Gracie wants 2 know...

Why do you feel embarrassed? It's a perfectly normal bodily function.

I remember how awful the cramps could be when I was in my teens, and I often felt nauseous as well. But I think I preferred going to school because then I was somewhat distracted from the discomfort--if I stayed home in bed I actually felt more miserable because I was more focused on what was bothering me.

If you use both a tampon and a pad, and change the tampon throughout the day, you really don't have to be too concerned about leaks, even if your flow is heavy.
Or treat yourself to a pair of panties designed to prevent leaks if that will help you to feel more confident.
http://www.remiiunderwear.com/servlet/StoreFront

Do OTC pain relievers, like Midol or Pamprin, help you with your cramps and headaches? They both come in several different formulations and people often find that one formulation works better for them than the others do, so sometimes it takes some experimenting to find the one that works best.

You might also want to try a heat-producing patch.
http://www.thermacare.com/product/menstrual.aspx?source=Google$Menstrual$menstrual%20pain%20relief$menstrual%20pain%20relief$Broad

Someone suggested Yoga to you and I also found that doing some exercise helped to relieve my menstrual discomfort. Even though you really don't feel like excercising when you feel crappy, doing a little might help.
http://women.webmd.com/features/exercise-eases-menstrual-cramps

Some forms of extended cycle birth control pills can reduce the number of times a year you get your period or stop menstruation.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/womens-health/WO00069/NSECTIONGROUP=2
Personally, I don't think that's something you should consider right now--these drugs can have serious side effects. I'd try other remedies first and see if you can find something that helps to relieve your symptoms without creating potential other problems.

I learned that I had entered puberty when I couldn't stop thinking about girls and other things. my voice didn't change too much until I went to boot camp and that was only because you yell too much. the worst thing about puberty for guys is all the new hormones that make you do crazy things or want to at least. I became hard headed didnt listen to any one and I think I broke many hearts. body changes are easy to deal with because you can prepare or have a plan mental changes are hell.

I would agree with girls staying home but since Ive been in the Corps I have learned that if that was the case it would be an all boys school for a week.

-Crow

Thing is, I have Type 1 diabetes and some medicines can affect my blood sugar. Ive been having trouble with my diabetes lately too.

Diabetes and the Menstrual Cycle
A woman's glucose levels are controlled by certain hormones, just as hormones regulate the menstrual cycle. Indeed, the interaction between certain hormones can lead to irregular bloods sugar levels. For women with both type 1 diabetes as well as those with type 2 diabetes, fluctuations in blood glucose levels that are associated with menstruation can be a cause for concern.

Most commonly, women with diabetes will experience a rise in blood glucose levels the week prior to menstruation, just after ovulation. Once a woman's period begins, her blood sugar levels will tend to drop. This fluctuation is caused by a rise in estrogen and progesterone levels, which interfere with insulin activity.

Recognizing Your Cycle
Not all women with diabetes experience these corresponding hormonal fluctuations; however, for those who do, recognizing the patterns of glucose and insulin production during your monthly cycle is an important step towards controlling diabetes symptoms.

It is recommended that women with diabetes monitor changes resulting from menstruation the same way they would monitor blood glucose levels. In order to find a correlation between menstruation and diabetes, make a note of the onset of your period in your blood glucose record book, and watch for any emerging patterns between glucose levels and the menstrual cycle over time.

Women with diabetes should already be keeping a record book as part of a standard diabetes management. Women with type 1 diabetes (who should be recording glucose levels at least four times a day) will tend to experience the most fluctuations in the fasting blood glucose measured before breakfast just prior to the onset of menstruation.

Managing Menstruation and Glucose
It is important for any woman who is experiencing glucose fluctuations to speak to an endocrinologist or other health care provider about ways to manage blood sugar, particularly if these are a result of other hormone interactions.

Your doctor may recommend that women with diabetes type 1 increase insulin by adjusting the intermediate acting insulin, NPH, or Lente later in the evenings at different points in your menstrual cycle so as to keep blood glucose levels stable. However, every case is different and only a health care practitioner can advise any adjustments in insulin.

Wait, he? Your doctor was a guy? Wasn't that weird?
Do girls have to see gynecologists? If girls do, I dont think my dad knows. (In fact,I don't think he knows anything about periods.) I've had menistration for 4 months now and I've never seen one. I don't wanna.

Actually, that was ironic humor. In some cultures, women are requied to live apart from everyone else while they're having their menstrual period.

19 “‘When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.

20 “‘Anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 22 Anyone who touches anything she sits on will be unclean; they must wash their clothes and bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening. 23 Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, they will be unclean till evening.