MetaChat - I'm a nice person....

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07 March 2008

I'm a nice person.... →[More:]well i like to believe i am anyways. I'm kind, sweet, compasssionate, cook up a storm, passionate about life etc etc so...
...why do i turn into a rabid horrible catty kill-my-husband-if-he-so-much-as-dare-look-at-me-funny approximately 5 days before "that time of the month?" I mean there's PMS and there's LEAVEMEALONEBEFOREISTABYOUWITHMYFORK MS. I totally hate myself afterwards though, but it's like i get possessed. Why? WHY? My doc says it's just hormonal and there's nothing I can do. She suggested exercising...and you should have seen my face. Exercise? EXERCISE? Bring your face and I'll exercise on it!
So Female mechatters, do you PMS? And if you do, is it THAT bad? And how do you deal with it?
Yeah, in case you were wondering, it's exactly 5 days before, and boy am I in a foul mood!
Oh, and this is my 100th post.

post by: ramix at: 19:14 | 28 comments

Oh yeah. You're lucky that it only lasts for 5 days.

Anti-depressants have helped me with the moodiness in the past, but they have sucky side effects. Still might be something to look into, though, if the guilt is bothering you that badly.

Alternatively, learn to shoot flames from your eyes and he'll leave you the hell alone.

posted by mudpuppie 07 March | 19:17

I find that I don't get PMS when I'm not living with people (roommates, partners, whatever), so there's one option. :-)

Exercise does help me, though more in that if I'm exercising regularly, I don't get het up that point, rather than feeling like it's a good answer when I'm already upset.

Also, Premsyn. Premsyn + red wine on really bad days.

posted by occhiblu 07 March | 19:22

You might want to look up PMMD. I had it bad. Not anymore, thankfully. I used to lock myself in the laundry room and fantasize about getting the fuck out of here. Like occhi says, exercise helps a lot.

posted by LoriFLA 07 March | 19:27

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by small_ruminant 07 March | 19:33

*gets teh ghey*

posted by pieisexactlythree 07 March | 19:34

Seriously, there is a version of Zoloft that is specifically for PMS (or PMDD). And your doctor is wrong if she says there is nothing you can do. Because there absolutely is, and you should not have to suffer feeling depressed, irritable, anxious, etc. every month. At least not to any degree that has an effect on your life.

I PMS. And it's THAT bad. But luckily I also have a prescription, which makes it less bad.

posted by brina 07 March | 19:35

oops

posted by small_ruminant 07 March | 19:36

Mudpuppie, please teach me how to shoot flames from my eyes...and daggers from my boobies too while you're at it!

posted by ramix 07 March | 19:38

Yeah, what brina said, It sounds like doc is dismissing. There are meds specifically targeted for PMS.

I have never had to use any. I don't PMS, but I know and love people who do, and it sucks for sure and is a totally real thing.

If it's any comfort, I have always had a freakishly heavy flow. If that's the price I pay, so be it.

Please don't shoot me with the eyeballs or boobies.

posted by rainbaby 07 March | 19:46

You don't want the boobie daggers. It's just not worth it.

posted by ethylene 07 March | 19:47

I take Xiao Yao Wan, a Chinese herb. It's good for all kinds of things, but mostly it really really helps with my PMS, and has no side effects. You can buy it online.

My PMS gets a lot worse when I'm stressed out, and I find that if I regularly do the basic stress relief things I know of, that helps some too.

Acupuncture also helps quite a lot. In fact, I'd say that's the thing I'd recommend.

posted by Specklet 07 March | 19:48

Dong Quai can help you get your period. Booze to relax the muscles. Chopping wood or axe murder helps with the exercise. Lots of vigorous sexing helps.

posted by ethylene 07 March | 19:50

I don't think it's a version of Zoloft -- it's just rebranded. I think Prozac was the first one to come up with this delicious new marketing opportunity.

I actually don't suffer from PMS that I've observed, so I think I'm lucky. Have you thought about the pill?

posted by loiseau 07 March | 20:16

That's what spin class is for.

Many is the time I got on that spin bike ready to KILLKILLKILLKILLKILL and by the end of the ride I was cool, calm and collected.

But it's a good thing the instructor is good at bike maintenance. ;-)

posted by bunnyfire 07 March | 20:23

Yeah until I got knocked up I was an emotional wreck. But the emotional seems to have gotten worse the older I get.

