Heavy bleeding & clots-No insurance; ER Necessary?

[Jolee.faye]

I have always had very light periods, if at all. I used to hardly have any regularity, but the last couple years, ive gotten my period every month (average every 32 days). I had a light period last month, that kind of came & went for 6 days. This month, my period came about 7-14 days early & on day 2 of menstruation, the flood gates opened. For about 12 hours i was changing my pad/tampon every hour. This was also accompanied by large clots, bigger than a quarter, each hour. I went to sleep & woke to barely any blood today (day 3 of mensie). As the morning has gone by, my bleeding & clots have picked right back up.
My mother is visiting for Xmas & was extremely alarmed by the amount of blood & size/amount of clots. She insisted I was having a miscarriage & passing large amounts of tissue. I took a pregnancy test this morning & it showed negative.
As i stated in headline, i dont have health insurance. I don't know if this is something that warrants a visit to the ER... I should mention that I thought I have had (self-diagnosed) UTI for awhile and eventually was able to get antibiotics online. Those symptoms subsided, but it was a long time before I got antibiotics. I don't know if having a uti could cause this, but i don't want to leave anything out... Anyone that has advice or insight, it would be greatly appreciated! I loathe hospitals & only want to go if there's a justifiable reason.... Help!
and thank you in advance!

[jns]

I would go to the emergency room and not leave until they were able to diagnose the problem. There could be any number of reasons for the bleeding. Some testing is required to determine if your period is just early or if something else is causing the problem. From your description it doesn't sound like an early period. Can you determine when your period started last time so we can get a better idea of where you were in your cycle. Claret Beautiful Disaster atskitty2 what are your thoughts on this?

[amy40]

day 2 of menstruation, the flood gates opened. For about 12 hours i was changing my pad/tampon

this has happened to me a lot, used to be 5-7 days
then when it switched to about 3 days, day 2 same as you with clots, pretty much living in the bathroom

but if you are still concerned, see a Dr
an emergency room visit will cost a lot more

I went to the ER for something minor about 5 yrs ago and it cost $1,000
(out of town and wkend)
you could probably get on a pymt plan if you do go to hospital

[atskitty2]

As it is now, I wouldn't necessarily go to the ER, but if it continues, you want to consider that option.

I understand the apprehension, and the importance of insurance, but quite frankly, the absence of it doesn't mean we neglect our health care. Even those of us with insurance have to pay a lot, depending on the plan available, so no insurance is no reason for avoiding the doc.

Call a gynecologist that maybe you have seen in the past and explain the situation, and that you need an evaluation soon. They typically keep a few urgent appointments set aside for these types of things. They will make payment arrangements with you. An exam and consult this way will be your least expensive option.

Or, if you live in an urban area, my guess is there are several organizations offering low cost or free care for women. Check online, or your doctor's office can direct you to those resources, if they cannot help you.

It could be a miscarriage or it could be something else. Regardless, it needs to be discussed with someone to be sure of the cause,& that you're not going to need treatment for the problem or other procedures.

I'm sorry this is happening. I can imagine your worry, and the sense that help is out of reach.

Update us please, with what you find out.
Hugs my dear. I'm glad your mom is there with you.

[Ashlee T.]

I agree with kitty that I would not go to an ER at this point. If all else is okay, meaning, you're feeling well otherwise, I would schedule with an OB for an appt in the near future.

There can be several reasons for an abnormally heavy period. With what you've described I think any doctor would classify it as abnormal and worthy of follow up.

If you begin to feel faint, overly fatigued, or have severe pain definitely go to an ER.