Heavy Periods / Clotting - Hysterectomy Or Endometrial Ablation?
Jul 17, 2015
I have had a bit of a journey over the last 3 years, increasingly heavy periods, which are now 2 - 3 weeks long, with severe clotting (sorry tmi). I have had a laparoscopy (GA), mirena coil (twice), right ovary and tube removed due to large cysts, and I have a large fibroid. I have tried tranexamic acid which had no benefit. I am now being offered an endometrial ablation or a hysterectomy. Having read some stuff on forums, the experience of EA doesn't seem to be good. I am inclined to go straight for the hysterectomy in the sense that it gives complete closure to this whole sorry experience, and the on going post op pain with an EA seems well documented. Just wondered if anyone could offer any helpful insights?
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3/21/13. Just for reference, I'm 48 with 2 kids and have never had any health problems of any kind. 71 days ago, I had a fibroid resection by hysteroscopy followed by a Novasure balloon ablation - and haven't had a single day without either spotting or bleeding since. I'm very upset - and am wondering if there are others out there like me? I'd love to hear what kind of followup information you've gotten.
I'll try not to write a novel (knowing me, it'll be close), but here's how it all went down: in December my doc ordered an ultrasound to look into why my periods had gotten heavier over the past couple of years. I didn't bleed for very long (4 days exactly every 28 days) but I bled a lot and it was getting to be sort of worrisome, not to mention inconvenient, and while I was only borderline anemic, I was often tired and got out of breath easily. The ultrasound showed a small, submucosal fibroid (only about 2cm) so my doc referred me to a Seattle hot-shot gynecological oncologist to remove it. Because I have always taken a conservative approach to my healthcare, I asked my doc if I really needed to remove this thing and she proceeded to terrify me with a story about one of her patients whose fibroid had prolapsed and she'd begun to hemorrhage and ended up in the ER, after having nearly bled to death (she'd told me the same sort of horror story when I wanted to try a vbac after my first c-section - needless to say, I went ahead with the second c-section - AND the fibroid removal).
So I went to see this hot-shot. After he explained in detail what he'd be doing to get rid of the fibroid - going in vaginally to re-section with a metal scraper thingy then using a roller-ball to cauterize the site AND my entire uterus, I realized he was describing a second procedure as well... an endometrial ablation. I didn't actually understand this until I was sitting in his "library" (don't all hot-shot docs have Libraries?) waiting for my pre-op instructions from the nurse. I saw those two words: endometrial ablation on the consent form and realized that was the procedure my doc had been trying to get me to do for a couple of years and I'd always declined (in her office, they use the Her Option procedure so I'd not known it by any other name. I'd said no several times over the years. My period's not THAT bad. Like I said, I take a conservative approach. So anyway, here I am realizing the hot-shot (who actually specializes in female cancers, not necessarily fibroid removal and endometrial ablations) has tacked on something I didn't want done, without asking me, without explaining to me, without giving me any literature about it nor briefing me on possible risks or complications. So I called him back into the Library and asked point blank: "Is this something that needs to be done?" and his response: "Well yes, see, we want to go in there and do this now so we don't have to go back in in two years"... Now, I took that to mean this rollerball procedure was necessary for the successful removal of the fibroid and would prevent others from forming in the 4 or so years I have until menopause. So, once again, I fell in line with blind faith and went ahead and let them schedule me for surgery.
The fear was the worst part of the procedure. I'm not that comfortable with hospitals and even the idea of general anesthesia makes me sweat (I'd never been all the way out before) - but all seemed to have gone well because I woke with essentially no pain and no bleeding and laid low for a few days (which I never let myself do so that was a luxury). The only complaint I had at that time was that while I was coming back out of the anesthesia, hot-shot went out to the lobby and told my waiting husband that I was to be on pelvic rest for 4 weeks (news to me) which meant no sex (fine - hey, my husband and I have been married for 18 years, what's 4 weeks?) but also, no riding my horse (not so fine). He'd never mentioned that I'd be grounded from the saddle - my horse and I are in training. It's kind of a big deal to suddenly stop what we've been working toward for a month. I was upset - why the hell didn't he me this BEFORE the surgery (we discussed my equestrian pursuits during the consultation appointment)? But oh well - I scraped together the pennies to pay my trainer to ride my horse while I recovered.
