Advil-free for the first time in...forever?

This is going to be a somewhat girly, somewhat private issue post so boys...consider yourselves warned.  LOL

I'm sure I've mentioned my god-awful monthly cycles more than once over here.  They're short, for starters (anywhere from 18-21 days), and they're horrible.  I have the worst PMS, and the cramps put me out of commission for at least a day or two even though I usually suffer from them for the better part of a week.

Every doctor I've ever seen has told me the same thing...there's nothing I can do except eat better and exercise.  I would always roll my eyes because that just wasn't happening (at the time), so I'd choke down the maximum amount of Advil I could take every three weeks.

Well, I finally had my annual checkup after three years of not seeing a doctor.  And I love this guy.  First, he's super sweet but also no nonsense about health.  He's the one who said I need to give him 30 minutes of cardio at least three times a week.  And you know what?  I have.  More on that later.

I was afraid to tell him about my ridiculous PMS and cycles because, well, he's a man...and he can't relate.  LOL  But you know what?  He absolutely listened and asked questions and responded with a real SOLUTION.  I think it's easier to talk to a male doctor than a female doctor who has never experienced any of my woes.  Not once did he act like he thought I was making things up or exaggerating things.  He was very sympathetic and wanted to help me not have to suffer every few weeks.  lol

So he suggested the NuvaRing.  I have not been on any kind of birth control probably since college because I cannot for the life of me remember to take a damn pill every single day.  lol  Plus I was worried about the side effects, etc. so I just gave up on it.  But my doctor thought the NuvaRing would be perfect for me and suggested I give it a try.  So I did.

And this last cycle is the first time in my life that I did not have to take any kind of pain reliever to make it through the day.  My cycles have stretched out to the "normal" 28 days, and I cannot begin to tell you what a relief it was to not want to crawl into bed and cry for a full day because I was so miserable.  I used to take 800mgs of Advil every 6 hours just to help me function.  That's how bad my cramps used to be.  Child birth was a walk in the park compared to what I have to deal with every month!  :D  I felt a little crampy for a day or so but it was fine.  And I didn't need to take anything to help with the pain.

Amazing.

I don't know if it's completely related to the NuvaRing, though.  I have started walking, so the exercise might be helping, too.  It certainly can't hurt, right?  :)  This is such a huge lifestyle change for me...I have never been active.  Never played sports, never worked out regularly, etc.  So this new routine has taken a lot of discipline on my part, but I'm so glad I'm sticking with it.  I feel better, and I think I've lost around 10lbs total.  I met my first weight loss goal of sorts, and now I'm just trying to get in shape.  I like Kevin Spacey's line from American Beauty:  "I want to look good naked!"  :D

I thought adding any kind of exercise routine would be harder than changing my diet.  I am a junk food addict, and I tend to snack throughout the day.  And eat the kids' leftovers.  LOL  But walking is my quiet time and I look forward to it.  Eating salads and skipping the chips and ice cream has been much tougher than I thought.  Especially with two kiddos...and it being summertime.  But I'm doing it.  And I feel so much better for it.

Anyway, I realize this is a random update.  :D  But not taking Advil during one of my cycles is just huge.  So I had to share.  :)