Graphic photos! Menstrual clots and moon cup advice?

[TheMoonCupOfJelly]

I know as a feminist I shouldn't apologise for discussing menstruation but I am sorry, those photos are quite graphic so I thought I'd add title warning!

Fucking periods, fucking perimenopause, fucking EVERYTHING is going wrong atm. I'm 47, my periods have been irregular for the last 18 mths, longest cycle was 133 days period free (bliss) but sometimes they've been as close together as two weeks. My last (relatively) normal period just finished on Saturday

This morning I woke up in bed to a recreation of the horses head scene in The Godfather. Nice. Since then (7am) I have filled four mooncups and leaked right through pads, but the problem is two mooncups worth have been filled with, it's not really clots, it's like fucking jelly or something! So obvs my cup runneth over but it wasn't due to large volume of liquid, IYSWIM?

I feel like shit and tired anyway due to other health stuff but I'm not breathless or especially faint or anything. I just would like women's opinions as to whether I'm ok to stay home as its usual for such alarming clot stuff in peri, or whether this is hospital worthy (no point suggesting GP, won't get an appt) I can't ring 111 as they automatically tell me to go to hospital for everything We don't have a minor walk in clinic either. DH would prefer me to get medically checked as he worries about me (other health issues, so I can't take HRT either. I'd prefer not to be too outing with that if possible, but they're not stuff that should affect periods).

I normally disapprove of asking for health advice (esp "I have had really sharp chest pain for three days shall I call 101?" threads) on MN so it's just other women's experiences and worldly knowledge I need really.

In return I shall share that the very worst time for crap mooncup stuff like this to happen is when you have a broken arm/fingers Plus I bought lovely pale pink/white new pull up playsuit style pyjamas so I can get dressed more easily and independently, and they look like I've been working as a butcher FFS.

OP- I had clots exactly like this - like lumps of bloody jelly.

Basically it was fibroids- they weren't big enough to warrant removal. It isnt ovulatory matter as I've had my tubes removed. Fibroids are usually due to excess of oestrogen so I am now on progesterone only HRT to help balance my hormones. It has helped a lot- you can also help it with an anti inflammatory diet and anti oestrogen supplements like DIM. (forgot to say I am in my 40s and in peri)

I had similar episodes...transpired I had endometriosis, fibroids and adenomyosis. Radical hysterectomy was my required treatment.

I had this too. Totally sorted out with mirena coil at age 49, so I'd recommend that.

Glad you're being seen to. Totally unconnected to your situation, but relevant to your question about a cyst not being seen from the outside: I had a 10x10cm tumour in the centre of my chest, growing for about 2 years, and had no idea. I did eventually get a small lump which led to my diagnosis, but that wasn't the tumour itself - it was so big it had broken through my sternum and the broken bone had caused a bit of swelling. I felt fine! And I'm fine now, all cured a year later. But just goes to show, there can be crazy stuff going on inside our bodies without us realising it!

Bodies really are weird aren't they, and there's so much we don't know (and don't know that we don't know if that makes sense!)

I'll just have to see what happens I guess. I really don't want a coil and I'd prefer not to have additional medication (for complicated reasons). I wonder if surgery is being mentioned as they'd quite like to assess the effects of a general anaesthetic on me before they use it in an op involving my brain!

Anyway appreciate people taking time to reply and will update if there is anything interesting to report...

@TheMoonCupOfJelly glad you are feeling better x i was dead set against the coil but it stopped my periods completely so..... 🤔🤔 Take care of yourself, sending hugs 🫂🙏💐

the op asks for medical advice and yet it got deleted from what seemed a quite well thought and logical post, sometimes it seems you cannot win on mumsnet (refering to metalgear post) hopefully it helped the op before it got pulled

