quick gushes of large clots, how to deal with them?

Hello all,
I'm new to the message board, and happy to have found it!
I was diagnosed with a submucosal fibroid a couple yrs ago and it has been causing worse symptoms over time. I get intense cramps right before periods and sometimes in between periods. Not even 3 Motrins help much at times.

The main problem now has been sudden quick gushes of blood and huge clots (some as big as the palm of my hand). This happens at least 1 or 2 days each month and usually during the same time of the month, in between periods. I am taking BC pills but they only help to reduce the period bleeding somewhat, but not the in-between bleeding and not these 'episodes' of sudden clots, that require me to go to the bathroom every 10-15 minutes for at least 1-2 hrs, or else the clots will accumulate and soak thru my clothing. There have been times where I was sitting for more than half an hour or so, and suddenly felt a heavy gush and stood up and the clots came pouring out so quickly and fast, that not even the double pads helped and I soiled my clothes. I guess when I'm sitting the clots kind of get held inside longer, so they seem to all come out at the same time. It's affected my life so much that certain days of the month I'm afraid to leave the house, and have already had one incident at work where I had to go home and change.

My doc doesn't seem to understand or maybe not believe how much bleeding I really have and how big these clots are. I just got told to seek surgery if symptoms get worse, but I wonder if I could take meds to slow down these sudden gushes of blood and clots?
I don't have children yet and am afraid of surgery that may cause infertility, as I've been told is a risk with any fibroid removal surgery.
Anyone have these gushes of clots and how do you deal with them?

Hi Maggie-

I wish I could tell you a quick fix for the clots, but I don't think there are any! I used to get them during my period and they were just like you said, the size of your palm. I'm sorry you are going through that! I used to put a cold pack on my stomach where my uterus is and it seemed to help slow the clotting down. It's not a cure all, but it seemed to help a little. I also was on the pill and it only seemed to shorten the length of the period (6 days instead of 14!) but it didn't help the clots. You need to be careful that you don't become severly anemic from all the bleeding. That's what happened to me and you only realize how much it affected your life until after the surgery and you feel so much better. Please don't be afraid of surgery. I just had an abdominal myomectomy about 7 weeks ago. That type of fibroid procedure is the supposed to be the best if you want to preserve fertility (I was concerned about that too). Plus, I think the pros are better than the cons...many times fibroids can cause women to miscarry or not become pregnant at all, so keeping them and not having surgery may not be helping you at all where babies are concerned. Just make sure you have a great surgeon. Yeah, the recovery is longer because its like having a c-section, but it's so worth it. Plus, only the first week after surgery is the toughest. Each week after that you feel better and better. I can't tell you how happy I am today that I did it.

There is no reason why any woman should have to live with constant bleeding.

Whatever you do, good luck!

My clotting hasn't gotten that bad - yet, and I'm hoping to kep it that way until I find out about a uterine ultrasound procedure that is supped to kill the fibroid, (check the Mayo Clinic's website for starters). Right now I'm on a diet I found in several places when I did a Google search for uterine fibroid foods or something similar. I had gushes and quarter size clotting and generally heavy bleeding. I eliminated dairy, meat, pasta, bread, sugar, and a few other things I can't even remember andmy next period was so "normal." I live on whole grains, (brown rice, barley), beans, fruits and vegetables, a little soy here and there as there are two completely opposite opinions about soy and uterine fibroids. I sneak a peice of pizza and a cookie once in a while, as myuch organic as possible, and distilled water. But for four months a world of difference. I also lost 40 pounds. Losing weight if you have a fibroid is helpful.

Maggi -

I was diagnosed with a uterine fibroid about 9 months ago. I also have to deal with extremely large clots and the mess that comes with them. I usually have two to four days each month where I can do nothing but deal with this issue. (What an embarrassing mess!!!!) I guess I am lucky to be a stay-at-home mom because I can't imagine how I would deal with this at work. I am glad to know that I am not the only one who is dealing with this. I was wondering whether or not being on the pill would make a difference with these symptoms but it's sounds like that isn't the case. I haven't found anything that works for me as far as alleviating this. After passing these clots, I find that my bleeding becomes very profuse but thin and watery. Does anyone else notice this?

Hi I'm 45 and just recently started with the long periods and irregular periods etc. Which has been dx'd as probable uterine fibroids. These last couple of periods I have also experienced the very large clots and gushes etc. I will have a bad day (or period of a hour or more during the day) and then several good days when I think my bleeding is going to stop. So Frustrating....it controls my life!
My PCP put me on BCP and since we just started a few days ago they have yet to make an apparent impact. (I cannot get in to see GYN till July 9)
I would do anything to get some control back and to feel "normal" again. (I'm so tired too with the low hemeglobin)

Any suggestions?

