“This is the reality of being a woman who’s been gaslit, shamed, mocked, and dismissed by the medical system. I am hardly special, and I’d put money on this being more the norm than the exception. And, of course, it’s much worse for plus size women and women of color.” - Jill Krause
I am obese. And, of course, a woman. But, I don’t even believe that is why I was gaslit for so many years.
I also have Bipolar Disease.
And, that’s probably not even it either.
In 2018 my husband finally convinced me to switch from Caromont Health to Novant Health. In our back woods County the doctors are just burnt the fuck out from so much “whatever, whatever I’ll do what I want!” from the patients. They’ve kinda just thrown up their hands and given up.
But, I finally switched. And, Oh My Word!!! It’s been a whole new world. A beautiful world.
But, the health care traumas added to all my church traumas and rape traumas add up to a beautiful, hot mess.
I have to fight hard for my sanity and health.
And, it is worth it.
Thank you, Jill. I remember when you were going through this, but until this post I had no idea the severity. I hate you had to advocate so hard for yourself. But, damn, good for you for GETTING THE SHIT DONE!
Recommend seeing a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor. I had a similar problem (my ferritin was at 7) 6 years ago and managed to completely reset my cycle to 3-4 days with much lighter flow. We did this through a combination of herbs to support the liver and blood (the liver also regulates oestrogen levels!) and a a series of target acupuncture sessions. Within 4 months I had shorter and lighter periods and ferritin started to rise. I now sit at 21! And I do not need iron supplements.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
I remember seeing your posts and worrying for you and thinking of some of my experiences with doctors and how it’s so important to advocate for yourself even if they think you are being a pain in the butt. 💕
So I went to the hospital once because of this. The bleeding just would not stop, it was literally pouring out of me like an absolute horror show. The ER was a horrible experience- a lot of left in the hallway bleeding on a towel, the freaking doctor made me take my own diva cup out while lying on my back in the exam room - that’s a juggling experience nobody ever needs to do! At one point I had to take my cup out for an ultrasound and because I was so shaky I dropped it to create a murder scene in the bathroom. Hours later they wanted to give me a blood transfusion which I refused for some reason and I took an Uber home because I had sent my husband home hours ago.
To say I felt alone is an understatement. The next day my dr said an iron transfusion and hysterectomy was the way to go. I was so upset but two years later it was the best decision! I feel physically and emotionally lighter. It has changed my life. Nobody should experience that amount of bleeding it is so scary and happens to more people than you’d think.
I have hashimotos disease and am always low iron. It's crazy how, even in Canada, we're gaslit, told we're fine, it's normal! I hate having to fight so hard when I just don't have it in me. Thank you for telling your story too!
Eager to hear about your experience with iron infusions! I just had my first one yesterday, it took months of watching my levels decrease and supplements not helping (partly bc it was so hard on my body for me to take them) until I got the OK to move on to infusions.
(My reasons for low iron are different - I’m pregnant and have Crohn’s disease - but I’m hoping I’ll have a similar positive effect! Your posts about iron infusions and how much you had to advocate for them were the first time I’d ever heard of them as a treatment for anemia and definitely inspired me to advocate for myself)
I was down to a 6 when I was pregnant and no one connected how awful I was feeling to that, nor did they recommend supplements or anything else. Said how I was feeling (like i couldn't breath, restless legs, not sleeping, generally like DEATH) was due to anxiety. Fast forward 9 years later, and my daughter who I was pregnant with at the time has had a sleep disorder her whole life. Finally see a sleep Dr who tells me that her ferritin (which is in the normal range - in the 30s) is FAR too low, and that because I was so low in iron during pregnancy she has been low in iron her whole life and that's the cause of her sleep disorder. He wants her ferritin above 80. I'm down to 22 because of an IUD debacle and I feel like ASS and my dr is all "you don't need supplements."
It's not health care, it's disease care.
Anyway, found a liquid my daughter and I can tolerate, not going to stop till we get up to the 80s.
I lived like this for years because I thought it was normal. Always taking extra pants and underwear to work because I could go from nothing to standing up immediately gushing through an ginormous overnight pad. Finally after getting some routine blood work and realizing my iron levels were so low my doctor was debating on if I should go get a blood transfusion. A d&c and Mirena insertion along with two iron infusions, my periods are now no longer existent which has been life changing for me.
