Hello 
I am so relieved to have found this site. There are a lot of strong ladies on here and I hope I can have the same strength everyone else has. I was diagnosed because I started spotting in October, got my smear done in November, and then bled non stop every day until December. When I went back and was checked out again, the nurse said everything looked ok. I got my smear results back in January and they said high grade cell changes. I didnt have my colposcopy until the end of February. At the colposcopy she put the speculum in and I started gushing blood all over the table and the floor. She told me my cervix did not look normal at all, and only took one biopsy because she couldnāt stop the bleeding. I have been bleeding every day since November, and had to have a blood transfusion last week because my hemoglobin was so low. I donāt go to see the oncologist until March 23rd which is about 3 weeks away. My questions are, has anyone bled this much before treatment, and did treatment stop the bleeding? I havenāt been able to go out anywhere without wearing a pad and wondering if Iām leaking all the time. Itās also making me really weak and anemic. Iām really depressed about it. My other question is did anyone have bleeding like this and still was at a treatable stage? I am terrified because I am worried I am terminal and wonāt live much longer. I have 2 kids and I get so depressed all the time and just want to give up because I am going to leave them without a mom and I feel useless. Sorry for ranting on and on.
Oh honey, I just saw your post and had to jump in here because I had the same questions and didnāt feel that others had the same experience. Youāll be ok. Deep breaths. I know itās all so scaryā¦weāve been there. But then you realize that this is treatable and youāll be ok. Youāll get through this.
My journey started when I just randomly started bleeding heavily one day. I was so scared. I went to the gyno and had pap done and then colpo. I was spotting in between periods and some days I had to wear a tampon all the time just to be safe and go about life. During my colpo, it was super uncomfortable because I think she had me so wide open (she was a resident and wasnāt very gentle so I think that had a lot to do with it too). I wasnāt bleeding that day at all prior to seeing her. She took one biopsy and said it was like āturning on a faucet,ā so she didnāt biopsy the other two spots she saw. She put some āMonselsā yellow paste on to stop the bleeding and it did. She asked if I bled every time I put a tampon in and I said no. She seemed much more concerned about the bleeding than me, but I think thatās because she was young and still learning.
But then when it came time for my period a week laterā¦it was a fiasco. I thought I was hemorrhaging and couldnāt make the bleeding stop. I was passing large clots the size of my palm - I was terrified. I called my mom to come over (sheās a nurse) before I was about to call for an ambulance. It was not normal for me at all. I felt like you and couldnāt leave the houseā¦let alone the bed. I was back and forth between the bed, toilet, and shower. Lying down kept the bleeding at bay and eventually after a few days, it was more manageable.
A couple days later, scared and still bleeding (and seriously considering purchasing adult diapers), I went to the gyno oncologist and got my official CC diagnosis. She said my tumor seemed āangryā and said it can bleed because it is so vascular. I asked her when it would stop and she said when treatment (radiation) began.
After that, I went through egg harvesting for two weeks and taking the injections and steroids stopped the bleeding altogether. I would occasionally bleed when they did the ultrasound if they werenāt super gentle. Then I had the egg harvesting surgery where they pierce the vaginal wall to get to my ovaries. Came home with very minor bleeding from that. I expected it to be much more. Then I had my period a week later and my fertility doc said to expect another fiasco and it wasā¦completely normal! Even after the vaginal trauma of retrieving 20 eggs. So that told me that the abnormal bleeding was most likely due to my colposcopy.
I bled a tiny tiny bit since then, but started treatment last week. One radiation in and my tumor is no longer bleeding at all. Iām now 4 rads in and 1 chemo. HUGE difference. My oncologist came to see me at my first chemo (Iām calling it the āJuice Barā) and asked about the bleeding. Told her itās gone and was most likely from my colpo.
I was diagnosed at stage 3A and my doctors say it has a ā75-80% cure rateā. Iām currently one week into treatment and feeling good. You got this. Itās scary and it sucks, but youāve got a heap of women here to support you and answer questions. Iām in the US, but shared this website with my nurse navigator so she can share with others since the forum has been so valuable to me. Ohā¦and if you donāt have them alreadyā¦try a pair of āperiod pantiesā. HUGE lifesaver and so convenient. I didnāt want to like them but theyāve been wonderful. Stay strong and PM if you want to chat more. Sending hugs.
xx
Cat
Hey max , I had some bleeding too not as bad as where I needed a transfusion but I did need to take iron pills. Felt like the bleeding got worse after the pap smear , my process took a few months too. I had some bleeding in the month of November towards the end then had a pap smear in January by April when they finally did my colposcopy I started bleeding quite a bit everyday, they said my cervix looked bad & mentioned it was most likely cancer. I had cancer with a 6cm tumor I was stage 3. I am over 3 years in remission, next month will be 4 years since I was diagnosed. Sending good vibes your way , I know this has got to be a stressful time for you.
