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Original poster

Anyone awake? I'm so mortified and embarrassed

218 replies

FlamingLama · 06/02/2022 05:00

I'm away for the weekend in a really nice hotel and I struggle with really heavy periods. Slept with a tampon in which I changed before I went to bed and a huge verging on nappy like pad on. Woke up amd the pad has wriggled out the way, tampon has overflowed and there is blood on the beautiful crisp white linen. I want to pack my bags and leave now. I brought my own towel with me from home to sleep on but dh said I was being ridiculous. Sat here so upset.
I'm so sick of my horrendous periods. No Dr takes them seriously and I'm expected to put up with them. They make me horrendously anaemic too. Now this. I'm literally never leaving the house whilst I'm on again.

We've had such a great weekend and this has ruined it. I want to go home. I've had other health problems too so this was supposed to be having a relaxing weekend and I can't sleep for fear of it happening again. Just sat here crying. I know I won't be the first person to have their periods on the sheets but I'm so embarrassed and I took massive precautions and it still happened.

Do I phone reception in the morning and tell them?

OP posts:
Passtherioja · 06/02/2022 10:03

@Moonface123

l have had mirena coil fitted, no periods since, it has been a Godsend to me.
OP I thoroughly agree with this. Mirena coil-made a huge difference to my life.
Tdcp · 06/02/2022 10:05

Op I've cleaned hotels and trust me, this is run of the mill! On another note I also have periods like yours and I found the moon cup to be really useful, I used to have to change tampons / pads every hour but the moon cup doesn't leak when you have it in right. I hope you feel better x

Tdcp · 06/02/2022 10:06

Also echoing pp on the mirena coil, I've had 3 minor periods in 5 years, changed my world.

sorrysaywhatnow · 06/02/2022 10:07

Oh bless you. They've seen far, far worse.

Go back to your GP, ask for a uterine scan to rule out fibroids and get a prescription of Tranexamic acid to help stop the flow. And a blood test to check your iron levels, I had an iron infusion which whilst was very expensive, helped a lot.

pinkyredrose · 06/02/2022 10:13

Please don't be embarrassed, they really will have seen it all before.

Also, apologies if it's been said but please don't sleep with a tampon in, it can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome, it can kill very quickly. Please see your Dr!

NYnewstart · 06/02/2022 10:13

Please don’t worry about it.

Strip the bed and leave it all in the bath, perhaps with a handwritten note on the side saying just sorry. Then leave a small tip next to it if you want to, even though you don’t actually need to.

rwalker · 06/02/2022 10:15

Having worked in hotels when I first left school I can assure you NO ONE cares seen it many times. As long as you tell them .
Strip the bed and tell them .
The only time it pisses staff off is when they say nothing and you pull the quilt back and have to deal with it .

Wife2b · 06/02/2022 10:18

Strip the bed and run cold water over the blood patch. I had a nose bleed on a night out once and ruined my white blouse, took it off in the ladies, did the above and it came straight out.

PinotPony · 06/02/2022 10:23

Oh bless you OP! How horrible on your nice weekend away.

Please go back to your GP and insist on a Gynae referral. I had an ultrasound which revealed fibroids. Opted for the Mirena coil and have hardly bled since.

blobby10 · 06/02/2022 10:24

You poor thing- I totally understand your embarrassment as it happened to me many times x I ended up never going away if I could help it and if I did I took a towel x like you dr did tests and scans, said nothing wrong and i just had heavy periods. At 40 I started using a mooncup and they became less painful and slightly less heavy x at 47 I got a coil fitted and had periods every four weeks for the first time ever! Five years later they are so light that i hardly need a mooncup but don’t like idea of wearing a pad all the time xx

I hope that you manage to cope with the flow some day as it’s shit that it controls your life so much 😢

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 06/02/2022 10:31

Oh my love; I think so many of us have been there!

Yes it's mortifying but the hotel staff will be able to deal with it. Go home where you feel comfy and get under a duvet on the sofa.

Your GP is shit, by the way, and you need a second opinion.

