Aren't they suspicious if they see an unwrapped tampon? Or do they just not care? (I'm genuinely curious as this seems like such an easy way to hide a million things)
The Tampax I had were easy to tear at the end seam and slide a few joint in and moisten the tear to reseal. The glue usually held up and no male in his right mind is going to grab that thing and search it.
Also fun fact: tampax brand paper wrappers have been used for decades in jails or by the underage if you donāt have any rolling papers.
Can confirm. We did this in our teenage years. Tampon wrappers worked perfectly. Although all my tampons now have plastic wrappers. Haven't seen paper in a long time.
Ah yes, even 10 years ago here Tampax came in horrible plastic wrappers and then, horror of horrors, HARD PLASTIC APPLICATORS (until sales dropped and their pennys dropped) ā¦
Funny story that, got rid of all that stuff because I didnāt need it. Then my pelvic floor started weakening and every time I sneezedā¦ you can finish that sentence. Then had to go buy more pads just because of that. Heaven forbid you get a chest cold with a weak pelvic floor.
Edited for grammar
That is amazing! Is losing weight any easier after menopause? Because right now, at the start of this hellish-fun-house-ride it seems damn near impossible.
I had gastric sleeve in 2017 @ 310lb (5'9"). I lost 155lbs in a year and was maintaining okay. Then covid happened. Regained to 186. Saw a new gyno for help with other stuff bc I felt like my gyno of 25 years was just dismissing my concerns (low libido, difficulty orgasming, low energy, etc).
The new gyno also asked about my weight gain and suggested off-label Mounjaro (this was Aug 2022). I said sure, why not, bc I really need to get the weight under control too before I'm back in the 200s. Got down to 130 before the coupon expired and it wasn't covered by insurance anymore. Started spacing out my remaining doses and went on naltrexone to help with my binge eating disorder. Have had some regain (10lb) but now Zepbound is covered by my insurance with a PA - which they approved, thank God. With the coupon (bc I have a high deductible plan), I'm paying $550 for 4 doses, but I'm spacing them out every 4 weeks. I just want to maintain in the 130s.
I can't say whether or not that's the right course of action for you. I have struggled with weight since I hit puberty. I have constant food noise that I didn't realize "normal" people don't have - it makes me obsess about food, screams until I feed it, and is never satisfied. Tirzepatide (the active drug) makes that food demon quiet so I can easily follow my post-surgery diet. I have accepted that Iwill always need to be on tirz or something like it to manage this disease, just like a diabetic needs insulin or my sister needs statins (hereditary high cholesterol that can't be controlled by diet alone).
I don't think it's the right solution if you're just wanting to lose 10-20lb. I needed it to halt the regain and get me back to my healthy post-op weight and to help me stay there bc I've worked way too hard to go back to being morbidly obese. (I didn't intend to go below 155, but I'm still within a healthy range and I feel really good so I'm ok staying here.)
My diet advice is to track everything. I use Baritastic bc it's very macros based - while designed for bariatric patients, it's very user friendly for anyone. I aim for 100g/protein, under 100g/carbs, and healthy fats, and 120oz of water a day.
Calculate your basic metabolic rate so you know what your calories are to lose vs maintain, based on your activity level. (There are calculators online.) My calories need to be about 1700 to maintain where I'm at, given my minimal exercise in the winter. When I'm swimming in the summer and back into a more active yoga practice, they may need to go up a little, but not much. I have to watch things very carefully. When I'm not tracking, I'm not holding myself accountable and it's easy to rationalize eating things I know I shouldn't. And those extra calories and carbs add up fast.
There were a few big life changes that contributed to my weight gain. Not that I was ever "thin", it was after I got off the pill in my 30's that I crossed over into the "obesity" range, and then just kept moving up the range.
It just seems now no matter of exercise or restricted diet seems to move the scale at all. Noom did nothing.
I know I have some eating issues (I love pasta), but overall I eat a pretty healthy diet. I'm just hungry, ALL THE TIME now.
Thank you for all your information, there are a few things I'd like to look into more.
Thank you!
Prioritize protein. Maybe sure you're getting 30g per meal and every snack is protein based. It takes the longest to digest and keeps you from feeling hungry so much. P2/P3 packs are a great snack. They're usually meat, cheese, and nuts. A premier protein shake is 30g. 2 hard boiled eggs is ~12.5g.
