fuck this.

[cimorene]

This month's presents from my reproductive system: a whole 3½ days of hormone migraines and a pimple on my lower lip that's radiating so much pain despite several applications of aloe that I keep forgetting I don't have a canker sore and a tooth falling out. It's like extra-SUPER-powered pain for no logical reason - much like a hormone migraine in fact.

Apropos of which, I know that often hormone migraines can be ameliorated by taking painkillers a few days in advance, but in practice I have never managed to be organized enough to keep track of which day that would be because that would require planning ahead and I frequently don't even know which day of the week it is. Perhaps some sort of alarm system on my calendar, but I'd be stymied again by the fact that you can't buy more than like 30 pain pills at a time in Finland and they're ridiculously expensive. I stocked up on ibuprofen when I visited my parents, but I didn't bother with aspirin or acetominophen/paracetamol.

Now trying to decide what to watch while I attempt to finish crocheting these fingerless gloves for my sister. All that's left are the thumbs. (I hate the thumbs.)

Comments

[gwyn]

You have my extreme sympathy. I've been going through the lovely menopause years and having some similar experiences, which is embittering because I thought that with the periods mostly ending, I wouldn't have the hormone migraines anymore, but apparently the universe isn't done fucking with me. Do you have any witch hazel? That might help the lower lip. Those things DO hurt really bad -- you have so many more nerves on lips than other parts of your face.

[cimorene]

I should look into it! I have been meaning to go to the little organic-health-stuff shop I know about in search of some tea tree oil ointment anyway, but I keep forgetting because they're out of the way and keep funny hours.

In other news, I'm definitely distressed by your news about hormone migraines not cutting off at menopause. :| I didn't get them at all until a few years ago, and they seem to be getting more or less worse - or at least more frequent - so I can probably expect them to continue becoming more problematic with time. Greeeeaaat.

[gwyn]

I meant to respond to this sooner... arg. I might be pretty unusual in the migraines dept. -- and also, in the menopause dept. I was talking one time with some of the other folks in the local slash crowd and they were discussing hot flashes, and I said that I'd never had a hot flash (and I still get the occasional period; they haven't totally stopped just yet, sadly) and one person said, "Bitch!" but I told her I'd trade her hot flashes and night sweats for migraines any day. I still get the migraines on rare occasions when it isn't hormone-related, but it might also have to do with the fact that I delayed menopause probably longer than my body meant to because I was taking birth control pills for many, many years, and hadn't realized my body was ready to stop (for medical reasons -- I definitely didn't need them for birth control!). So hopefully you won't have to deal with anything like that, if your body naturally heads into menopause the way it should.

[laughingrat]

Ugh, sorry about the hormone-related BS. Gloves are cute, though.