DISCLAIMER: Men (if there are any that read this blog of mine that is) this may or may not have a little TMI and talk of girlie stuff with a side of CF.

I have mentioned before how my periods affect my lungs every month.  Well this month my “lady parts” decided to go off on a tangent and not obey the rules at all.  I am not a fan of “lady parts,” or at least my internal “lady parts.” Let me explain why I dislike them so much.  I promise there is a little bit of CF in this post too.

My last period proved to be the worst I have had in a long time.  It’s not every time I have a period where I make a mess of multiple underwear, pants and even a seat in the car!  It was brutal to say the least.  After that lovely period I went to the doctor to get started on birth control pills in hopes to make the periods much lighter or even to stop.  We decided on a pill that only had estrogen in it and to do 3 months straight with no sugar pills which would make me not have a period for 3 months.  I started it at the beginning of my next period therefore I didn’t have a fully fledged period.

Fast forward 15 days… I started to have spotting and cramps.  I should not have been bleeding yet.  If I were to have had a “normal” period, I shouldn’t have started a period until next week. I have been having horrendous cramps that have made me contemplate going to the ER or urgent care.  I went back to the doctor on Friday after cramping horribly for 6 days. She changed the birth control pill to estrodil which has progesterone in it as well as estrogen. She said the hope was that it would make the cramping and bleeding slow and eventually stop. If it didn’t then she would refer me to a gynecologist.  I also got a shot of Toradol in the butt for the pain. It did eventually dull the pain a bit.  I tried to keep moving when sitting and standing by swaying trying to trick my mind into not focusing on the pain.

The cramps and bleeding continued through the weekend. Monday morning I went to the doctors office at 8am asking for that referral to the gynecologist and for another shot or Toradol.  The office called yesterday to let me know when my appointment was scheduled for.  My appointment is Tuesday the 24th. Yep, 2 weeks away!!

I called to see if there were any sooner appointments and was told the first available was after the first of the year. Ok then, I’ll keep my appointment on the 24th.  So with that news I sit and wait, trying to stay on top of the pain.   Oh and yep, still bleeding too. Today makes 11 days including the first few days of spotting. Yay me!

What is the gynecologist going to do for me?  I may need a uterine ablation which is where they laser/freeze/burn off the top lining of your uterus. After which I may not have a period anymore. Sign me up! Haha just kidding unless it is what ends up needing to be done. I’m just ready for this to be over with.

I am not on birth control pills because we need the protection because my tubes are tied. I need my period/fluctuating hormones to stop messing with my lungs.  My period very much messes with the way the mucus is produced and the thickness which also messes with the bugs that are hanging out in my lungs. It makes them act up so to speak.  So we shall see what the gynecologist says.

If you made it this far in the post, thank you for sticking it out. Haha This issue is very much tied to my CF.

Here are some statistics about being a female CF patient:

CF occurs equally as often in men and women.  The severity of symptoms do vary in men and women.  Girls have more difficulty with meeting growth milestones and experience more lung-related problems compared to boys.  Due to these more severe symptoms, women with CF have shorter life expectancies than men.  It is estimated that men with CF live 4 to 5 years longer than women with CF.  Girls under the age of 20 have a 60% greater chance of dying due to CF complications compared to males. Girls appear to develop lung infections earlier in life than boys, which leads to more severe CF complications and even death. Girls also appear to have greater difficulty maintaining a healthy body weight after puberty compared to males, which places girls at a greater risk for CF complications. It appears that this gender gap can narrow if girls are provided with more intensive medical care.  Girls and woman who receive regular IV antibiotics, regardless of their condition, have improved survival rates.

Now that you had a little lesson on CF related hormones issues and all of those statistics. I hope I haven’t confused you. If I have then please comment and ask question. If I have seemed MIA lately, it is because my “lady parts” have had me down for the count and feeling like I’m birthing my uterus. Hahaha

thank you for reading and showing your love and support.

Until next time….