pain/periods

valval

heard that america did not used to test pain meds on females as there tolerance to pain changes depending on what part of the month they r on??? . could be something in it most of the month manage with little pain meds but once a month have to take lots more lol

snowball

I'm the same Val, I asked if it could affect my r/a and they said no. But i beg to differ.

Julie

valval

yep me to strange isnt it they also said poeple can with stand more pain if in nice suroundings (it was not april 1st honest) so oh going to have to decorate lol and buy me lovely paintings

wibberley

Am always worse with pain around that time of the month. I think it's something to do with our oestrogen levels?

Lois x

cthornley

valval wrote:

yep me to strange isnt it they also said poeple can with stand more pain if in nice suroundings (it was not april 1st honest) so oh going to have to decorate lol and buy me lovely paintings

I am an architect and I can confirm there has been extensive research regarding recovery times and pain levels with regards to your surroundings ( My thesis project was a neuro-rehabilitiation hospital so I wrote extensively on the subject). Some of the best research and guidance has been published by the NHS design centre...its just a pity it is consistently ignored by the NHS especially in PFI hospitals where consideration is seen as an unnecessary expense

I also think my RA is a little less bearable at that time of the month , I don't see why it wouldn't be affected as when your pregnant the hormones can affect your disease, its just not a consistent effect so I think it often gets dismissed...btw I was told when I was in labour that I had a ridiculously high pain threshold and that was probably from being used to being in pain all the time with my RA....so I guess thats a plus side - possibly
:?

valval

thanks for replys does seem this way to me always feel better on holiday wandering near the sea in the sun lol do you think the nhs will send me for few weeks lol

speedalong

Hi, yes I think my pain is worse when I'm on my periods too. Bet docs who dismiss it are blokes!! My appetite and desire to snack is affected by where I am in my cycle.

Stress affects my pain levels, or rather my tolerance to pain.

I always feel better (even if the process has made me ache all over) when I have had a tidy up.

Pity the NHS don't often consider the affect of the environment on patient wellbeing and recovery ... a new hospital has built recently on the otherside of our city and this is meant to do just that - but now one seems willing to spend money on the older ones.

When S was in hospital - he didn't even have 2 proper pillows - one of them was folded blanket in a pillow case!! The curtains didn't properly cover the windows and one was missing ... (I'm getting sidetracked here ...)

Speedalong

rach1986

I have OA in my wrist and I get a lot more pain the week before and the week of my period, I think its to do with hormones and bloating, I really hate it. Us women are cursed aren't we, lol

valval

it the week before mine as well thought it was in my head to start with lol

woodbine

valval wrote:

it the week before mine as well thought it was in my head to start with lol

When I was first diagnosed with OA, my GP told me that when pain is worse just before and during a period it's a good indication that it's caused by arthritis, rather then being a muscular problem. This is because, as most women won't need to be told, the body retains extra fluid at this time of the month. This includes a tiny amount more in the joint capsules. For most people this can't be felt. However, for those of us with tender, damaged and/or inflamed joints, the tiny bit of extra pressure that results causes noticably more pain. He said that it's particularly noticeable in small joints, such as fingers, where it only takes a small amount of extra fluid to increase the pressure quite a bit - that's certainly true in my experience!

So Valval, it's definately not all in the mind!

Naomi

speedalong

That's interesting Naomi - always amazes me that some GPs/consultants etc tell you these useful and interesting nuggets of information and some don't ...

Speedalong

valval

why not tell us it helps if you know why things r happening less scary they treat us like kids some times

hels78

One of the specialist nurses at my hospital did a study on this a few years back and I was one of her guinea pigs!
I had to record the dates of my period and how I felt during this time. I also had to call her when my period started and she came to visit me at home to check joints etc.
She concluded that there was a link between womens cycles and increased pain and swelling.

valval

thanks great knowing that they know but do not bother telling us as if we need to know such things lol.