Evil Periods

[gfmolly]

Since diagnosis in April, I've been getting better and better, but when my period comes I get nailed with "glutened-like" symptoms: major migraine headache, the big d for days and painful gas and bloating. Does anyone have any suggestions or remedies that seem to alleviate some of the symptoms? I do have endo as well, and have been off the pill since I can't find a gluten-free/lactose free pill on the market, so my hormones are probably out of whack as well. I know that I am not being glutened, because it is clockwork. I have been enjoying feeling more normal. It has taken months to get to this point and it feels really good. I'm not sure I want to feel nasty for a week every month!

Terri

[TrillumHunter]

Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

[gfmolly]

Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

I'm supposed to be taking iron because I am anemic, but I am so afraid of upset this fragile balance of feeling well! I will go back on the iron and I have a really good multi that I should be taking as well. I do take a probiotic daily, and can really tell if I do miss that. I'll give it a shot this month and see if it helps.

Thanks!

[jewi0008]

Are you taking any supplements? I was really deficient in B, A, D, E, iron and magnesium. I hope eventually my intestines will heal and I can stop them but in the meanwhile I can tell if I miss them. My cycle was horrible before I was dx'ed. So bad, in fact, I was considering hysterectomy. Since going gluten-free they are light and *almost* pain-free.

Just a thought. Good luck!

I was dx'ed in April, too!

What type of supplements do you take? I currently take a multivitamin, Folic acid and the B Complex. What else is a necessity do you think?

[skinnyminny]

go to the website called cyclediet.com. this is really interesting I ordered the work book their is a gluten free diet plan too, it is just a healthy way of eating to help with the pain of that time of the month, making sure you get enough calcium, exercise, and cutting all a lot of processed food is key I hope this helps

[FootballFanatic]

You might not call this a natural remedy but I heard that ibuprofen is the best painkiller for cramps and can have an antidiarrheal effect. That's the closest thing to natural I can think of, but I naturally take pills all the time. :-/

[hathor]

Are you dairy free? If not, you might try that. My cramps basically went away when I dropped the dairy some years ago. My daughter finds that the more dairy she has during a month, the worse her period. If she has no dairy, she doesn't feel bad at all.

Also, a lower fat diet can reduce your estrogen level and thus may help. Here is an article which has cites to assorted studies about hormones and fat in the diet:

Open Original Shared Link

I concur with the ibuprofen recommendation. It seems to work better than anything else.

How long have you been off the pill? It might take awhile to get over its impact. I remember I got horrid migraines when I was on the pill and had to stop for that reason. It took a few months for that to go away.

[gfmolly]

Thanks for all of the advice. I will check out the Cycle book. That sounds interesting. I am only taking a probiotic, but have a really good iron and multi I should be taking but don't. Like I said earlier, I have really tried to eliminate all possible reactors, so I was afraid to take any supplements, gluten-free or not. I think I will try the I eliminated, even before gluten as a way to try to not get D. My diet is really low in fat as is, I don't think I could go lower. Since Nov. I have lost 16 lbs, and really shouldn't lose too much more. The only fat I get is from olive oil, peanut butter, and the occasional red meat we may have.

I've been off the pill for a few months now, and am about to start the patch. We tried using condoms, but it really doesn't work well for us, so I am going to see how the patch is for me. I have used the patch pre-diagnosis, but it made me really nauseous at the start of the patch, so I'm not looking forward to that!

I've never heard of ibuprofen as an anti-d! Is there a particular brand that works well?

[JNBunnie1]

Ibuprofen helps me, too. The thing that's helped me the most has been to take a Vitamin A supplement, at least 20,000 IU daily. I used to have periods from hell, no leaving the house. They got better when I was on birth control for a year, but my libido dropped by HALF on birth control, so we use condoms now. So the bad periods came back, and I read that vitamin A helps, and for me it does. Also, you kinda need a certain amount of fat in your diet to be able to digest the vitamins you need. For example, Vitamins A & D are FAT-SOLUBLE vitamins, hard to get enough if you don't have any good fat in your diet.

[jmd3]

Since diagnosis in April, I've been getting better and better, but when my period comes I get nailed with "glutened-like" symptoms: major migraine headache, the big d for days and painful gas and bloating. Does anyone have any suggestions or remedies that seem to alleviate some of the symptoms? I do have endo as well, and have been off the pill since I can't find a gluten-free/lactose free pill on the market, so my hormones are probably out of whack as well. I know that I am not being glutened, because it is clockwork. I have been enjoying feeling more normal. It has taken months to get to this point and it feels really good. I'm not sure I want to feel nasty for a week every month!

Terri

A little bit of hemp oil will relieve pain. A health store would carry it.

you can mix it in a drink, or your salad dressing...