Riding with the pain

[missymaya]

Hey y'all,
So, I really don't have many pain issues and if I do have pain, I just either deal or not ride. Well, its that special time of the month and I'm feeling the lower abdominal cramping that comes along with it. I don't take pain pills (I just don't like taking meds for it unless it gets really really painful and unbearable) but it bothers me when I ride. How do y'all deal with it? Is there something to help sooth the cramping before riding either than meds?

[maillotpois]

I just ride.

[Zen]

It's been my experience that exercise lessens the severity of cramping. Ride on.

[KnottedYet]

Yup, just get riding and it will ease.

[Wahine]

I agree with everyone above. I also do some yoga poses, twists are nice and cobblers pose:

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/486_1.cfm

There are also very effective acupuncture points that you can massage or have someone else massage like Spleen 6 and UB 23:

In this diagram they mislabled SP6 as SP 5. But its a good diagram for finding the point.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.compassionatedragon.com/images/acupuncture/ac_points/ac_sp6.png&imgrefurl=http://www.compassionatedragon.com/ac_sp9.html&h=560&w=304&sz=81&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=QmzjzUtO_CQVyM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=72&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dspleen%2B6%2BAcupuncture%2Bpoint%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den

SP 6 is best used by massaging it daily for the entire week prior to getting your period and daily while you're having your period.

This is UB 23. You have to scroll through to find it.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chinesenaturecure.com/homestudy/meridians/urinary_bladder/images/ub23.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.chinesenaturecure.com/homestudy/meridians/urinary_bladder/urinary_bladder_points.html&h=280&w=220&sz=6&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=7rnyFb-IjQ8tKM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=90&prev=/images%3Fq%3DUB%2B23%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Hope that helps.

[bike4ever]

I agree exercise helps. If necessary, I take Chamomile tablets. These are relaxing to my digestive system and ease the cramps.

[VeloVT]

Gee... I used to hit Advil & caffeine pretty hard. I realize this may not be a helpful suggestion for you, but I've been on Depo-Provera (bc shot once every three months) for several years now and I cannot overstate how much I **LOVE LOVE LOVE*** not getting my period. Aside from not having to deal with the hassle of getting my period (which is really really nice), I also no longer get monthly/cyclical moodswings. I know many people are very skeptical of the various methods of birth control that change/regulate periods, but I have to say, for me at least, I'm so much happier and it makes my life so much easier.

[Torrilin]

Evaluate your pain level. On a typical medical pain scale the 0-3 range covers "no pain" to pain that you only notice if you think about it. 4-6 is noticable even if you're not paying attention to your body, and will have moderate effects on your mood. 7 and up is very serious, and can leave you moaning, crying or suicidal. Pain higher than 7 may cause vomiting or other serious physical effects. 10 is the worst pain you've ever felt.

If your cramps are in the 0-3 range, you can probably get away with no medication.

If your pain is in the 4-6 range, I would recommend medication. For most women, excercise will not be sufficient by itself to alleviate that degree of menstrual pain. The pain medication will help your mood, and make it easier to excercise. The combo of excercise and pain medication will mean you need less medication and will have much less severe mood effects.

If your pain is in the 7 and up range, see a doctor. Pain at that level is dangerous, and cramp pain can continue for 4-5 days. If I try to go without medication, my pain level would hit a 9 and stay there for at least 4-5 days, complete with vomiting, moaning, and a strong dose of suicidal thoughts. I've hit a 10 on broken bones, but the pain of a broken bone doesn't stay at 10 for anywhere near as long as cramps stay at 9. Ordinarily pain in the 7 and up range is grounds for immediate hospitalization.

Don't screw around with your pain. It's real. You deserve a body that doesn't hurt. It's okay to say "I need to medicate". Sometimes medication is the only way to get functional enough that excercise and stretches can help.

[lauraelmore1033]

my pain is often in the 7-9 range so it can be hard to get motivated to ride. sometimes I take an activated "hothands", stick it in the center of a sock and place it under my shorts where the pain is while securing the ends under the waist band. The pain subsides and I can rde. looks incredibly weird, but if you wear an oversized shirt or a jacket it isn't so noticible.

[indysteel]

I used to have horrible cramps and somewhat irregular and/or heavy periods until I stared birth control pills in 1999. I also suffer from menstrual migraines that are bad enough to interfere with several days each month and my doctor has played around with various pills to see what effect they might have. After years of being on various triphasial type BCPs, I am now on Loestrin 24. Thanks to the Loestrin, my period is now very, very light (I typically use between 2-3 tampons for the whole thing), very, very short (two days at most) and virtually cramp free. It hasn't eliminated my migraines, but they're easier to treat with Excedrin versus prescription migraine meds. The adjustment period to Loestrin was a bit rough. Emotionally speaking, I had a couple of bad months, but once that was over, it was smooth sailing.

I don't have any issue with altering my period almost to the point of elimination. The reading I've done has suggested that there's nothing wrong with it and that, in fact, by mimicing pregnancy (I don't have and probably won't have kids), you actually lower your chance of certain cancers. That said, I understand why it feels "healthier" to some ot have a regular period.

K-

[meridian]

I too had horrible cramping until I start a low dose pill form birth control (ortho tri cyclen lo). (Depo Provera did evil evil things to my body).

Ever since I was a teenager, the pain would consistently be on the 7-9 scale. For years I suffered through the agony and nausea and emotional havoc which affected me so much I would often have to miss school, leave work, and call in sick. Nothing did the trick.. heating pads, loads of otc pain relievers, herbs, exercise, etc.

With the form of BC I am on now, the pain is very manageable w/o treatment and often non-existent (0-3). The longer I have been on my prescription, the more manageable and less existent my symptoms have been. This is a solution you may want to try out.