If you are on the pill, then think about organizing it to have a period say once every 4 months which will take the strain off of you.

Also be grateful your husband isn't being affected by it - I swear mine absorbs the hormones and turns into a mess as well.

posted by gomichild 07 March | 20:24

Mine is less with the KILLKILLKILL and more with the WEEPWEEPWEEP. Worse still, I have a chronic back injury from a car accident, and in the days immediately preceding my period, the pain in my back goes from constant-but-dull to sharp pains, which sucks up a lot of energy and always worries me until I remember why it hurts so much.

Lots of vigorous sexing helps.

Yes.

posted by Elsa 07 March | 20:43

I turn from a fairly rational even-tempered woman into a raging troll-bitch from hell with PMS. It's lucky the world doesn't have a DELETE button because I would have used it by now. The skipping periods thing works really well for me. And I borrow the husbands punching bag when needed and play Grand Theft Auto whilst inhaling chocolate and gin. Pick your own poisons but it's very satisfying to play that game just to run over pedestrians rather than actually win. You just have to make sure you don't play it before getting into a real car. ;)

posted by ninazer0 07 March | 21:34

I don't get angry emotional, I get sad emotional and nasty backaches.

My solution has been to switch to the Nuva Ring for birth control and keep it in for all 4 weeks = no period = no PMS. It's the greatest thing ever. I decided to let myself get my period this month and by the first day I was like "why did I do this again?" :)

posted by misskaz 08 March | 11:24

I went off the pill awhile back just see what my body was like without it, and um, damn. I did not know I had that kind of rage in me. No one should have that kind of rage in them, unless possibly they are a dark superhero avenging the gruesome death of an innocent. Since I lack a kickin' costume, I went back to the doc for Seasonale... 4 periods a year, minor-to-no PMS, and the hormone dose is low enough and level enough that it doesn't exacerbate my migraines.

Anyway, I think you need to stand up to your doc on this, and if that doesn't work, find a new doc. You have a lot of options, as others in this thread have pointed out. "It's just hormonal" and "there's nothing you can do" is UNSAT, plain and simple. In case you can't tell, I am big on the whole being-your-own-healthcare-advocate thing. It's a must.

posted by somanyamys 08 March | 12:03

I think I have learned to stab people with my eyes because everyone stayed the fuck away from me at work this week. At work, I'm bitchy; at home, I'm weepy and clingy. The best thing for everyone concerned is for me to isolate myself with chocolate and a book and a kitten.

posted by desjardins 08 March | 12:43

At work, I'm bitchy; at home, I'm weepy and clingy. The best thing for everyone concerned is for me to isolate myself with chocolate and a book and a kitten.
posted by desjardins 08 March | 12:43

This is what I call "Tuesday".

posted by loiseau 10 March | 20:42

I actually don't suffer from PMS that I've observed, so I think I'm lucky.
Sometimes (in my observation), it can be difficult to see from the inside. I know a woman who suffers from incredibly bad and violent PMS, but will deny it to her last dying breath. She is absolutely convinced that everyone is a complete fuckwit and out to get her at times and honestly cannot see the connection. I hope you aren't another like that.

posted by dg 10 March | 21:28

I was really unaware of my own PMS symptoms for awhile (I mean, as a teenager). I was like, "it's really offensive that you think I'm angry because of PMS, rather than because you're a fucking imecile". That is, until my (very close, mostly female) friends pointed out that no, I was completely irrational and going off my handle.

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 21:33

I was like, "it's really offensive that you think I'm angry because of PMS, rather than because you're a fucking imecile".
Bingo!

posted by dg 10 March | 21:39

By the way, it IS really offensive when people assume I'm angry because of hormones, rather than because they're an imbecile.

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 21:46

Of course it is. I would never assume that an angry female was about to have her special visitor. When someone goes off the chart on a regular basis on a consistently predictable pattern over a period of years, though, it's less assumption and more reasonable belief.

It doesn't help matters, of course, that I sometimes act like an imbecile ;-)

posted by dg 10 March | 21:52

Oh, well if you have it CHARTED out, that's a different story :)

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 22:55

Yes - forewarned is forearmed and all that ...

posted by dg 10 March | 22:58

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