But it was on the 5th day that I began to feel I'd been hoodwinked.
It was an easy day at the barn - no riding, just grooming, bending over to pick hooves and lifting the blanket up to slide it on and off my horse - when I suddenly felt a GUSH. When I checked, I found that I'd just bled about 2 tablespoons worth of pink/red blood. Because I'd been given nothing to read, no handouts, no followup literature or online links to help me know what to expect post-procedure, I called the office to ask if this was normal. The assistant who answered (she was apparently brand new there) decided it was probably that my "sutures" from the fibroid removal had dissolved and sometimes there's a gush of blood after that happens. Not to worry unless I started flooding a pad in the space of an hour. I was only spotting by that time, so I tried not to worry. But from that point on, I started doing my own research and was HORRIFIED to discover SO MANY negative after-effects of this procedure! I felt like kicking myself for not digging deeper beforehand - and mostly, for being so careless with my own body that I put it wholly and completely in someone else's hands, hot-shot or no.
During this research, I discovered that an ablation has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not a fibroid removal is successful. And it certainly doesn't prevent the recurrence of fibroids. I hadn't needed to have this done. I'd gone into this whole thing completely uninformed. I actually wrote hot-shot a letter outlining my dismay at the lack of information I was provided prior to this surgery. I was upset and I let him know it. I let my doc know it, too. After all, she was the one who referred me - and she sent me to him specifically for the removal of the fibroid - NOT for an ablation. But, I figured, hang in there. What's done is done and he said the worst that could happen was that I would still get a period. Since I actually hadn't gone to him intending to get rid of my periods - only to get rid of a fibroid - that didn't seem like a very bad worst-case scenario to me...
Well - it CAN get worse. And it has.
During my follow-up visit at 5 weeks (at which time I was still spotting daily and had already had a post-ablation period - which was about 2/3rds lighter than my pre-ablation periods - still more than any of my friends bleed when notes were compared, but lighter for me), I learned that hot-shot didn't end up using the roller ball after all. He said after he removed the fibroid, my uterus looked so smooth and well-shaped that he used the global method of a Novasure thermal balloon instead. So not only had he not gotten my INFORMED consent to even DO an ablation, he didn't use the technique he'd told me he was going to use. Next - I found out the assistant who took my call on day 5 was mistaken - that gush of blood couldn't have been from sutures dissolving - because I didn't even HAVE sutures! I was starting to have a very bad feeling about this...
And my gut was right. Hot-shot called last week to see how I was doing and I proceeded to tell him that I haven't had a single day since surgery of NO blood (that's 71 days today!!). Some days are worse (like around ovulation when I dump a bunch of brown, mucusy stuff over the course of 5 or 6 days - sorry, TMI - and have to wear tampons to keep from having embarrassing leaks) while about three days a month consist of just a tiny bit of pink or tan on the toilet tissue. Every other day is blood. Pads. Tampons. Using them all.
Turns out, this isn't normal. Surprise surprise. He tells me: "Of all the patients I'd especially want this to work for, it would be you since we sort of got off on the wrong foot." Yeah. No sh*t. Alas - not the case.
Not only did it not "work", but it has made my life worse. Where I bled for 4 heavy days once a month before - and always on schedule - I now never know when a gush is on its way and I have cramps with nausea at least half the month (I didn't have cramps before this. At all.) I wear either a pad or a tampon at all times and sex? We weren't worried about 4 weeks. But 10 weeks is starting to feel like some kind of sentence.
