by Mindy L. Wallace

Created on: November 13, 2008

"The pain she is having is all in her head." I will never forget those words as long as I live. This is what my OBGYN told my husband while I was still under anesthesia for a D & C. Making this his 3rd surgery on me within 2 years.

Most women remember the day they got their first period. I can recall my mom getting so excited the day I got mine. I was 13, and we were getting ready to go to the mall. I wasn't feeling well, but I wasn't about to turn down a free shopping trip. My mother knew I was at that age, so she insisted I bring along a pad just-in-case. As I walked around the mall, I remember having the sudden feeling like I was wetting my pants. I ran to the lady's room, and I was relieved to find out my bladder was still in tact. However, when I saw the pool of scarlet fluid on my white cotton undies, I couldn't wait to tell my mom. "Guess what mom? I GOT MY PERIOD!" I don't know who was more excited, me or my mom. We celebrated my newfound womanhood with some tears and a chocolate shake.

My elated "hormonal high" lasted about sixty minutes. That's when I began cramping so bad, I begged my mom to take me home so I could lie down. From then on, my periods were pretty regular. They were always 28 days apart, but lasted longer than normal: 7 to 10 days. I had never experienced such intense pain. What made it even worse was the fact that my flow was always heavier than normal. Some months I would go through 2 boxes of sanitary napkins. Back then, there was no such thing as "PMS" (Pre-menstrual syndrome) or Advil or Midol. All you could get over the counter was Tylenol or aspirin. Neither did much but take the edge off. From then on, I would spend several days per month doubled up in my bed with a heating pad, sobbing until the pain subsided.

As the years wore on, my mother began to get a tad annoyed with me each month. I was a physically fit, healthy child, except for when it came to my monthly cycle. No one she knew, (including herself) ever complained about cramps the way I did. As I became a young adult, I remember telling my mom, "I bet this is how it feels to be in labor." She fluffed that one off since I had obviously never given birth. That's when I began to feel isolated. None of my friends had this problem, why did I?

I would have to say, in my mom's defense: Back in the 1970s, there was no World Wide Web, or internet one could easily access for information. The few women's magazines on the market were still G-rated in photos and light subject matter.

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