Period time is hell!

Mine were just annoying to deal with one more thing down there. Have you talked to your GYN? Hope you feel better.

YES. My daughter has very bad periods. The cramps and pelvic pain is terrible she tells me, and I believe it, she has a high tolerance to pain.
Hope you feel better.

I suffered from terrible periods post surgeries but they started worsening after I had my third child almost 4 years ago (also post j-pouch). I am now almost 42 (bday next week), and over the past two years or so my periods were almost unbearable. The pain and heaviness were incredible. I always became anemic, bled like a stuck pig and felt like my uterus was falling out I had so much pain. I'm not sure of your age or child bearing status, but if you have had at least one child and are not planning to get pregnant anytime soon I would highly recommend the Mirena IUD. I had it placed in November 2011 and I now hardly have periods at all! It has been a miracle for me. I have a wonderful Gyno who suggested it and it. It has very little hormone and is localized to the cervical/ovarian area instead of being a systemic drug. It is a great alternative to the pill, or something permanent like an endometrial ablation.

I believe you can get it even if you have never had children, it may just be more difficult to insert due to having to dilate the cervix slightly.

Just thought I'd mention that. If you want more info, feel free to PM me.

Alex

Pouch surgery and periods are old enemies...seems that a lot of us have extreme periods and severe pain or pms...yup, abdominal surgery can do that and being that your pouch is pushed up against the region you get a double wammy. A lot of us get wattery diareaha, heavyess, feelings like your uterus/pouch are so heavy that they want to fall out of your body. Mild anti inflamatories, heating pads, bedrest and massage can help.
Sharon

Initially my pouch acted up quite a bit before my periods. I'd get severe cramping (which was was different than normal menstrual cramps in that the pouch felt like it was cramping too), increased frequency, more watery bms, spams, etc, etc. I refer to it as "pouch PMS." I have to say, though, that it has gradually gotten more bearable over the years since my takedown. That's not to say the symptoms have disappeared. I still tend to get more watery bms and higher frequency around my period, but the cramping and spasms have improved. Maybe there is more hope over time?

That said, even in the "normal" population, many women do experience diarrhea associated with their periods. I think for us it's probably just more pronounced.

I haven't had my takedown yet, but I know that when I had ulcerative colitis, my period wreaked havoc on my disease - all my symptoms always got worse, and pain/cramping was unbearable.

This may be a solution some people aren't interested in, but the right BIRTH CONTROL PILL can really help totally solve this problem! Right now I'm on a pill that is meant to reduce the intensity, symptoms, and frequency of menstruation. So basically I only menstruate every three months now, which is awesome, and when I do it is very light (I only use the small tampons now), only lasting three or four days, with little to no PMS effects like bloating, mood swing, or cramping.

This pill has been a life-saver, and even if I was never sexually active again, I would stay on it just to control my period! It also has the added benefit of making my complexion outstanding - no more adult acne, period. I can even go days on end without washing my face without a single blemish.

Just a thought...

I take the pill...it really helped and it really helped my body not have bad jpouch days right before, during and after my period.

I agree about birth control. My periods were out of control with frequency and intensity, and even though there is no danger of me getting pregnant, at 43 years old I just went back on birth control. I use the nuva ring as it is a lower dose of hormones than any of the pills.

My periods are horrible. feel totally bloated, my system gets extra acidic and the rectal soars hurt so bad i can barely walk. once my period is done they go away like they werent even there