We need single payer health care in this contry NOW (male DU may want to skip this)

[Catmusicfan]

LAST WARNING::: I am a female this topic will deal with a female issue. You are welcome to read or reply if you like but I am warning you ....



Okay so I am coming to the end of my cycle/getting ready for the change. I haven't had a full cycle in a 1yr. I may spot here or there nothing big and haven't really needed to by products in a year. my last bag I bought was a year ago. Well 4 days ago I spotted. I put a pad on and usually don't end up having anything in the pad but always to be safe. Well this time it is different I am using pads but no where near what I use to during my cycle. day 2 like that. Night of day 2 I realize I need to start double padding. TODAY I (Now remember I just started a new job a week ago.)am double padded. I go to work (customer service) my job is to sit and deal with customers orders. Right now I am handling web orders and e-mail orders. Once I get into the grove I sit and just start. I don't realize the time and I finally get up use the restroom to find both pads soaked, my underwear and my pants. I am mortified. I go back to my desk after cleaning myself as best as I could and changing the pads. I begin thinking maybe I can make it through the day because this is my second week and they got strict policies about missing work. and I want to make a good impression. I go to my supervisor who understand (she has been through it herself) and lets me go. I want go to the hospital. Need to figure out what is happening.

Go home quickly clean up change pre clean my pants (hope they are not ruin) Go to the hospital. Do pelvic exam. do ultra sound had hardest time taking blood but do. I am there for 3 hours to find Everything is healthy...okay good. Doctor is shocked (because they checked blood sugar Cholesterol and made sure I wasn't anemic. Fat people know that look of surprise ( and somewhat disappointment.) when a doctor has to tell a fat person their blood sugar is normal. Sorry I'm fucking fat I have been on every diet since my mom put me on my first one at 6 years old. Yeah, I will be the first to say I need to look weight BUT this is who I am. I am not going to get a freaking surgery when I know people who have died from it. You are born dying. I rather enjoy life.

anyways sorry. I am hoping they might give me something to slow the rate or stop this because I need to go back to work so I don't lose my job. NO she doesn't want to do that. wants me to see the obgyn in a week. Yeah, right. Last time I had this issue 2 years ago. I couldn't get in for 45 days on an emergency appointment. She wanted to run test after test and each time there was a co-pay each time I went for the results. I was going through a package of 1/2 week. double padding 4 to 5 times a day. finally gave me something to regulate it. but kept wanting to run test. Finally my husband is like either they treat you and resolve this issue or don't go back. (35 dollar every 2 weeks for the co-pay can get stressful)

Well, Today I don't even have my discharge papers yet and they want me to pay the fucking co-pay right there half naked bleeding like a stuff pig.

I am fucking tired of these hospitals become a monopoly in a town where every doctor in that town and part of that network and maybe in your town is different BUT I did have a family doctor 2 years ago but again wanted to make me come 3 to 5 times for a simple issue to make money.

I am tired of being a way of making money and not being treated like a human being who needs healed.
The problem is not just Dems and Republicans it's the whole health industry and fucking doctors who want to by 3 BMWs in a year instead of one. I got sent home with sitting pads and adult diapers.

[mcar]

1. Did they check for uterine fibroids?

I had/have them and the heavy bleeding experiences you've described. It is awful.

My gyn put me on birth control pills. I immediately stopped sleeping, I mean literally stopped. For weeks. I won't go into details, this is your story. My point is, I sympathize and empathize.

Single payer may or may not help with your situation. We need effective health coverage, though.

[Catmusicfan]

5. Yep and cysts too all clean

[Ms. Toad]

6. How did they check?

Anything short of a hysteroscopic visual exam won't catch the biggest offenders for massive bleeding.

(I fought through 3 gynecologist, 1 GP, 1 hematologist to get mine diagnosed and properly treated - and was beginning to develop heart problems because of the severe anemia it was causing. Even a marble-sized fibroid in the right place can cause massive bleeding - and will not necessarily be detectable except by a visual exam through the cervix.)

[Catmusicfan]

8. Did an exam ultra sound outside and wand inside.

Doctor said I was clear of those also tested for studs and like to make sure my bleeding wasn't caused by that.

