a minimum before deciding its not working though as it can take that long before things regularise/improve. It's also smaller and more flexible than other IUDs so even women who have not had a child should be able to be fitted without too much trouble. I can't comment on that directly yet though as mine was fitted whilst under general anaesthesia (see below) The manufacturer's site is very helpful if you want to know more.
The Mirena seems to be working in may case. The first time this issue happened, I bled continuously for 18 months before a 3-month course of the contraceptive pill 're-set' my system. this second time, I bled continously for a year and have now had 3 investigative surgeries with biopsies taken and D&Cs done. Thankfully no growths/endometriosis etc. It's suspected that the stress I've been under the last couple of years may have re-triggered whatever's causing this. My hormone levels are normal so it's not peri-menapause either. Go figure! I had to be weird 
One sad thing is that they found out last time that I was born with a defect in the shape of my uterus which means that far from running out of time to have kids, I probably have never have been able to carry successfully. this is not the cause of the bleeding though.
Ever get the feeling you were born to be trouble  ?
Fee
Edited by Orbilia 2005-07-13 12:41 PM
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| wow do people take pills ? .............. that's weird alot of pills are bad for you (as what they say on the news )... |
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| Most (I think) just go on birth control pills, usually to control and minimize either very heavy, painful, or unpredictable periods. I went on them when I was about 16 because my periods were REALLY painful, I'd have to go home from school and I just couldn't function. My family and friends thought I was just a big baby, until I was diagnosed with endometriosis about 10 years later! That really IS painful!
(In case you don't know what that is, that's when the tissue inside the uterus decides to grow other places for no apparent reason.)
Anyway, now I stay on birth control pills all the time to try and keep the endometriosis at bay. Seems like every few years I wind up having surgery anyway, but so far I've managed to avoid a hysterectomy! That's what the doctors want to do, but I'm not ready (only 33 yrs old). |
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| Sorry to hear about the endometriosis. At least I've not been in pain with my issues except after the second surgery which was, apparently, perfomed by a ham-fisted pig rather than a sugeon judging from how I felt afterward  The odd thing is that normally Moon pose does little for me emotionally, but this was the only thing that would stop me from wanting to burst into tears for some weeks afterward.
Fee |
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| ive been on pills for a 1yr but it took a while to find the right one. i have nasty headaches and migrines and pms that would take me out of school for days at a time and id never know when my 14day ( i kid you not) period would come. i dont like the idea of taking hormones but i cant imagine going back to that. |
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| I hear ya, some of those concoctions are nasty! I had been on one pill for 7 years when I switched to a new doctor. He said I weighed too much and wanted to switch me to a new pill. I told him my pills were fine and that I needed to switch to a new diet (apparently pizza and beer did not have the slimming effect I was hoping for). He didn't believe me and switched me anyway.
The new pills gave me terrible headaches, I couldn't see straight or concentrate, ever - no aspirin could touch 'em. Since that doctor obviously didn't care what I thought, I just stopped taking 'em. Long story short, that caused the endometriosis to grow out of control and 3 months later I was in the emergency room getting sliced from stem to stern! Yeeowch!
Anyway, after surgery they put me on Lupron (chemical menopause) which caused hot flashes and weight gain, among other fun treats. Then Alesse, which resulted a level of PMS the world should never have had to see. Then Depo-Provera, which I didn't like either. Finally we settled on Estrostep FE, which I like a lot! Periods are tolerable, endo is sort of under control, and I haven't noticed a side effect yet! |
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| I love my divacup... and the instead brand cups are disposable but you can use them if you want to uh,fool around. |
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| right now im on the mini pill..it has no estragen. i just finished my first pack. my one thing is that my period is late but maybe these new hormones will make it so i dont have one. we shall see. the doc said give it 3 cycles if not we're back to the drawing board |
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| My GYN put me on a low dose of BCPs. I take 3 packs of pills constistantly, skipping the placebo 7 days for the 1st and 2nd month and on the 3rd month I should have my period. I have never been regular on the pill  This technique can help with HA and migraines if hormones tip them off. Ask your MD about it. Seasonal did not work will with me |
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| wow pills that control things ill that's nasty why do ya'll take them that's just ????.....that's just wrong i just don't ...get ya'll what if they can give you a disease or something like that wow ......wrong |
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| i know that a lot of people don't like to hear it, but there are many alternative ways of treating the same problems that hormonal treatments do. the various pains, excessive bleeding, even endometriosis.
i'm not anti BC per se, but i really believe that people should at least know about, explore, and the make an informed decision to use hormones rather than simply starting on them first thing (which is most common--that is, you go to the doctor and say "i feel X" and the doctor says 'Ok, here's this type of hormonal therapy).
