TMI ... But IDC

Ok, so this entry can probably be filed under "Too much information", but, quite frankly, I don't care.
Last year, I went to the doctor because I was tired all the time. Like, exhausted. Constantly. A blood test showed that my iron levels are waaay down. I went back a couple of months ago, and my iron levels had only gone up 1 point, even though I'd been taking iron tablets (when I remembered) and eating steak all the time. Seriously, I was having steak like 6 - 8 times a week (and also? Steak is expensive, yo. It was costing me a friggin fortune).
So, I figured it might be time to go back on birth control, and skip a few periods.
*TMI #1* I have really heavy, usually pretty painful periods, so I figured no wonder I'm never getting ahead if I'm loosing a lot of blood every month. So, I went to my doctor and got a prescription for the Nuva Ring. Can I just say how much I love the Nuva Ring? You put it in, swap it three weeks later, and that's it. So simple. And great for someone like me who can't remember to take the pill everyday (and the pill makes me nauseous). I'm also not interested in any type of injection and/or arm implant because the thought freaks me out. Now I'm thinking about something being implanted in my arm ... Ew. Gross. I can't handle that thought, I don't know why. Freaky.
So. Moving on.
My plan was to go back on/start using the Nuva Ring again, skip my period for a few months (i.e., have no break between rings and go straight from one to the next). I changed my ring about 2 weeks ago, following the plan - going straight from one to the other. Everything was fine until a few (maybe 4 or 5?) days ago, when I got some spotting.

*TMI #2*

-- Don't read any further if blood freaks you out, it gets pretty gross.

So, yes. I got some spotting. Ok, pretty normal, I thought. Then, a couple of days later, it turned into a full period. Heavy, cramping, the lot. It was inconvienient, and I couldn't figure out why I was getting my period, but oh well.

Then, this morning ... About 3 a.m., I woke up with the worst cramps I've ever had. I was on my bed, on all fours, rocking back and forth, crying in pain for about 4 hours.

They were like contractions - or what I'd imagine contractions to be, since I've never had a baby. Intense, shocking pain for a few minutes at a time, followed by maybe five minutes where things settled down, then back to baaad, baaad, baaad pain again.

Finally, at about 7 a.m., I realised why the reason for the pain.

*TMI #3* This is going to be really gross. And it's definitely too much information, but I don't care. Someone might be able to help me, so I'm writing the truth.

At 7, I went to the toilet ... And passed a blood clot the size and thickness of my iPod touch. It was massive, and so disgusting.

The pain subsided a bit after that, but every few minutes or so, I was passing a clot. The first one was the biggest, but the rest were still fairly sizeable.

Quite frankly, it scared the crap out of me.

I ended up taking some aspalgin (asprin and coedeine), which took the pain from an 9 to a 8, so it didn't do heaps, but anything was appreciated.

I got home from work a few minutes early and went straight to bed. I ended up sleeping til 7, which of course means that I'll be awake until about 2 am since I've had a nap.

So, my thinking is that tomorrow, I should probably ring and make a doctors appointment.

I have had this (really, extremely bad cramping and bleeding) happen once before, also just after I started the Nuva Ring for the first time. I don't know whether it is the NR, and my body is adjusting to it, or whether it's something totally unrelated. Has anyone had any experience with the NR? Usually it works great for me, but if it's the cause of this pain, I'll stop using it immediately. I can't live in pain like this. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and it makes me want to scream and cry because it just hurts so bad. Maybe I need to look into other options?

Anyway, sorry for the TMI post. I just needed to get everything out! The pain is still here tonight, but it's down to about a 7, which seems wonderful compared to today. I might go find some painkillers and see if I can get some sleep.

I'm out :-)