Firstly, a big hello to everyone as I am new to the forum!

For a year and 1/2 I didn't have a period. After the second month, I took a pregnancy test and showed negative results. All my life my periods had been extremely heavy, irregular, painful and very emotional. My period always lasted 10-14 days each time and 2 weeks between each one. Every variation of the pill the doctors gave me caused uncontrollable vomiting. Quite a few times I had to sit in the hospital getting injections to stop the vomiting. I had to have cryo done because of abnormal cells in my cervix several years ago (2002). After that, my periods were more regular. They decreased to 3 days at most and light enough that I didn't even need to wear a pad or use tampons. It stayed that way till a year and a half ago. I had pap/pelvic exams every 6 months till 4 years ago and they were always normal. When I stopped having my period a year and a half ago, I figured I was going through 'the change'. I'm 38 years old now, (my mother went through menopause at age 36 and grandmother at age 19) and so I thought that is what was going on. My skin got extremely dry, headaches, hot flashes, times when I was freezing even though it was roasting outside, as well as increased sex drive. I was actually enjoying the fact I didn't have any periods. Well, a month ago, I started my period again, but it was only spotting for about 2 weeks. I went a week without anything and then started again. The difference now is that I still have all other symptoms, but I'm bleeding even worse than I used to back in the days when I had an extremely heavy flow. I have to change a super plus size tampon every hour and still leaks through. It has never been that bad. It is bright red, which used to be kind of brown before. There is clotting, but is minimal. The cramps I've been enduring actually feel crippling. I'm so tired I don't even feel like moving, only sleeping. I have started taking a vitamin c and k supplement, as well as taking foods/drinks high in iron just in case from the excessive bleeding. It's not possible to go to the doctor at the moment, but is there any reason, other than menopause, that would cause me to lose my period for such an extensive amount of time, and is there anything that could cause the 'dam' to suddenly break?