Thank you, everyone, for being so willing to share such personal
information.  I really appreciate it, and it's been very helpful.  I'll
definitely keep your suggestions in mind.

Trisha, I have similar symptoms to Amber's when I have my period, plus
really bad back pain.  I'm currently taking Alesse, and it's really made
things a lot better.  My doctor did warn me about the risk of clotting, but
as long as you're very aware of the risk and pay attention to any pain or
bumps in the legs, it shouldn't be a problem.  Amber is ambulatory, right?
The risk of clotting is much higher for us wheelchair users, who are sitting
all day and don't really move our legs.  I would highly recommend putting
her on a low-dose, monophasic (one dose that's constant throughout the
month) form of the birth control pill.  It's helped me a lot.

~Joy~