TMI, big clots... hanging out in the bathroom!

[Hears The Water]

Hey cysters! Sorry, this is kinda long. I am kind of freaked out and was hoping for some voices of reason. I am 39, overweight prob. IR, had a clean pap and pelvic 9/06. The reason I went in was b/c I had a very heavy period with large clots in 8/06. An uneventful AF in 10/06, and then a "normal" for me AF in March of 07. This was 8-9 days of red blood, one event lasting about 2 hours of large clots and heavy flow, and at the end three or four days of tan or mauve color. During the other months I have had tan or mauve discharge almost daily.

I started keeping a detailed log in March '07. April I had 3 "events" (I will describe them in a bit), May I had 7, and this month I have had 14. The events come out of the blue and with no warning, rhyme or reason I will all of a sudden feel a "gush" of blood, I will run to the bathroom and there will be a blood clot in the toilet. They have ranged in size from pin prick to the size of a golf ball (although that big is rare). There is usually blood in the toilet too. This usually lasts about an hour from the first "gush" to the flow changing color to tan with me getting up to go to the potty a lot. When I sit there is no flow because of my size... I kinda "seal off" that part of my body.. hard to explain. So when I stand up I gush. On the 24th of this month they started back up only they were longer, lasting hours with multiple clots and then slowing down to light flow. I am thinking that on the 24th AF cam for a visit and there is just a lot of clots this time because each day I have had at least one hour being stuck in the potty and then it slows down to light flow that is red to pink.

So my questions are these. Are the clots extra fast flow or endometrial lining that has built up over the months? Do they come and go because my hormones are trying to start back up? I wonder if this is menopause because my birth mother started menopause when she was 35, and I am 39. I read that menopausal women have an increase in FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and that is why PCOS-ers have an increase in AF.... so would that stimulate the build up and shedding of blood in the uterus? I am confused. I will be scheduling an appointment with our local free clinic... but I am not sure the amount of care I will receive there. No insurance, can't afford the bills so not sure how much help they will be.

An herbalist friend of mine suggested that it might be a candida overgrowth, and that would make sense because I am eating too much sugar... addicted to it and not sure how to stop, and the clots do seem to follow my eating sugar. I only figured that one out over the last couple of days so I don't have a lot of info to back that one up. I am under a LOT of stress... widowed with three kids, one is bipolar and very needy right now... lots of bills, and things breaking (roof, lawn mower, washing machine) etc. I am really struggling right now.

I guess that I am asking if any of you have dealt with anything similar to this, and if so what did you do? How did you cope with being out in public and having to spend several hours in the bathroom? I am to the point that I don't want to leave the house just in case. If you had to deal with this, what did you do and what did your doc say to you? I know you cannot diagnose me, and I am not asking you to, but I guess I am looking for the reassurance that you made it through this and you are OK now. Thanks in advance for your help and insight.
God bless you and yours
Deb

[cdcm]

YES... I've had this... and it was caused by uterine fibroids... your body is trying to throw them off (if that's what you have).... all of my paps were normal... a smear won't tell you that... Ask your DR. to have you checked for fibroids and then consider removal... my periods were so bad I couldn't leave the house... and was changing pads and tampons every 15 minutes... NOT NORMAL...

[Hears The Water]

If indeed it is fibroids, wouldn't that have been detected by a pelvic? I am a large lady, but I thought that a pelvic was how fibroids were found? Thanks for your answer.
God bless you and yours
Deb

[cdcm]

Aren't our exams just a little too elusive for us? Ok... so... IF you had REALLY big fibroids to the point of making you look pregnant...then yes... your dr. could tell... but they reside in your uterus... the Dr. doesn't feel that high or go inside of uterus... your exam (to the best of my comprehension... and I'm not a dr.) physically stops at your cervix.

So... mine were detected through a test (that I can't remember the name of...but all the women trying to get PG will know)... I went for a type of xray... they put a die through your cervix and watch it travel up into your uterus and watch for it to spill past your follopian tubes... (this was to see if I had any blockage at the follopians preventing pg)... Well... when they did this... a VERY clear outline of the fibroids appeared... (which my Dr. thought might be acting like an IUD) So I had them removed.

A more invasive way to find out is to have a hyscoroscopy (spelling...) a little microscope through your belly button... another through your tummy if they are going to operate...

My cousin had a fibroid so big she looked about 5months PG... and her dr had just kept telling her she just needed to lose weight. She ended up with a hysterectomy.. it just consumed her uterus... she was already done having children...

My Dr. noticed that I had developed some more during my C-section... but left them as I was already bleeding enough... not the time to risk additional surg.

Ask your Dr. about ways to diagnose... you could probably get the x-ray... it's uncomfy... but that's all...

Hang in there... and good luck!

[Manderlynn]

The dye test is called an HSG.

[Rebecca527]

I used to have large clots (almost golf ball size) as well. They were horrible, and painful to pass. I thought it was just because I went so long between periods (sometimes 3-4 months, sometimes up to 9-10 months). When I started TTC almost three years ago, my doctor recommended I start taking one 81mg aspirin daily. It worked wonders for me. The next AF I had after I started taking the aspirin, I had NO CLOTS! Now when I do get an occasional clot, it's literally smaller than a pea...often no larger than a grain of rice.

Now, if your clotting is caused by fibroids, the aspirin probably won't be a miracle cure for it, but if it's not fibroids, then it just might work.

I hope you can find out the cause and things ease up for you soon!

[Hears The Water]

Thank you for telling me the name of the tests to talk to the Dr. about. But in reality, unless they have some kind of a "free HSG" day at the hospital, I doubt that one would happen. No insurance, no money. I will have to budget just for the 20 bucks to go to the "free clinic" (not that free huh?). I will still talk to the doc though, and ask about the asprin. Thanks again for the tips!
God bless you and yours
Deb

[cdcm]

Well... if the aspirin works that would definately be the cheapest route to take... I would call planned paranthood. They often help women with no to low $$... not just for pg. as far as I know. Also, I would look into some state assisted med insurance. Good luck!