[Ms. Toad]

9. That didn't detect mine.

Nor did a blind D&C. It took a scope through the cervix. The earlier doctors were likely idiots - but that is what it took for me.

My GP and 2 gynecologists refused to believe my bleeding was significant as I was telling them it was. Women don't know what they are talking about and all that. Simultaneously, my GP (same one who was sure I was exaggerating) sent me to a hematologist to evaluate me for bone cancer because my anemia was so extreme that it did not appear I was making any new red blood cells. Hmmm....I wonder if catastrophic anemia might just be connected to bleeding severe enough they ought to pay attention to it...Duh.

It took being able to calculate that I was losing 4 cups of blood in a one-week period before they stopped dismissing me as a hypochondriac - and then they just wanted to yank my uterus out becasue, after all, I didn't need it any longer.

[Catmusicfan]

12. Oh sweetie

The sad angry truth is if men went thru this their would be so many things they could get hands on to ease the flow so it is more m manageable. They wouldn't be made to be shamed or told they are paranoid, or seeking attention.

[Ms. Toad]

14. Once I got to a competent, female, gynecologist -

the fibroid was removed via outpatient surgery, and I could have gone back to work the same day - but for the ban on driving after anesthesia. Treatment was that much of a non- event. (And nearly 20 years later, I've now been through menopause - with my uterus intact, and no additional heart problems once the bleeding-related-anemia vanished.)

God luck with resolving your issues.

[Catmusicfan]

19. Thanks. You've given me hope.

[Coventina]

2. I feel for you, sister.

I have had no end of "female trouble" in my life, and the system does nothing but shame and blame and take your money.

[Freddie]

3. I "changed" a while ago

It gets worse and then it ends. I never had periods as heavy as you describe but a couple friends did and they all said the same. When I was 50 I didn't have my period for 6 months and I'm thinking hallelujah, I'm done! And then I got a heavy one, and that was the last.

[demmiblue]

4. A relative had the same problem with very heavy bleeding during perimenopause.

About 25 percent of women have heavy bleeding (sometimes called hypermenorrhea, menorrhagia, or flooding) during perimenopause. Some women’s menstrual flow during perimenopause is so heavy that even supersized tampons or pads cannot contain it. If you are repeatedly bleeding heavily, you may become anemic from blood loss. During a heavy flow you may feel faint when sitting or standing. This means your blood volume is decreased; try drinking salty liquids such as tomato or V8 juice or soup. Taking an over-the-counter NSAID such as ibuprofen every four to six hours during heavy flow will decrease the period blood loss by 25 to 45 percent.

Don’t ignore heavy or prolonged bleeding — see your health care provider if it persists. Your provider can monitor your blood count and iron levels. Iron pills can replace losses and help avoid or treat anemia.

Other medical treatment may include progesterone therapy or the progestin-releasing Mirena IUD, which is known to reduce menstrual bleeding. If your health care provider suggests hysterectomy as a solution to very heavy bleeding during perimenopause, you may want to try other less invasive approaches first. Removal of the uterus is an irreversible step with many effects.

Heavy bleeding during perimenopause may be due to the estrogen-progesterone imbalance. Also, polyps (small, noncancerous tissue growths that can occur in the lining of the uterus) can increase during perimenopause and can cause bleeding. Fibroid growth during perimenopause can sometimes cause heavy bleeding, especially when the fibroid grows into the uterine cavity.

If very heavy bleeding persists despite treatment, your provider should test for possible causes of abnormal bleeding. (Learn more about the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding as well as the pros and cons of various treatment options.)

http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/health-info/what-to-expect-perimenopause/

I have no issue with doctor's salaries; they are not the problem.

[colsohlibgal]

7. Our Health Care Is Disgraceful

Sorry you have had to go through this.

We do need single payer non profit healthcare ASAP.

[Ilsa]

10. Oh, bless you, I'm surprised you aren't

Anemic from flooding like this. I can't help but wonder if it could be fibroids as well, but if they said "No" then I guess not.

I hope you can start getting the healthcare you need and deserve, not just to be paying on some dr's student loans.

Let's keep fighting for what's right!

