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Family planning

Post abortion - is this normal? (Quite graphic description, sorry if tmi)

46 replies

Namechanger012345 · 29/05/2013 13:18

I had a surgical abortion a week and a half ago at 10 weeks. It was emotionally very hard for me and I'm trying to move on but I can't forget about it because I have some horrible physical symptoms that I am constantly aware of. If anyone has experience of similar please could you advise whether this sounds normal or if I should be getting worried.

For the first couple of days I felt physically okay, my bleeding started after a day and was fairly light, not really painful. However now over the last week the bleeding has got really heavy, doesn't seem to be reducing at all.. It sometimes calms down for a few hours but then it comes back just as strong. I have been passing what I think must be blood clots (huge lumps, some dark black, some more reddish) regularly since last Friday as well and these are getting larger. Sometimes they are quite uncomfortable to pass, but not unbearable.

I have cramps but these are not too bad, just like a normal period, and I am just taking Nurofen for them, which is fine.

I'm starting to feel quite dizzy and light headed probably just from bleeding so heavily and got some iron tablets today which hopefully should help.

The nurse told me its possible to bleed for up to 3 weeks so I'm prepared for that. In the after care leaflet I got it says heavy bleeding with clots can be normal for 2 to 7 days, however it then also says somewhere else in the leaflet that particularly heavy bleeding after 2 days can be a problem. This will be coming up to 7 days for me tomorrow or Friday and I'm wondering if I should wait until then and see, or if I need to just get it checked now. I don't have any of the other typical signs of an infection, like no discharge or high fever, I'm just worried because the bleeding and clots seem quite extreme and I'm starting to feel really weak and exhausted from it.

Thank you for any input anyone can give me.

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MrsJohnHarrison · 29/05/2013 13:25

I've no idea, but I would get checked before the weekend. 7 days sounds like an awful long time.
Hope everything's ok x

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gaggiagirl · 29/05/2013 13:27

Please go and get it checked out or at least ring the clinic for advice if you are light headed from bleeding that can't be a good thing after so many days. I'm sorry you have had to go through this please let us know the outcome x

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Namechanger012345 · 30/05/2013 23:43

I rang the clinic and they were quite unhelpful. It was some random guy I got through to who basically just asked questions through a check list/script and did not seem to be a medical professional. He basically told me I am supposed to be bleeding, it's probably fine. He didn't seem to take it seriously or listen properly when I was trying to explain how heavy it is, and that what is worrying me is the huge clots and the fact it's not lightening up at all and has even been getting heavier.

He said leave it a few more days and see what happens, which is maybe okay advice but I did feel a bit patronised and fobbed off :( I mentioned that I normally don't have heavy periods so he said well I'm probably just shocked at the amount of blood because its more than I'm used to! It's weird because sometimes its just normal bleeding and then I can feel heavy floods that basically fill a whole pad in one gush.

I took a photo of a large blood clot as an example if I need to show it to a doctor to explain what I mean... Feel like that is maybe a bit over the top gross to show someone but hopefully a doctor wont be phased Confused Some are massive. This guy asked if they re bigger than a grape - yes much bigger! :(

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Namechanger012345 · 30/05/2013 23:47

Also I realised I miscalculated how long it has been heavy for. I remembered it was already really heavy when I was in the cinema for the great gatsby on orange Wednesday last week so tomorrow will be the 10th day of this!

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Namechanger234567 · 30/05/2013 23:49

It's normal to have clots in the first few days but if bleeding gets heavier and still has clots after that, I'd go to get checked out.

Hope you feel better soon Flowers and .

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MaggieMaggieMaggieMcGill · 30/05/2013 23:52

Go and see your gp tomorrow. No if's, no buts, just do it. He will probably refer you on to have a scan to check that everything that was meant to come out, did.
Which clinic did you go to?

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Namechanger012345 · 30/05/2013 23:53

I will ring my GP first thing in the morning. It was Marie stopes.

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MrsLettuce · 30/05/2013 23:55

I think you need to ring NHS direct actually. Will you? How long have you been light headed? Do you have someone with you?

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MrsLettuce · 30/05/2013 23:56

Sorry for all the questions, just worried for you Flowers

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Namechanger012345 · 31/05/2013 00:00

Thank you lettuce.

I didn't even think about nhs direct. I've never rung them before. I just called the clinic as I know they do have the 24 hotline and the number was on the aftercare book, but not impressed as they didn't really say anything I couldn't have found out myself from the Internet.

I live with a flatmate, she is in but upstairs and probably already asleep.

The light headed ness only started in the last few days, after I'd already been bleeding for ages.