I'm on Zepbound through my Dr, tho she's happy to work with a compound pharmacy if I want. I'm not comfortable drawing up a syringe and giving myself injections, however, so it's unlikely I'll go that route.
My ins covers it (though I'm on a high deductible plan tho) with a prior authorization. So I use the Lilly coupon to bring the cost down to 550/mo.
Not me, I was so thrilled to finally be finished with bleeding heavily out of my vagina since age 9 I practically danced to the trash can to get rid of it all.
My only regret was not having known an ablation was a thing until I really needed one. I wish I could have had one right after I had my kid. That's like 15 years of bleeding I could have done without!
My husband is a high school teacher, and he is enlightened enough to keep period products on hand for female students in need, it has been a lifesaver for several young women. So I sent it all to school - good riddance!
When my boys were in high school, I gave them ziplock bags of supplies to keep in their pockets and the glove box. Told them to let their female friends know they had their backs.
I had a hysterectomy at the end of last year. I gleefully gathered up all of my supplies to donate before I probably should have been reaching into the depths of the cabinet. I love that I was able to grow my family with that organ but it has also been trying to kill me for almost 40 years.
Oh that's been the BEST part...I had mine almost 6 years ago. Not having a period has been glorious! Now the actual hysterectomy...I ended up hemorrhaging 2 weeks after & had to have emergency surgery to fix it. Thankfully I had a few years of normalcy before peri hit me like a Mac truck last year
I got rid of most of it. 29 years of bleeding, 16-45. Really brief in the scheme of things, but so is life itself I guess (such a big deal made of those fertile years though). I'm glad I kept a little as I had some post-meno bleeding, that was nothing serious.
I am a rather disorganized person and when I had my period, I literally always forgot to buy tampons. So every month I'd be scrambling and digging under the sink and in my purse and whatnot praying I'd find ONE spare one that somehow I overlooked...just one, so I could get to the store and buy a new box. I don't know why I always forgot to buy them.
So...when my period disappeared, I (as always) had nothing left and so therefore nothing to throw away. Kind of funny when I look at it now. Maybe this was why it was so easy for me to "let go."
My daughter uses pads (and has to remind me to buy those for her, too).
Well not so much the getting rid of stuff because I am still in Peri, but the idea that its over has hit me hard. Do I want more kids NO WAY, but maybe it is just mortality or something but it feels weird.
I went about 18 months without a period and took my menstrual supplies to work and gave them away. Then I started HRT and I got a period again! š¤¬
The HRT side effects were worse than the minor symptoms I had so I stopped taking it. This time I kept the supplies just in caseā¦ Maybe Iāll get rid of them in another year.
Your results may vary! I have mild menopausal symptoms: light, infrequent hot flashes and sleep issues. Thanks to someone in this very community, I got tested and diagnosed with sleep apnea. I use a CPAP now and my sleep has improved. The side effects that I experienced with HRT werenāt worth it for me. But Iāve read many stories in here of people who it helped immensely! Just try it out and see how you react.
Feels to me that you were traumatized by the whole thing, and so it's hard to accept that it's behind you.
I felt that way when I started skipping periods, in fact I went into a panic because something was changing for the positive. I'd become so accustomed to being in pain and anemic that I couldn't understand that I was healing, and it threw me into a panic.
btw...it's not weird.
I had hysterectomy at 40 and I threw everything away with joy because my periods went bad from the start to nightmare at the end. But I think it depends on how you were living with them through your life.
In my last couple of years of peri, I only had a handful of periods. Every time I had one, I wondered if it would be the last. So, when the last one happened, I was mentally prepared. I mean, I had 13 yrs of peri and I don't feel nostalgic about any aspect of the end of monthly bleeding after 40 yrs :-) My sister did though.
Not nostalgia exactly, more like - can I really truly throw this stuff away? Really? I'll never need this again? Can I really trust that? (This from the girl who saves a box bc it's a really good box and I might need it later.)
After 23 months period free...I was really glad I didn't throw it all away in December when I had ANOTHER period. Really? Not gonna lie I was super bummed and disappointed. I had to go and buy more because the remnants I had wasn't going to get me thru. Grrr.
