This is no life

[Pojji]

Suffering with horrendous periods. I'm not over exaggerating when I say I think I've probably lost a pint of blood in the last 3-4 days..... maybe more. The blood is pouring out of me.
Yesterday I bled onto my chair at work. I felt completely humiliated.
My iron and iron store numbers are in my boots. I've absolutely nothing left. My Gp did a test before Christmas and my levels were 7. I'd guess they're significantly worse after this bleed.

My gp has recomended the mirena coil so I'm trying to get one fitted but my surgery only has one clinic a month so I'm waiting....Feb is full.

Asked for an iron infusion because I'm on the floor but that was met with maybe.....its apparently not standard procedure. I can't tolerate most oral forms of iron due to another health condition which I manage really well through diet (no red meat, dairy and other things) so I've avoided a flare up for over 2 years now.

Woken up in pain for day 5 of my period once again in a pool of blood despite nappy sized pads. I feel like absolute shit and need to summon up the energy to shower away the grossness of it all and go to work. I feel dirty. I am shattered despite 9 hours sleep.

I came home from work last night, fed my kids and went to bed with the baby.

I'm not sure what I want.....I am just so totally and utterly done with feeling like this. Trying to function, parent my kids, run a house, work.....I've nothing left in me to even get out of bed this morning. I'm so tired. I'm depressed. I have no quality of life what so ever. Tuesday the bleeding was so bad I couldn't leave the house. I just had to sit on a towel and try and get through the day.

I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it through the day and I have a schedule of meetings that I can't miss at work.

Not sure what the point of my post is, I'm just completely fed up.....beyond fed up. Just needed to get it out.

Can u take the progesterone only pill …no periods with that ,you take it every day

@Winterpetal I'm not sure. I might phone my GP back today and ask for an interim measure to carry me through to having the coil fitted.

I need to get out of bed but I'm completely exhausted 😩

Ask for a scan and see if you have fibroids. That was the cause of my bleeding. I went nearly two years in the same way you did, with a very unsympathetic GP, went private to see what was going on.

I had fibroids and cysts, one small one but positioned in a place which was causing most of the flooding.

I got them taken out (took three surgeries!) and the Mirena coil and now have extremely light periods, if any at all.

You have my sympathy OP. You must be feeling exhausted.

It's hard when you feel so rubbish, but please fight for an infusion. I've had them for the same reason and they make such a difference. I got my first on the NHS because my ferritin had been so low for so long that my haemoglobin had dropped to a level that made me officially anaemi and, like you, I cannot tolerate tablets. At the infusion clinic they said it's a frequent treatment and they do loads every day - GPs just don't seem to have caught up on the whole.

Since then Ive had to get them privately when I've been iron deficient and getting symptoms but don't want to put up with it for ages until such time I officially become anaemic and eligible under the NHS rules. It's incredibly expensive and I'm fortunate that I can just about manage it financially, but without it I really struggle.

*anaemic

I would make a written complaint to your practice manager.

Have you not been referred to a gynaecologist?. I would be asking my gp about this.

The cause of all this needs to be properly determined as well as treating the symptoms. This amount of bleeding is not normal and may be due to endometrial hyperplasia or endometriosis.

If finances permit I would contact your local
private based hospital to see a gynae for a consultation. You need medical attention.

That sounds dreadful OP, like me at peri menopause, couldn’t leave the house as blood would literally pour out. You shouldn’t have to deal with that in your fertile years.

I had the Mirena coil at 31, no periods for six years after the initial six weeks of bleeding. I hope it works for you as well as it did me.

💐

Sympathy OP. I had some flooding periods and low iron stores in my early 40s, the GP put me on tranexamic acid (and iron tablets) and it helped a lot, do ask your GP about it.

OP I have different period problems that left me unable to function during them and am now on the pill which I take continuously. It was only because I was too scared to get the coil (trauma issues). The benefit with the pill is that you remain in control of it. Even as a temporary measure definitely ask for it.

If you're feeling so ill, perhaps you should phone in sick. After all, you're not actually well.

Sympathy!

Also, warning- Mireya didn't work for me.

Tranexamic acid helped a lot though, and also ibuprofen. You have to actually take them though! I used to forget.

I remember bleeding through on chairs, always sitting on a cardigan in case, sleeping on a towel etc.

