Is there a point I go to A&E?

[DesignedForLife]

I've had heavy periods most my life, they've got gradually heavier over the last 8 years, but in the last year (since giving birth) they've been very heavy, using night towels all day and changing sometimes every hour. I've seen GP 5 months ago and they referred me to gynae, no medicine as I'm still breastfeeding. Acknowledgment letter from hospital but no appointment. Saw GP again last week, she's arranged ultrasound and blood tests and will try to chase up hospital (I know from a friend that there is a huge backlog there ATM).

I'm in my period now and heavy as usual, not too bad overnight but this morning I've changed pads three time already and I feel shaky and wiped, and trying to juggle two boisterous toddlers. Really struggling to cope.

[DesignedForLife]

So as not to drip feed, birth was not good, I lost 4 litres of blood and it took 3 hours in surgery to stop the bleeding

[PeppaPigTastesLikeBacon]

If you are soaking through a night pad in an hour or less then yes you need to go see someone. If you are unsure then call 111.

I'm sure there was a thread not too long ago that was similar and the woman was quite unwell and was lucky she went to the hospital

[tocas]

If you're feeling unwell and bleeding a lot I would go to a&e so at least you can check you're not dangerously anaemic

[Namechangetempissue]

That sounds awful, I'm really sorry. Although I don't have heavy periods, mine are agonisingly painful and make me physically sick (and I'm no delicate flower either) so I do understand how much you must dread that time of the month rocking up.
I would phone the GP this morning and ask for advice again -you can ask for the doctor to ring you back. Is there a friend or family member who can come over and help out today? Have you eaten and had enough to drink?

[FreakinScaryCaaw]

Yes go to A&E

[User843022]

Ring GP and say you need an urgent appointment today. I presume you're on tranexamic acid and iron?
Distressing though it sounds it isn't something I'd go to A&E with, though someone is bound to come along and say heavy bleeding is an emergency, which it is but not when associated with menstruation.

[SandunesAndRainclouds]

Go to your GP again today. If you need to be seen by gynae you'll be directly referred rather than going to A&E although you'll probably end up waiting to be seen by gynae in A&E anyway

[Hellywelly10]

Call 111 or the GP. You have a history of heavy periods it does not sound like an accident or an emergency
What could they do in a and e? My heavy periods heavy been treated with a coil.

[SloeSloeQuickQuickGin]

The clue is in the name - "accident" and "emergency". Have you been in an accident? Is this a life threatening emergency? The answer is no to both of those. Frivolus attendances at A&E put peoples lives at risk and clog up resources. You will not get a gynae appt any more quickly and neither will one pop down into A&E to see you.

But if you think sitting there for 4 hours will change things, good luck.

But if you really want it fixed, get pack on to your GP, no one else can speed this along.

[MrsMyreton]

Hi OP,

Sorry to hear you're having to deal with this.

I had very 'normal' periods before I had my daughter who is now six months. I lost a lot of blood after the birth and ended up in surgery too, blood transfusions etc.

My periods are really heavy now, but, have become a bit better over the last two months (not sure if I'm just used to them though). I couldn't breastfeed DD, and so was back on the pill by day 21. I was bleeding lightly throughout whole month, then a really heavy period with maternity pads.

I had blood tests, swabs, ultrasound, the whole works but everything came back clear for me - not sure if this was better or worse? Not finding something that can be fixed you know? They've put it down to hormones for me.

Please let us know how you get on.

[Floralnomad]

Ring the GP and get either an emergency appt or a telephone consultation then sit dc in front of TV and lay on the settee or even better call someone to take dc .

[C8H10N4O2]

Tranexamic acid and Iron used to be considered safe for use when breastfeeding - unless this has changed ask your GP if its suitable for you whilst waiting for access to a specialist.

Urgent GP call/appt is more likely to deal with this than A&E but ignore the snarky comments - I have been to A&E for uncontrolled bleeding in this situation, I was sent there by my GP and the doctor I saw told me I should have gone sooner. However first port is a call to your GP.

[Majormanner]

Poor you - make sure you are eating/drinking enough to help with the dizziness (hard with lOs I know!)

Definitely chase up the GP or call 111. I used to have two heavy periods every 2 weeks - was super pale and anaemic. A coil did resolve it (although its been removed as it was embedded) and ive not had the problem since

[SheRaaarghPrincessOfPower]

Sloe - this absolutely can be a medical emergency. Soaking through a pad an hour, for example, is a lot of blood and can need urgent investigation.

