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[mk94]

 Trying to calm down.  I have severe health anxiety. I just can't go to the doctors. and test terrifies me. I just can't leave the house to go see a doctor without having a panic attack

I am so terrified it makes me sick to my stomach.

Here's a list of all my symptoms.

I've always been very regular up in till last summer. My periods were always on the heavy side lasting 5-6 days with no problems. I was told I have a fibroid when i had my last child but it never bothered me so I never went back to the doctors after giving birth . Fast forward to Nov. 2020 My periods went crazy. I started missing periods didn't have a period from Feb-May . Then I had light period for a few days and then after a week or so I would get a flooding episode with no warning of huge clots for a few hours and then it would go away and I would just spot on and off until my next period. So now 2 days ago I got another huge flooding episode out of nowhere with massive clots and just gushing blood for like 6 hours I just sat in the bath and watched the blood pour out of me. I was so scared I was going bleed out and die.  I ended up going to the ER but left before I saw any doctors. I was too scared to stay because I was scared of a Cancer diagnoses and my bleeding slowed down to spotting again Now I"m spotting again as I write this post waiting for the next gush of blood clots. Why is this happening to me I'm so effin scared of dying and leaving my children behind.

oh by the way I'm 55 and started my periods when I was 12 and I've had 4 babies

[Dandelion]

Trying to calm down.  I have severe health anxiety. I just can't go to the doctors. and test terrifies me. I just can't leave the house to go see a doctor without having a panic attack

I am so terrified it makes me sick to my stomach.

Here's a list of all my symptoms.

I've always been very regular up in till last summer. My periods were always on the heavy side lasting 5-6 days with no problems. I was told I have a fibroid when i had my last child but it never bothered me so I never went back to the doctors after giving birth . Fast forward to Nov. 2020 My periods went crazy. I started missing periods didn't have a period from Feb-May . Then I had light period for a few days and then after a week or so I would get a flooding episode with no warning of huge clots for a few hours and then it would go away and I would just spot on and off until my next period. So now 2 days ago I got another huge flooding episode out of nowhere with massive clots and just gushing blood for like 6 hours I just sat in the bath and watched the blood pour out of me. I was so scared I was going bleed out and die.  I ended up going to the ER but left before I saw any doctors. I was too scared to stay because I was scared of a Cancer diagnoses and my bleeding slowed down to spotting again Now I"m spotting again as I write this post waiting for the next gush of blood clots. Why is this happening to me I'm so effin scared of dying and leaving my children behind.

oh by the way I'm 55 and started my periods when I was 12 and I've had 4 babies

I really feel for you.
I put off getting irregular bleeding checked out by my doctor for months on end.
I eventually went and there was no cancer.

Sometimes I think it's the fear of things that is worse than the actual event.

Uterine cancer happens but it is rare, and often caused by too much oestrogen.

Are you at the age where you may be going into perimenopause? Irregularities in periods happen in perimenopause.

It might be the fibroid, they are non cancerous, I have some apparently.
I still bleed and have to return to the gynaecologist because the last scan revealed fibroids.

I am sending you encouragement to go because even if it isn't cancer, you don't want anaemia, my mum had that but they gave her a blood transfusion when they took her womb out.

That was a long time ago, treatment has progressed far now.

Fibroids can shrink on their own after menopause, but in the meantime, please go and see someone, the people I saw were lovely,  I'm autistic and I didnt know when I went to get checked.

I hope that helps.

[CLKD]

U managed to have 4 babies so what scares you the most?  How old are they?  R U a single parent, what support do you have? 

Uterine cancer is quite rare.  Also, if a person is seen by a specialist and treated early enough, the death risk is low.  It is unlikely that a SHO in A&E would diagnose 'cancer' of any type. 

What colour is the blood?   I had very clotty, heavy, flooding, painful periods for years  .  I knew what it was as it was regular.  The Change - hormones rise and fall = alterations in periods.  Mine waxed and waned for years B4 disappearing.  Sometimes they would be 'normal' 4 me, other times it was brown 'show', or scanty red blood on a pad. 

This time of Life can heighten health anxiety to the point that our brains race away, totally illogically.

What would you suggest to a friend in a similar position?  The way to improve your worries is to be seen.  Keep a diary of your bleeds too, which can calm you when you see that actually, these are within normal limits 4 U.

[TrustandHope]

Hi mk94, I am so sorry to hear you are enduring this very frightening experience. Sometimes our fear can be almost paralysing. Do you have someone who could go with you to see a doctor?

As others have said, anything could be going on at our age. This is why we worry about it, but the only way to find out exactly what it is would be to see a medical professional. In my experience, in most cases it is not as bad as our worse fears. Fear of the unknown is very real and can become all-consuming.