Bathroom like a flipping crime scene.

It sucks.

Is your GP the only option for a coil fitting? Round here you can get them done in your local community sexual health clinic. Have a look online and see if you can find one. It's a very normal thing.

Is hysterectomy an option?

Ohhh OP I understand COMPLETELY!! Flooding is absolutely horrific. My bathroom was like a f**king abattoir!! I was going through a dozen tampons with sanitary pads in 6 hours at one stage. HRT (was a fight as I’m younger than NHS guidelines) really helped so if I were you I’d start with the pill as coil has had mixed results.

Take a sick day today. It’s not unreasonable.

Massive love!!!

I had this too.

Before getting the coil fitted push for a referral to find out WHY you're periods are like this.

Hormones will just mask the problem rather than treat it.

Depending on your age and whether you have children, an endometrial ablation can work wonders. I had mine done last Feb and Oh.My.God my life has changed. I'm still having periods but the flow is soooo light. I can actually wear a regular tampon! I can go swimming, I can stand up without worrying I've left a mark. No flooding, just a normal simple period.

Had the same particularly bad in peri. Using a menstrual cup instead of tampons helped a little bit (sometimes doubling up with pads) - period pants weren’t really a thing back then. When it got particularly bad progesterone only pill might’ve helped or it might just have been when my periods naturally stopped anyway. God I am so glad that’s all behind me.

I nearly died because of a similar situation but had read a MN post where a woman posted she was losing so much blood she could not move away from the loo and the thread advised her to go to hospital NOW which she did and lived so I called 111 and was rushed to hospital too and had been ebbing away.

Uterine blood loss should be taken no less seriously than blood loss from a wound.

I was put on progesterone pill can't recall the name of it now Norisometjing and the mirena but ultimately had womb eblation as I was peri menopausal and stopped my periods altogether.

Good luck and don't put up with huge blood loss. It's life threatening

This is dreadful OP there's no wonder you feel so awful.

You need to go back and fight the GP. Women's health is pushed aside so easily. Whilst waiting for the coil you can ask for transexamic acid. This should help to rescue flow. Can you take spatone supplements? They are gentler than most iron. You need that infusion!

Honestly OP I would go to A&E if you have woken up in a pool of blood and are feeling unwell.

It’s unacceptable that you’re dealing with this much blood loss, which can be life threatening as your iron/haemoglobin drops and drops. I can’t believe they haven’t even arranged an iron infusion. Have you had a gynae referral to identify the cause of the bleeding? Haven’t they given you tranexamic acid?

This is horrific! And totally not acceptable

when this was happening to me I got pills to stop it, immediate iron infusion as I was dangerously low, then every test known to woman to see what the problem was

go to a and e. BE HEARD. Take a support person

NOT OK

I had months of this which turned into literal years due to COVID delays - mirena didn't help, but the gynaecologist refused to do a hysterectomy until I'd tried it. Hysterectomy now done, best thing ever. it really is shit.

This is awful - have you been offered tranexamic acid? I was having similar problems - ended up sat in blood during a work meeting. Thank goodness I was WFH that day!

I had scan and blood tests last summer and have used transexamic acid since and haven't leaked once. Periods still on the heavy side but nothing like they were before.

Yesterday I bled onto my chair at work. I felt completely humiliated.

This was me! Only I happened to be sitting on my boss's chair at the time. 😭

I had a hysterectomy. It was the only option and I've never looked back. No idea how old you are (I was 41) but if you've done having kids then it is an (albeit extreme) option. And it's guaranteed to work.

Feeling your pain op.

I was similar to you, I put up with it for years - mine was caused by fibroids - before finally managing to be allowed a hysterectomy. Right up until the last minute the surgeon was trying to persuade me to take artificial hormones - coil, pill etc to ‘fix’ me. When they operated the 2 biggest fibroids were the size of small melons!! I lost 7lbs in weight having my uterus removed!!
I’ve felt great ever since

hope you get help

If you were this unwell, or losing this much blood, for any other reason you'd take time off work to recover ☹️

I've had heavy peri menopausal bleeding and it is absolutely draining on both mind and body. In my case the only treatment that stopped it was ablation surgery.

Tranexamic acid is unlikely to be effective given the sheer amount and frequency of bleeding and its not going to address why this is happening. The cause needs to be determined.