Question:
I need some info about recovery from a D&C operation. I have been bleeding for 3 weeks. I bled for 5 days soaking 6 hospital pads in 8 hours. Now it has slowed way down to light bleeding. My Doctor has seen me since the operation and says that this is normal. However, at the beginning I was told to expect 3 to 5 days of light bleeding. Is this truly normal or has something gone wrong? The reading that I have done on the internet suggests that an undetected fibroid may have been cut or that the uterine wall may have been damaged. If either has occurred, what is to be done about it. My Doctor did not mention either of these possibilities. He just said that a blood vessel may have been behind the pulyp that he shaved off. I am post menapausal and had the D&C done to remove the pulyp. He mentioned that what was removed may not have been a pulyp. I guess that means it was just part of me?
Answer:
    The bleeding will vary from woman to woman - we all recovere differently. 3 weeks is not unusual. Regarding the "polyp"... Whether or not your doctor knew what it actually was, it should have been sent in for Pathology. Was it? If so, get a copy of that report so you can read for yourself. It's called your "Path Report". You should know exactly what it was that he removed! Sometimes, surgeons remove tissue they believe to be a polyp or lesion and send it in and the Pathologist interprets it to be normal tissue (neither an actual polyp or lesion or worrisome). If the surgwon saw something and removed it, that was a good thing. Anyhow, like I was saying, get your Path report. If they tell you that the specimen was not sent in and there is not a report, then get your Operative report and read that. You'll deserve a clear answer. By the way, if it was a blood vessel that was shaved off (behind the polyp), your doctor wouldn't be saying "it could have been" he would have known that immediately since he would have had to cauterize it to stop the bleeding.
Answer:
Thanks for the reply. The heavy bleeding did not start until 3 days after the surgery. I called my doctor immediately because it scared me. That is when he said it may have been a blood vessel behind the polyp or a blood clot that broke. At any rate, the heavy bleeding has now stopped, but I continue to bleed lightly. This Friday will be 4 weeks. I have called my doctor twice more and even went in to see him, but he assures me that all of this is "Normal". Is it?
Answer:

I still think as you do, that 4 weeks is a long time to be bleeding. If your doctor thinks that is was a broken blood vessel and it was bleeding that heavily (and still is bleeding lightly) I don't understand why he doesn't cauterize it. He can even use a simple cautery stick. It shouldn't be bleeding for that long. Just how much are you bleeding at this time - what do you mean by "lightly"? Is it constant or intermittent? How often would you say you could soak an entire pad? Are you passing clots as well?



Answer:
   

The bleeding/oozing should not be constant at this point in your healing. Brown is a sign of old blood or sloughage - red is fresh. I think you did the right thing by having the polyp removed, I would have done the very same thing. Polyps can change and turn into a cancer. However, you really do need to get a copy of your path and operative reports. It is your right to know what the polyp consists of so you know if it was precancerous or not. If your bleeding doesn't stop within the next few days, I would get my reports and take them to another surgeon for a second opinion on that. Please don't let it go too long. You may even be anemic at this point and not even know it.