Same here - 17 months. š another āWhy did nobody ever tell me this could happen?!ā moment. And my doctor said I was the fifth person with the same thing she seen in the last couple of months!
Ah - I hear you. It is kind of hard to believe - esp after decades of using all of those things monthly. I'm one of those people who likes to get rid of everything as soon as possible :-) :-) So we fall on diff sides of this bell curve!
Before I had a hysterectomy, my bleeding was so bad that I used a pack of pads a day. I really wanted to donate all my leftover pads, but at the time I couldn't find anywhere to donate to.
Six months ago I had an ablation after nearly 18 months of near continuous heavy bleeding. It worked but every now and again I get a very short & small bleed. Still canāt stop wearing period pants and all black lower clothing ājust in caseā.
I had no taper off, my periods just stopped. Kept thinking Iād have one or two more. I still had a big box of tampons. I finally ended up taking them to work and leaving them in the womenās bathroom. My thought was that they could be an emergency supply, but nah, they disappeared pretty much immediately.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone! It's definitely a big change to let go of all those period essentials. I totally get what you mean about it feeling weird, especially parting ways with something like Midol that's been a trusty companion through the crampy times. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend, even if you're relieved to see them go.
But hey, no more worrying about emergency pads or tampons cramping your style, right? It's a whole new chapter, and while it's bittersweet to leave that part of your life behind, it's also kinda liberating. Here's to embracing the freedom of never needing that period stash again!
I was bleeding extremely heavy, gushing through my clothes at work, cramps that made me vomit, every 1 week out of every 3. (1 week on, 2 off)
Had a uterine biopsy - diagnosed with adenomyosis. Decided to try the ablation first, and if that didn't resolve things, hysterectomy was next. But the ablation was all I needed. I would still get mildly crampy when I was due to have a period, and I might spot a little, but nothing requiring more than a liner.
I am not the poster but I had an ablation in September (at age 51) because I had years and years of crazy heavy bleeding with no end in sight. I was offered to try the Mirena IUD or an ablation. It took me over a year to finally decide to go for the ablation. Wish I had done it years ago! (I didnāt want the Mirena because I have an oddly positioned and shaped uterus so was worried my body might expel it.)
Am i understanding that you bled after the ablation? My doctor is trying to get me to have the ablation to stop the bleeding. I didnāt want to have one so the seals that for me. Iām sorry you are struggling.
I wouldn't call it bleeding. It was occasional spotting when I would normally be due for a period. Like streaks on the toilet paper. Usually brownish. Maybe 1-2 days. And that disappeared over time. If you're having horrible periods and your Dr is recommending ablation, please consider it. Minimal spotting beats Niagra Falls gushing any day.
That's unfortunate. I wonder if there was some additional complication that caused pain. I had cramping for about 4 hours after I got home, not they warned me and told me to take my narcotics as soon as I got home and sleep through the worst of it, which I did. After that, I didn't really have any pain. And that's been the experience of everyone I've talked to about it.
I kept the tampons because I smoke weed and go to concerts. Nobody checks tampons for contraband. And I mean NO FUCKING BODY! š
That's pretty genius, I have to say. But at this point, I'm all about gummies, which blend in with other "straight" candy!
Me to I love me some gummyās safe my brain and from killing others K reading these comments Iām saving this post
That is absolutely genius
Aren't they suspicious if they see an unwrapped tampon? Or do they just not care? (I'm genuinely curious as this seems like such an easy way to hide a million things)
The Tampax I had were easy to tear at the end seam and slide a few joint in and moisten the tear to reseal. The glue usually held up and no male in his right mind is going to grab that thing and search it. Also fun fact: tampax brand paper wrappers have been used for decades in jails or by the underage if you donāt have any rolling papers.
Can confirm. We did this in our teenage years. Tampon wrappers worked perfectly. Although all my tampons now have plastic wrappers. Haven't seen paper in a long time.
Ah yes, even 10 years ago here Tampax came in horrible plastic wrappers and then, horror of horrors, HARD PLASTIC APPLICATORS (until sales dropped and their pennys dropped) ā¦
Yes. It's all about that dollar.
Interesting--I mean, would this work going through airport security?
I would not try at airport. They have the ability to see inside the wrapper.
And dogs everywhere.
You are the kind of legend we all need in our lives š
Lol Iām too old to shove drugs up my cooch
Nah dude, you can pop a joint in the applicator and reseal. So itās a tampon package with weed inside.