OP - You'd be justified in going to A&E, but I think a better route would be emergency GP this morning so they can same day refer to Gynae.

[Bubblebubblepop]

I think the problem with A&E is whilst I wouldn't be as harsh as the previous poster, it's there to deal with situations that need immediate medical treatment.

What you need is referral, investigation and potentially some drugs. A&E can't do any of that for you really. I mean what can they do that your GP couldn't in an emergency appointment?
If the GP can't give you one ask the receptionist what you need to do to be seen TODAY. Another practise, another GP, whatever.

[keepcalmandfuckon]

sloe that was very harsh.

OP what I've been told in the past is if you soak through a maxi pad every hour then you do need to be seen. I've had troubles in the past that I won't go into here but this is what a&e told me. I imagine they would give you tranexamix acid if necessary. I have bled through periods to the point of being severely anaemic.

[Patchouli666]

You need to call your gp again today. Say to the receptionist it is urgent. Then say to GP when you see them or speak over phone that you've had a letter but no appt and you are much worse ow and need an urgent referral to gynae. This will be the best route I think. Also before that, if you call the hospital appointments line and say you have a gynae referral but no appt and you are much much worse now and want the next available appt or cancellation, see what they say.
In all likelihood, your GP hasn't really been that forthright in the referral letter to them re the amount of bleeding so you aren't on the urgent list.
If they haven't got an apt soon, then by all means call your GP today and don't let it go, don't get fobbed off. Go in with 'what you want to happen' - referral urgently. Say you are not willing to wait as you don't think you are safe like this. Tell them you will have to go to a&e if not seen quickly. That should put a rocket up him or her. Every patient going to a&e will give their GP surgery and hospitals do correlate patients attending from certain surgeries - they won't want the stress at audit.

[stopfuckingshoutingatme]

SloeSloeQuickQuickGin is right OP

I honestly think that you need an Urgent GP apt and some medication to address this, people have mentioned already what medication there is. DRUGS EXIST TO HELP!!!

I also think you need scan to identify what's behind this, and a referral to Gynae Which I see is in progress

good luck , get some medication and advice

[keepcalmandfuckon]

I can't write tranexamix acid without it autocorrecting to the bloody weird spelling you can see

[SloeSloeQuickQuickGin]

She FWIW my local hospital trust is 19 A&E nurses short - this is the state of the NHS, we are just starting the run up to winter. Someone mestruating is not a life threatening medical emergency. But if the OP feels she needs emergency medical intervention to save her life then of course she should go to A&E.

But pray, exatly what do you think they will do in A&E apart from give her a care sheet?

[WishfulThanking]

Ignore the sarky comments, OP. There are some miserable fuckers on MN these days.

I was sent to A+E for a ridiculously heavy period by 111 not too long ago. I lost so much blood during that period that my haemoglobin dropped from 12 to 10 in the space of three days, and I take iron tablets at a treatment dose anyway! The staff in the hospital did not roll their eyes that I was there...the triage nurse said 'this is ridiculous...if they don't sort you out you will be needing a blood transfusion every time you have your period!'

[Patchouli666]

And you can have Mirena or the progesterone only pill whilst bf which may and often does reduce bleeding. ESP the mirena. Not for everyone though, I can't tolerate progesterone so it turned me into a banshee but lots are fine with it

[Danceswithwarthogs]

I had to go to a and e with mc but was soaking maternity towels every 5 mins and passing large clots. Needed fluids, a battlefield drug to try to slow the bleeding and transfer to gynae.

Although your blood loss isn't as acute and necessarily constituting an emergency in its self, the problem is if your blood count is already low because of chronic losses, it doesn't take a great deal of further hemorrhage to make you too low. Have you eaten today, do you feel safe looking after kids?

I would phone gp first (maybe try to get another adult to be with you/take you in and watch the children in case you should pass out) if they refuse to give you emergency appt and your gut tells you that you are very unwell, then it may have to be a and e, people go down there for less urgent things than that and how can you know how ill you are without at least having blood count checked?

[WishfulThanking]

A few years ago my SIL was sent to hospital by her GP for uncontrollable menstrual bleeding too.

[Sequence]

Phone the GP and say you need to speak with someone urgently as you're worried your bleedeing is dangerous and you've even been wondering whether to go to A&E.