How Do You Regain Your Strength After A LOT of Blood Loss??

I am new here. I posted the other day in Introduce Yourself. I have bled for 3 weeks--finally the bleeding has stopped but I am so tired and weak. The biggest problem now is that no matter how hungry I may be I am also nauseous and cannot eat as I know I should. Anyone have any tips of what you did to get yourself started again?? My husband has been soooo helpful and understanding but my Mom who lives with us and is with me most of the time doesn't even check on me-knowing how very sick and weak I am. :burning: So I have to get up and go to the kitchen to fix things for myself to eat. Since I am so weak I cannot stand long periods of time. In fact walking the few steps to the bathroom sometimes makes me dizzy and the heart race. Maybe some Lipton cup a soup or something like that and raw veggies to nibble all day?? I LOVE nuts if I could just get a quantity that is large enough and not high in sodium!! well, actually today I did bleed a little bit again. I think the Birth Control pills the nurse gave me this time (emergency) ae too weak. My Dr's appt is Monday so I will talk to the Dr about a stronger brand. I have ALWAYS had hard periods. I remember coming home from school in pain that bent me over. The Dr at that time had me taking 1600 mg of Ibuprofin--before it would ever TOUCH the pain!! So I am no stranger to female reproductive pain, but the BC I was on most of my life after that was strong enough that I no longer had pain, the period was 3 days-very predictable and light. In fact the hormones were so strong that it was something like 3 yrs after stopping them that I finally got pregnant--then had a miscarriage the day after I learned I MIGHT be pregnant. (The test was lightly positive.) I have NEVER been pregnant since then. Had a 6 lb fibroid cyst remove about 4 yrs ago--no pain with that one. I just thought I was pregnant was how it was discovered!! This one is a mere walnut size and causing complete disruptions in my life!! But I really believe that given strong enough BC it will stop being a problem!! If not, THEN surgery. I DEFINITELY do not want HRT the rest of my life!! I know you understand! hehehe This site is great--it is wonderful to be able to talk about this stuff without people being offended or grossed out!! Thanks!!

Bonnie

Thanks!!

Bonnie,

You don't mention how heavy your bleeding was/is but it sounds like you may be anemic - DEFINITELY talk to your doctor about this on Monday. Make sure you tell your Dr everything you mentioned here. Don't just talk about stronger BC pills. You should not be getting dizzy and feel your heart racing walking around your house.

I am not a doctor but you may want to take some Iron pills there are slow release ones that are supposed to be easier to take or even a one-a-day plus iron may help. Look for food that is rich in Iron like green vegetables (spinach).

I will be thinking about you on Monday. Let us know how things work out.

Daria

I *am* on Iron Supplement--have been for 2 months ever since this first started real bad like this. I used 2 and 1/2 packages (35) of Overnight Pads!! Sometimes the bleeding was so heavy that it would be a matter of 5-15 minutes to completely fill one of those from end to end and overflow!! I think they need to make a product for those of us with this unreal bleeding!! More like an adult pamper than a pad!! hehehe It is horrible. I bled for 5 days like I jsut mention and used 1 1/2 packages of pads (21) in that time and passed *huge* clots!! I learned from a friend though that the HOT baths I was taking several times a day and the aspirin based pain relievers were thinning my blood which I would think extended how long I flowed. I had such *excruciating* pain right before clots would come (sometimes in a few minutes sometimes after a couple of hours) so I was using my heating pad for like 30 minutes to 1 hour then getting into a *very hot* bath and change the water a few times before coming out. Getting out I would be soooooo light headed, tired and dizzy. But see *now that I have lost so much blood* I have to move around slowly until I get some strength back. I have not stopped taking the Iron supplement the Dr gave me on the initial visit but it seems to me that while losing excessive amounts of blood, the supplement wouldn't be much help??!! The bleeding has finally stopped--I know for sure cause we did our grocery shopping today and though I had to move a bit slower than I normally would I did not have to stop much, or get very dizzy and did not start to bleed. Yesterday I started bleeding after picking a few seed pods off a few flowers in my garden. I squatted, did not bend, and all and started bleeding!! I ate some Summer Squash Casserole I made last night and started to feel better right away. Probably the weakness has some to do with the fact that I feel sick to my stomach when I am hungry so cannot eat or not much. But given being hungry enough and/or the right food I can eat and feel better right away. I think what I wanted to know was, "Is there anything--snack like--that other women have used for a quick pick me up that is healthy when they cannot eat other things?" Well, I will surely figure this out and be able to help someone else with info I couldn't find in my time of need! It just goes that way sometimes. Just figured since I am not alone in this that perhaps someone else might feel a bit nauseous after a large blood loss and feel unable to eat like me?? Maybe I am alone in this facet?

I've used miso soup and tofu as a quick, high-protein, pick-me-up. But obviously your blood pressure is very low -- has it been taken when you're feeling this bad? Hot baths do NOT help; what they do is to dilate the peripheral blood vessels, which drops your overall blood pressure even more.

You need to, above all, stay as hydrated as you can manage -- mostly water, decaf green tea, etc. When you do eat iron-rich foods, try to take a vitamin C source with them. For example, I used to make miso soup and pour it over shredded spinach leaves to wilt them. I would also drink a glass of orange juice (low acid) along with my meal.