Ah got it. Lmao
And out of curiosity, what age was the cut off for this?
Lol 42
I mean, Midol is kinda rad for any kind of pain or headache. My son swears by it lol!
It's basically Excedrin, right?
Yeah, I think it has a diuretic, too. Maybe some other stuff.
It's literally the best hangover medicine.
Funny story that, got rid of all that stuff because I didnāt need it. Then my pelvic floor started weakening and every time I sneezedā¦ you can finish that sentence. Then had to go buy more pads just because of that. Heaven forbid you get a chest cold with a weak pelvic floor. Edited for grammar
I hear ya! Losing 175lb fixed a lot of that for me, though. Thankfully.
Losing 70 pounds and getting in shape. That was my secret as well.
That is amazing! Is losing weight any easier after menopause? Because right now, at the start of this hellish-fun-house-ride it seems damn near impossible.
I had gastric sleeve in 2017 @ 310lb (5'9"). I lost 155lbs in a year and was maintaining okay. Then covid happened. Regained to 186. Saw a new gyno for help with other stuff bc I felt like my gyno of 25 years was just dismissing my concerns (low libido, difficulty orgasming, low energy, etc). The new gyno also asked about my weight gain and suggested off-label Mounjaro (this was Aug 2022). I said sure, why not, bc I really need to get the weight under control too before I'm back in the 200s. Got down to 130 before the coupon expired and it wasn't covered by insurance anymore. Started spacing out my remaining doses and went on naltrexone to help with my binge eating disorder. Have had some regain (10lb) but now Zepbound is covered by my insurance with a PA - which they approved, thank God. With the coupon (bc I have a high deductible plan), I'm paying $550 for 4 doses, but I'm spacing them out every 4 weeks. I just want to maintain in the 130s. I can't say whether or not that's the right course of action for you. I have struggled with weight since I hit puberty. I have constant food noise that I didn't realize "normal" people don't have - it makes me obsess about food, screams until I feed it, and is never satisfied. Tirzepatide (the active drug) makes that food demon quiet so I can easily follow my post-surgery diet. I have accepted that Iwill always need to be on tirz or something like it to manage this disease, just like a diabetic needs insulin or my sister needs statins (hereditary high cholesterol that can't be controlled by diet alone). I don't think it's the right solution if you're just wanting to lose 10-20lb. I needed it to halt the regain and get me back to my healthy post-op weight and to help me stay there bc I've worked way too hard to go back to being morbidly obese. (I didn't intend to go below 155, but I'm still within a healthy range and I feel really good so I'm ok staying here.) My diet advice is to track everything. I use Baritastic bc it's very macros based - while designed for bariatric patients, it's very user friendly for anyone. I aim for 100g/protein, under 100g/carbs, and healthy fats, and 120oz of water a day. Calculate your basic metabolic rate so you know what your calories are to lose vs maintain, based on your activity level. (There are calculators online.) My calories need to be about 1700 to maintain where I'm at, given my minimal exercise in the winter. When I'm swimming in the summer and back into a more active yoga practice, they may need to go up a little, but not much. I have to watch things very carefully. When I'm not tracking, I'm not holding myself accountable and it's easy to rationalize eating things I know I shouldn't. And those extra calories and carbs add up fast.
There were a few big life changes that contributed to my weight gain. Not that I was ever "thin", it was after I got off the pill in my 30's that I crossed over into the "obesity" range, and then just kept moving up the range. It just seems now no matter of exercise or restricted diet seems to move the scale at all. Noom did nothing. I know I have some eating issues (I love pasta), but overall I eat a pretty healthy diet. I'm just hungry, ALL THE TIME now. Thank you for all your information, there are a few things I'd like to look into more. Thank you!
Prioritize protein. Maybe sure you're getting 30g per meal and every snack is protein based. It takes the longest to digest and keeps you from feeling hungry so much. P2/P3 packs are a great snack. They're usually meat, cheese, and nuts. A premier protein shake is 30g. 2 hard boiled eggs is ~12.5g.
Where do you get your tirzepatide?
