When Girl Code Saved My Life in Prince Edward Island

The first time I tried to visit Prince Edward Island, it was cancelled last minute due to the damage left after Hurricane Fiona in autumn 2022.

Almost a year later, I found myself in the front row of a bus from Moncton, crossing the Confederation Bridge and finally setting foot in Charlottetown, the Birthplace of Confederation.

I was elated. Not only had I made it to the island, an exciting destination for me, but I was also ending my quest of visiting the 10 provinces of Canada. 

In the summer of 2023, I was remote working all over the Atlantic provinces, starting in Newfoundland and making my way down through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. After three months of travel, the next leg of my trip left me in Charlottetown for a week. The plan was to spend the weekdays working from my hostel and renting a car for the weekend to hit the best tourist spots all over the island.

Unfortunately, and once again, the weather changed my plans. Heavy rain was forecast all weekend, which didn’t match my idea of a summer romantic road trip through the island, swimming along the red-soil shores and cruising past the potato fields. I cancelled my rental, promised I’d come again, and started shifting my weekend plans to a warm and dry experience in Charlottetown instead.

During the week, after work, I strolled the streets of the island’s Capital, ate at the local restaurants, enjoyed sitting by the shore and sipped coffee in one of the many cute cafes in town. I knew I had to make the most of this time while the sun was shining. These moments truly made my time in Charlottetown a sweet summer dream.

On the Sunday morning, the weather cleared up, and I jumped on a last-minute bus tour of PEI’s highlights. It wasn’t the romantic summer road trip I originally dreamed of, but it was still an opportunity to see some of the places I came here to visit.

I was excited, proud of my last-minute call, and I felt lucky the odds turned in my favour. 

All was well until I stepped onto the bus; a strange but familiar sharp pain pierced through my belly, warning me of an imminent problem. My menstruation was about to start, and without an Advil in my purse, I knew immediately I was in for a long and painful afternoon.

I couldn’t really run back to my hotel room and pick up what I needed to prevent the growing pain. I could only hope that maybe this month, it wouldn’t be too painful, but when you are someone with adenomyosis, you also know it’s rarely the case.

The bus left the city, and the pain grew louder. I looked around, searching for another woman who would be smarter than me and carry pain medication with her at all times. As I looked at the other tourists, I realized they were all senior couples from the cruise ship that docked earlier in Charlottetown. Not the exact demographic for menstrual pain medication.

I glanced at the couple next to me, trying to be discreet. Period pain is still bizarrely taboo, and I hate talking to strangers (let alone asking them for help), but desperation was overruling my social anxiety. The woman was by the window, her husband in the aisle seat closest to me. Then I noticed his t-shirt: a giant NRA logo with a rant about the right to bear arms. I dodged that bullet; I was already taking all the fire I could handle.

As we passed by the potato fields I was excited to see, I kept testing breathing exercises, massaging my tummy and pressing my warm hands on my abdomen, hoping it would help. We first stopped in North Rustico, a fishing village where the guide told us about the history of the fishing culture around here, I think. I couldn’t focus a bit on what he was saying. He was pointing at a pile of lobster cages; I was scanning around for a pharmacy. 

Back on the bus, my situation was not improving, and I faced realizing I would be experiencing for the first time my menstruation cramps with no pain medication. My body was on high alert, turning off other bodily functions; it was now an all-hands-on-deck situation.

Next thing I know, I was standing on the gorgeous Cavendish Beach, the one I wanted to visit back in 2022, and here I was, physically standing there not feeling the gentle ocean breeze, not smelling the scent of spruce trees from the coastal forest shielding the beach and definitely not appreciating the shades of red from the local soil that makes PEI so unique.

It was hour 2 since the cramping started, and I was in the worst pain imaginable. I could barely walk, breathe, or talk, and I definitely couldn’t concentrate on anything else. The next bus stop was at the Anne of Green Gables museum, and as soon as we entered the premises, I rushed straight to the gift shop, hoping there would be any medication I needed. None. I had to try. I couldn’t handle it anymore. 

I needed an immediate solution, or I would have to ask to call a doctor for me. Considering how women’s pain is underappreciated in the world we live in, I was definitely not looking forward to this outcome. 

Then, I noticed a Parks Canada employee, young like me, and decided to use the secretive but effective law of Girl Code: I told her my situation and asked for her help. 

This amazing woman immediately took my situation seriously and listed all the options she had for me: migraine or menstrual cramps? I picked the latter; she rushed to her car and came back with a stash of pills, taking one out and handing it to me to explain how she usually takes it. I had never heard of this pill before. Was it a smart thing to do? Taking an unheard-of pill from a stranger? It was not, but I was in serious pain. 

I thanked the woman profusely and attempted to continue the visit, trying not to look super weird. I was then bent over, hand pressed on my abdomen, breathing and walking weird, with eyes imploring for mercy. Hopefully, no one really cares about the people around them; individualism is convenient sometimes. 

I entered Anne’s house as part of the visit, but the second I stepped onto the stairs, I felt a new level of unwell, the kind that shoots tingles in your legs and makes you feel dizzy. The unknown pill was taking effect. I quickly exited the visit to look for fresh air and somewhere to sit. I found a picnic table that gave a beautiful view of the charming house, the gardens and the green fields beyond.

It was such a gorgeous place, and I was on the verge of fainting.

And it started to get better; I slowly started seeing the gardens and the breeze making the wildflowers dance, and the blue sky above my head. The grass matched the trim of the houses, and visitors’ chatter perfectly harmonized with the birds’ singing.

I stayed seated in one of the XL-sized red Muskoka chairs, admiring the romantic setting of the museum, trying to match the stories of Anne with an E I had watched during the first lockdown in 2020, and reflecting on how crazy these past hours had been.

Slowly, my abdomen resumed an operational state, and the rest of my body returned to its usual functions. I even started remembering what I saw on the ground floor of Anne’s house and how it looked like the houses of old people, with the wooden furniture and faded floral tapestry.

On my way out, I tried to find the woman who helped me, but she was no longer where I originally found her. Too bad, I wanted to let her know that not only didn’t I die from the pill, even though it was a close call, and I was also doing a lot better. 

I sat back in the bus thinking how insane and bipolar the body can be; one minute I’m about to pass out, the second I’m back to my usual self. Like a toddler before and after a nap.

Back in Charlottetown, feeling well, I dined at an Indian restaurant to indulge myself with a daal, an iron-heavy meal, a go-to on the first day of menstruation. For fear of the meal being too bland for me, I opted for a mildly spicy version, which led me to a second bellyache that day…

It wasn’t a great day for my abdomen, but one I will definitely remember. Yet, none of this tarnishes my appreciation for Prince Edward Island, and if anything, I owe them big.

I believe I’m due to visit Prince Edward Island again, with proper pain medication and better luck with the weather forecast, and hopefully, that will become a story for another time.