Is it true that this is the scariest time, waiting from diagnosis until when you know staging and a treatment plan? I am just so scared and I am trying to take it one day at a time but I have kids and I get anxious thinking about leaving them and my husband behind. Iām hoping once there is a plan I will feel a bit better. Thatās so good that you are in remission
Hi Max,
I was stage 3b and had no bleeding at all, itās so different for every ābodyā so donāt panic that you will be advanced, your body is just reacting in a different way.
I felt the same way, you hear cancer and immediately think the worst but I am now in remission less than a year after diagnosis (May 2022). The treatments they have now are so fantastic, you are in the best hands xx
Hi sorry to hear this news,but you are in the right place for good advice. When i was bleeding heavily i was given some sort of medication to slow it down or stop it. I canāt remember the name if it(not much help),but it would be worth a call to your doc/cancer nurse.
Also any thoughts of giving up should be put out of your mind,i no it easier said than done,but you need to concetrate on getting better and staying strong first of all for you,then your family.
It is hard,best of luck with it,
xxx
Thank you I really hope I am still treatable. My mind starts running wild and imagining the worst things. I think that is human nature to do that though.
Thank you. I will try my hardest to stay strong and try to beat this. I think I just have down days sometimes and those are the days I feel like giving up. I wonāt though.
Iāve had to have 2 blood transfusions in less than a week because Iām bleeding so much. Iām really scared and donāt know how to handle this anymoreā¦
Hi Max,
I just saw your post and your experience looks like similar to mine. I was bleeding after my smear test and I ended up to A&E as the bleeding was so heavy and wouldnāt stop. You need to take medication that can stop the bleeding or at least to minimise it. I was prescribed back then tranexamic which stopped the bleeding while I was waiting for treatment. Are you taking anything?
Xxx
I am taking tranexamic acid at the moment. It wors sometimes but some days I still have heavy bleeding.
Hey hun, Iām so sorry youāre going through this. I promise you it doesnāt mean it isnāt treatable. I couldnāt keep up with the bleeding before and partly during treatment, to the point where Iād change a pad and by the time I left the bathroom I needed a new one. But then all of a sudden it stopped! I started treatment last April, and I havenāt bled at all (other than slight spotting) since the May. I was stage 2b and touch wood am all clear atm. Tranexamic acid didnāt work for me either, but I was given iron infusions when needed and once the bleeding stopped I felt so much better xxx
Hopefully I can get it sorted out sooner than later. Iām so tired of bleeding. Thank you for responding to my post
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I see Iām not the only one. At my first Colposcopy two weeks ago the minute the Gynae put the speculum in it was like a scene from CSI or Dexter. Iām seriously tempted to seek sponsorship from a Sanitary Pad company. Iām dreading my second biopsy on Friday (first one she didnāt get a big enough sample). Wish I had a tube of that Silver Nitrate to stop the post biopsy bleeding Iād stick the whole thing inside (apparently itās expensive so they try not to use too much).
Iām sorry to hear of your situation and sending lots of love and luck xx
@CarolineE I wish they would give us a whole tube of that stuff to stop the bleeding as well lol. I am so tired of bleeding. I am waiting for my oncologist meeting tomorrow, and the bleeding just has my mind wandering all over the place wondering if Iām going to be untreatable or not. Hopefully itās not as bad as I am imagining it is. I hope everything goes well for you. If you ever need someome to talk to, you can private message me if you want.
Hi maxpower,
Just wondering how you are going?
Did you get your stage or treatment plan?
@Leelee09 I have my mri and pet scan in a week, and then I will find out a bit after that what my stage and treatment plan are.
Does the bleeding stop with treatment? Iām having a bliod transfusion for the 3rd time, and itās getting so hard to deal with. At this point I have to go in pretty much every week to get transfusions from blood loss.
Iām so sorry youāre still having such a tough time with the bleedingš have you started treatment yet? My bleeding stopped around week 4 of chemo rads, it was like someone suddenly turned the tap off! x
I still have to get my mri and pet scan to determine stage. My oncologist thinks I will most likely need chemo and radiation. Hopefully I will get my mri and scan soon so I can start treatment soon.