I either don’t have periods for over a year or years or, I have super heavy ones like you described.
My last one… I ended up going to the ER after day 4 of bleeding like that and clots the size of golf balls and larger.
Luckily they took me seriously.
Because I was literally bleeding all over the place. Like they wanted me to pee in a cup and a stood up from the toilet and left a murder scene on the floor.
They put a diaper on me and a bed pad on the bed.
I thought I was going to die from the low iron symptoms.
I legit couldn’t breathe at one point.
I don’t know how you did it for as long as you have. I am so glad you are getting help now.
I remember being in high school and having horrible periods. Throwing up monthly from my cramps, going home and just laying in bed writhing in pain that Midol couldn’t touch, having to sleep on top of a towel, heavy periods where I’d bleed through tampons and pads before lunch. I remember sitting across from a teacher one day and her asking me if I was okay - clearly I wasn’t looking too hot. After that class I walked into the office and passed out. I thought all of this was normal, that this is just how periods were supposed to be. I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago and it’s been the most wonderful period free years of my life!
Recommend seeing a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor. I had a similar problem (my ferritin was at 7) 6 years ago and managed to completely reset my cycle to 3-4 days with much lighter flow. We did this through a combination of herbs to support the liver and blood (the liver also regulates oestrogen levels!) and a a series of target acupuncture sessions. Within 4 months I had shorter and lighter periods and ferritin started to rise. I now sit at 21! And I do not need iron supplements.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
“This is the reality of being a woman who’s been gaslit, shamed, mocked, and dismissed by the medical system. I am hardly special, and I’d put money on this being more the norm than the exception. And, of course, it’s much worse for plus size women and women of color.” - Jill Krause
I am obese. And, of course, a woman. But, I don’t even believe that is why I was gaslit for so many years.
I also have Bipolar Disease.
And, that’s probably not even it either.
In 2018 my husband finally convinced me to switch from Caromont Health to Novant Health. In our back woods County the doctors are just burnt the fuck out from so much “whatever, whatever I’ll do what I want!” from the patients. They’ve kinda just thrown up their hands and given up.
But, I finally switched. And, Oh My Word!!! It’s been a whole new world. A beautiful world.
But, the health care traumas added to all my church traumas and rape traumas add up to a beautiful, hot mess.
I have to fight hard for my sanity and health.
And, it is worth it.
Thank you, Jill. I remember when you were going through this, but until this post I had no idea the severity. I hate you had to advocate so hard for yourself. But, damn, good for you for GETTING THE SHIT DONE!
Recommend seeing a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor. I had a similar problem (my ferritin was at 7) 6 years ago and managed to completely reset my cycle to 3-4 days with much lighter flow. We did this through a combination of herbs to support the liver and blood (the liver also regulates oestrogen levels!) and a a series of target acupuncture sessions. Within 4 months I had shorter and lighter periods and ferritin started to rise. I now sit at 21! And I do not need iron supplements.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
God Bless.You.
I remember seeing your posts and worrying for you and thinking of some of my experiences with doctors and how it’s so important to advocate for yourself even if they think you are being a pain in the butt. 💕
So I went to the hospital once because of this. The bleeding just would not stop, it was literally pouring out of me like an absolute horror show. The ER was a horrible experience- a lot of left in the hallway bleeding on a towel, the freaking doctor made me take my own diva cup out while lying on my back in the exam room - that’s a juggling experience nobody ever needs to do! At one point I had to take my cup out for an ultrasound and because I was so shaky I dropped it to create a murder scene in the bathroom. Hours later they wanted to give me a blood transfusion which I refused for some reason and I took an Uber home because I had sent my husband home hours ago.
To say I felt alone is an understatement. The next day my dr said an iron transfusion and hysterectomy was the way to go. I was so upset but two years later it was the best decision! I feel physically and emotionally lighter. It has changed my life. Nobody should experience that amount of bleeding it is so scary and happens to more people than you’d think.
I have hashimotos disease and am always low iron. It's crazy how, even in Canada, we're gaslit, told we're fine, it's normal! I hate having to fight so hard when I just don't have it in me. Thank you for telling your story too!