i really love the book Garden of Fertility by Katie Singer. It discusses Fertility Awareness Method for birth control as well as a method of understanding your body and your overall health (such as thyroid health). By understanding the cycle, one can begin to understand what the various causes of the different recurring problems. once there, one can learn about the alternatives for treating these various problems, and then decide whether or not a hormonal therapy is the most appropriate. She also gives recommendations for other books for dealing with things such as hypo and hyper thyroidism, endometriosis, and a myriad of other problems and conditions.(gardenoffertility.com) |
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| Interesting, I will have a look. Do you know offhand which other endometriosis resources she recommends? I have read tons in the past but that one hasn't crossed my path. Unfortunately, can't look at the website at work or I'll get busted, name sounds too suspicious!
When I stopped taking the pill for a while (after they started giving me headaches) I went on a totally vegan diet and eliminated alcohol and caffiene, hoping that would reduce the symptoms. Also started yoga! I wanted so badly to control it on my own. But, after a few months I was totally incapacitated for about 3 weeks out of each month - I could barely drag myself to work. I remember getting up out of a chair during a date, trying to act cool as a shockwave of pain went through my body! Finally that all culminated in a trip to the emergency room. I was so mad that my natural methods didn't work! I really gave up on nutrition and yoga for a while after that, I felt like everything had failed me.
As part of my therapy after surgery, my mom took me to a chiropractor/acupressure person for a while. I hated it so much, she spent the whole time talking to my mom instead of me and acting as if I were an inanimate malfunctioning object. Not that this has anything to do with the discussion at hand! But a lot of us are also alternative health practitioners, so we need to be careful about that. I don't think her therapy had a prayer of working because I blocked her out. It was interesting; my doctor knew I was into alternative health so he took the time to listen to everything I was doing and advise accordingly. This other person was just like "You're stupid if you take hormones, you can talk to the hand if you're going to listen to some jerk DOCTOR." Usually it's just the opposite! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Jean - I've had some "wholistic" practitioners I didn't like as well. One person, while taking my history, didn't even ask what type of work I do, what my menstrual history was or if I had children! The it was a quick hookup to the electronic "you have 500 allergies" machine and a list of "don't eat this and here are $100 worth of supplements to take."  Is that an example of treating the whole person? I think I could have some faith in the allergy machine if only it was double blinded. Sure, the patient doesn't know what they are being tested for, but the practitioner does and I am absolutely certain it can affect the results. Anyway, did I feel better after seeing her? Well, a bit, but studies are now showing that people tend to feel better initially after ANY treatment because someone is doing something about their problem. So now in studies for migraine, for example, even the control group gets some sort of "treatment" even if it is a placebo pill, so that all the participants feel that they are getting some help. |
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| Tourist, I loathe those "alternative practitioners" that you've described. They appear greedy and possibly dangerous if they aren't trained well and don't know when refer you to an appropriate health provider.
Oy vey! That's such a bummer you were charged $500.00 and your chief complaint wasn't addressed.
Well, as for doing yoga while menstruating...not everyone will agree with this and I'm not suggesting this is the correct way for every woman but in Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed that intensive sweating while having your period is a lot of QI (energy) to lose. Sweat isn't just water coming out of us. Along with toxins there are hormones and the sugar and spice that make us who we are which in Chinese Med we refer to as "Essence". Menstrual Blood is special, too, because it has a whole bunch of Essence. It's thicker in consistency than plain, old Blood.
My 400-year old personal Chinese Doctor told me never to wear tampons b/c it acts like a cork stopping the flow of Blood. And that's when toxins accumulate (that's another topic for another day). But, when you get a massage when you're having your period what are you going to do. The only thing to do is to wear a tampon. Thank goodness we can wear a tampon for an hour or two, then do some toxin-releasing yoga to counteract any negative effects.
YogaGirl, maybe stay off yoga the first day or two of your period. Drink warming drinks and stay away from ice cream and icy cold drinks (and salads and sushi and anything else you can think of that's cold in nature). And, listen to your Mom. She loves you and it sounds like she encourages your yoga practice! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | I had the endometriosis thing too Jean, in 1989. My MD is one of the creator's of the surgical procedure known as laproscopy using a laser technique that he designed. He now teaches his procedure to MD's and has a teaching lab in Atlanta, Ga. Anyway, to make a long story short, I did the surgery and have been endometriosis free for all this time. My secret is Traditional Chinese Medicine. I agree 150% with Fifi as I too have a 400 year old TCMD. Back then, I didn't have TCM, today I do. If I had to do it all over again KNOWING what I know today, I would still have done the surgery as the endometriosis was in an advanced state, but I am so happy to have the alternative natural methods. Acupuncture has been a lifesaver, not only helping me with endometriosis, but my health in general. Birth Control pills were the absolute worse for me, in fact, I could not take them - period. I truely believe that Endometriosis is an emotional disease that is also cured by environment and lifestyle....and of course, diet and Yoga exercise/Tai Chi Qi Gong too!! Oh, how I love getting my weekly Tui Na!! |
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| *fifi*
I would be interested to know if in your tradition if the cup devices cause the same accumulation of toxins. also if there is a specific type of massage you recommend or even books that explain this. i am interested becauseI find what you mentioned about essence/sweating really applies to how i experience my cycle, and would like to find some ways to balance things out.