However, what was your last blood count? And when was it? The bleeding you're describing is consistent with adenomyosis, but it could also be due to the fact that this small fibroid has infiltrated a blood vessel in the muscle of the uterus itself.

I know that going to the emergency room on the weekends is not an appealing thought -- but if you pass out, or cannot get up at all without feeling like you're going to, that's what you need to do. When your blood counts are that low, you can do permanent damage to your heart and other organs. The blood carries oxygen (hemoglobin is the molecule). If hemoglobin is low, your organs are not getting enough oxygen -- if it's that low, it's dangerous! Mine got down to 5.3 gms (normal being 12-14) after a toxemic pregnancy, and I remember that feeling well. I sustained some heart damage as a result. Although that has resolved largely now, and I did get one unit of blood at the time, there is still a permanent price I have paid for that. When I had my surgery, my hemoglobin was 8.2 -- again, dangerously low.

When you get that low, taking oral iron isn't a good answer, really. You've used up the iron stores, and your bone marrow just can't work fast enough to make use of the oral iron supplements.

If your heart rate stays above 100 - 120 even when lying down, or if you can take a blood pressure and it's below 90 - 100 for the upper number, you really need to get yourself in to the hospital. This is nothing to fool around with in phone calls to a doctors' answering service!

Please, take care, OK? Let us know how things are going with you...



Audrey

Everyone has given you some good advice.

My comment is re: how much you love nuts.
Do you like peanuts? You can get raw (green) peanuts by the pound and roast them in the oven or boil them. YOU control the sodium and the seasoning.

If you would like some info. about how to prepare them, just PM me. Okey dokey? I love boiled peanuts!

Dear Bonnie,
Oh my... I know how that heavy bleeding and anemia is. It is scarey. You are too weak to be hungry but you need to eat. Nuts are good, they have good protein. You must be so anemic. It is not the size of the fibroid that makes the bleeding so bad. A small one can cause very bad bleeding. You need to get a cbc done and see what your hemoglobin is. I am glad your husband is so helpful. It takes time to rebuild strength. I used my juicer and made fresh veggie juices, took my iron, had moxa treatments that I got from a chinese medicene lady and traditional Chinese herbs. I hope you feel better and stronger again soon. And rest. You only have so much energy so you need to conserve it. Also keep yourself warm. My hemoglobin was 6.7 in February, now I am feeling a lot better. I wish you all the best.

I believe you are anemic and need to tell your doc ASAP! Its very dangerous and you could have serious trouble if it gets low enough, I know I had a bad round in March of this year. Mine was 9 then after my first two pints of blood it fell to 6. I couldnt do anything but stare into space. My family thought I was in a coma, I wasnt sure if I would come out of it. You sound like you are exp. the same thing I have. I have always been an abnormal bleeder w/ large clots. No one every told me that it could become cancerous. All I was told was to take BC and thats it, and now here I am with the possibility of having Endo, Cancer. I am fortunate that I did have to go to the ER. If I hadnt almost bleed to death, they wouldt have found my condition. I had to have a D&C with Hysterscope. and there it was so I am glad it was found. Also you may wanna talk to your doc about Hyperplasia of the endometrial lining. Thats what is causing my probs. Anyway, best of luck and I wish you the best.

Oh and one more thing, If you are taking baths/showers and you feel weak, sit down in the floor or something because I took a hot shower before I went to the ER(my sister took me) and I dont know if it sent me into shock or what, but I remember putting my clothes on and getting really sick. I stepped into the hallway and told her I wasnt gonna make it and passed out almost hitting my head on the coffe table. So Please be careful.

OMG!! I have you all really freaking!! It isn't that bad. The bleeding is under control, my strength is returning and I saw the Dr today. (They do check my blood everytime but I do not know what the counts are and all that.) After describing the things that have been going on, he did give me 2 months worth of a stronger birth control pill but told me I do need surgery. He said it is not urgent but does need to be done. My biggest problem now is no insurance. I have been unable to find work in over 4 yrs and going around looking for help won't work either cause last time (4 yrs ago) we made too much money and this time my husband makes more than we made together last time!! So I will be writing a letter to the Dr and explaining all this and see what we can work out. He mentioned willingness to discount the surgery but he couldn't do it free. I never expected that he would do it for nothing! And besides we would still have the hospital bill and anestisiologist to pay anyway!! Any ideas??? All are welcomed!! I am ok with getting a hysterectomy--I have only been pregnant once in my life-17 years ago and had a miscarriage as soon as I found out about it and lost triplets in a tubal pregnancy. I have not been pregnant since and doubt I would become so before Menopause anyway. I do *not* want HRT though so would want to keep my one surviving ovary!! I have heard too many horro stories about HRT and don't want to spend my life dependant on foreign substances anyway. Thanks all for your tips and advice for me!! I will certainly *not* be taking *any* more hot bathes or showers anytime soon. I am taking cooler showers now--afraid to take hot like I like!! Better safe than sorry.

Hello again,
Im glad that you went to the doctor. i want you to know that I was in the same situation as you, no insurance. I had bills that were in exceses of $13,000 with $10,000 being hospital alone. I had help with the hospital part all because my doctor directed me to a program to recieve assistance with my bill. You are going in the right direction and I hope you can recieve the help you need because I have been there and I know how frustrated you must feel, but DONT give up. Everything will work out fine.......You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Lisa