What?!? You too!!!

Opening Scene: two thirteen yr olds, a backyard pool, lying on big floaties, feeling fly.

WHAT?!? YOU TOO!!! Oh, my goodness. What a relief it was to hear that one of my best friends at the time had JUST got her period at the same time. We even high-five'd over it. It was like we had just entered some secret club. We're so cool. We talked about what our symptoms were, how and when it happened. The most important part for me was that she could relate to what I was feeling. Phew. So, no big deal right?

Well, speed ahead 2 years. Grade 9. Things start to change. And, well, not for the better....at least...

By this point I have been awarded my 2 year club member pin. My periods were consistently irregular, hella painful and would last a week on average. "Average" being the key word here. I cannot exactly recall how the conversation went down, but I do recall my mother talking to me and suggesting that it was a good idea for me to think about going on the pill. (I remember this being a "BIG DEAL" between my friends and I around this time. We were always talking about our periods, how they made us feel, etc.) I told her I was okay with the idea so long as I could see a female doctor.

When the day finally came to meet with my new family doctor, I remember being nervous but hopeful at the possibility of gaining relief from the pain I had been experiencing. She seemed kind, caring and listened to mom's and my concerns about my pain. She suggested that I should start on birth control to help relieve some of the cramping pain. She handed me a sample of pills and explained that it would be very important to take it at the same time once a day, every day, for 28 days, then start a new package. She also recommended aleve for my cramps. I left feeling hopeful and a bit scared considering I had never taken pills before. But, through my friend network, I gained a helpful tip that helped me learn to swallow pills. I had just entered the big leagues now. Wow. Look at me levelling up now. Becoming a woman.

BUT WAIT! There's more.

For interests sake, fast forward again to high-school. So, I continue through high-school with more regular periods BUT that are still VERY PAINFUL. Year after year, pain slowly increasing. I attend college and university, yep, you guessed it, and have regular periods but the pain continues to build. I continue to go back and see my family doctor and continue to complain about my periods. "I have really bad cramps and sometimes I feel nauseous or my thighs ache." Same response, time and time again. "Well, that can be normal." Suggestions were constantly the same, "have you tried heat? have you tried midol? aleve? are you getting enough rest? drinking enough fluids?" She suggested I try changing my birth control pill one summer in hopes that it would help my symptoms. I agreed, and unfortunately I had some really bad adverse side effects. I got really angry all the time, very emotional, and felt that my hands were hot and burning. I felt like I wanted to smash and break plates all the time. I felt like I was spinning out of control. Thank goodness for my mom again who stepped in and advocated for me. She strongly suggested I change back to the previous birth control medication.

It was after that summer I realized that I had hit a defining moment. The challenge that I was facing was not something simple, it was complex. And it was going to take time and perseverance to get a direct answer of just exactly what was happening in my body.