It doesn't matter if you're "actually" having high levels of pain or if you're just "hypersensitive", strong pain is something you shouldn't just be putting up with, especially if it's affecting your ability to function in any way.
I've had horrendous crawl-up-in-a-ball-and-hope-to-survive cramps that lasted for days, shortlived sharp shooty cramps, dull rolling cramps that go for days, no pain at all. In the horrendous crawl-up-in-a-ball days, pretty much none of the anti-inflammatories on the market (ponstan, nurofen, naprogesic etc) were really achieving an appropriate level of pain control, and I also would experience vomiting, diarrhoea, and headaches at the same time. In the end what worked for me was a Dong Quai herbal formulation (from memory it had some other women's herbs like black cohosh, squaw vine and some other bark in it as well). I would start taking the DQ around the day I was due and took it three times a day for the first half of my period. Worked a treat. They've since taken this (and other dong quai products) off the market because of issues around strength and quality of the imported dong quai used in the formulation, but if you saw a good naturopath or chinese medical practitioner I'm sure they would be able to help you with a similarly effective formulation.
ETA It's totally worth seeing a good GP who specialises in women's health or even a gynae to rule out any other problems that might be causing the pain, rather than just reaching for stronger and stronger meds.
Painis a very personal thing - but prior to have a lap and endo removal my pain was alot like Mayaness described. There were days when I couldn't function and very nearly passed out if not lying down from pain. This was not pain that I could manage with a wheat pack only. I would be practically overdosing on pain meds (can't take anything with codeine or anything stronger than neurophen as they make me vomit)and just about giving myself 2nd degree burns from the wheatpack to get through a day. I would always try to schedule my period to come (taking the pill at the time to help) on a weekend so that I could just stay in bed if I needed to, concentrating was out of the question with this pain. I also had diahorrea - and extreme bowel pain with poos and bladder pain with wees. This was all due to endo in these areas.
For me I think the pill actually makes it worse and post lap, I've had very little pain, still have the odd bad day here and there.
I agree with Maya that you should seek out some professional advice - I sufferred through it (it's what women do) for alot of years and wish I'd done something to be heard earlier. Alot of GPs just wrote me off until I insisted on being referred.
My pain starts with low abdominal pain which gradually gets worse. It feels exactly like the pain that comes with diarrhoea - which I also get with periods sometimes.
Over the next several hours it progresses to back pain, cramps in my thighs, random sharp pains in my anus that feel like a large metal pole with a point is being twisted in my bum, which nothing I do will ease.
It lasts from 4ish hours to 2 or 3 days.
Medication: If I take it early Nurofen works well. If I can't it does nothing. I used to take Ponstan but it stopped working. Pain killers don't stop the bum pain though.
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