Hi. I’m 15, and the first time I got my period, I was 11 years old in California on a camping trip with my father — and only my father — and I got severely sick. And I didn’t really know what I was doing, and you know how period blood turns brown when it’s been in there for a while? Well, I thought I was severely pooping my pants for, like, a week straight. My period was 11 days. Maybe nine. I don’t know. It was a long time. It was, like, two weeks long, and so that was, like, by week two. It was during September. I remember that. And I called my mom being like, “Mom, Mom, my crotch is pooping.” It was so bad. It was so bad. I get a really heavy flow too…oh my God. It was terrible.
Were you cramping?
No. Maybe. I don’t remember, man. I was just freaking out. And um, and I called my mom and she goes, “Honey, you got your period.” And I said, “Mom, I thought it was supposed to be blood. Why am I pooping?” She goes, “That’s not poop, honey. That’s, that’s blood. It’s just kinda dried up.” And I was like, “Oh, okay.” And so I was so scared to tell my dad. I was hiding in, in my RV bathroom and my mom called my father and she was like, “Glen, your daughter’s gotten her period.” And I could hear him be like, “Oh my God. Oh my God. My baby girl.”
I was so embarrassed. It was bad. He knocked on the door and he said, “Honey, is there anything that you need? I’m gonna go to the store right now, so just text me if you need anything, okay?” And I said, “Okay.” And then he came back with, like, five boxes of, like, pads and stuff, one box of tampons, liners. Oh my God, everything. And a new pack of underwear. It was everything. I was really grateful that he’s not, like, one of those people that’s just like, “Ew, periods. Tampons. Blech” — aww, you’re crying.
I know.
Aww.
That’s really sweet. Makes me cry.
Aww. You’re gonna make me cry.
You thought you were pooping. [laughter]
So what’d you do? Did you throw everything away? Did you wash everything? How did you take care of everything?
I washed it once we got home. But it’s just like I was stuck with a bag full of bloody underwear. I got home and I immediately came over to my mom’s place, and by that time my period had ended, and so she taught me how to wash. I was so scared. I was embarrassed, like, “Oh, wow, I’m one of those old people that need diapers now. This is what being 11 feels like.”
Was it one month until your next one? Do you remember?
It wasn’t an exact month. It’s still not regular yet. It’s been four years, man.
Was it really heavy?
Mm-hmm. Very.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for letting me share.