anya
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Anya |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| Fifi - it was only $100 and I think I exaggerated that a bit - but it was close! The thing is that this person is very well trained and well respected and recommended by a lot of people. I have several friends who very much believe in the treatment they get and have no complaints - smart people, too. So I have to believe that it is just not the right situation for me and move on. And the whole allergy, food sensitivity thing really bugs me. I simply cannot believe that so many people are not able to eat so many foods. And the alternative people say they treat the whole person yet some of them seem to jump straight to allergies as if there were no other possible cause for a disorder. It is a bit like Neel's prescription for everything being to fast. If there was one answer that worked for everything we would all be fabulously healthy by now
And yoga while menstruating - well, we all know now that women are capable of doing just about anything during their periods. You have your Olympic athletes (can you say Olympic without being sued for trademark infringement?), your tradeswomen, firefighters etc., etc., who have proved it is possible to do strong work without killing themselves or dropping over in a swoon because they had their period that day. But just because something is possible, doesn't meant we SHOULD all do it all the time, right? And just because your body says you "feel fine" doesn't mean it IS fine. You can be 75% dead sometimes before your body figures it out. We in the west are the poster children for the mind-body disconnect. I have said that before and will say it again. Trying to rely on your inner voice (I just typo-ed inner "vice" ) is a wonderful thing after you've been doing it for a couple of decades. If you are starting your first week of yoga on your own with a dvd, your intuition MAY not be well enough developed to be able to make the best choice. I go with the experts and most of them say rest and a special practice. I am feeling a bit ranted-out now. good night! |
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| Some time ago my swami was discussing this issue in class and his opinion is that it's partly a comfort thing (like, if you're already feeling ick, who'd want to invert, for example), and partly cultural. When he was studying yoga in India, he regularly used to see women practising all month and doing inversions right into the advanced stages of pregnancy. In the west, attitudes are also coloured by the risk of getting sued by a pupil if they, say, fell because they were feeling dizzy.
Fee |
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| Ah, yes, well that's something I've been striving for all my life *LOL*
Fee
tourist - 2005-07-20 5:55 AM
(I just typo-ed inner "vice" ) |
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| here are a few things that a google search kicked up. my friend is borrowing my book right now. . .
Written by Dr Kristi NewMyer: http://altmed.creighton.edu/endometriosis/
From the Endometriosis Research Center: http://www.endocenter.org/alternativetreatments.htm
Here's just a website without illustrious origin that has some interesting links: http://www.angelfire.com/on/endometriosis/aindex.html |
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| I had a 30-second conversation with a Bikram yoga instructor in the ladies room last night who said it was the teacher training that helped "cure" her fibroids. She tried acupuncture and herbs (not from me) which apparently didn't help her. Everyone is certainly different. I know were not talking about uterine fibroids but I thought I'd mention it.
You're right, Tourist, that women can do anything while menstruating. Chinese medicine is insightful in that years of doing hard physical activity while menstruating can (may) deplete a woman's qi over years. Actually, in a perfect "Chinese" world we could all take off 1 week a month to have our periods in peace. While pregnant we'd listen to beautiful music and have peaceful thoughts as to not disturb the fetus. After childbirth, we'd stay in bed for 1 month to recover our qi. And insurance would pay for everything!
Good luck and keep doing what makes you happy |
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| Uterine fibroids are in my family history and after my mother had surgery to remove hers (had to have complete hysterectomy), I have been worried if that will be in my future. Are you saying that your friend attributes her healing to her Bikram practice? That is motivation enough for me to keep up my practice. |
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| Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying she told me. Actually, this woman, probably in her late 30s, did the Bikram teacher training. I don't know what's involved in that - what, 2 classes a day? I was impressed and happy to hear that yoga helped her so much. Of course, her gyn did ultrasound testing before and after to diagnose objectively.
Cool, huh! |
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| Extremely cool. I know that my Bikram practice has helped me immensely with my injures and chronic pain but if I can give myself a better chance against future problems, that is the best motivation for me to go to class. |
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period.
