Question for the women only!

[AntiM]

Ok, this will be a weird one coming from a guy, but, ladies, give me some advice please.

On the subject of showering -- I had a long convo last night with a friend of mine (girl) who will be going to bman for the first time this year. She will be on her period during bman, and seemed to be of the opinion that she could just take a shower bag with her and another girlfriend out into the deeper playa and shower. She explained that there will be some... red drainage... involved in the process. I explained to her that the concept of leaving a bloody patch on the playa (regardless of where) is not acceptable. A tough thing to try to do as a guy, but I forged ahead regardless.

My suggestion to her was to shower in a bikini, at camp, with a tampon in, over our grey water tarp, then get rid of the tampon with the processes discussed here (paper bag + burn, or ziplock bag and pack it out). She said that part of the showering process is to clean up down there and allow some drainage... I didn't have a good solution for this. The only way I could conceive of doing this would be to shower naked and bleed on the tarp & let it dry.

This obvoiusly doesnt seem like a good thing, and she said she wouldn't be comfortable leaving blood on a tarp near our camp to dry in the sun (she's cool about most things, just not that). The only non-burgin girl in our group was not on her period last year, so I dont know what advice she can offer on showering, but I told this girl to ask her.

Suggestions, please?

Thanks!

Garden sprayer, and catch the run off with heavy duty paper towels which can be placed in a paper bag to dry and be burned.
Showering over the grey water evap is less desirable, because of the odor it will produce, less than the visible blood. I wear pads, so I really have to deal with messy messes. She could wear a pad for a bit just prior to showering to allow drainage. I know, pads, how archaic.

A heavy duty mister is also useful for any female to freshen up. A touch of vinegar in the water keeps it nice down there, but just a touch. I found soap to be irritating out there, so just a good rinse.

Yes, she can just keep taking her BC pills and skip the placebo days, hence skipping the period. She should know if her doc says that's alright for her, we all vary so much. I used to do things like that when I was on the pill.

I too will most likely be on my period, have dealt with it more than once in the dust. Staying hydrated will help with cramps and bloating; she should rest if she feels less than 100%. Go find some pampering, like a foot wash.
Thank you for helping her understand and find options.

An example of what works, although it usually takes a friend to help out because the wand is long.... (hehe)
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3104482&cp=2568443.2568444.2598679.1260209

[RedHeaven]

I have to throw in my $1.25, call me a hippie but messing with pills n shit sounds sketchy. I always did the witch method and make herbal tea to shift my moon. It can be a little sketchy in itself so gotta be careful to not overdo it and just make sure you are not preg. I make a mix of really nasty herbs like the cohoshes, pennyroyal, mugwort, parsley etc ..... iTs NASTY but I mix it with honey to go down. I make my own thick batch of it and strain it myself. Gnar. I drink that to bring on the moon early so I can get it out of the way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesnt but it sure beats other things for me. Last year I made the tea and got it early so it was on the tail ends at BMan. This year I am going to do the same thing.
I didnt mind last year too much.....Really sturdy ziplocs and sanitizer were my friend. I kept my trash in the bed of my pickup truck all sealed up. I dont mind porta pots at all if they are clean. If you have to ride up to the less populated ones, it might be worth it at certain parts of the night.

OK so to be a hypocrite, I do like pills if they are orange and called Motrin!!! AntiM do you have a sensitivity to ibuprofen? Cuz I just load up on these pups and I am fine.
The heat is actually better than cold because it keeps your muscles loose, so imagine being on a ski trip.....much worse cramps!!

[MacGlenver]

Thanks, AntiM!

Edit - Thanks RedHeaven, also. We don't know much about (or, to be honest, trust) herbal medicating (it's not really our thing, sorry). I expect she will go one of the more conventional routes. Thank you for the suggestion though. Hope it helps some of the more herbal ladies out there!

[AntiM]

I rarely take ibuprofen, it can bother my tummy. Long history with it, I take tylenol if anything. Ginger is my friend for mild anti-inflammatory pain care.

Herbs or pills, still messing with your hormones. I'm have seasonal allergies and get odd reactions to some herbal preparations. Anyway, I'm far past pregnancy, have only one tube left and that's clipped. I'm still flowing though, come on menopause!

Yer welcome, MacG! I hope she finds the advice useful.

[RedHeaven]

"Edit - Thanks RedHeaven, also. We don't know much about (or, to be honest, trust) herbal medicating (it's not really our thing, sorry). I expect she will go one of the more conventional routes. Thank you for the suggestion though. Hope it helps some of the more herbal ladies out there! "

By conventional do you mean take a bunch of birth control pills at the wrong time? Thats gotta mess with a womans body more than some herbs.
My suggestion is for women who dont take the Pill.
I have done it many times with no side effects/problems, if you want to go completely safe with the herbs then just juice some parsley. these are natural methods that can help without putting chemicals in your body.
But I guess that is for another discussion..... I took BC for 4 years and that fucked me up worse than any herb did.....I trust what I can buy at my local co-op over chems but thats just me.
And I mean trust in it not harming my body.....As far as it actually Working, sure the chemicals are going to probably Work better.....I would probably feel more like shit from taking weird pills at weird times than having the actual period.

[MacGlenver]

By conventional I meant methods that we (and most people) are more familiar with. By trust, I did mean trust that they would work. The goal for her is to avoid the period alltogether. Thanks again for the advice!

[Savannah]

If I were taking a BC pill with placebo days, I would simply skip the placebos and therefore skip the period. It's very, very, very commonly done. The only reason I'd say she should call her doctor is because--as total strangers--we don't know of any esoteric health concerns she might have, and we can't know what is healthy for an individual. But the average healthy woman on birth control pills with placebo days will probably find it safe to skip the placebos on vacation. There is even a pill out there aimed specifically at giving women 4 periods a year.

[MacGlenver]

Thanks, Savannah! I've passed along the advice from you guys and she is very appreciative (as I will be in 2 weeks when we're on the playa ).