Confession time. Let me go ahead and just start this out with a big ol’ TMI warning. So, if you don’t like to read about a lady on her period, I would change channels now.
So, about that period. I have it now. Having POF/POI means that I get to take hormone replacement therapy until I’m ready to menopause at the “normal” age range. And when I say hormone replacement, I mean take birth control pills, because hey, it’s just like your mama’s HRT, except way cheaper.
I take a generic form of Seasonale, which is essentially three months of birth control pills straight, and then one crazy week of bleeding. But sometimes, as I’ve noticed, I’ll spot randomly if I miss a couple of days. Or, I could skip three days and trigger a full blown period (which is technically withdrawal bleeding, anyway) even once I start taking pills again. I got sloppy this week and missed some pills, so now Aunt Flo showed up to my house two weeks early.
I should have known it was coming, too. I have a tell-tale sign that occurs usually within a couple of hours of me starting to bleed: complete and utter exhaustion. Like literally, I’ll go from fully functional to total zombie in a matter of minutes, and if I don’t lay down right away, I turn into something resembling a raging monster.
(Interestingly enough, when I got my first period when I was 10, it was preceded by me getting suddenly tired and grumpy, taking a nap, and then waking up to discover “Oh look, I’m a woman.”)
So yesterday, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise when I stood up while Larry was playing Skyrim (have I mentioned it’s pretty much been played on our TV continuously since Friday night?) and declared, “I’m going upstairs to take a nap. I’m tired,” in a very matter-of-factly way. Larry asked me if I was okay and I just snapped at him about going to take a nap.
Cut to… four hours later he’s waking up for dinner. “Honey, it’s nine o’clock.”
I went down for the count like I’d been hit by a truck. And then I noticed the familiar pang of menstrual cramps. Sure enough, when I went to the bathroom, the Lady in Red made her grand appearance.
But here’s the thing… I have another tell-tale sign that my period is about to arrive, and I’m sharing it here to find out if a) anyone else has ever experience this or b) knows why they hell this happens.
Ready?
I crave dairy so bad I could hurt someone to get a hunk of cheese. Or a gallon of milk. Or sour cream dip. It’s insane how intensely I crave dairy. I joke with Larry that I know my period’s coming because I feel like I’m channeling a milk cow.
Must. Have. Dairy.
Mostly cheese. It’s not just the dairy, it’s salty dairy. So yeah, I want cheese like it’s going out of style.
Is this just me? Am I a total weirdo?
Moo?
Yeah I’m somewhat lactose intolerant and I have this issue too. I have been known to chug bottles of milk at the start of mine, which I always regret immediately on top of the cramps. But I just want milk so bad!
Just found your blog a few weeks ago but this is my first time commenting so…Hi and thanks for sharing your story.
I’ve never noticed a correlation between dairy and my period but I’m going to pay attention in the next few weeks.
I get the normal to zombie energy crash too. I have to get in bed, pronto, as soon as it happens or else drink a chocolate shake. But I’m often too tired to even make a chocolate shake. Weird.
Been reading your blog for a while now, and I’m kind of dying of laughter right now because my period is about to show up too, and this just showed up in my google reader while I’m sitting here eating cheese and celery with sour cream dip. So I think we’re not alone in our pre-menstrual dairy cravings!! 🙂
Not just you.
I too crave dairy as if it is the only thing that will save my life. I once asked my GYN about it (when I was young and seeing Dr. Great) he said it was normal because your body wants calcium. I whined and said something about my diet and he actually wrote me a prescription for an ice cream sundae!
Hope you get your milk fix.