Hi. If' you've peeked in here and you are a male I apologize in advance.

However the internet is useless and I have no one else to ask this question -- how can I tell if I need to go to the emergency room because I'm bleeding an insane and apparently unstoppable amount?

If I call and ask the emergency room I'm worried they'll tell me to come in anyway, which I can't do because I don't think I can drive, and if I tell them that they'll send an ambulance which is ridiculous. I just can't tell right now if I am pushing the edge of normal/horrendous feminine issues or if I am in fact at the moment bleeding to death.

Anybody out there know the answer to this question? I just need to know when it's time to give it up and call a cab and head to the ER. If I don't have to do that that would be awesome and probably the case but it would still be good to know this.

TIA

i am not a doctor, or a nurse nor do I have fibroids but how many days has this been going on?

Six. Came early. But today is pretty remarkable. Holy cow.

Eva if you don't think you can drive, please call the cab and go.  Take a towel with you.  And please let us know how you are when you get home.  No messing around now.  Just go.

Get to the emergency room NOW eva!!

If you are hemorrhaging due to fibroids you may need a transfusion. You will certainly need something to stop the bleeding - maybe a D&C or even an emergency hysterectomy, like my mother had to have. You will also need iron pills after bleeding that long. Don't mess around with this!

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/showthread.php?t=358842

Btw I'd call an ambulance, and take a bag in case you need to stay in. You don't want to be bothered where to leave your car.

I agree with Peppermint, take cab and a towel.  Ambulance will cost an arm and a leg. Save $ as cab will be fraction of the cost as an ambulance...

I think it's best you get yourself looked at.  Best to be safe than sorry.

I was told that if you are bleeding through a pad an hour then that is too much. Sorry I can't remember if that was specific to fibroids or just in general. I had a similar period a few years ago....it was awful with lots of big clotting, very unusual for me. But I went to the ER after realizing how low my blood pressure had gotten, not to mention my iron levels were totally wiped out afterwards.

((hugs)) Sending you healing and light.

You guys, you guys! I've been worse than this before. You have no idea. But this is bad enough for me to start to worry. The problem is there's not any information about the tipping point that tells you okay, time to get to a hospital. They don't tell you at the doctor, they don't tell you at the gyno, they don't tell you at WebMD. There have be...you know. Signs. Like when you're having a heart attack your arm goes numb and you take an aspirin....

Don't worry, I did *not* take an aspirin.

How do you tell if your blood pressure is low?

Is there a local nurse line you can call? Many places have such places to help prevent unneeded (and costly!) trips to the ER. Or could you call the hospital/ER to find out if they know of such a service in your area?

I used my mom's at home blood pressure machine. But without that you can also tell if you are dizzy, lightheaded etc. Especially when changing positions like from sitting to standing or from lying to sitting.

in Canada we have telehealth....

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/telehealth/

I wonder what would happen if you tried to call from the US -lol

They stopped doing this in the US because of lawsuits. You can't get anyone to tell you anything without coming in.

It's better to be checked out than the alternative of not if needed. 

My mother had an emergency hysterectomy as did her mother. Both from excessive bleeding.  How much, I know not. 

Does your doctor have a 24 hour number you can use?

I think I have fibroids - its the large blod clots right?

I don't get them often but sometimes I stand up and get rushes of blood.

It's never been too serious but I'd just go somewhere just in case!

I think the fact that you're worrying enough to ask this question is enough of a "sign". Listen to your body. Please go in. 

Re: low BP, do you feel lightheaded? Seriously, you do not need to reach THAT point before you decide you go in. You can pass out from an abruptly low BP. Why risk it? 

I would call this an emergency and go in. Especially if you have a history of this and even worse than that. 

Better safe than sorry, u know?

Is there a friendly neighbor you can ask for help? 

I will be thinking of you. Please let us know how you're doing.

PS: I didn't plan to respond, but your last post made me feel that I need to add my voice to the previous ones. Please take care.

Oh man. I always forget that in America you have to worry about how much it costs!

eva you're working, get a cab or something. wear lots of pads etc. Just get there and get checked out, and get some iron pills at least!You have no idea how much blood you might have lost - that's not good, esp if it's been happening regularly over time

eva -- I get low BP from losing blood (all my period happens in like 30 minutes, no fibroids) and I faint from it. Fainting can be dangerous because of the objects you could hit. Please go to the hospital (ambulance, cab, I don't think it matters much myself) and, while you're waiting to be picked up, please post to let us know you're leaving...