I'm scheduled for an ultrasound in a month to see what's going on. Hot-shot wants me to go through a third post-ablation period first because, as he put it, "if I look into my crystal ball, I really feel this is all going to clear up on its own." But his next guess is this: the balloon didn't properly cauterize the site of the fibroid removal so it is still an open wound and just as it starts to heal, the shedding with my period proceeds to slough off any scab that might have formed. On top of that, the reason I'm still having a period, his words: "sometimes the balloon doesn't reach all the way up to the top of the uterus and some endometrial tissue can be left behind." Really???? Then why the hell use it??? Why didn't he use the roller ball he told me he was going to use? If these turn out to be the reasons for the continued bleeding - guess what? We do a repeat procedure. Hospital again. General anesthesia again. A month off my horse again. $30,000 again. Seriously, this all cost $30,000! We would then be hitting $60,000 - for something that really never needed to be done in the first place. Unbelievable!!! And we wonder why our health care in this country is in such crisis??
The whole thing was not only a bust, but has rendered me a slow-leak mess. I've been keeping a daily diary since day one and I'm exhausted. I'm sick of having to write down every dribble, smear and gush. I'm tired of describing all the different colors. I'm discouraged, depressed and angry. I feel like suing for malpractice. Some hot-shot, huh?
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I am a 35 year old woman who had a tubal ligation 10 years ago and an ablation about 7 years ago due to heavy periods. I am the mother of 2 wonderful daughters and do not plan on having any others. I have read a lot of postings about women who haven't had a period since their procedures, however I still get my period. My system has always sort of been out of whack (periods every 2 weeks or every 2 months). Recently I have been concerned about the lack of my period (almost @ 7 weeks) and wondering, if by some chance I was pregnant, what that would mean? Tied tubes and lack of uterine wall surely cannot equal a pleasant outcome. I have taken a pregnancy test which turned out negative but if my system is out of whack, how accurate could it be?
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I had an endometrial ablation back in July and bled for over 3 months the consultant put me on ESMYA to stop this. I stopped bleeding after 2 wks of starting the tablets which was mid October however over a week ago I started bleeding again. I am not sure whether it is a normal lighter period or whether I am going to go back to constantly bleeding again. Is anyone else on ESMYA and having similar symptoms?
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Hi All - I had a Polyp removed in March where they discovered I had a 12 cm Fibroid - I had an Endometrial Ablation to remove the fibroid and I went for the option of keeping my fertility, this Op was at the beginning of July, since this time I have had only 4 days where I haven't bled. I have just had my 3 month check up with the consultant and he has suggested that the Fibroid is growing back and to start taking ESMYA saying that this will reduce the fibroid and will stop bleeding.
I believe that this is a stop gap with the intention that I will take the tablets for 3 months but once the bleeding starts again I will probably have to have a full Endometrial Ablation.
Has anyone else had an Endometrial Ablation with similar effects and has ESMYA stopped the bleeding? AS you can imagine bleeding for over 3 months solid has become somewhat frustrating.
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Has anybody been diagnosed with this? I went to see a different consultant yesterday one of the top ones at my local hospital and i'm going to be having a hysterectomy and prolapsed bladder repair but for the first time ever he mentioned he thinks I could have PATSS! It does explain a lot of my symptoms, I also have endo and suspected adeno and all this has come about since I had Endometrial ablation 4 years ago and sterilised 12 years ago.
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Since a very young age of 15 I'm now (20)I've had horrendous periods resulting in me having one continuously for around 2/3 years with blood clots and loads of pain. Doctors have always fobbed me off saying it will calm down or it's ibs pain. I've tried all contraceptive options to try and help and the mirena coil is like my only option but that has failed and I'm still in the same position, having heavy constant periods and excruciating pain! It's affecting every aspect of my life, I was just wondering if anyone is around the same age and has been through anything similar. In the time that this has been going on I've only seen a gynaecologist once I'm due to see one again on the 22nd March and I only see a hysterectomy as my only option for this nightmare to stop.
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I was prescribed this medication to stop my periods whilst I was waiting to have a hysterectomy. It has made me very depressed and I have started to retain fluid, my tummy is very swollen and at times I have felt sick and extremely irritable and aggressive, however my periods stopped straight away, so for the interim it is worth coping with the side effects.
