lillipets trip report FOR FEMALES ONLY!!!!
 

I've debated all week about adding this part or not, but since it was an integral part of the beginning of my trip(or almost the end of my trip before it even started) I've decided to go ahead.
I'm almost 54 yrs old and not quite into full blown menopause. I hadn't had a period for 8 months, but had been spotting a little since the beginning of Aug. That is until the loooooong flight from Washington DC to Joburg. Well, the damn burst! All the "just in case" female hygiene supplies in my carry on were all gone by the time we landed. Needless to say, my first stop was not the luggage carousel but the bathroom! Our afternoon in Joburg was going to be our only opportunity to do any souvenier shopping, but my only goal was stocking up on feminine hygiene products! All I could think of was what I would tell people when they asked my what I bought on safari!
Well, I thought I was all stocked up and ready to go, but I couldn't sleep that night and it was a good thing I didn't. I wasn't having a period...I was having a hemorrhage!
The only way I can convey what was happening is to be blunt...I went through an "industrial strength" tampon and pad every hour! I spent the night trying to decide if I should cancel my safari before it even started! I really didn't know how I was going to manage a 5 hour game drive and I was also beginning to think I had something seriously wrong!
Of course the more I thought about having a serious medical emergency the more I was afraid I might never get back to Africa! That thought snapped me back to reality. I was going on this safari no matter what! I got creative and began layering 2 sets of underwear with 2 sets of pads. I was hoping that amount of protection would at least get me through a game drive. I was prepared to layer as many layers as I needed to, even if I looked like the Michelin Man and had to waddle instead of walk! So with a suitcase full of feminine hygiene products instead of souveniers we set off for Maun the next morning.
I had to laugh when the hyena came into camp the 1st night though. My first thought was.."oh great, the hyenas know I'm here!"

Lily

Hi Lily,
This is just the sort of thing that always seems to happen to me too,although not to the magnitude you have described. Oh well, I am glad you didn't let it stop you, and I have enjoyed the other trip report post you made, and hope to read more soon.
CJ

lillipets,
you know with a title like that us men will certainly open it. <b>YIKES and ZOWIES!</b> I wish I hadn't! Glad you were able to continue on...I'm afraid to read your other thread! :D

Lily,

I hope this problem did not follow you throughout your trip. How upsetting to start your safari in this manner, and scary as well. Almost as bad as ending up in Burundi by mistake!

You were lucky to have a day in Johannesburg to acquire what you needed.

I always take a few pairs of Depends, just in case, even though those bulky things occupy 20% of my luggage space.

Now I'll head over to the co-ed report.

To Dennis,
Serves you right for snooping!

What a drag that was for you Lily. I've heard of this happening to quite a few women due to all the pretrip hormonal upsets. As per usual, it sounds as though you handled your inconvience as a trooper. Ironic that the hyena ran off with the iron rich spinach as you probably nearly anemic - hope you packed your vitamins.

I do recall when reading some wildlife books and hearing stories from our guide about some animals being attracted to &quot;The scent of a women&quot; I've often wondered if that's true. it does sound plausible.

And lastly, no peepers, that means you Dennis - you are priceless, you know :S-
Sherry

Lily
All I can say is how impressed I am at how you handled this. I suspect I'd have been in tears and despair and I don't know if I'd have had the courage to simply make myself deal with it in the way you did.
I'm hoping the &quot;flood&quot; didn't persist at this same level for your entire trip?

Lilli, I am so glad you wrote this, because I am going through that same thing right now, and with only about a week to go before our trip! UGH! I wanted a very romantic trip for my husband and I, and now this! And I NEVER have had a problem like this before, wouldn't you know! Well, I hope this situation didn't ruin the rest of your trip...can't wait to read the rest! Oh, and my apoligies in advance to any other men who might drift into this thread! :)

Lili,

How are you feeling now? I hope that you are feeling better.

My mother had this happen recently. She tried to tough it out thinkning it was normal. She finally had to see the doctor and it turned out she was severely anemic. The doctor gave her some medicine to help and she is doing better now.


Jenn

I had a similar experience on our first trip to South Africa, although not nearly as bad as yours. I didn't know whether it was a result of air pressure in the plane, great excitement about finally being there or just bad karma. You handled it so well - I burst into tears.

