Spotting - could somebody please talk me down?

[BlueIris]

This is quite hard to type as I appear to have lost it at the moment and am having a full-on panic attack.

I'm 46, overweight and have had an incredibly stressful month - I work in education, so late August and early September are our busy times, and I've been run off my feet. I also got my first new glasses for the first time in nearly 30 years, and I have the cold that never ends.

Anyway, I've been having very light spotting a couple of times a day since my period ended last Saturday - nothing that even makes it to my underwear, just a little bit of pink when I wipe. Crucially, for the last few days it's only been happening when I stick my fingers up myself to check whether I'm still spotting, which happens a few times a day. I'm sure that constantly wiping my cervix with dubiously clean fingers can't be helping things.

I'm past the point of sanity, I've fallen down the Google hole but I can't face a GP visit because I can't face tests right now, nor can I face an examination because my inner labia have almost vanished over the past few years and I'm so ashamed of the fact I've been scared of sex because I've been scared of bleeding during sex (NB: this has not happened even once)

Am I okay to wait this out for a month or so and see if it settles?

[Carnation]

Ok, take a deep breath and let it go gently
And definitely stop doing the finger checking.
Stop googling, you know you shouldn't be.
I completely understand about not wanting to be examined because I was exactly the same when I had cystitis. This is a possibility with you. I had spotting with that. So drinking some cranberry juice wouldn't go a miss anyway as a precaution.
It is possible it is related to your cycle out of wack if you've been particularly stressed lately. Also, all that heat.
Personally I would give it another day or two. Don't touch the area at all. Apparently the pharmacist told me it self cleans. I wouldn't wipe with tissue when you wee, just Dab the residue. Maybe a shallow bath with a sprinkle of seasalt if you can. Drink plenty of fluids. Water, cranberry juice, lemon squeezed into warm water, chamomile tea.
To keep you from not escalating into bad thoughts, find something to watch to take your mind off it.
That's what I would do. x

[BlueIris]

Thank you, Carnation, I needed to hear that. At the moment I'm only bleeding when I go digging inside myself, so I'm assuming that's the cause. Because it's almost nothing, I'm planning on giving it a month to settle unless the anxiety gets too bad.

[Carnation]

Try not to put a time limit on it for now.
But I would look at some relaxing things you could do at the weekend. Let us know how it is. x

[YoullNeverWalkAlone]

Hi blue...awww have a hug from me
You have got yourself into a right pickle, but you’ll be fine, high constant stress can play havoc with your hormones and sorry to say but your at the age of peri menopause when things start going out of whack and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not that, it’s got to start sometime and what your experiencing happened with me....Try not to worry, just the joys of being a women xxx

[BlueIris]

Hugs are much appreciated, YNWA, so thank you. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.

[Carnation]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that with peri-menopause. It was while back for me, lol.
Are you feeling a bit more relaxed now BlueIris?

[BlueIris]

Not yet, but I can see it coming. It'll be easier once I'm not at work, I think.

Honestly, there's so little blood I'm not even sure I'd notice it if I wasn't specifically looking for it, and even that only shows up on the TP maybe twice a day.

...I'm making a big deal out of nothing, aren't I?

[Carnation]

Any blood, no matter how small could set off worry.
The brain wants to know the cause. It's only natural.
When you think how much blood we lose during a period a few spots is nothing. x

[BlueIris]

Right. Besides, it's Friday afternoon so I may as well enjoy the weekend.

Mr. Iris has some work right now so we're having a takeaway tonight, we finally found a local Chinese that we both like.