I just gushed blood all over myself and the sofa in my local cafe and im mortified please send thoughts and prayers

[houseeveryweekend]

And I just ran away...
I did not handle it in a mature manner or alert anyone to it. So those poor cafe staff are just going to come across a big pool of blood.
Luckily it was a plastic coated sofa/bench type seat so I imagine they will be able to clean it easily.
I didnt notice until id stood up to leave and glanced back to see if id left anything at the table.. and the cafe was full so it would've been very obvious if id walked back and started cleaning it. And I realised I must also be drenched in blood so I just ran away...
I ran away, I ran all the way home.
I feel bad. I shouldve acted like an adult and just taken the hit and walked back to the sofa to clean it.
Its my local cafe as well and I go in there alot and they will know I was the one sitting there...
I can never go in there again can I?
I'm 35 years old. I also had like a full night time sanitary towel on that id literally only just put on fresh so I do not know how that happened.... I just gushed so much blood everywhere suddenly... I kind of felt it happen but thought it was fine, didnt realise how much there was and that it had soaked thru everything!! Grim.

Lol? That's just horrible.

I have sympathy for people having accidents but leaving something like that for staff to find and clean up...

I'd advise GP and try incontinence products while waiting for your appointment. I'd also advise posters generally not to share their stories about this sort of thing (not casting doubt on you, OP).

Any bleeding between periods should be checked out - please make a GP appointment. It could well be nothing to worry about, but does need checking.

I would drop a card round with a tenner for the tip jar or a box of chocks or something just to say sorry. I’m sure they will understand!

@Longwhiskers lol thats actually what I was just thinking... gonna wrap a tenner in a note saying 'sorry' and just leave it in the tip jar when no one is looking... the cowards way out so I dont have to speak to anyone. Then just never go in there again...
Might even get my husband to go put it in the tip jar for me so I dont have to go in there at all

Your reaction is understandable. Please go to your doctor. More than likely nothing serious but you should get things checked out.

Forgot to say my few times it happened to me i was under a lot of stress even now if im under a lot of stress i get the jelly fish birth flood as i call it.

Unfortunate, but true.

There are a lot of these types around on this site of late.

You shouldn't have just left it OP, however I'm sure you know that. The poor minimum wage staff (probably) will have to clean up bodily fluids that would usually need a specialist to take care of. We weren't even able to empty the sanitary disposal bin when I did a similar role. Sorry that this has happened to you, but you were very wrong to just leave it.

Oh dear, poor you. Perfectly understandable to dash off in embarrassment.

It does sound fairly normal, but good idea to see your GP.

Some of us have had a lifetime of occasional events and frequent near misses of this kind and it's mortifying at the time. So many times when a sneeze or cough means you daren't sit down...

Try not to let it put you off going out though. Even if you need to put on several levels of protection, don't be discouraged. (I suggest mooncup plus inco pad plus leakproof pants.)

I would have done the exact same thing you did! And I wouldn’t go back and apologise. I know that’s wrong but I wouldn’t. I am a coward though.

Go to the doctor as the amount of bleeding doesn’t sound right.

@WhatInFreshHell yeah I do regret it. I did pause and think about getting some loo roll and trying to clean it but the cafe was so crowded I just bottled it and ran away.. I didnt know how visible the blood was on me and all the tables were full and I just couldn't bring myself to walk back over there.
It was the wrong choice tbh coz I might never see those people on the other tables again whereas that's my local cafe I always go in so very likely I'll see those poor girls who had to clean that up again..
I'm gonna drop a tenner tip round when I've sufficiently got over the embarrassment

I’m sorry but you should have tried to clean it up. Waitresses shouldn’t have to deal with your period blood. They get paid peanuts as it is! I think you owe them a huge apology (not for the accident as can happen to anyone but for not owning up and running off!)

Oh god yes,I had the jellyfish thing a couple of times,fucking awful.

I have endometriosis and this has happened to me a few times although thankfully it happened on my own old couch. I now wear period pants and night time pads during the worst days and sit on a blanket during my period. Please get checked out at the GP as they might be able to help.

Oh OP, I don't blame you for doing a runner, I'm sure most people would do the same. Pp idea of telling a white lie that you didn't notice until you got home is a good one if you can't avoid going back in there or want to apologise

I'm 36 and wondering about peri menopause as well, I've been getting night sweats recently 😕i wasn't expecting it for another 10 years

I don't see how you could have stayed to clean up, surely if you started dripping blood all over the floor that would not have helped anything. I think if you apologise, and offer to pay for the cleaning, they will understand.

So you left your blood for someone else to clean up? That’s really grim, the most infectious thing in a hospital setting is someone blood and there’s a special kit to clean it with. Really shocked that you left without even offering to clean up after yourself 🤢

Oh love I totally understand. I would go back in and speak to manager or something privately so you could go back in again feeling ok. After having my newborn twins I wet myself on a velvet lined sofa in a local cafe it was totally mortifying and I cried but the staff were so kind. Go in there all the time with my kids. I do think you should go to the doctors and get it checked as well x

I agree. I get it can't be helped but seriously, to not even call and apologise or offer to help clean up. And as for posters saying Lol about them doing it and leaving it in the past, that's grim. Stop leaving your blood for others to clear up.

It wouldn't even occur to me to expect an apology from you. I'd be concerned about you and honeslty I'd probably assume a miscarriage with that amount of blood and just clean it up and worry about you.

Make an appointment see GP as not normal if you dont normally suffer with heavy bleeds, but be prepared to be told its normal. Talking from experience of suffering since 12 now 45 and bleeding approx 210-240ml per month regularly loose heavy clots suffer with horrendous cramps that in 2018 turned to chronic pain that is worse at ovulation and bad when on my period.

Favourite line is oh dear that's bad or well don't worry you only have about 10 more years of the pain oh and we see we tried the coil but that didn't help (understatement as bled for 9mths solid and became suicidal before they removed and then lost a clot size of a small fist)

Tried pushing the matter as I get approx 4hr sleep a night due to being uncomfortable pay for private reflexology which has helped managed the pain but overall I have resigned myself to just living with it and rattling like a pill jar full of pain relief and never speaking to another GP or gynecologists again

Good luck OP but don't be embarrassed it happens xx

For all those saying they'd do the same, would you be happy for your daughter or niece to be faced with clearing a pool of someone else's menstrual blood and taking on all the inherent risks of doing so?

I deinitely wouldn't.

Chucking a tenner in a tip jar to absolve yourself of your mess is risible.

I'd have rang when I got home and claimed I just noticed that I'm after flooding and its gone through what I was wearing and I'm concerned that I got it on your furniture. Then offer to pay for the cleaning and apologise. It's all you can do now since you fled the scene

No it's not normal.
Yes you should get checked.
And is it any wonder women's health issues aren't taken seriously when women themselves don't take them seriously either?

^This.
Also the staff won’t know if it’s potentially contaminated blood (HIV/Hepatitis etc). It should really be professionally cleaned using appropriate PPE.