# Hard Clot?



## Starry Night

I've been having crazy, stupid AFs since my miscarriage. I've had two 18 day cycles in a row with 7 days of bleeding spread out over 10 days. But the blood only comes out when wearing tampons. If I'm not wearing a tampon I can get away with a panty liner as nothing comes out. My uterus is starting to feel very heavy and full and the cramps resemble contractions. Yet nothing comes out. I've also had a lot of nausea, feel feverish and I'm beginning to become afraid of infections.

But today takes the cake. I passed a clot as hard as stone today about the size of the head of a pencil eraser. BUT after that I actually started to bleed dark, fresh blood and pass clots. It's still a stuttery sort of flow but at least stuff is coming out now and I'm actually filling tampons. It's almost relieving.

Has anyone ever had a hard clot? I'm calling my doctor to make an appointment and hopefully to get a referral to my gynaecologist. At my last visit, my gp mentioned I may yet need to get a D&C (I had a natural miscarriage).


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## Sarah27

Aw hon this sounds abit like you need to see the docs.. I don't think that clots like that are good esp now.. xxxx


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## raisin

Sorry I have no answers but just wanted to offer my support and hugs. :hugs:


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## Starry Night

I was planning on calling my doctor anyways as she said to call if I got more weird bleeding and of course I got some more...the day AFTER I saw her! lol I wanted to call today but it's a holiday. Boo

My hormones are all over the place and is literally driving me mad. I had accepted my baby's loss (though I'm still obviously sad) but when the cycle starts over again I get CRAZY depressed. I'm talking so sad that it physically hurts. The same thing happened to me when I went on the Alesse birth control. But with that I could just stop taking the pill. Here I'm at the mercy of my body and my doctors (I really hope they listen to me!)


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## petitpas

Starry, if you're passing clots you really need to stop using tampons! I know it sounds horrible, but you need to let everything come out. Especially if you are worried about infections.
I hope you get to see your doctor again very soon and have another scan by a gynaecologist to check for retained tissue. Or get some antibiotics if it's an infection.
Sending you big big :hug:


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## sarahjane10

Hey hun

I had a really big clot when i had my miscarga at 7 weeks, i would go and see your docto

xxxx


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## Baronessgogo

I had something similar, about 6 weeks after a D&C i passed a solid clot, then i bled fresh blood for 2 weeks and my cycles seem to be a lot better now


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## petitpas

Hmmmm.... I shouldn't say this out loud.... I passed clots for three months... :blush:

I'm not sure whether you saw the full story, so here's a summary:
I had an mmc in April and had a D&C to take it out. Afterwards I continued to bleed and pass clots.
At first the doctor thought it was an infection because I had a scan two days after my D&C when I was in a lot of pain. That scan didn't show anything.

Then I had more clots and the gynaecologist did a scan himself. This time he could see retained tissue. He said that the guy who did my first scan wasn't a gyno specialist so that's probably why he didn't pick up on the tissue specifically - he was looking at my whole abdomen for the source of the pain.

I was given abortion pills, but they didn't work. So off I went for a second D&C in May. After that I was still bleeding off and on and passing clots (anything from 20p-sized to eggs). The doctor didn't believe me at first when I said there was something still wrong, but he still did another scan and his jaw dropped: I still had a piece of tissue inside! We tried waiting it out but in July I ended up having a third operation, this time with a camera and small grabbing forceps so I wouldn't have to have a full scraping. My doctor thinks it'll take a few cycles to get a 'juicy' lining back that'll be able to sustain a new pregnancy. We'll just have to wait and see. It's not stopping us from trying this cycle!

You can take a look at my FF chart to see all the bleeding I've had since April 19th. Most days that contained clots :( except for the last period, which seems to have been my first real one.

