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Health Stuff
So, I've never been one of those people who has a regular period. When I was a teenager, I would go months without it, and then for one really frustrating year it *didn't* *go* *away* (and was super heavy to boot for months on end!).
When I was in China though, I just stopped getting it. Finally after about 10 months, I went to the Dr.'s, because as much as I enjoyed not having to deal with having a period, I knew it meant something was wrong.
Turns out, I have a vitamin B-12 deficiency, which means I'm anemic. The Dr. said it wasn't really a big deal; it can make me sleepy, and if it does, I can just go in and get a shot. So I didn't really worry about it. I went on the Pill for a bit to get my period back on track, but when I ran out of health insurance, I went off again, and stopped getting my period. The thing is, I haven't naturally had my period in over 2 years.
Lately though, I think it's been getting worse, since it moved beyond no periods, and suddenly my toes would go numb, and would stay numb for days, even getting into weeks. This freaked me out enough that I've started taking some B-12 supplements regularly (I had had them almost since I found out, I would just always forget to take them). And now, after about a month of being good and taking my vitamins regularly, I finally got my period.
Man, I *really* didn't miss those. My back hurts, and I can't eat very much at a time, because it makes my stomach hurt. Can I please go back to not having these?Also, historically, I have really long periods, and it's already been 3 days, and it just seems to be getting heavier.
*stupid Mother Nature*
Re: TMI
And my condition didn't bother because I don't want to have kids, so it made no difference to me if something was wrong with the plumbing. I finally got freaked out and went only after my best friend was talking about getting genetic testing for breast cancer because it runs in her family and I had myself half convinced I'd had ovarian cancer for a year and just didn't know it. Thank god I don't.
OMG, they'd make a *killing* off it (or possible be responsible for a killing :P).
I also think women should be given a stipend from the government to pay for female necessities (defined as broadly as you'd like). When you figure we need at least thirty years' worth of tampons, pantiliners, makeup, hair products, etc. etc., it adds up. Men don't need most of that crap, and they certainly don't produce most of the children, so it's only fair. I also think women should get extra sick days at work for women's issues because really, it's hard to work when your insides are twisting themselves up and squeezing themselves out and you're bloated and achey and your breasts are sore. Men have nothing analogous, so they can cover for us while we lay in bed clutching our midsections, moaning and eating ice cream. I'm all for that.
Re: TMI
And it's totally one of those things that, if you're not going to use it, you'd rather it not work in a way that seems to be turned off (you don't want it not working in a way that it's turned excessively *on*). :P
I had myself half convinced I'd had ovarian cancer for a year and just didn't know it. Thank god I don't.
Yeah, I hate that there are so many things that *could* be wrong and we just don't know it. I'm have a minor freak out, thinking I might have diabetes (it runs in my family), but am too afraid of the results to go to a Dr.'s about it :S And cancer? Is just so scary. Which reminds me, I really need to make an appointment to get that vaccine that can stop cervical cancer....
As for the other stuff, yeah, it kind of sucks that women are on that unequal footing. I mean, the only compensation we get is maternity leave, but now there's paternity leave as well, so we don't even get that all to ourselves! And I've heard of a women having their careers stunted, because they get really bad periods and have to call in sick too much. I know I find it really hard to work when I'm having my period because my entire torso *aches*. And the insides twisting always makes me think I have diarrhea so I end up going to the bathroom a lot when I don't need to :P And mine aren't even that bad, I never *used* to get cramps, it was only once I started going on the Pill, and it didn't go away once I got off it, isn't the Pill supposed to make cramps *better*? I find it just makes them worse for me.