cramps? and other fun with the cup

So I just got my first Diva Cup. With my cycle, I typically have a day or so of what I think of as "old blood" spotting - it's more brown and it's not the full-on bleeding. I inserted it on that first day of old blood spotting and within an hour, experienced some not-so-fun cramping. I went home and once horizontal, the cramping went mostly away. Has anyone else experienced this? Since it was my first insertion, I suppose I could've put it in wrong, but it was comfortable (vaginally) and I didn't leak at all (which was great!).

Also, this whole "popping" thing. I mean, I know it's a canal, but the walls press in on each other, so it's not like my vaginal canal is a hollow tube. I've been using the C-fold and I get it in pretty much correctly, but I *never* feel it pop open.

The learning curve on removal has been a bit of a trial. The first day, I couldn't get it out the first 3 times, using the instructions that came with the cup. Finally, I got into sort of a weird position, half-sitting, half-lying down on the edge of the bed, with one foot up. Which worked, but is pretty silly.

At this point, removal seems to work best for me by sitting on the toilet and then inserting one finger up the side of the cup and pulling down. It's way too slippery to pull on the little tube thingy or try to pinch the base.

Any tips/ideas/commiserations appreciated.