Happy to share. As well as the blood clots and ridiculously heavy periods (I remember having to change my 2xsupaplus tampons in a Swiss underground Carpark because I couldn't make it to a toilet and leaving a pool of blood behind..) I would feel pressing need to go to the toilet which wasn't a result of me making an effort to drink 2 l of water a day it was the cyst pressing on all my internal organs. I was still wearing size 12 clothes (which I don't now 16 years later...). Anyway I had a scan and they saw a large cyst. I had had a scan 12 months before for another reason and there was nothing there. Anyway referred to a consultant who diagnosed a borderline cyst - not malignant but not benign and recommended removal. She asked me if my family was complete. I had two girls 4 and 6 at the time. We weren't planning to have any more. She said I could just have the affected ovary removed or have complete hysterectomy plus appendectomy (as if 'there anything nasty there it would spread to the appendix next'). It wasn't a black and white decision but on balance I went for the safer option of having everything out. It is a major operation and as the cyst had a diameter of 12cm it left a large scar. The worst part was actually getting sepsis from a kidney infection I caught when the removed the catheter. But I recovered and luckily had a fairly symptomless instant menopause at 41. I just wanted to be here for my children. They were too young to really understand and asked why I had my wee in a bag and why I had put a football in my tummy.
I also had my cervix removed so no more smear tests - yay.

Thank you for replying. It sounds like you made the right call, but must have been awful at the time, especially sepsis on top of all that. It sounds like the positives definitely outweighed the negatives though, and I'm glad you got it all resolved.

You said it hadn't shown on scan 12 months before, but it sounds like you had experienced symptoms for a while? My cycles have been very irregular but periods usually light and I've never experienced any clots or massive blood loss like that, it was completely out of the blue! I guess I have to wait and see what scans say, they seem to be dealing with it very quickly (the speed actually worries me somewhat!)

It's just one bad thing on top of another atm. Literally day after day. It's fucking relentless and I feel for DH who also looks stressed as hell. I just seem to cause so much worry, I know there's no point in feeling guilty as I know it's not my fault. But yet I still feel guilty I was already overwhelmed by RL stuff going on before this, as well as existing medical stuff and broken bones etc, but this is just all too much on top. I try to see a positive at least in that hospital stays for me are actually respite for DH, he knows where I am and that I am being looked after.

I hope we get some answers tomorrow, or soon.

I had about three months of the ridiculous periods from what I remember and the pressing on the bladder feeling which only in hindsight I realised was the cyst.

wishing you well x

Just a quick update as people were kind enough to post - tests/scans show red flags for cancer (although the doctor did say it most likely will be benign, so fingers crossed) so have to have a small op under two week pathway and then wait for biopsy results.

In addition orthopaedics also said yday they want to operate on my broken arm, and I now also have LOTS of outpatient assessment appointments block booked between now and next year for my potential brain surgery. And the appts are a right pain in the arse to get to travel wise as it's a specialist hospital. I've decided (well I don't really have a any choice) to pull out of a long term commitment I've been working very hard on for ages, which is absolutely heartbreaking after all the work and also has financial implications. Oh and I had a seizure this morning and suspect I've broken a toe, a toe wouldn't normally be a problem but naturally this time it's the big toe. Of course it is.

DH looks absolutely exhausted and I know he's worried about his job now as well as me. (I'm usually a source of worry anyway but this is off the scale even by our standards!) I've not mentioned the toe to him. I'll think about the toe tomorrow.

I did win £3.20 on the lottery though. So look for the positives and all...

Blimey, you have so much going on! I hope it all works out okay and that you don't go mad balancing all the different medical appointments before you get there. (I may be slightly projecting there on multiple appointments...)

Anyone else not seeing the photos?

Thank you.

I asked MNHQ earlier to delete the photos as I'd been to A and E already so no need to inflict them on anyone else! I let the title stand as some of the descriptions are still graphic and people may not want to read it.

Thank you so much for posting an update. And so glad that, although clearly something extra you really don’t need at the moment, it’s being investigated. Those photos were quite something! Please do, if you’re able of course, give the occasional further update. Sending good thoughts to you through the magic of the interwebs!!

@TheMoonCupOfJelly Just wanted to say how incredibly strong you sound. So much going on in your life and you still manage to write with warm humour. I really do wish you all the best with your arm, your periods and your brain. Here’s to the universe sending you some good luck to balance all the guff.