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MrsLettuce · 31/05/2013 00:04

Please do call them and describe in proper detail (more than you gave us) about the size and frequency of the clots and the speed of pad saturation. Standard and the flooding. I know nothing about this but it sounds wrong.

Will you please leave a note for you flat mate asking her to check how you are when she gets up, to wake you if necessary?.

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Namechanger012345 · 31/05/2013 00:10

Ok I'm going to write down all the info properly for myself to make sure I tell them everything in enough detail.

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TheSecondComing · 31/05/2013 00:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Namechanger012345 · 31/05/2013 00:39

No smell and i dont have a temperature. after the last lot of flooding i came over cold and shivery but its passed now. I just did the nhs direct symptom checker (website told me this is quicker than phoning) and it told me to go to the GP ASAP, so I will push for an urgent appointment in the morning.

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NatashaBee · 31/05/2013 00:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

badblueeyeliner · 31/05/2013 01:01

Definitely need to get checked out. I've had an abortion and basically another abortion following a missed miscarriage and had none of this.
Please do call nhs direct.

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LackaDAISYcal · 31/05/2013 01:11

I had a miscarriage at 14 weeks and the heavy bleeding and clottiness only lasted five days maximum. the flooding sensation subdued after four days and then it went to heavy period before dwindling to nothing by about 16 days. And that was a natural miscarriage, no D&C or anything. what you are experiencing does not seem normal for a surgical termination where they should have basically taken everything away.

I also had a mnedical termination many years ago, and even that was a lot less than what you seem to be experiencing.

Please see your GP tomorrow, or call NHS Direct if you can't get an appointment.

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EMUZ · 31/05/2013 01:30

I am 17 days post medical abortion and have only just stopped bleeding, they said it could last up to 4 weeks. I lost huge clots (bigger than a tennis ball) for the first few days and flooded for about a week. It did seem to ease then start again
Seems a little odd for surgical though so would def get some advice

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EMUZ · 31/05/2013 01:32

P.s I panicked about day 9 when I lost another huge clot and flooded again but it has eased

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Namechanger012345 · 31/05/2013 03:39

Ugh I have been having a really horrible and scary few hours :( lots of flooding, very dizzy, started getting worse cramps and then weird pains that are a bit similar to cramps but different.. A bit lower down and feels more like pressure than normal cramping, with occasional sharp pains. This led up to about 5 fairly big clots coming out, not really sure how many or the actual size because I went to sit on the toilet so didn't really look but some of them hurt when coming out...

I'm feeling better again now it seems to be calming down a bit back to more of a normal "heavy period" level but so angry that the clinic hotline were so quick to fob me off. This is clearly not normal and it was getting really frightening. I hope nothing has actually gone wrong. If something has been damaged and its going to impact my future fertility that's my worst nightmare. Really worried. I do desperately want a baby, just sadly there were too many circumstances that meant it was not a good idea to have this one. I wouldn't have been able to provide the life I wanted for my child and we would have been really struggling... I have been reassuring myself that I will be able to have a family in the future and do everything better then, but if it turns out that something is wrong and I have thrown away my only chance I don't know how I can live with that or ever forgive myself

Getting a GP appointment tomorrow and not taking no for an answer

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DoubleLifeIsALifeHalved · 31/05/2013 03:46

Oh lord, this sounds really scary for you. If you still awake I wonder whether it's worth a visit to a&e?

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MrsLettuce · 31/05/2013 08:42

Oh hell. I hope you went to A&E or have now seen a doctor. I'm so
sorry you're going through this.

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Namechanger012345 · 31/05/2013 08:45

I managed to get a couple of hours sleep and rang the GP urgent number first thing. I'm now in the doctor triage list waiting for them to call me back, get my symptoms and then I'm sure they will give me an appointment for later this morning. I did consider a & e yesterday but I was feeling so crap I just couldn't really face trudging over there, waiting ages etc.

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lurcherlover · 31/05/2013 08:51

If you don't get an appointment for some reason, please go to A&E. It sounds like you might need a scan to check for retained tissue. I know it's gross, but if you pass any more big clots in the meantime, keep them to show the dr ( old ice cream tub or something similar).

It's very unlikely to have affected your fertility. Please don't worry. I had an ERPC after a missed miscarriage (exactly the same procedure as a surgical abortion) and conceived again very easily. Be kind to yourself Flowers

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ExcuseTypos · 31/05/2013 08:55

So sorry you are going through all this.

When you see your Gp, could you insist on getting scan/investigations to put your mind at rest that nothing has been damaged?

Im sure all will be absolutely fine, but you don't want to be worrying unnecessarily.x

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