Aliyawanders

After four or five years of prolonged periods, bloating, breast engorgement, and acne that hurt more than my teenage years ever did…

…plus annual check-ups that kept telling me I was perfectly healthy (which, don’t get me wrong, I’m incredibly grateful for)…

…I still felt miserable.

For years, I blamed everything on stress.

To be fair, these symptoms started not long after COVID, and life wasn’t exactly handing out easy mode. Mum had just passed away, emotions were everywhere and handling her estate was very emotionally draining with pressure keep on coming for me to expedite the process so he could get the money.

So stress seemed like the obvious culprit.

But after years of hearing,

“Everything looks normal.”

I realised…

Normal test results don’t automatically mean you feel normal.

I’d had the blood tests.
The mammograms.
The ultrasounds.

Everything came back clear.

Fantastic news.

But I still had to live in this body.

Truth be told?

Fourteen-day periods.
Painful breast engorgement.
Body aches that arrived uninvited.
Waking up more exhausted than when I went to sleep.

Surely “just live with it” couldn’t be the only solution.

So I thought…

What exactly have I got to lose?

I started small.

Magnesium.
Zinc.
Vitamin B complex.

They made PMS more manageable and I actually slept a little better.

The marathon periods, however…

Didn’t get the memo.

Then Instagram, being the nosy little stalker that it is, served me an ad for Moom Health’s Happy Hormone.

But at that point my philosophy was simply…

“Eh… why not?”

It cost more than I would’ve liked, but after a few months something interesting happened.

My periods started getting shorter.

Not overnight.

Which, oddly enough, made me trust it more.

Anything promising instant results usually makes me want to run in the opposite direction.

The downside?

My periods were still usually over ten days long.

Progress…

Just not enough.

So I decided to move more.

Definitely not as fast or as strong as I used to be.

Then again…

I’m also carrying around an extra 15kg compared to five years ago.

Running?

Absolutely not. At least for now.

My knees would probably file a formal complaint.

So I started walking.

Five kilometres around my neighbourhood almost every day.

The good news?

My weight finally stopped climbing.

The bad news?

It also refused to come down.

Then my knees started sounding like bubble wrap every time I stood up.

Not ideal.

That’s when my aunt suggested acupuncture.

Again…

What did I have to lose?

Now, I hate needles.

Absolutely hate them.

But I’m even more terrified of losing my mobility and independence as I get older.

Here’s the funny part.

Turns out…

I’m actually more afraid of a glucose finger-prick test than having 30 acupuncture needles stuck into me like a very confused porcupine.

I finally figured out why.

The pharmacist always says,

“Okay… little poke. Ready?”

Which gives you just enough time to panic.

The TCM doctor?

She wipes the alcohol, starts chatting about your day…

…and before your brain even registers what’s happening…

You’re already a human pincushion.

Honestly… She is such a genius.

After a few weeks of regular acupuncture and herbal medicine…

My periods finally returned to a normal length.

The breast engorgement during PMS became much milder too.

Am I “cured”?

I don’t know.

Maybe not.

But I finally feel like I’m moving in the right direction.

Now my focus is rebuilding my strength and improving my mobility.

Thankfully, there are so many free and affordable fitness events around the Klang Valley these days that getting active doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

One walk.

One workout.

One acupuncture session.

One small step at a time.

Because getting older is inevitable.

Giving up on feeling better isn’t.