[Catmusicfan]

13. Thanks.

[beam me up scottie]

11. I hear you.

Just look at the obscene amounts of money CEOs in the health care industry get, meanwhile people can't afford their prescriptions.

I'm sorry for your troubles and I hope you find someone who can help.

[ileus]

15. My wife lived like this for 7 years before getting a complete hysterectomy.

At 34.

[Catmusicfan]

17. Oh, I am sorry. How did you fair during the 7 years?

How is she now?

[panader0]

16. Thank you for pointing out to we men that women's health

is something most men don't really understand, and something that
needs to be an integral part of any health program.

[Catmusicfan]

18. Thank you for understanding.

I hesitated posting. The demand of a co-pay at this time really upset me but as I wrote it it was the whole experience. I do not mean to offend men but it does seem women get the short end of health care stick. What really is frightening is how heart and lungs are study with a male view and not how stress, infection, other environments effect women differently.

[mythology]

20. Single payer wouldn't inherently solve this issue

For example one of the big problems with California's single payer plan was that it was fee for service which provides incentives for a doctor to find ways to up bill.

Also single payer can mean the hospitals/doctors are employed directly by the government or be private actors who are paid by the government. The later also doesn't directly get around incentives to have higher billing for patients, and even the former in a fee for service, doesn't get around it.

But more than that, I think you may have just run into a crappy doctor. I had a doctor who performed a specialty surgery on one of my knees but left the decision about looking at the other up to me in spite of knowing I'm on an insurance company that is known for approving the surgery (most delay due to cost and fragility). I stopped going to a doctor because she kept suggesting that I should buy various supplements from them and kept warning me about various blood numbers that weren't out of healthy range, but were higher than she liked. If you aren't getting good service from your doctor, find another. It's your body, nobody else has more invested in it than you do.

[csziggy]

21. I didn't go to gynecologists for most of my life

After one blew me off telling me my heavy bleeding was just something I had to live with. I'd had my tubes tied a few years before and decided to try the new group of all women OB/GYN doctors. The one I saw was ruder than any doctor I have ever seen so I just skipped yearly exams until I found a very good family doctor who handled routine things.

AS I approached peri-menopause my heavy bleeding got worse and worse to the point where sometimes I would just sit on the toilet and bleed into it - I couldn't walk across the house without leaking all over. Good thing I never got anemic - I could have just bled out like that. In addition the migraines that had always correlated with my periods got worse and started appearing not just during my period but also halfway in between. Between those two problems I was non-functional nearly three weeks of every month.

My family doctor sent me to a gynecologist who had helped his wife when she had problems. He recommended a D&C and told me if that didn't help call him for a hysterectomy which was what I wanted in the first place. Sure enough weeks later on our 25th anniversary I had a migraine and started bleeding. So we drove home from our celebration early and called the doctor.

Three weeks later all my reproductive parts were gone. Without the hormones so were my migraines. I tried hormone patches, but if they came off or if the insurance company insisted on generic, I had migraines again, so I just went cold turkey a few years later. I've had no problems since.

THAT gynecologist was great - he kept the visits and tests to a minimum. He didn't even try to keep me as a regular patient and told me that my regular doctor could handle the yearly checkup.

The women's group of OB/GYN folded a few years after I tried to use them - I think they were just too rude to too many patients - plus an added bonus. It took three visits to actually see the doctor. I'd show up at the appointment time and there were no doctors in the office. I'd wait and wait. Emergencies can be expected in that line, but at least tell the patients so they can go about their business!

[Catmusicfan]

22. Oh sweetie

[csziggy]

23. I meant to say I hope they can help you quickly!

Maybe see if you can get a recommendation for a good doctor. If you are anywhere near Tallahassee FL, go see Dr. Hall, OB/GYN. Though he may have retired by now - I had my hysterectomy in 2002.

Ask friends and family, ask other doctors. Check online. There should be a good doctor that can help you. On your good days, really push for treatment.

As for a practical thing, try tampons and pads, or maybe those menstrual cups (those came out after I had no use but I would have tried them). Doubling up was what I had to do for most of my life.

[Catmusicfan]

24. I am in PA but thank you. I hope it ends quickly too.