Something going on with my Sis...

[nessvan12]

My sister and I are close in age, (20s), and she was in the Navy for 4 years. She is a full time student working part time and will be graduating in May 2008. She is still covered medically by the Military so of course she has to go to the VA Hospital for any and all doc. visits.

For the past 2 mos. she has had a very irregular menstrual cycle. She has always been regular, but now she is bleeding almost all month! And when she''s not, she is severly cramping. The bleeding is very HEAVY! She has also had hair loss on her head, (near the front on both sides, almost at the hairline).

She called and made an appt. to get checked out after 1 month of almost non stop bleeding. Of course she was anemic from losing so much blood. Well her appt. was scheduled for 1 month after the phone call, which brings us current. So she went to her appt. on Friday and they said they needed to do an ultra sound and couldn''t because of the bleeding. I couldn''t believe it. She told them, there is about an 90% chance I will be bleeding no matter when you bring me in! The bleeding is totally random. So they rescheduled for next week and said she said what if I''m bleeding again? Then what? They wouldn''t answer. I''m just pissed off about the whole thing. She had a miscarriage in Dec. 2006 and I went to the VA with her many times during the ordeal leading up to the M/C. I caught doctors, (Interns?), SLEEPING, (many times we went were early am hrs, but still!) and it was just a crappy experience overall.

My whole point for this post is to ask if anyone has any experience with any of these symptoms? I am strongly encouraging her to suck it up and privatley pay to see someone else. I told her I will help her pay for it. She says after the appt. next week, if she doesn''t get anywhere she''ll pay and go elsewhere. I know it''s hard to say what is wrong based on me writing a few symptoms, but I thought maybe someone''s been through something similar and what the diagnosis was? I just hate that she''s going through this.

Anything anyone can offer would be great and appreciated.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

She must must MUST go to see a doctor ASAP! long-term irregular bleeding can be a symptom of many different things, from wacky hormones to cancer. She MUST get it checked out asap, even if she has to pay the $$ to have it done. Just make sure that if she needs treatment following her appt, she can get it covered under Tricare.

 

[AGBF]

Call out the marines! Seriously, get out the big guns! Call your congressman. Call "The Washington Post", which has done an exposé about poor care for veterans. She is NOT getting good care from the VA!!!!

And get her to a GOOD (and board certified) private OB/GYN tomorrow if you can pay for it. I believe the protocol should have been for her to have an endometrial biopsy, not an ultrasound, immediately to rule out cancer. The physicians (especially any GYNs) on this site can correct me if I am wrong. I did have similar symptoms (the bleeding, not the hair loss) when I was trying to get pregnant in my 30''s...and I was having that biopsy before I had time to turn around!

Good luck!

Deborah

 

[Independent Gal]

The ultrasound was probably to detect if your sis has fibroids or polyps which are the most common cause of prolonged, extra-heavy, or irregular bleeding. If this is what it is, it's not necessarily serious. They often go away on their own. If they don't, it's a minor surgery to get rid of them. This also makes sense with the hair loss, since a common cause of both fibroids and hair loss is hormonal wonkiness.

Two of my close friends have dealt with this, which is how I know!

But she should DEFINITELY see someone ASAP because of losing all that blood if nothing else!

ETA: Here's an article from the Mayo Clinic that might help:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vaginal-bleeding/HO00159

 

[surfgirl]

I''m not being critical on your sister but it doesn''t sound like she''s raised nearly enough hell on this! A woman who''s having a period non stop? Seriously, I''d call out my inner bitch and get it on with whomever is her MD. Now! Stat! Her symptoms can be many different things so before you get too armchair doctorish about it, DEMAND IMMEDIATE attention. Tell them she''s not going to leave until they do the required procedures. And if that fails, I''d tell the doctor something like this, "...so who exactly will I be sueing if it turns out this was more serious and you ignored and refused me immediate medical attention? Would it be you personally, as well as your practice?" Something along those lines should get them to snap to attention. I hate to suggest something that strong but it seems like a situation where she should be taken care of immediately.