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My cycle is irregular to begin with. The last couple months it has gone from 34 days to 36 days to 35 days to 28 days to 30 days. I had my period on august second and wasn't suppose to get it until September 4th. I had sex on august 30th. I then got my period on September 1st. It lasted 5 days as normal but didn't seem as heavy to me. I have been getting dizzy, headaches, a little cramping and nauseous and very sleepy from time to time since last week. On the 13th and 14th I was spotting. Again yesterday and today I have felt sick and had a headache. I have been reading and some places say its not possible and other places say there's a chance I am pregnant. Someone please help me. Also how soon can I take a pregnancy test???
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I am 53 years old and having heavy bleeding from last five years.Now from last ten months I am having periods after every two months, but it is still heavy.I have gone through sonography.It shows multiple intramural &subserosal fibroids.what sould I do?Am I going through normal menopause?
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I had 3 miscarriages in 2014. January at 6 weeks, May at 5 weeks, and November at 8 weeks. I went to the hospital for all three and they never gave me a reason, they said i should take it up with my doctor. But i dont have insurance, its kind of hard to work when i'm sick all the time (ill get to that later) Anyway, so i never found out why the miscarriages happened. Starting in April 2014, i got really sick when my period started, the moment i start bleeding (period or spotting) i get sooo sick for days. No eating or drinking anything for at least 5 days straight, everything makes me sick, stomach pains constantly, rashes all over my skin on my face, chest, and arms. I start shaking, i have hot and cold flashes, blood pours out of me when i sit down (tmi), i feel so weak, i pee out ketones, and i just vomit constantly even with nothing on my stomach ill just dry heave all day. My white blood count gets abnormal. Its torture. Since i don't have insurance (waiting to be approved the past year) i have a low cost doctor.. She does what she can but i usually end up telling her whats wrong or atleast trying. I got tested for auto immune problems but it came back normal and diabetes came back normal. Im beginning to wonder if the miscarriages and heavy periods have caused me to be anemic?
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A year ago, i was fine to use regular tampons, but now i NEED super ones! it has been this way since i lost virginity a year ago. i'm 18 now, and was 17 at the time. Is this due to losing my virginity or just development changes?
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Okay, so I was diagnosed with anemia about 2 years ago. I'm pretty sure that I've had this since I started high school, which was almost 8 years ago. 2 years ago my doc said my hemoglobin was 10.1 and told me to take iron supplements to improve it. I had to stop due to the side effects, but I recently started taking liquid iron supps. My anemia is more than likely caused by my periods, which have been extremely heavy for years, and I have to schedule an appt with the OBGYN soon. Lately, I've noticed that my periods have been getting heavier and shorter. Also, the month or 2 I've been feeling like my symptoms are getting worse. I have SOB, and I feel like I can't breathe in enough air(feels like a pressure in my chest). I also have had lightheadedness, weakness, extreme exhaustion (to the point where I sometimes have to miss school because I am too tired to get out of bed), PICA, trouble focusing, and I have been extremely pale for a few years. I thought I was just being stupid so I tried to get through this on my own for a while, but now my SOB and chest pressure won't go away and I am so exhausted that I don't know how much longer I can do this. I have a really busy schedule but I feel like my body is going to give out if I keep going on like this. I don't know what to do anymore. I didn't go back to the doc for so long because I figured my iron is probably not even going to be really low and I'm one of those people that doesn't like to go to the er unless I'm dying or in severe pain. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to improve my sx? I'm definitely going to try to go see the doc about this. It's frustrating because I feel like no one understands what I'm going through, but it seems like people on here know a lot about anemia so I thought I'd come here to ask for help.
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hi i had my surgical abortion december 9,2015 everything went well light bleeding and a lil blood clots
i had my first period january 15th to 25th(10 days) its a heavy period and has lotsof blood clots coming out small-medium size everytime i go sit in the toilet and pee and when i go take a shower its like a water hose of blood with clots. ;( and after 3days i had my 2nd period again january 29 and i'm passing a small clots as well until now feb.1 still heavy any advice or are you ladies experiencing the same thing
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Everything is clear in womb! There is half one left on outside of womb. I want to have children soon. My periods are heavy and very painful can't sleep! My iron is fine my thyroid is fine my eggs are fine!i feel weak tired and worried! Clotting! Watery big cramps! Will stop pain then start again later in day.