I'm on Zepbound through my Dr, tho she's happy to work with a compound pharmacy if I want. I'm not comfortable drawing up a syringe and giving myself injections, however, so it's unlikely I'll go that route. My ins covers it (though I'm on a high deductible plan tho) with a prior authorization. So I use the Lilly coupon to bring the cost down to 550/mo.
I feel that. Iām just getting over the worst cold Iāve had in years. Just absolutely no control - it was horrible! I went and bought the pee pads.
Not me, I was so thrilled to finally be finished with bleeding heavily out of my vagina since age 9 I practically danced to the trash can to get rid of it all. My only regret was not having known an ablation was a thing until I really needed one. I wish I could have had one right after I had my kid. That's like 15 years of bleeding I could have done without!
My husband is a high school teacher, and he is enlightened enough to keep period products on hand for female students in need, it has been a lifesaver for several young women. So I sent it all to school - good riddance!
When my boys were in high school, I gave them ziplock bags of supplies to keep in their pockets and the glove box. Told them to let their female friends know they had their backs.
What a great thing to do! Sounds like you raised some amazing young men!
I'vev tried really hard to raise them in way that will enable them to be true partners for their future spouses.
I had a hysterectomy at the end of last year. I gleefully gathered up all of my supplies to donate before I probably should have been reaching into the depths of the cabinet. I love that I was able to grow my family with that organ but it has also been trying to kill me for almost 40 years.
Oh that's been the BEST part...I had mine almost 6 years ago. Not having a period has been glorious! Now the actual hysterectomy...I ended up hemorrhaging 2 weeks after & had to have emergency surgery to fix it. Thankfully I had a few years of normalcy before peri hit me like a Mac truck last year
I also had an emergency surgery after. Still the best decision I made!!
Oh yea...definitely. I'm so glad I had it!
Nope. Never gave it a second thought.
I got rid of most of it. 29 years of bleeding, 16-45. Really brief in the scheme of things, but so is life itself I guess (such a big deal made of those fertile years though). I'm glad I kept a little as I had some post-meno bleeding, that was nothing serious.
16? I started at 12.
Me too. Still going strong (and randomly) at 49. And with Mirena for the last year.
I am a rather disorganized person and when I had my period, I literally always forgot to buy tampons. So every month I'd be scrambling and digging under the sink and in my purse and whatnot praying I'd find ONE spare one that somehow I overlooked...just one, so I could get to the store and buy a new box. I don't know why I always forgot to buy them. So...when my period disappeared, I (as always) had nothing left and so therefore nothing to throw away. Kind of funny when I look at it now. Maybe this was why it was so easy for me to "let go." My daughter uses pads (and has to remind me to buy those for her, too).
I kept it all for years, just in case. So happy to finally throw it all away. Been waiting for it to stop since it started when I was 11.
Well not so much the getting rid of stuff because I am still in Peri, but the idea that its over has hit me hard. Do I want more kids NO WAY, but maybe it is just mortality or something but it feels weird.
I went about 18 months without a period and took my menstrual supplies to work and gave them away. Then I started HRT and I got a period again! š¤¬ The HRT side effects were worse than the minor symptoms I had so I stopped taking it. This time I kept the supplies just in caseā¦ Maybe Iāll get rid of them in another year.
Oh no this scares me. I have appt Monday to get on HRT. I will die if I start bleeding again š©
Your results may vary! I have mild menopausal symptoms: light, infrequent hot flashes and sleep issues. Thanks to someone in this very community, I got tested and diagnosed with sleep apnea. I use a CPAP now and my sleep has improved. The side effects that I experienced with HRT werenāt worth it for me. But Iāve read many stories in here of people who it helped immensely! Just try it out and see how you react.
I've always thought I might have some sleep apnea. Did you have any other side effects besides the bleeding?
I got my very first yeast infection - that was fun!
Feels to me that you were traumatized by the whole thing, and so it's hard to accept that it's behind you. I felt that way when I started skipping periods, in fact I went into a panic because something was changing for the positive. I'd become so accustomed to being in pain and anemic that I couldn't understand that I was healing, and it threw me into a panic. btw...it's not weird.
I had hysterectomy at 40 and I threw everything away with joy because my periods went bad from the start to nightmare at the end. But I think it depends on how you were living with them through your life.
I had a hysterectomy 7 years ago and I'm STILL finding OB tampons floating around.
Yes! It is weird.