And if it''s any consolation to you, I had very long, heavy periods for many years, and they got to the point where they were only a couple of weeks in between. It''s just a condition some women have and there are different remedies. One is going on the Pill but I didn''t want to do that at my age. I opted for endometrial ablation, which stopped the problem completely. Dont panic just yet, but DO get her immediate attention.

 

[Haven]

DITTO!

I already wrote about my bad experience with an OB-GYN putting me off for months when I had pre-cancerous cells in my cervix (which later turned out to be cancer) and the fact that I switched doctors and demanded an immediate appointment (as opposed to the "next available" one a month later) may have saved my life.

Get her to a doctor, pay whatever needs to be paid, and make sure that your sis is healthy. I was on an individual health insurance plan when I went through my ordeal and yes, I paid a few thousand dollars out of pocket, and yes, I griped at the time. But I''m alive. I''m healthy. No amount of money in the world could be too much for that.

Now what are you reading this post for? Call your sister!

 

[somethingshiny]

With your sister''s symptoms, she could have an ectopic pregnancy, Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Endometriosis, fibroids, or an STD. Severe bleeding is also a sign of a Thyroid problem. Bottom line, she needs a REAL doc, soon.

 

[Sha]

I know of a friend who was bleeding non-stop like that, with severe pain and cramps. She was rushed to the hospital and they operated just in time to save her. Said that if she hadn''t come that day she probably would''ve died.

. She had ovarian cysts the size of grapefruits and internal hemorraghing.

I know that endometriosis can cause a lot of bleeding too. I have another friend who has it and her periods go for like a month sometimes.

 

[Aloros]

I have no new advice to add, but I do agree about getting her to a doc, quick! You can never be too careful with your health. I hope your sister is ok.

Both you and her are in my thoughts.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

There are many things that can cause heavy bleeding like that. I had similar symptoms and it was fibroids, which I ended up having surgically removed. I did have an ultrasound WHILE I was bleeding, which was somewhat humiliating but the technicial was very professional, and it is what was needed to diagnose the problem. If she''s already anemic then not diagnosing her and not doing anything to stop the bleeding is unsafe; it can lead to heart problems among other things.
Get her to a good ob/gyn pronto!

 

[Hera]

Maybe go to the emergecy room? Go to a different military hospital? Go to an urgent care at another military location. Call Tricare and see what they suggest?

 

[drk]

I personally think it''s a load of crap that they won''t do the ultrasound right away. If I can be sent in on cycle day 3 (when I''m still bleeding pretty heavily) for a baseline ultrasound of my ovaries (done internally) as part of my infertility workup, I''m sure they can do an ultrasound on her despite the bleeding. Sure it''s a little embarassing, but they should be used to that. And I agree that an endometrial biopsy is something else that probably ought to be done very soon.
I really hope she gets properly worked up soon, and gets treated for the anemia. Good luck to both of you.

 

[Beacon]

I agree completely with everyone here. B/c your sister is young they may be trivializing her symptoms as generally they worry about big isses (cancer) in older people. Certainly this has to stop right away. I also agree that if she has to pay out of pocket then do it.

I hope she gets good care soon and that her symptoms clear up. Good luck to her and you too!

 

[luvinlife]

Food for thought, not intended for anyone in particular.....

I read your post and really feel for your sister. It is very frustrating to not know what is wrong with you. However, it is also frustrating for a doctor to tell a patient we don't know what is wrong with you. We can all give advice as to what someone 'might' have because someone we knew has the same symptoms. It is important to remember the female reproductive system in very complex and problem might be very complex. In order to rule out issues, the proper equipment must be used under the proper conditions. For example, if you perform an utrasound and their is alot of blood in uterus, all the tech is going to see is black, this doesn't help anyone.
On a side note, MD's at VA hospitals are board certified in their fields.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Although etopic pregnancy was my first thought, the hair loss didn''t really fit. That sounds more like thyroid problems. They symptoms are also classic of heavy metal posioning. Although it is fairly rare, you may want to request a test of both the blood and the urine since blood acurately catches most poisons, but not arsanic which is metabolized too quickly.

 

[diamondfan]

Fibroids can cause bleeding like that, and sometimes they can be removed if they do not go away on their own. But other more serious things can cause bleeding too, so I would absolutely check it out NOW and raise hell if anyone is being difficult.