I am happy to report that &quot;things&quot; slowed down after the 1st couple days. My friend Linda and I decided on a code for my problem. If she wanted to know how I was doing she would ask how things were in &quot;Australia....&quot;down under&quot;...get it?
I managed all the game drives without having to stop and change &quot;equipment&quot; behind a bush! By the time we had to do an all day drive to move to a new campsite &quot;Australia&quot; was under control without having to take an extra ordinary measures.
By the end of the trip I was fine.I have had a craving for meat which is unusual for me, so maybe I am a bit anemic. But I came home with a suitcase pretty well crammed with feminine hygiene products! I would have been glad to leave them behind but there were no convenient places to do so. We went from a morning game drive to a ferry across the Zambezi, onto a bus to the Livingstone airport where we immediately checked our bags for the flight to Joburg. I didn't see my checked bag until we got to DC.
I had to laugh out loud when I found the note in my bag from TSA stating that my bag was one they decided to hand search! I bet they got an eyeful! I can just see them unzipping this canvas bag obviously crammed full of something and having all these pads and tampons come flying out like one of those trick cans with the foam snakes! I'm impressed that they managed to get them back in!
On one game drive we drove past some stagnant pools of water with a wierd red algae growing on the surface. I took one look at that and looked at my friend Linda and silently mouthed &quot;It wasn't me!&quot;
I'm very thankful that all turned out well enough for me to be able to laugh about it!
On a similar note, when I was in Rwanda in 2003 I got my period the day before our visit to the gorillas! I remember our guide in Tanzania warning us about gorillas &quot;raping&quot; women who are menstruating. I never had the heart to tell him that all the gorillas ignored me!

Lily

Lily, I'm glad it all worked out for you - what a great attitude you have! A sense of humor really helps; I work with a large group of women and whenever any of them have this sort of problem it's a tradition among us to sing the chorus of &quot;I enjoy being a girl.&quot; :-)

And Dennis, &quot;YIKES and ZOWIES!&quot; You don't know the half of it. ;-)

I am reading this on a computer in a public library that has a no talking policy. It's all I can do from bursting out laughing! I'll never think of Australia the same way again.

Seriously, I am glad this incident subsided and did not ruin your trip. I'm also glad it was not a sign of something more serious.

Your positive go with the flow attitude is to be admired. (Forgive me)

I'm sure glad you were able to work it out and continue on with your trip. I also had the &quot;I was having a hemorrhage!&quot; problem for about a month before a trip to Italy. I knew I wouldn't have easy access to toilets every hour on the hour on the trip so I went to the dr. He gave me a shot of depo provera (birth control) which stopped the bleeding immediately. That shot saved my trip.

Dennis, I imagine you are one of many men reading this post but at least you admit it!

I was absolutely going to ignore this thread. Curiosity got the better of me.

Gorilass raping menstruating women? Can't say I've heard that one before

I've heard that about orangutans too. It was in my written trip departure literature that menstruating women should not go to see the orangutans.

Suppose you are on a walking safari or in some other remote spot and this happens. I wonder what you do? Call flying doctors?

Of course women all over the world experience this sort of thing (if they reach the age of 50ish, which is not always the case) and somehow manage and most of the world does not have the elaborate hygiene products we do.

I'm enjoying your other thread too, Lily.

Gosh this seems to be a common occurance...who knew! I had my period for two months before...during...and after my trip. Never had that happen before and gosh it was annoying. But not nearly as bad as your experience Lillipets. I was just annoyed, because it happened because I took the pill back to back in order to avoid getting my period in Africa...and what happens? I get it the whole time. Go figure. Glad I didn't know that about gorillas before I saw them! I would've been even more terrified than I was the first time...

For future reference, if this happens to anyone away from convenient medical care, it is often possible to significantly slow the flow by taking regular doses of ibuprofen (Motrin) - 2 tabs every 4-6 hours. Has something to do with prostaglandin inhibitors. (Now, the disclaimer - make sure you can tolerate ibuprofen, it does not interfere with other medications, you do not have stomach problems and receive medical care upon your return). While not a cure-all, it is a remedy usually available, even in remote locations.

Do not know age of those identifying with this problem, but it most often occurs around peri-menopause.

Yikes!I was popping Ibuprofen like candy since I also had some major cramps. I hate to think what it would have been like without it! But thanks for the info in case there is a &quot;next time.&quot;

Lily

Gosh, Lillipets, you have my sympathy. It's possible that it was something other than menstrual flow -- it could have been something like a bleeding uterine polyp. I hope you have seen your doctor about it.

Sounds like you handled it like a trooper!

Celia

:)) Too funny!! :))

Females only indeed! I wonder how many men clicked this report and ran away screaming! :))