The H.I Chronicles.

Welcome back to the Brave Women Unique Tales blog series. Last weekend I hosted Flower and I’m very grateful for all your responses and reactions. Flower herself was amazed by them, she appreciates and is glad she took part in this. Her story encouraged a couple of other women to open up about how they are dealing with H.I and some chronic illnesses. Thank you for trusting me with your stories and i’ll do them justice by sharing and letting the world know.

On this new episode of #BWUT we have Leila. I like how raw and honest she was while telling her story. I could feel the weight come off as she kept opening up. I’m very proud of you Leila and i hope we can continue this journey of healing and acceptance together. Ladies with similar conditions, my prayer is that you know you are not alone.

Ladies and gentlemen i present to you Leila another brave woman sharing her unique story. Enjoy!!!…

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I’m 28 years old and I struggle with hormonal imbalance.  My particular case manifests through irregular periods. When I say irregular I don’t just mean I miss a few periods here and there. I mean a totally unpredictable cycle. I can’t use those cute period tracker apps nor calendars that the average woman uses because what I have isn’t a cycle… it’s more like a roller coaster.

Anyway, since my very first period, I would go months without a period and when it did come, it would either be prolonged or quite heavy.  In S.5 I had a three week long period, went to the doctor, there was nothing wrong with me so I was given supplements and sent on my way. In S.6 vacation, I had a period so heavy, I had to change pads hourly or less. WHY MOTHER NATURE WHYY??  That time I was given an injection to stop the bleeding.

First year is when I realized something was terribly off. I was on my period on and off for 9 months. Yes, 9 months.  Let me put that in perspective…in the time that a woman conceives, carries a baby to term and  gives birth to her bouncing little one, I was on my period. During that period,  I would bleed for a month, then have a week off, three weeks, a few days off, 6 weeks, 5 days off, 8 weeks, week off and so on and so forth. My mum had to buy me a carton (who knew they even existed?) of pads.  Anyway, I visited numerous doctors, got scans and ultra sounds…but nothing was wrong with my uterus. I was then ordered to take tests to determine the state of my hormones and that’s when I found out I had hormonal imbalance. To date, I struggle, and as I write this, the red witch has been here for 21 days despite being on the contraceptive pill (which is supposed to help with menstrual regulation). I still deal with periods so heavy I resort to using pampers.  Yes, you read that right.  It’s embarrassing, and really frustrating. I hate being on my period.  The moment I find out I am, I get sad because I don’t know how long it will last, or how heavy it will be. Will it be so heavy I can’t freely leave home? Will it last longer than a month? Sometimes I’m lucky and it’s relatively light and short.  Other times, it comes at me with a vengeance.

Not many people know that I deal with hormonal imbalance, only my family, friends I’ve roomed with and two others who have the same problem.  I have only ever told one guy about my struggles. He’s a really good friend and when I told him…he didn’t react like a typical guy. He listened and empathized because his sister suffers with the same issues.  Would I tell another guy? I’m not sure I want to go through the trouble of explaining to a clueless man what I go through. Maybe if I decide to settle down, then I’d consider it.

The one positive I find in my condition is that I can go months without a period. “How is that a positive?” I hear you ask. Well, dear one, during those blood free months I relish the freedom of being dry…of being able to move around freely without constantly checking to make sure I haven’t stained myself (I once stained the light green seats of a restaurant. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me), I relish the freedom of sleeping naked, of feeling free. I dance for joy because I know that when the period does come, I’ll most likely miss those dry days. When the period comes and it’s an uncomfortable one, I try to remain positive, stay hydrated, shower as often as I need to and when it comes to an end…I rejoice! (I may or may not twerk happily) .

I wish women would talk to each other more often and openly about periods. We could be each other’s support systems, share our journeys and know that we don’t suffer alone. I once had an impromptu period discussion with friends. We found that most of us did not have “normal periods” and it felt good to talk to people who get it. We all left feeling lighter.  I’ve also had really great support from my mother who worries about me more than I worry about myself. She’s always looking for solutions for me…she never ceases to take an interest in my health especially regarding my period and I love her for that. My friends and siblings have always been understanding  and supportive, which makes everything easier to deal with. Also , music. Ladies , never underestimate the power of music to make you feel better.

If you struggle with hormonal imbalance, I hope reading this let’s you know you’re not alone.

Sending love and hugs your way, Leila.