I just called the hospital. They told me they could not tell me whether to go in or not because my "doctor" ( this GP I went in to see two months ago after several years of not even bothering) had not given the triage nurse permission to triage me and I would have to call the *doctor* to find out if this is an emergency. 

I'm telling ya. I hate America.

Eva, go to the hospital now.

 At risk of you hating me forever for being rude and direct: either you think it's an emergency or you're exagerating what's happening in your posts in order to gain some attention. I don't think you're the type of person to do the latter, so it must be the former, so you need to go to the hospital.

And I don't think I'm the only person that's staying up on the boards refreshing this post until we hear that you've called someone to pick you up. 

This woman ( http://www.runsforcookies.com/p/accident.html#accident ) had a one time moment of low blood pressure and fainted and broke her jaw from it.

eva,

I had fibroids and would bleed EXCESSIVELY when I had my period.  I would wake up in the morning and you would think I had been murdered in my sleep from the condition of the bed.   It is a warning something is wrong.  Fibroids also can grow very quickly.  I guess I am telling you to seek medical attention sooner rather than later. 

eva -- mars is direct now. This would be a lovely time to aggressively ensure your body is in tip top shape.

You know.

By going to the hospital.

Now.

Before you faint and hurt yourself.

Potentially giving you a head wound that also has uncontrollable bleeding.

And dying on the floor and no one knowing.

Don't worry -- I can keep thinking up plausible but horrific events that could happen.

If you don't go to the hospital, that is.

You know... right now. 

Okay.

If anyone is staying up and refreshing this thread to see if I am all right: I AM ALL RIGHT. Whether I go to the hospital or not I am not going die tonight of anything. I thought someone might be an ER nurse or something and could tell me what signs to look for that I really needed to go to the hospital - because there is no one you can call to find this stuff out from in the US very easily. 

Now as I've been sitting here I've taken a massive dose of Ibuprofin and tincture of Shepherd's Purse every fifteen minutes and things are slowing down. I should have taken that earlier but that stupid nondoctor I go to told me it had been shown to have no clinical benefit. I am going to be fine.  I am sorry if I alarmed anyone. Go to bed for heavens sake.

Just checking in, glad to see you're better eva!

Lol, BW. Go to bed, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern.

All orthodox medicine practitioners look down to herbal remedies. I remember when I took something for an eye infection and then went to the eye doctor. He nearly murdered me on the spot when I told him that I was using a herbal remedy. "Stupid nondoctors" is right!

I, for one, feel better to hear it is not an emergency any longer.

Just in case, call a friend or neighbor to check on you in a few hrs?

And try to find another doc or a good hospital and plan what to do if this continues. 6 days is quite a long while going, you know that.  

Really glad you have it under control. 

Can you get some run-of-the-mill iron supplement at a CVS or something just to have it handy if needed? You still need to know the damage all this blood loss has done on your BP, iron, etc. 

When you're better, perhaps you can go see the doc (can you get a new/better doc?).  

I've been doubling up on my chewable iron pills for a couple a days so my mgs are at 100 a day and not 50; drinking OJ and gatorade; spent the day in bed, kept my blood sugar up and stayed hydrated. The new thing was the ibuprofin which was what the doctor recommended I do instead of the Shepherds Purse  --- which accomplished absolutely nothing except indigestion all day.

You turn pro at this after a while. I'm starting to think bleeding profusely is my superpower.

I'm glad to hear you're doing better! I was worried times like a million! Sorry to not respond sooner -- I had switched to my tablet which doesn't let me post, but only lurk. :) 

Eva, I hope you are doing better with this problem now. I had this problem and needed to get checked out for blood lost.  It can be very scary, I know and one shoiuld get themselves checked out when this happens. Even if it stopped for now you don't know if it could happen again without a check up.

I hope you doing better and would be glad to hear how you are.

I had a heavy period for 18 days - bled through tampons with pads!  I finally went to see my gyno.  I was seriously anemic.  Because of the insurance rules, she had to put me on Estrogen (made me horribly sick), then progesterone (made me crazy and cold), and then was allowed to perform a uterine ablation. 

It's not birth control, but she knew my situation, so she made sure she incinerated every bit of tissue with that metal mesh umbrella thing so that I'd never get pregnant again.  I love her - she's a great doctor. 

My body still has the hormonal changes every month, but I have never gotten another period.  Can you say Hallelujah?  It's the best thing I ever did.