fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2207 ]

[ SECRET POST #2207 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2207 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

__________________________________________________

02.

__________________________________________________

03.

__________________________________________________

04.

__________________________________________________

05.

__________________________________________________

06.

__________________________________________________

07.

__________________________________________________

08.

__________________________________________________

09.

__________________________________________________

10.

__________________________________________________

11.

__________________________________________________

12.

__________________________________________________

13.

__________________________________________________

14.

__________________________________________________

15.

__________________________________________________

16.

__________________________________________________

17.

__________________________________________________

18.

__________________________________________________

19.

__________________________________________________

20.

__________________________________________________

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 023 secrets from Secret Submission Post #315.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

so fs, i am going to tell a story and then ask for a couple pieces of advice. this has been a really bad day for me so i apologize in advance if i get snippy with anyone.

i have really bad periods. they're irregular and they're frequently heavy. i am a small and lightweight person so they usually make me dizzy in addition to the feeling like someone punched me in the gut a half dozen times. i can't go on birth control to stop them because most birth control contains estrogen and i'm ftm and going on t next month. i am barely functional on them. i have had to skip class due to them since moving anywhere beyond the bathroom and then couch was completely beyond me. this has been going on since they started (so for about ten years). i have been looked at by my doctor and even had an ultrasound but there does not appear to be a medical reason for this.

it started again today (i never know when they will since like i said irregular. i don't get any some months.). i only had a couple pads so i headed out to the store to get more even feeling miserable. a little over halfway there i got a nosebleed. i get pretty bad nosebleeds too and i didn't have any kleenex left in the pack i usually keep in my coat. so i had to hold my nose and keep my head tilted back the rest of the way to the store so i wouldn't be dripping blood.

my nose has learned a new trick during nosebleeds lately. if i swallow once or twice while it's going on (which i have to to breathe) then the blood starts going down my throat for the most part. fun! so i was swallowing blood the rest of the way to the store. when i got there i headed for the bathroom to clean up and staunch the rest of the nosebleed. there was a line so i ended up standing there a while. i do not now what the other people waiting and staff thought seeing a teenager (i'm a twenty-something but i look younger) with a bloody nose standing waiting for a supermarket bathroom. it's possible they think someone hit me although they didn't do more than give me looks.

when i was at the self-serve checkout with the pads since i hate going through the regular cash with them (it must be a guy thing, i know it's my body but i hate being reminded of it and having another person with me when i'm checking out with them feels awful) i had to pay with one of the new twenty dollar bills. you see, i'm canadian and we have these new twenties with a plasticy strip on them. the machine didn't accept it so i had to wait for a clerk to come over so i could trade it for one of the old ones. also when i was scanning the machine had freaked out at me and said i moved an item from the bagging area when i didn't so a clerk had to help with that too.

i made it home without further incident although i still feel miserable. so here come the questions.

1) does anyone here know of some way to regulate/stop periods that does not use estrogen or anything like it? i know the t will after some weeks but i'd like to have something until then since today was just the last straw.
2) should i be concerned that nosebleeds make me swallow blood now? is there something wrong with my nose?

1) Go to a doctor if you can, it's your best bet, and ask him about your nose as well.

i will probably have to. i am not out to my doctor so i'm not sure how he'll take the whole 'make sure it doesn't have estrogen' part.

DA, but is there anywhere online you can look for trans friendly doctors? I'm not sure where you live in Canada, but I know that some places will have lists of docs that are more in the know and sometimes you can just find recommendations that other people have left online. It might make it easier, if you don't feel comfortable talking about it with your current doctor.

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 01:32 (UTC) - Expand

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 03:17 (UTC) - Expand

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 04:37 (UTC) - Expand

Plenty of female-bodied people react badly to estrogen; just tell him you're wary about adding more hormones to your system when said system is obviously quite out of whack. Hopefully he's at least knowledgeable enough to understand that hormone imbalances can be absolutely horrible.

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 09:57 (UTC) - Expand

damn :(

re. oestrogen, can you have progesterone? I stopped having periods when I had a Mirena IUS and it's progesterone-only.

i've done some limited research on it and it doesn't look like progesterone feminizes? but an internal device is pretty much out of the question for me for various reasons.

Depo-Provera is also progesterone-only and I have heard people say it reduces menstrual flow. You might want to give it a try.

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 08:12 (UTC) - Expand

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 19:58 (UTC) - Expand

1) Not that I know, sorry. Your doctor would know better.
2) You could ask your doctor to check if they can cauterize your nose (or use fibrin glue or a laser), if you get nose bleeds often.

re 2: my father had surgery on his nose when he was younger to make them stop but he got them again later in life. that was thirty years ago though so it might be more effective now, thanks.

See a doctor.

And you may want to look into having an endometrial ablation done. It's supposed to reduce, and will sometimes even eliminate, bleeding during your period. It is a form of sterilization though - I'm just guessing since you're ftm you won't mind that?

that sounds like a great procedure for me, and no i wouldn't mind that at all. i have actually considered a full hysterectomy a number of times but since i don't have a medical problem it'd be an elective surgery i can't afford.

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

tabaqui - 2013-01-18 04:05 (UTC) - Expand

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 04:42 (UTC) - Expand

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 04:46 (UTC) - Expand

Seconding the "talk to a doctor" stuff. If the doc gives you a hard time about transitioning or is an asshole, move on to another one.

I am currently on tranexamic acid to stop the heavy bleeding for my periods. You could ask your doctor about something like that.