Eager to hear about your experience with iron infusions! I just had my first one yesterday, it took months of watching my levels decrease and supplements not helping (partly bc it was so hard on my body for me to take them) until I got the OK to move on to infusions.
(My reasons for low iron are different - I’m pregnant and have Crohn’s disease - but I’m hoping I’ll have a similar positive effect! Your posts about iron infusions and how much you had to advocate for them were the first time I’d ever heard of them as a treatment for anemia and definitely inspired me to advocate for myself)
I was down to a 6 when I was pregnant and no one connected how awful I was feeling to that, nor did they recommend supplements or anything else. Said how I was feeling (like i couldn't breath, restless legs, not sleeping, generally like DEATH) was due to anxiety. Fast forward 9 years later, and my daughter who I was pregnant with at the time has had a sleep disorder her whole life. Finally see a sleep Dr who tells me that her ferritin (which is in the normal range - in the 30s) is FAR too low, and that because I was so low in iron during pregnancy she has been low in iron her whole life and that's the cause of her sleep disorder. He wants her ferritin above 80. I'm down to 22 because of an IUD debacle and I feel like ASS and my dr is all "you don't need supplements."
It's not health care, it's disease care.
Anyway, found a liquid my daughter and I can tolerate, not going to stop till we get up to the 80s.
Thank you for sharing your story Jill 💜
I lived like this for years because I thought it was normal. Always taking extra pants and underwear to work because I could go from nothing to standing up immediately gushing through an ginormous overnight pad. Finally after getting some routine blood work and realizing my iron levels were so low my doctor was debating on if I should go get a blood transfusion. A d&c and Mirena insertion along with two iron infusions, my periods are now no longer existent which has been life changing for me.
I have PCOS.
I either don’t have periods for over a year or years or, I have super heavy ones like you described.
My last one… I ended up going to the ER after day 4 of bleeding like that and clots the size of golf balls and larger.
Luckily they took me seriously.
Because I was literally bleeding all over the place. Like they wanted me to pee in a cup and a stood up from the toilet and left a murder scene on the floor.
They put a diaper on me and a bed pad on the bed.
I thought I was going to die from the low iron symptoms.
I legit couldn’t breathe at one point.
I don’t know how you did it for as long as you have. I am so glad you are getting help now.
Don't you like how you have to ask the Drs to measure for something in your blood... Just went through this last year with vitamin D.
I remember being in high school and having horrible periods. Throwing up monthly from my cramps, going home and just laying in bed writhing in pain that Midol couldn’t touch, having to sleep on top of a towel, heavy periods where I’d bleed through tampons and pads before lunch. I remember sitting across from a teacher one day and her asking me if I was okay - clearly I wasn’t looking too hot. After that class I walked into the office and passed out. I thought all of this was normal, that this is just how periods were supposed to be. I had a hysterectomy 5 years ago and it’s been the most wonderful period free years of my life!
Recommend seeing a Naturopath or Functional Medicine Doctor. I had a similar problem (my ferritin was at 7) 6 years ago and managed to completely reset my cycle to 3-4 days with much lighter flow. We did this through a combination of herbs to support the liver and blood (the liver also regulates oestrogen levels!) and a a series of target acupuncture sessions. Within 4 months I had shorter and lighter periods and ferritin started to rise. I now sit at 21! And I do not need iron supplements.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
God Bless.You.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
God Bless.You.
Oh my Lord, does this bring back memories. I am so relieved for you that you did your own homework. Doctors dont have the time today. We need to doctor ourselves. By late 30's I could barely work on the worst day of the month. Just crawled into a ball in bed all day. Had to take vacation days. I had 3 day periods.
At 13, I would cry out in pain in the night and my parents were freaking out. Giving me tylenol.
It never got better. Would bleed througb my pants all the time in high school. Carried a sweater to wrap around my waste just in case. By 24 the clots coming out sometimes were unbelievable.
Moved to motrin by then. I didnt lose as much blood as you - but close. Tampons and XLarge pads would last a half hour sometimes. I cant imagine 99 degree weather and trying to help your sons have a good time.
My uterus dropped at around 47. I was massive with a high risk pregnancy.
God Bless.You.