Hey y’all, so I have posted here before but a quick rundown is I’m a massage therapy student nearing my graduation date & will soon be launching into this new career. I’m very excited to start but one thing I’ve come to realize is I have to do a better job of taking care of my body like eating good things & all that.

On top of being a bit out of shape & needing more exercise, I suffer from PCOS & my cramps/chronic pain can be absolutely BRUTAL. On days where I’m busy at my current job as a caregiver as well as having my standard period cramps, the pain can be so intense that I’m almost doubled over in the fetal position, sweating & shaking from it. I have cried at work before & even left early sometimes if painkillers like Tylenol or Advil aren’t working. My doctor won’t prescribe me something stronger like tramadol or anything, even tho I BELIVE the pain sometimes warrants that kind of mitigation.

I definitely still find the time to care for my residents, but I’m coming to realize as a massage therapist there will be days where I’m in this kind of excruciating pain & have one or more bodywork sessions scheduled. I can’t/won’t do same-day cancellations every day I’m in pain & I feel like it would be kind of rude to call out of work every time I’m on my cycle because my period is so unpredictable.

So, for those therapists that DO have this condition or something similar like endometriosis, how do y’all manage your Big Pain Days™️? Do you push through? Do you call in to work? Do you get a special kind of therapy? Does anything you eat or take (non-prescribed) seem to mitigate the pain?