Nice to find you all
Candy

Hi,

My name is Stacey and I live in Boynton Beach, Florida. I am 34 years old and the mother of 3 boys. I am almost 3 months post op. I had an open myomectomy. I had one large fibroid. It was the size of a softball. I noticed about a year ago that my periods were starting to get heavier and heavier. The day after Thanksgiving 2006 I had my first horrible gushing episode. I laid in bed for 4 hours and every 20 minutes I would get up and soak through a super plus tampon and a pad. The bleeding reduced after the four hours and I thought that it maybe was just a fluke. But then next day around the same time it happened again. When I thought back, a week prior to this episode I opted to take the generic for my birth control pill. HUGE mistake. This threw my body into a tailspin and I bled for a month straight. After months of going back and forth to my doctor I finally had a CT scan done and he realized just how large my fibroid had become. In Feb. of 07 I went into the hospital to have a procedure done called NovaSure. I wasn't ready to have surgery, but wanted something that would help with the bleeding. They put me under and my dr. discovered that my fibroid was so heavy that he couldn't fully inplant the device to remove the lining of my uterus. So he did a D&C to see if that would help for bit. He told me that eventually I would have to have surgery. After having another horrible period and the in-between bleeding off and on, I decided to have the surgery. I have to say that if I had to do it all over again, I would in a minute. I read all these message boards before my surgery and heard horror stories and was truly terrified. My Dr. was totally awesome. His name is Dr. Stephen Pliskow and he is the Dr. that performed Celine Dion's C-section. His knowledge and bedside manner were amazing. I am not going to lie, the first week was the hardest. I was able to get up out of bed about 24 hours post op and the only way I can describe it, is that it felt like a truck ran over my gut. My dr. sent me home with percoset and that didn't help me a bit. He then gave me 800mg of ibuprofen and that worked like a charm. I was scared to get my stiches out, but that was really nothing. It was over in like 1/2 a second. Like I said it has been 3 months since my surgery, and I feel like a new person. I don't feel fatigued, I don't have to urinate every five minutes and my periods are like night and day. I never even have to wear a larger tampon then regular size. I am a huge advocate for this surgery. But I will say, be sure to do your homework on your dr. Make sure that you have a good relationship with them and that you feel comfortable that they know what they are doing. If you have any specfic questions, feel free to ask. I wish that I had someone to talk to that had actually gone through the procedure. I was a wreck the whole month before I had the surgery. I didn't know what to expect. But I will say that I would do it again in a minute to get the results that I have gotten. Hang in there to everyone, because it will get better eventually.

Dont take daily birth control. It made mine worse. Im on Depo-Provera because my progesterone level is very low. Find out where your hormones are then proceed form there. There are saliva tests you can take. You cant be guessing to much because I had t get a blood transfusion from taking more estrogen in the form of BC from desperation of not knowing what else to do. I have a few fibroids the largest being 4cm. The clotting only gets worse for me. After the shot its the back to normal. You need to take some of these fibrovan things to see if you can shrink it. Dont DO something about the clots do something about the fibroids b4 its to late. I waited three years and have had 3 blood transfusions but I wont get a hysterectomy until ive exhasted every option. DIET is KEY also.

I am a 40 yr old woman, never had children, and found out a year ago I had uterine fibroids. It can be genetic, and later learned my mother and grandmother had them, but their symptoms were not as obvious as mine. Excessive periods, spot-bleeding around ovuation, periods lasting 7-10 days, and eventually learning I was iron-deficient anemic (with a horrible craving to chew ice, which is something some anemics get).

My doctor recommended iron pills, which I took, but eventually I needed the surgery. I was exhausted all the time, and it effected my job and lifestyle. I had a D & C 2 months ago, where she removed 2/3rds of one quarter-sized fibroid. I had hardly any cramping after surgery, and although my first period after the surgery was hard to detect (as I spotted after the surgery some), it wasn't heavy or long term. Now its my 2nd period since the surgery, and I just had the worst cramps and most insane explosion of clots I've ever had. My bathroom looked like a scene from the movie "Carrie". I almost fainted. I don't know if this is build up or something worse (or more fibroids which the doctor did not remove), but the clots were the size of my hands and many. Until I find the cause of this, my temporary solution is 2 extra-long pads, side to side, and Kleenex placed against the top portion of the vagina. Its all that will keep it from not ruining another piece of undies, jeans or slacks.