Sorry for the long story, but the main info is that when I was still bleeding and passing clots, the doctor thought it was either due to an infection, or retained tissue. It's not considered 'normal' to keep bleeding and clotting for more than two weeks after a miscarriage. You might just be having erratic cycles, but I hope you get to see your doctor and can push for a scan very soon just to make sure xxxxxx


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## Starry Night

petitpas said:


> Starry, if you're passing clots you really need to stop using tampons! I know it sounds horrible, but you need to let everything come out. Especially if you are worried about infections.
> I hope you get to see your doctor again very soon and have another scan by a gynaecologist to check for retained tissue. Or get some antibiotics if it's an infection.
> Sending you big big :hug:

So I hear. *sighs* Tampons have made my messy, heavy periods bearable and saved my clothes.....But right now my blood only comes out when there is a tampon in there. It's like they squeeze it out or something.

My biggest concern is my doctor will tell me to "wait and see". I want to take care of things now. Things don't feel right and I think it's more than my body taking time to readjust from my miscarriage. Something just feels "off", if you know what I mean.

And thanks for the kind words, everyone! :hugs:


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## petitpas

You know your body better than anyone else. I had the same feeling that something still wasn't right after my second D&C. The doc didn't believe me and only scanned me to prove to me that nothing was left.... you should have seen his face! He was really surprised, but I wasn't. I was relieved to know why I was still feeling 'off'. It's been a long time since your miscarriage so your doctor shouldn't make you wait and see any longer! Hopefully the news of the clot will get things moving for you.

As for the pads, they are super annoying, I totally feel for you! Still, they probably hold more than your tampons and it really is better out than in iykwim.

I really feel for you, honey, and hope you get listened to soon. It's hard enough having to deal with a loss, but then to have to go through all the physical side for weeks and weeks on end is just an additional insult to the system!


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## Round2

I also passed a hard clot. This was after months of passing very large clots (some the size of a grapefruit). The very last one that I passed was about the size of a quarter and it was black, thick and hard. The doctor said it was an old clot that was stuck at the top of my uterus. After this passed I bled heavily for another day or two, then it was all over. My cyle returned to normal after that. Hope this helps........


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## Starry Night

The heavy bleeding after my hard clot only lasted a few hours. I'd like to think it's all over but for now I'm not risking it. Overall, my doctor is pretty good and I don't blame her for giving a "wait and see" last time. One weird post-mc cycle isn't enough to cause concern especially as all my tests came back clear. I think she should listen and she was the one who suggested a d&c may still be necessary


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## Round2

It really sounds like you're having a very similar recovery as mine. My doctor was the same way, she said to wait and see for a few months. Once I got to my 3rd AF she said that we needed to make a decision (D&C or drugs). Luckily, the clot came out on it's own and the bleeding stopped, so I didn't need either. Are you bleeding now? Where are you in you cycle. I just finished my 4th AF and it was finally a very normal cycle (similar to my first AF).


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## Starry Night

I'm on my third AF post miscarriage and my second 18-day cycle. Had ovulation pains when I should have (day 15) so the bleeding came way too early. It's my 5th day on this cycle and I'm not bleeding right now but my past two AFs were spotty and I would skip a day half-way through so I'm not assuming I'm done. I'm still having some sharp cramps and I'm still feeling nauseous. Had to stay home from work today. 

My doctor luckily can see me straight away and I'm going in an hour. I'll probably just be getting a referral but I hope my gynaecologist can see me soon and that I'll get some answers in short order. Last night I was feeling absolutely wretched and I don't know how much longer I can put off taking care of things.


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## Round2

I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling so bad. I know how stressful it can be. It's bad enough that we have to endure a m/c, but having a difficult recovery just makes it worse. Maybe what you passed was a last piece of tissue? If so, it could be all over now. I really hope your body gets back to normal fast. Let us know how your doctor's appointment goes.


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## Starry Night

I got my referral. Just waiting for the gynaecologist's office to give me a call to set up an appointment. I'm really hoping my body is starting to sort itself but I like the idea of getting checked anyways.