TimBoothseyes · 06/02/2022 10:33

@rwalker

Having worked in hotels when I first left school I can assure you NO ONE cares seen it many times. As long as you tell them . Strip the bed and tell them . The only time it pisses staff off is when they say nothing and you pull the quilt back and have to deal with it .
As a former Center Parcs cleaner I echo this. Trust me OP I've had to deal with a whole lot worse than period blood on sheets. The only thing I will add is if you could put it in either a pillow case (or better still), a plastic bag, just to add an extra layer of safety for the cleaner, with a note stating that it contains a bloodied sheet, your cleaner will be grateful.
Bestgoldie21 · 06/02/2022 10:44

Bless you 😑 I used to work housekeeping, and I echo the other comments, I've seen A LOT worse. I'd strip the bed and just say there's blood on them (you don't need to specify where from, they'll handle it the same regardless) Could period pants on top be an option for you at night?

Beamur · 06/02/2022 10:46

It's happened to me. I left a note with an apology and a tip!
Period pants is a good suggestion. I'm really prone to flooding at the moment and these have stopped the leaking into the bed entirely.

ItSeemsRidiculous · 06/02/2022 10:48

I work in a hotel, please don't give this any more headspace.
Stripping the beds is done on autopilot, we aren't inspecting the sheets and probably wouldn't notice.
It happens and most of us have probably experienced this, please don't feel embarrassed or down about it or let it ruin your stay.
You could strip the bed and fold it all up but you do not need to mention anything to reception or housekeeping.
Believe me there are worse things left in the rooms / on the bed.

ThisTownAintBigEnoughForBoth · 06/02/2022 10:48

I hope you are feeling better OP. honestly it is so normal. I have awful periods and for me tranexamic acid really helps, plus a mooncup and period pants. The mooncup holds a lot more than a tampon, and period pants can't wiggle out of the way like pads. If you can't cope with a mooncup still try the pants, they really are great.

theemperorhasnoclothes · 06/02/2022 11:09

Oh OP, you sound so lovely. Half of the population have periods between the ages of 11(ish) and 50(ish). That's probably thousands of women that I bet this has happened to. You're not alone.

It's nothing to be ashamed of, as others have said the housekeeping will have seen this (and far worse) regularly. If you want to be nice to housekeeping, and you sound lovely so I bet you do, fold the sheet / undersheet and call up and inform them. As PP have said, it'll go in a bleach wash, no problem.

Given the sex based differential in low paid jobs probably most if not all of the people doing the cleaning will be female - some of them will probably have the same types of periods. Why do you think they'd judge you for something that could happen to them? They won't.

Oh and stop listening to your DH about periods - trust yourself. I sleep on a towel sometimes on heaviest nights too, I bet it's quite common.

Your DH has never had a period, he knows jack shit about whether you're being 'ridiculous' or not and belittling your concerns is not a very nice thing to do.

Can you change plans for the rest of the stay to something you'd feel more comfortable with?

StScholastica · 06/02/2022 11:10

Oh and don't listen to your DH, I had to do all of the above and still sleep on towels until a Mirena coil changed my life.
Hated it for the first 3 months but 3 years down the line I recognise it as a godsend.

PermanentTemporary · 06/02/2022 11:10

Toxic shock is incredibly rare and even more so with a fresh tampon in... don't worry about that as well...

LoisLane66 · 06/02/2022 11:11

Knowing your problems with heavy periods, why did you go away on a weekend when you knew you would 'suffer' embarrassment?
I'd tell the room staff and apologise. It's probably gone through to the mattress protector if they have them.
They've seen worse. If you feel REALLY awful then leave her a small box of chocolate. You can buy 'Thank you' boxes of 4 chocolates in Waitrose or M&S if you're near either of these stores. That's what I'd have done. Don't worry.

MrsWinters · 06/02/2022 11:16

Don’t go to the pool tomorrow, book in for an afternoon tea or something instead. Nice walk and hot chocolates or a bottle of fizz.
I’d strip the bed for house keeping, but they won’t mind.
Look after yourself Cake

Zonder · 06/02/2022 11:17

That assumes her periods are really regular and that she knew exactly when they would come when she booked. Never true for me.

CrinklyCraggy · 06/02/2022 11:20

I think the joke is that it's an offensive joke, the content isn't supposed to be funny.

I don't understand why people want to hear it though, but if they didn't he'd stop doing it.

CrinklyCraggy · 06/02/2022 11:21

Completely wrong thread, sorry. No idea how I managed to do that.

Mintyt · 06/02/2022 11:29

I used to flood dreadfully. Sometimes when sitting at work and moving position, I was given medication I can't remember what it's called but something acid, game changer. Don't let this worry your weekend, accidents happen, move on they will not mind. Just strip the bed and ask for fresh linen.