I'm not sure if there's any way to stop your period completely without using estrogen, but I've heard they have these implants you could use.

i think i am probably going to try and make an appointment with my doctor next week. that stuff sounds good since it is non-hormonal.

implants aren't really an option for me for several reasons, which is why i was trying to find tablets or something.

NA

My period stopped completely when I had a pituitary adenoma producing way too much prolactin, but I would guess that would be at least as bad as estrogen.

I don't have any helpful suggestion for the first question, just hugs. I have awful periods as well and can't go on birth control for other reasons and this sucks :/

About the nosebleeds, I found this http://vaginapagina.livejournal.com/14603781.html (that comm is awesome, btw, and you could try asking your question there... if anybody other than an actual dr has a suggestion is them)

Besides, I assume you take some kind of painkiller for this? Some are blood thinners and can contribute to nosebleeds.

this is actually the first time i've gotten a nosebleed during my period, so i think it was probably a coincidence.

that link seems pretty good. i've never thought of lemons! i should probably take iron or potassium supplements too, they might help. i don't have a livejournal so i can't post there but i can skim the comm.

i don't take any painkillers or midol or anything since they don't really seem to work on me anyway.

Re: bad day [tmi: period]

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 01:49 (UTC) - Expand

I can't help with the first question, sorry - seconding all the other suggestions to talk to a trans*-friendly doctor about it.

The second one, though, is something I can definitely say is normal. The nose and throat (and eyes for that matter) are all connected, so when you tilt your head back during a nosebleed, the blood automatically flows down into the throat. It's possible this didn't use to happen because there wasn't as much blood, or the flow was slower and you got to tissue etc in time, but given a couple of minutes, it's normal for the the blood to start flowing down the throat.

It's actually advisable for you not to tilt your head back, though obviously I understand that's difficult if you're out and have no access to tissues. But tilting your head forward and letting the blood out is better than swallowing blood! Also, try pinching the bridge of your nose (or icing it, if you've got anything cold around) - that will help slow the bleeding and eventually stop it.

I hope you feel better soon. *hugs*

+1, I used to get nosebleeds with sharp weather changes and was originally taught the bridge pinch but also to tilt my head back (by a teacher, who in retrospect was probably trying to keep blood off the floor)... Thought the blood taste/feel was par for the course for a couple years, until my mom saw and corrected the head tilt.

I hope things go better soon, OP.

Re: swallowing blood - I was going to say this. I guess it's not something a lot of people think about? But I have a short soft palate so I'm acutely aware of the nose/throat connection.

That said, OP - if you're okay with the laundry, I'd suggest buying some cheap rags/washclothes (or making them out of an old shirt or something), and stashing them places where tissues aren't always available (like your car). The fabric is more absorbent than tissues, you won't need to find a trashcan, and if you only use them for your nosebleeds, staining them isn't such a big deal. Ideally, you'll figure out how to stop them altogether, but it's always good to have a backup plan in the meantime.

I used to have nosebleeds often as a child and I had no idea you weren't supposed to swallow the blood. It never upset my stomach or anything, like Google tells me when I looked for why it would be a bad thing to do. (Although, blood possibly going to your lungs during super heavy nosebleeds if you swallow/tilt your head back is very D:)

Re: not op

(Anonymous) - 2013-01-18 07:34 (UTC) - Expand

yeah, this is definitely something better off in the hands of a doctor

in the meantime, maybe vitamin k can help? it helps with bleeding (nosebleeds, gums, etc.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_K

definitely research to see if it won't make it worse, but this paragraph sounds interesting relating to your problems: (bolding mine)

Deficiency

Average diets are usually not lacking in vitamin K, and primary deficiency is rare in healthy adults. Newborn infants are at an increased risk of deficiency. Other populations with an increased prevalence of vitamin K deficiency include those who suffer from liver damage or disease (e.g. alcoholics), cystic fibrosis, or inflammatory bowel diseases, or have recently had abdominal surgeries. Secondary vitamin K deficiency can occur in bulimics, those on stringent diets, and those taking anticoagulants. Other drugs associated with vitamin K deficiency include salicylates, barbiturates, and cefamandole, although the mechanisms are still unknown. Vitamin K1 deficiency can result in coagulopathy, a bleeding disorder.[64] Symptoms of K1 deficiency include anemia, bruising, and bleeding of the gums or nose in both sexes, and heavy menstrual bleeding in women.

Osteoporosis[65][66] and coronary heart disease[67][68] are strongly associated with lower levels of K2 (menaquinone). Vitamin K2 (MK-7) deficiency is also related to severe aortic calcification and all-cause mortality.[69] Menaquinone is not inhibited by salicylates as happens with K1, so menaquinone supplementation can alleviate the chronic vitamin K deficiency caused by long-term aspirin use.[citation needed]

of course, a doctor might help you figure out if it's really some vitamin deficiency or something more complex, so, um, yeah

at the moment i am thinking i'll be taking potassium due to its blood clotting, but i don't eat a lot of leafy greens so if that doesn't work i'll have to look into vitamin k.

given all the people who have recommended a doctor i think i'm definitely going to be making an appointment for next week.

Echoing the advice to see a doctor. Have you gotten blood tests for mineral and vitamin deficiencies? Tell your doctor you're concerned for your iron and potassium and vitamin k levels. Since you have really heavy flow that makes you dizzy, you want to know if you need to be taking supplements.

the only blood tests i get normally are ones for my thyroid, but i'll ask for those when i'm in there (hopefully next week).

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only