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## petitpas

Starry Night said:


> I got my referral. Just waiting for the gynaecologist's office to give me a call to set up an appointment. I'm really hoping my body is starting to sort itself but I like the idea of getting checked anyways.

That sounds like a good plan! Please let us know how you get on.
Sending you some strong :hug: in the meantime.


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## Starry Night

I've actually been having a real period today. Real flow that doesn't need to be "squeezed" out by the pressure of a tampon. There is still a bit of a sharpness to the cramps so it wouldn't shock me if there is still something hard in there but it's not as bad as it has been. I'll take any sort of improvement. And I just need to keep the Advil handy so I can survive work in the days to come.


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## petitpas

Oh you poor thing!

I hope all goes well and you don't need the advil after all :hugs:


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## Starry Night

Heard back from my doctor's office. I'm getting an ultrasound but it's not until September 20. I guess they're not taking me seriously. :cry: At my current cycle-rate I'll be having 3 more AFs by then. :nope:

And now today I found out the doctor thinks my SiL's baby (due in 2 weeks) isn't growing. Absolutely terrified for my unborn niece.


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## petitpas

Oh no! Your poor SIL! I hope they can help her baby :hugs:

As for you, if you keep going back, maybe they can class you as more urgent and then you should get an ultrasound within two weeks. Or maybe consider going private? Sorry, I don't even know - are you in the UK?


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## Starry Night

No, I'm in Canada. I don't think private is an option unless I cross the border and go into the States which I really don't want to do. Never mind that I need to update my passport. ha ha Specialists just tend to have a long waiting time. I was simply hoping that recovering from a miscarriage would put me on the priority list. DH wanted me to call back and ask to be seen sooner but I'm tired of being a pest. I mean, if I start to bleed really heavy or have massive clots I might but for now I'll just have to wait. I already feel like a kooky hypochondriac. :wacko:

I was talking to my SiL and she's confused as to why her doctor is concerned as the last ultrasound showed everything was fine (besides being breached). It seems the worst-case scenario at the moment is being induced early but as the due date is less than 2 weeks from now the baby wouldn't even be considered premature. I feel a bit better about the situation now.


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## petitpas

Sweets, you're not a hypochondriac :hugs:
It really is not normal for things to go on this long.

Really, keep pestering if you have any more symptoms or head to A&E if you have heavy bleeding and they should prioritise you. Hopefully things will settle, but if you have problems don't be quiet.

So glad to hear that it looks like the little bubs will be ok. I have my fingers crossed for you and your family fxfxfxfxfx


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## Starry Night

I just don't know how to describe my symptoms without making them sound like regular PMS. I mean, I have a friend who has always gotten cramps so bad that she throws up....ever since she was 12! She's been giving me tips on how to deal with painful periods so that should tie me over (apparently it's all in the heating pads and Advil). My current AF appears to be winding down when it should be so at least I'll be getting some relief for the time being.

As the day wears on I think I'm satisfied with having my ultrasound booked. I know to keep my eyes open for any signs of infection or heavy bleeding. But even then I never know when to be concerned about that as I've always had abnormally heavy periods (I need super-plus tampons for about 3 or 4 days). It's a way of life for me. When I think "heavy" I think "miscarriage heavy". My concern with my recent AFs has been that they're so spotty and light and at the end of them I still feel "full". So far, with this one, I seem to be emptying out. I'm crossing my fingers that the hard clot was the beginning of the end.


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## petitpas

Well, not sure it helps, but I was told heavy is considered filling a pad every hour.