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I've already posted on here before seeing that I could ask a doctor. I plan to call my doc tomorrow for an appointment. I had a tubal after my second son last April. I didn't have a period until he was about 4-5 months old, I'm assuming because I'm nursing. But since I started having periods they've been super heavy, lasting up to 12 days and only like 24-28 days apart which is normal, but right now I'm 29 days out, moody, headaches, hungry all the time, tired all the time, thirsty, waking up with hunger pains that turn into nausea. I just want to be normal, could you tell me what this could be?
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I'm 33 and have uterine fibroids for which I have been taking norethisterone to stop my heavy, prolonged periods. On the advice of my GP I took a break from the tablet, but she gave me a supply in case I desperately needed them. She told me not to take any more for a while as I wouldn't know if the mini-pill (which I was prescribed 2 months ago) was working to regulate my periods and shrink the fibroids. I have started my period now and it's been going on for over a week. I'm in pain, it's heavy and clotting and my moods are all over the place, I'm tired all of the time and I can't go out for too long for fear of flooding. It's affecting my work and my relationship as I feel unattractive and sad all of the time. When I was taking norethisterone I didn't get any of these problems.
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12 months ago, I had a copper coil fitted after I was taken off my trusty contraceptive pill, due to high blood pressure. I had no pain or bleeding. First period after the fitting was fine, no change really, a few pains but that was all. On my second period, I was bleeding really heavily and was in unbelievable pain, thought I was going to black out for a week.
I went to the doctors and they had me checked over, ultrasounds etc and told me everything was fine, I just had to wait for it to calm down.
Now 12 months on, I'm still experiencing this excruciating pain, about a week after I've had my period and I'm usually in a little bit of pain the week before. I've been back to the doctors in the meantime and they've taken blood tests and swabs and said everything looks fine.
Is this normal? Does anyone else experience this?
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I recently had 2 iron infusions. My iron level was previously a 6 and my B12 is super low as well. I was always tired, had a racing heart, craved popsicles and bruised super easily. The main cause is that I have extremely heavy periods.
My concern is that it has been 7 weeks since my last infusion and I am bruising more than ever. ..I brush by something and get a big bruise. I'm embarrassed to wear shorts...I'm not as tired as before and no more heart palpitations. I had an appt for a follow up last week and they did more blood work to recheck my iron and B12 levels. I should have the results monday. BUT my concern is all of these bruises...what could be going on? I've been tested for some genetic iron disorder and that was negative as well as the other disorder (I forget the name---it mainly affects those of Mediterranean descent ).
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I went to see my doctor today about heavy and painful periods, and I had asked her is there anything apart from the contraceptive pill that she could give me for it. She said she recommended the Mirena Coil, I said that my sister in law has said that she got it put in and she bled for 3 months solid. I told her I'd have a think about it, and she told me to look up this website, and read all these comments and decide for myself. After reading everyone's comments, I can safely say, that I am not now or ever intending to get the Mirena Coil inserted because am wanting to reduce my flow and every1 has said that it has just made it worse.
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I usually have a regular period flow but suddenly it has changed. I received my "period" about the due time it was expected to come however it started off as spotting -light bleeding for about 8hours. For the next 18 hours (including overnight) it was as if my normal period had come (medium-heavy flow). Then for the next 18 hours again it returned to very light period. Then for the next 4-5 hours it was normal flow again. However after that for the next 20 hours or so it was just quite light again. However now (4-6 hours) i am pretty sure my period has stopped/ i am experiencing extremely light spotting. I'm currently 17 and I think it may be due to stress but i'm not completely sure..
Also, basically my period has all been cut short to 2-3 days when it usually last 5 days minimum.
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