@TheMoonCupOfJelly dear god you are going through it!!!! Thank you for the update, I'm glad you are getting sorted x sending positive vibes, hugs 🫂 and 💐 take care of yourself x

Gosh poor you OP! I was here when you started your thread and saw the graphic photos. Can't believe what rotten luck you are having 😔 Hope the hospital isn't too noisy and you're managing to rest a little. Sorry about having to pull out of the commitment, you must be so disappointed.

Sending un-mumsnetty hugs and wishing you well. Do feel free to offload/update/rant as you see fit on here over the coming weeks and months if it helps. Fingers crossed (can't cross your broken toes can you?!) that it's not cancer on top of everything else.

Thank you for all kind messages. This week keeps getting more shit, honestly people would think I was trolling if I posted it all! The final straw is I have just opened this bag of much anticipated Haribo to be confronted with this (slightly ironic given the thread title) monstrosity. This photo itself needs a graphic warning alert!

(Yes, I have blacked out my fingers as I have finger tattoos and don't want this thread to be even more identifying than it already is!)

I'm still ignoring The Toe as I genuinely cannot face, or feel well enough, to sit in A and E for 10 hours. It doesn't look displaced and I've buddy taped it so fuck it. If it gets worse or I end up in A and E for something else I'll get it checked. I have applied my usual mantra for getting through each day (unofficially the mantra is actually oh fuck it but officially it's after all, tomorrow is another day.)

A day at a time. We shall keep going a day at a time. Disturbing clots of Haribo can fuck off.

Actually there is positive news, I am home not in hospital, as my pre-op next week is at a different hospital anyway (and the hospital I am actually having the op in is a third completely different hospital ) and I'm not due for my next infusion until Monday, so I'm allowed home until then - upon promises of good behaviour and supervision. So I can (god I really don't want to jinx it) hopefully can spend the next few days at home.

Hmmm, why did I lose my formatting in first post? I shall try again as it makes no sense, and the mantra is Very Important.

Unofficially the mantra is actually oh fuck it but officially it's after all, tomorrow is another day.

That better work. And yes I do sound surprisingly cheerful as I am kind of off my face on (legal ) medication

@TheMoonCupOfJelly so glad you are back home x re the haribo blob.....did they melt together??? 🤔🤔😂💗

Yes they've kind of melded together in a big Haribo clot! They look melted - I do have a heated elec blanket but they've not been near it it, DH only gave them to me this morning

He is currently painstakingly separating them for me (the poor little bears are all misshapen which is genuinely making me feel sad )

Well just a quick update/pre-op question if anyone has any advice? It's probably worth an AIBU in itself but I can't face AIBU!

I've successfully managed to evade further emergency trips this weekend (yay) but have come down with a really bad cold/chest infection. My pre-op appt is tomorrow, I have rung to explain and they are happy for me to attend as I have done a CV test and it's negative. Usually I would not be happy bringing cold symptoms into a hospital (even properly masked) but i want everything done asap - AIBU to just go if I feel well enough? I just feel guilty in case I pass it on, I'll admit I judge people who attend hospital appts when clearly unwell In my defence, I have chronic bronchitis so am nervous about catching stuff. It is well managed however and has been quiet for ages until now (naturally! )

ATM I feel absolute crap, achey and exhausted and am bringing up (sorry, this thread really is like a medical condition Sporner's wet dream ) very sticky thick green phlegm so it looks like I'm actively fighting an infection. Nothing worrying in my obs though, and I wouldn't ask for anti Bs at this stage.

I won't be able to physically go anyway if I feel as crap as I do today but if I feel well enough tomorrow, AIBU to still go to pre-op?

"Judging unwell people for attending hospital appts" actually looks like one of the thickest things I've ever written on MN Hopefully people understand what I mean! People who are clearly infectious and cough/sneeze all over everyone, I usually meet them in A and E triage where they're being told to see a pharmacist as they've gone with the most trivial shit ever.

God I mentioned masks too didn't I, I can see this thread going downhill and it'll be my own fault