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## Starry Night

I passed another clot today. It wasn't hard but it definitely was old and icky....nothing fresh. I'm thinking I might need another AF to get the rest out and at my current rate that's coming sooner rather than later! LOL


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## petitpas

Hmmmm........ it doesn't sound good.
What did they say about a D&C? As I understand it, you had a natural miscarriage, right? Could it be that a little bit is still left in there and that is causing all this irritation (i.e. bleeding/clotting)?
You have the patience of a saint! I was straight onto my doc whenever I started passing clots lol


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## Starry Night

I'm not worried about clots as I have gotten them with every period I've ever had. I'm actually worried because there *hasn't* been any clots the past two periods (until now) It's more the amount that I keep an eye out for. I even play it loose with the "filling a pad in an hour" guideline as I do that all the time...for several days. I knew my miscarriage was bad because it, uh, exploded out of me and I filled a pad in about 30 seconds. 

Seeing old stuff isn't great but signals to me that whatever was stuck in there is coming out.

Now that I've calmed down a bit I can see this is the reality of the health care system in Canada. It just takes time to see a specialist. My dad's been waiting months to see a heart specialist and you'd think that would be priority as well. But I know where to go in the case of an emergency.

And I'm not patient so much as resigned. ;) And I'm getting ready to give a big, fat, "I told you so" ha ha.


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## petitpas

Aw hon :hugs:
I think we have a similar system to yours. We usually have to wait to see specialists, too, but once you're on the system and have seen a specialist things are pretty much ok. At least waiting for your appointment you'll have a little more time to recover and the witch can clean you out a bit. So waiting does have some advantages.


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## Round2

Ya, I know how you feel. I'm in Ontario and was told the wait to see a gynae is 3 months. But at least in Canada these services are free, they just take awhile1

It's a great sign that you're passing old clots. TBH, my doctor said not too worry even if my uterus had clots. She said that I could still get pregnant and my risk for m/c would not increase. Her only concern was if I had a clot in there for a long time, it might cause an infection.


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## Starry Night

I'm an Ontario gal too. :) And I'm very grateful for the free services. Wait times stink when you're worried about your body but at least I don't have to add "how will I pay for this" to my worries. And I'm starting to think a lot of my sick feelings are from anxiety more than anything. When I get busy or distract myself I often feel fine. And my body just is overly sensitive to hormone fluctuations. I had alot of problems with cramps and nausea and such when I first got off the pill.

Good news is I stopped bleeding so it seems I'll be having a normal 7-day period this time around. Already an improvement. :)


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## petitpas

Wohoo for free/affordable health care! I totally agree :D

I couldn't imagine having to worry about whether I should go to A&E or not because I would be indebting myself for something that might be minor. Or major. Scary thoughts...


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## Starry Night

The downside is it gives free reign to us hypochondriacs. ha ha


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## petitpas

They try to weed us out with the long waiting times :haha:


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## Starry Night

A strange sort of update:

This morning I woke up with more cramps and feeling nauseous that felt like motion-sickness. I started feeling strange tingles "down there" that resembled feeling turned on but I wasn't. It was a similar sort of feeling I had just prior to my miscarriage. Later today I passed another old, dry clot that was about 2cm long! So far, there has been no blood to accompany it. After I passed it I felt instantly better. Some of the cramps have come back and I still feel a bit dizzy but it's not as bad.

So I'm learning that cramps + weird tingles + nausea = somethings about to come to pass....

I'm feeling vindicated for my kookiness and am practicing my "I told you so's" for my doctor when I finally get my ultrasound (unless I clear myself out by then and I still end up looking crazy...)


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## petitpas

I totally am with you! Because you're feeling dizzy though, it might be worth letting your doc know again so she can make sure you're not suffering from an infection. Also to remind her that you're not 'fixed' yet...
Poor thing :hugs: I just hate to think of you suffering for so long until your scan!


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## Round2

Ughhhh! As if you're still passing clots! I was hoping this was all over for you. At least things seem to be settling down though. 

Well if you're u/s is clear, at least you'll know for sure that the bleeding is over. Otherwise, you can rub in in your doc's face!


