Flooding periods and office work

[Conflictedboobs]

I’m about to return to the office from maternity leave (DS is 7 months). Since giving birth, I’ve had a problem with absolutely insane periods where all of a sudden, my body ‘let’s go’ somehow and I suddenly lose a lot of blood all at once. It’s usually around half a pint but it has been more and there’s a lot of large clots. I have these floods around 2-4 times a month, usually close-ish together but often with no warning at all. So I won’t have any bleeding or anything and then all of a sudden it will just come and there’s nothing I can do.

I’m going back to work on 29th. I’ll be 3 days from home and 1 day from the office but what if I get a flood on an office day?? How on earth do I deal with it? What if it happens on the train?

I currently wear period pants whenever I leave the house because I do get other random smaller bleeds all the time but they can’t cope with a flood. Today for example I had a flood wearing period pants while sitting on the kitchen floor feeding DS - I had to mop the floor and the puddle was about a foot diameter once I stood up.

I’ve been to my GP who has referred me for an ultrasound but the referral wait time is almost 10 months in my area. I’ve had bloods done and I’m waiting for those results too.

Any thoughts on how I manage this or anyone with similar experience who can give advice much appreciated!

OP have you had either a blood transfusion or / and an iron transfusion? I had both about 10 months after a v traumatic birth & blood loss and I felt like a new person!

Absolutely sympathise OP! Aside from addressing the underlying cause with your GP, some things that I do when working in the office on days when things are bad are:

I wear pad pants pad pants in layers. I tend to wear a dress with a looser skirt section that isn't too short or long. Then I place a dark towel on my chair as I sit and cover it with the skirt of my dress at the back.

I'm lucky that I have a great team who all know. I keep a change of clothes and pants etc at work and no one would bat and eyelid if I came out wearing something different.

You have my absolute sympathies!

Just thought @Conflictedboobs how long has this been going on? Any smell or anything unusual?

Whilst I get flooding so the time given the severity of yours and that you have had healing issues (and thus presumably interventions) had anyone checked you for infection?

I had PP infection after all of mine which took several months to diagnose and successfully treat, but the massive clots and floods were the worst.

This happens to a colleague of mine and she keeps several changes of clothes at work. It’s really awful, I feel so sorry for her.

My GP did an examination and took swabs which all came back clear so no infection, my blood tests showed very low iron but nothing wrong with clotting or anything.

I’ve not had a blood transfusion but I’m on iron tablets and have been since I was discharged from hospital. They’ve tried to take me off them a couple of times but when they do my blood tests my iron just nose dives. I do get very tired and a bit weak when the bleeding has been really bad and it can take a week or so to feel normal again.

@MadeForThis

The same thing happened to me after dd2. I ended up in an ambulance due to lack of oxygen due to blood loss. It was like turning on a tap. Blood just poured out.

The only think that helped was getting a mirena coil fitted. Had some spotty blood for a couple of weeks then no bleeding at all. Even when period was due. They tried the mini pill first but it made no difference.

I've had the mirena in for 3.5 years now and the bleeding has never happened again.

I agree with having the mirena fitted. It stopped my horrendous periods after I had a PPH that nearly killed me. It did take about 3 months to stop the flooding, then another 3 months before my periods stopped completely. I feel your pain, OP.

Would disposable incontinence pants not help?

Have you tried reusable pads? I've switched recently and they hold soooo much more blood. You can get really long night time ones. Amazon is your friend. On work days I wear a tampon, pad, period pants and then boxer shorts to hold it all in. I'm too scared of leaking!

I'd really push for an iron infusion, OP.

It is disgraceful that you should have to wait so long for this to be properly investigated. In your position I would consider going to A&E when you next have a flood, it might speed up a referral to gynae/ultrasound.

Honestly I have no words - so many suffering!

@Conflictedboobs I don't know if this helps but my friend ,told she had 2 years to wait for hip replacement ,found that there were different routes to treatment .
Have a look here
www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs

If a GP needs to refer you for a physical or mental health condition, in most cases you have the legal right to choose the hospital or service you'd like to go to.

This will include many private hospitals if they provide services to the NHS and it does not cost the NHS any more than a referral to a standard NHS hospital

To agree on the shortlist, you and your GP can compare information about hospitals or consultants on this website, including quality outcomes, waiting times, parking and travel. Use the services near you link to make an informed decision before booking.

You have the legal right to ask for your appointment to be moved to a different provider if you're likely to wait longer than the maximum waiting time specified for your treatment.

The hospital or clinical commissioning group (CCG) will have to investigate and offer you a range of suitable alternative hospitals or clinics that would be able to see you sooner. Read the guide to waiting times for more information

www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/about-the-nhs/your-choices-in-the-nhs/

Sympathies, OP. It’s miserable. I once flooded through my clothes AND the change of clothes I’d brought en route (by train) to a conference n Birmingham. The train seat was sodden. I had to get a helpful friend meet me with more clothes at Leamington Spa!

Tranexamic acid helped temporarily, and then I had a mirena coil fitted after a D and C and a look at a fibroid (have you been checked for fibroids?) — however, I bled the coil out after a few months in a spectacularly heavy bleed. I then had an endometrial ablation and another coil fitted — cautiously optimistic so far.

@wizbit93

Have you tried reusable pads? I've switched recently and they hold soooo much more blood. You can get really long night time ones. Amazon is your friend. On work days I wear a tampon, pad, period pants and then boxer shorts to hold it all in. I'm too scared of leaking!

Yep, I use reusable period pants and cloth pads for lighter days :)