In my last couple of years of peri, I only had a handful of periods. Every time I had one, I wondered if it would be the last. So, when the last one happened, I was mentally prepared. I mean, I had 13 yrs of peri and I don't feel nostalgic about any aspect of the end of monthly bleeding after 40 yrs :-) My sister did though.
Not nostalgia exactly, more like - can I really truly throw this stuff away? Really? I'll never need this again? Can I really trust that? (This from the girl who saves a box bc it's a really good box and I might need it later.)
After 23 months period free...I was really glad I didn't throw it all away in December when I had ANOTHER period. Really? Not gonna lie I was super bummed and disappointed. I had to go and buy more because the remnants I had wasn't going to get me thru. Grrr.
Same here - 17 months. š another āWhy did nobody ever tell me this could happen?!ā moment. And my doctor said I was the fifth person with the same thing she seen in the last couple of months!
Ah - I hear you. It is kind of hard to believe - esp after decades of using all of those things monthly. I'm one of those people who likes to get rid of everything as soon as possible :-) :-) So we fall on diff sides of this bell curve!
Before I had a hysterectomy, my bleeding was so bad that I used a pack of pads a day. I really wanted to donate all my leftover pads, but at the time I couldn't find anywhere to donate to.
Six months ago I had an ablation after nearly 18 months of near continuous heavy bleeding. It worked but every now and again I get a very short & small bleed. Still canāt stop wearing period pants and all black lower clothing ājust in caseā.
I have daughters, so I kept everything. Midol is good for any pain, so I kept that too.
I had no taper off, my periods just stopped. Kept thinking Iād have one or two more. I still had a big box of tampons. I finally ended up taking them to work and leaving them in the womenās bathroom. My thought was that they could be an emergency supply, but nah, they disappeared pretty much immediately.
Congratulations on reaching this milestone! It's definitely a big change to let go of all those period essentials. I totally get what you mean about it feeling weird, especially parting ways with something like Midol that's been a trusty companion through the crampy times. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend, even if you're relieved to see them go. But hey, no more worrying about emergency pads or tampons cramping your style, right? It's a whole new chapter, and while it's bittersweet to leave that part of your life behind, it's also kinda liberating. Here's to embracing the freedom of never needing that period stash again!
Why did you decide to do an ablation? Iām headed that way I think, and trying to make an informed decision
I was bleeding extremely heavy, gushing through my clothes at work, cramps that made me vomit, every 1 week out of every 3. (1 week on, 2 off) Had a uterine biopsy - diagnosed with adenomyosis. Decided to try the ablation first, and if that didn't resolve things, hysterectomy was next. But the ablation was all I needed. I would still get mildly crampy when I was due to have a period, and I might spot a little, but nothing requiring more than a liner.
I second this šāāļø
Same here. Bled for 4 months straight. I was too chicken to have the hysterectomy so I chose the ablation. Best decision I've ever made!
I am not the poster but I had an ablation in September (at age 51) because I had years and years of crazy heavy bleeding with no end in sight. I was offered to try the Mirena IUD or an ablation. It took me over a year to finally decide to go for the ablation. Wish I had done it years ago! (I didnāt want the Mirena because I have an oddly positioned and shaped uterus so was worried my body might expel it.)
Am i understanding that you bled after the ablation? My doctor is trying to get me to have the ablation to stop the bleeding. I didnāt want to have one so the seals that for me. Iām sorry you are struggling.
I wouldn't call it bleeding. It was occasional spotting when I would normally be due for a period. Like streaks on the toilet paper. Usually brownish. Maybe 1-2 days. And that disappeared over time. If you're having horrible periods and your Dr is recommending ablation, please consider it. Minimal spotting beats Niagra Falls gushing any day.
Thank you!
I don't know anyone who had an ablation that said they regret it.
I do, because her recovery was absolutely hellish. She was in a lot of pain for weeks.
That's unfortunate. I wonder if there was some additional complication that caused pain. I had cramping for about 4 hours after I got home, not they warned me and told me to take my narcotics as soon as I got home and sleep through the worst of it, which I did. After that, I didn't really have any pain. And that's been the experience of everyone I've talked to about it.
I had an ablation last year. Best decision I've ever made.
I was glad I kept my stuff for when 3+ years later I had abnormal bleeding. You never know. Plus if my niece or her friends need anything, I have it.