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## Starry Night

LOL! You gals are sweet. I'm definitely keeping track of things. As I said, I feel loads better after passing the clot. Since there was no blood (not even a drop) I'm thinking it was something that was just stuck in there. The dizziness is now more like a tiredness or fatigue. I'm on the look out for fevers or more nausea but so far, so good. I'm still eating well and don't have any headaches. I will probably call the doctor, though, if I pass another thing like that. ha ha Especially as I'm not even on my period right now. Sheesh. She'd probably just say "we'll see what the ultrasound shows us". blah!

After my last AF I was figuring I would need at least one more cycle and it seems that's the case.


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## Round2

Do you get tested for anemia frequently? I lost quite a bit of blood between my miscarriage and passing of clots. I started feeling dizzy and weak, quite often. Turns out I had lost so much blood that my iron was really low. The iron supplements have been a huge help. Just a thought........


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## Starry Night

Yeah, I got tested and it came back normal which is funny because I've had problems with my iron for the past two years due to my crazy-heavy periods. Even the day I lost Lil Peanut my blood levels came back perfect according to the ER doctor. But I am feeling similarly as to when my levels have been low. Today my mom brought up the suggestion that my nausea and rubbish feelings may be due to my prenatals. I am not very careful in taking them with food and I know they make me feel nauseous. I might kick myself if my rubbish feelings are from something as simple as that.

And my dh is forcing me to call the doctor if I get any more funny bleeding or clots. I just feel silly and like I'm being a pain but he doesn't care. lol I think I'll drag him along into the office so he can list the symptoms to the doctor. If it's coming from a third party perhaps she'll listen more. I know I come across as an hypochondriac.


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## petitpas

Definitely take him if you can! I took mine to most of my appointments and even though he didn't say much, his presence certainly helped.

I can't believe your doctor is just leaving it at the moment. DH might be able to push more for you.

My iron levels were all ok even with the worst bleeding (lower, but in the normal range). But I still felt rubbish! Just tired and lethargic and lots and lots of lower backaches (contracting uterus) and the odd cramps. With me the backaches were the single biggest sign that something was going to move down...

So what's the plan? You're calling and giving a list of symptoms over the phone? Or you're making an appointment to go in with your DH?

And ultimately, how would you feel about a d&c if it came to it?


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## Starry Night

At this point I would take a D&C in a second if it meant fixing things. I think I'm heading for another 18 day cycle. :( I have all the tell-tale signs of impending AF (with the PMS on overload as it's been ever since the mc) when I should be getting ov signs. I don't know if I'm depressed because of the hormones or the simple knowledge that I'm still broken. *sighs*

At my last visit my gp said there was nothing she could do for me until the specialist sees me. So I have to wait. I've already decided that if they refuse to do a D&C for me I'll just request to go on the pill because it seems my body has decided to go onto 18 day cycles and that is NOT OK. I can't get pregnant either way so I might as well space out my periods a bit. See if a few months of that will help my body. But I will ask for a D&C first, even if they don't suggest it.

My doctor has put me on iron supplements when I was on the low-end of normal before so I trust that my levels are fine if she says they are. My doctor really is a very good doctor and is rated one of the best in the city (my parents looked into it...they have her too). I think gps just have a limited ability to look into such specific issues and specialists just have long wait times. And I'm a hypochondriac so she probably chalks up alot of my ramblings to that. Like crying wolf, or something...


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## Round2

Has your doctor ever suggested taking cytotec? My doctor suggested taking that and if it didn't work I was to get the d&c. Your docotor should have the ability to decide what is best, without going to gynae...mine did.

When is your u/s? That should answer some questions for you?


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## Starry Night

September 20th. *sighs*

What is cytotec?