Please see if someone will go with you to see a doctor so you can be supported when things are so difficult. We are thinking of you and hope things get easier as the week goes on. X

[CLKD]

From age 3 I was phobic.  Everything was a worry and due to nightmares, there was no break from it all 

It was in my head. Constantly.  MayB ring your Surgery and ask to speak to a Nurse Practitioner.  GPs on the whole have our best interests at heart and should understand how worried we can be especially during lockdown.  I think for many being out of routine makes 'normal' issues, i.e. Dental/GP appts., more difficult. It's easy to put them off.

Once you've had the initial conversation, mayB find someone to go with you.   

[applespider]

I'm sorry to hear that you've having such a rough time.  Your recent flooding must have been really scary for you.
You know in your heart that you need to speak to your doctor in order to get a proper diagnosis but I think you can likely go to a GP that you know rather than the even scarier prospect of A&E.   And, perhaps even start with a phone appointment which might make you less stressed.  They will probably suggest you have an ultrasound to get checked out and rule things out - as you'll recall from your pregnancies, they are painless.

It could be just heavier bleeding around peri - and your GP may give you tranexamic acid tablets to take when it first starts that can stop it being quite so scary. 

It does also sound very like fibroid symptoms if you know you had one in the past.  Sometimes fibroids shrink post-pregnancy but they can keep growing until after menopause - and flare up if your hormones have been fluctuating lately.  Over 1 in 3 women have fibroids and a fairly large proportion can be symptomatic.  Again, there are lots of options for treatment, including non-surgical ones. 

Uterine cancer is one of the rarer cancers so please try not to stress out by thinking you're going to the very unlucky ones to get it. 

Best of luck

[Dandelion]

This bleeding fear is how I managed to see a good GP who thinks its a good idea for me to see her all the time instead of repeating my self to other GP's as I am autistic.

The hospital staff were all really nice, put me at my ease, they treated me like a queen when I went for my hysteroscopy which showed absolutely nothing.

The fibroids must have appeared later.

[CLKD]

Have you a Plan?

[Dandelion]

Have you a Plan?

Hi
I don't know if you mean me, or the OP, sorry if you mean the OP.
The GP has spoken to the gynaecologist to see if they want to see me and they do, so the GP emailed a booking form, I am now just waiting for an appointment to come through.
If none has come through by 25th June I have to phone a number at the hospital.

[CLKD]

It was actually the OP but am glad that you are getting sorted too!

It's often the waiting that is the worst, once I'm faced with issues and with appropriate support, I deal OK.

[mk94]

This bleeding is never going to stop  
I'm so scared! Today I am just spotting red mucusy blood when wiping. I'm just waiting for a flooding to happen anytime.  I'm scared to leave my room. 

Why do I just have random flooding with clots with no warning at all that only lasts a couple of hours and then it's back to spotting? In my mind, this can only be cancer.

[CLKD]

Until you realise that your body is having intermittent heavy and light periods you won't get cancer out of your mind.  Which will continue to make you scared.  I know what scared feels like  .  There are medications to stop heavy bleeds which can be prescribed by your GP.  If you don't ask you don't get.

Make a list of your worries then 'phone your surgery 2morrow.  Ask to speak to a Nurse - let us know how you get on.  You don't want to leave your children behind so get in touch with someone who can help you 2 deal with this bleeding.

What would you advise a friend?

[mk94]

You don't want to leave your children behind so get in touch with someone who can help you 2 deal with this bleeding.

So you're  saying this is mostly likely cancer 

[mk94]

From age 3 I was phobic.  Everything was a worry and due to nightmares, there was no break from it all 

It was in my head. Constantly.  MayB ring your Surgery and ask to speak to a Nurse Practitioner.  GPs on the whole have our best interests at heart and should understand how worried we can be especially during lockdown.  I think for many being out of routine makes 'normal' issues, i.e. Dental/GP appts., more difficult. It's easy to put them off.

Once you've had the initial conversation, mayB find someone to go with you.

medical professional only hand out death sentences sadly in my experience

[applespider]

No.  We are saying that there are lots of other more common and less scary things that it could be rather than jumping to the worse case scenario.  Some people prefer thinking about the worst option as it helps prepare them for anything else but if that paralyses you with fear, that's not always helpful.

Whatever it is, you do need to go and see about it - as the earlier you do so, the more options for treatment there will be.  At a minimum, if it is one of the more common benign problems, the treatment should help you stop bleeding and feel better.  If you are one of the very unlucky ones, you can get on and treat it.