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## Starry Night

OK. I'm on CD18 and tomorrow I find out if my cycle is still being stupid or not. Normally I can read my body's signs about impending AF but this weekend I'm feeling clueless. One moment I'm convinced it's coming but at others I feel 'normal' and that it'll at least be awhile yet. I just want my body to be normal!! :hissy:

I tend to get PMS-like symptoms around ovulation but in a much more muted form. But the past few cycles my PMS has been horrendous so now I don't know if my symptoms are ovulation-related or my PMS coming down to more normal levels. 

>>My boobs are periodically achey but the past few cycles they would hurt so bad for days in advance that I thought they would explode off my chest.
>>I'm breaking out but I had several glasses of pop this weekend....
>>I'm cramping but it's usually one-sided like ov pains and my IBS has been bad too & it's not as bad as it's been
>>my lower back sort of, kind of, maybe hurts (normally it's quite achey...even before my mc) so did I just sit funny at the computer or is AF coming?

Hence my confusion and stress. Please stay away :witch:!! I want to enjoy the stress of the tww for once! :haha:


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## petitpas

Starry, I've probably asked you this before, but why don't you temp? I know that after my m/c it did help pinpoint sort-of-cycles and ovulation.

Hoping for a tww for you. Just one :D


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## Starry Night

LOL! 

So far no sign of AF but there are still several hours left in the day. Though I've been getting loads of watery cm and my cervix went back to a high position. No cramps either....

I would honestly celebrate a 19 day cycle! But I've decided to buckle down and buy some OPKs if I have another early period (anything sooner than day 21...maybe 28). I want to at least have to proof to tell the doctor...ie. "I know for a fact that I ovulated on day such and such and my period showed up 3 days later"

I would have to buy a new thermometer to temp as I don't trust mine (it once said I went from a fever of 40 degrees...I was truly ill...to a temp of 35 within an hour....uh...yeah....about that....) and DH is out of a job so if I'm going to spend the moula on OPKs then I can't get a bbt thermometer.

Where do people order their cheapies online?


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## Starry Night

My mom did tell me today that she was talking to a friend who is a nurse. She had told her friend that I was still feeling the effects of the miscarriage (feeling ill as well as off cycles) and the friend said that while doctors may tell you 1 to 3 months that often it takes 6 months to a year to feel normal again. On one hand it calms me down a lot as I am starting to panic about my health but on the other I don't like thinking of having to wait a year for full healing either.


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## petitpas

:hugs: hopefully only one cycle until your scan!

Funny, thermometers are really cheap here as opposed to OPKs :D
Still, you could try your dodgy one and see what it shows.


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## Starry Night

Hmmm, maybe. I never temped before because I always had irregular cycles and didn't see the point as it wouldn't help in predicting when I should try the following cycle.

Well, I said I'd celebrate a 19 day cycle so.....(CD20 and no sign of AF!)
:wohoo::loopy::rain::bunny::happydance:


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## Starry Night

A slight update:

I had some pink spotting today after some back aches and thought my AF was coming on CD21. Which I guess would be a normalish cycle. My mom told me she went to 20 to 23 day cycles after her pregnancies. However, the back aches are now gone as is the bleeding. Lots of clear stuff though and weird bubbly feelings inside me. I'm starting to feel the way I was with Lil Peanut. I also got IB on 7DPO that time too. Actually starting to get a bit excited (and nauseous...been that way for a week) but still trying to keep perspective. It took 7 months to conceive the first time. What are the odds I'd conceive on my first normal cycle?


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## petitpas

Oh Starry, it would be lovely! I have my fingers crossed for you fxfxfxfxfxfx

Only one month until that scan now!!!!!! :D


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## Starry Night

I've been having spotting on and off all day. Been doing some online research and it seems IB can last a few days so I'm still crossing my fingers. I'm cramping so much right now that if it's AF I just want it to come. But the cramps feel like it's pushing straight out and not down like it normally does with AF. And my boob hurt....like ALOT!!!! Nauseous every morning too and can't stand tea or coffee. If it's my hormones playing tricks on me then so help me!:grr:

ha ha

I just want to know one way or the other right now.


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