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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To want an early scan

46 replies

1wokeuplikethis · 11/06/2015 10:49

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I am shamelessly hoping for more traffic as this is something that needs dealing with quickly.

I'm 5w 5d pregnant and for past 5 days have had dull aching/stabbing pain in my right side. I'm also very shaky. I've also been dealing with some shocking emotionally traumatic news this last week.

Phoned my dr hoping for a referral to epu for an early scan. He said he wants to see me later today to examine me. He said ectopic pregnancy has bleeding (which I've not had) so wouldn't be referred as an emergency and the only reason they would do an early scan otherwise is if there's concern of miscarriage, and I'd have to wait a week for an appointment in that case. Which doesn't sound right.

Basically, I sense that I'm going to go along today and be told everything is fine and that he can't refer me because it's not ectopic or miscarriage. But I want a scan now to make sure everything is ok and in the right place. Call it gut instinct. Plus I'm going on holiday next week.

I tried phoning the closest epu but they don't take personal referrals. I'm not sure what to do. Aibu?

OP posts:

Cherryblossomsinspring · 11/06/2015 10:55

Ok, unless you have bleeding you don't need a scan. Pains and cramps etc are very normal in early pregnancy. I understand that you want a scan but I think you should pay for it then. There are private scanning places everywhere. Keep in mind however you run a high risk of nothing (no heartbeat) showing up on your scan at such an early stage which might upset you more. This is a worrying stage for every pregnant woman but right now there is absolutely nothing to say you have a problem.

CuttingOutTheCrap · 11/06/2015 11:00

You're being a little unreasonable to want the appointment made early to sort your holiday, although I do understand why you feel concerned. Fwiw, I had similar pains and shakes at roughly the same stage of pregnancy, apparently it's very common. I also had light bleeding at week 6/7 which was put down to implantation. DD was (and is) absolutely fine. If you're very concerned there are private clinics that you can get an early scan at for relatively little. Might be worth it to put your mind at rest and help you enjoy your holiday.

EmmaLL25 · 11/06/2015 11:05

Make sure you are eating and drinking enough. Low blood sugar could be causing the shaking or just the massive amount of hormone your body is producing.

Aches and pains completely normal, much like period pain. This is your uterus growing.

A scan before 6 weeks will tell you very little I'm afraid because it's too soon to detect a heartbeat.

I had a previous miscarriage and was desperate for a early scan with my son. My health board stopped doing reassurance scans due to cutbacks though and I just had to wait it out (until 13 weeks!).

It was such a hard time but I felt pregnant (nauseous, exhausted, spacey) which gave me some reassurance. I was still convinced something was wrong and I cried so
much at my son's scan from happiness /relief. The scanner had to send me off to calm down because she couldn't take any measurements from the crying jiggling.

If you bleed or have sharp pain or pain in your shoulder get back onto your doctor or midwife.

Congratulations too!

Original poster

1wokeuplikethis · 11/06/2015 11:06

Sorry, I didn't mean I want a scan to fit in around my holiday for ease and so I can have a lovely time, just that I won't be in the country so wouldn't be able to make the appointment.

But I also thought that sounded a long time to wait if you were having a miscarriage. I don't know a fat lot about any of this but ignorantly thought you'd be seen urgently.

OP posts:

TheXxed · 11/06/2015 11:10

You can pay for a private scan

WinterOfOurDiscountTents15 · 11/06/2015 11:11

I'm sorry but yabu. Those kind of pains are totally normal in early pregnancy and are not an indicator for investigation.
Not only will a scan at this point not even show very much and likely only necessitate repeats in the next few weeks, the EPU's are very busy and have limited resources. Sending people who don't need scans takes those resources away from people who really do need them. You would be seen urgently if you actually needed to be, as long as you can manage to get in amongst the people who don't need to be there.

If you want a reassurance scan, you can pay for one privately, there are many places you can go.

EmmaLL25 · 11/06/2015 11:15

You won't be due your first scan until 12 weeks.

If you are going to miscarry there's very little can be done and even folk who have early scans where things are fine can go onto to miscarry. I dont say that to scare you or anything it's just the reality of it.

Chances are you and baby will be fine. This is the longest 9 months of your life, I well remember!

Try not to fret and just stay tuned in with your body. Make sure you have travel insurance snd that E111 card for Europe.

SaulGood · 11/06/2015 11:19

I mean this kindly but there are women out there who are experiencing actual symptoms of ectopic who struggle to get an appointment at an overstretched EPU.

I understand you are worried but you have described normal pregnancy symptoms. If anything changes or the GP is concerned then you can reassess.

If you want a scan for reassurance then the onus is on you to pay to go private.

I really do wish you a successful, happy and healthy pregnancy.

ollieplimsoles · 11/06/2015 11:19

These little aches and pains are totally normal in pregnancy, I had stabbing pains and weird sensations in my right side for weeks.

I know you were worried and it is a very uncertain time but try to relax and forget about it, its very early days and a scan wouldn't show much any way.

Make sure you know the signs of an ectopic so you can watch out for them but other than that, try to enjoy your holiday.

Also- watch out for private reassurance scans too (don't mean to offend any one here) but they can cause trouble in my experience as all they tell you is that baby has a heart beat at that moment If you would like to reassure yourself, try to wait til after 8 weeks, then book one in.

Focusfocus · 11/06/2015 11:20

Early scans do nothing except ...well...find out if you are mis carrying or not.

Pains are very common. I had massive period like pains up till 7 weeks.
I was walking about with SANPRO just because I was perpetually getting that any moment period arriving feeling.

If you're not bleeding that's ok.

And if you're mis carrying there's nothing anybody can do to stop it.

If you still want a scan, go private. I did. It was interesting to see stuff inside, and it was very expensive.

GloGirl · 11/06/2015 11:22

I think you need to be bleeding for an early scan. You can pay between £50-100 for a private scan but they're not recommended as early as 6 weeks you can't detect a heartbeat. 7 weeks is ok at a push, 8 weeks preferable.

Original poster

1wokeuplikethis · 11/06/2015 11:25

I don't like to make a fuss about things generally and tend to only visit the Dr if my leg has fallen off. But with this pain in my side I've read so many similar threads over the last few days and people saying go and get checked out, trust your instinct etc but nothing is exactly like what I feel in the OP.

My head is just a bit all over the place. If I went along and everything was fine I would feel very british in a sorry to have wasted your time sense. And it puts me off going. But then again if something was wrong and I was telling myself other people have it worse how could I forgive myself.

I guess I will just go to the dr and see what he says. Which I know will be that it's nothing to worry about and send me on my way.

OP posts:

Wantsunshine · 11/06/2015 11:25

I had a private scan at 6 weeks and they could detect a heartbeat and it was very reassuring to have the consultant check things

MissDexter · 11/06/2015 11:27

Phone maternity triage rather than your gp and see what they say.

MissBattleaxe · 11/06/2015 11:28

I'm sorry you're so worried, but a scan so early would be fairly inconclusive and not tell you whether you will or will not miscarry. It would probably just confirm that you are pregnant.

I had a very early scan after a previous miscarriage and they just said " wait and see, nothing much we can see this early".

MagpieCursedTea · 11/06/2015 11:28

Regarding your doctor saying that you need to have bleeding for an early scan, I had a scan when I was 7 weeks pregnant because they suspected an ectopic pregnancy. I didn't have any bleeding, just a very severe stabbing pain. Luckily everything was fine, but I was kept in hospital overnight (went in on the Sunday and got scanned on the Monday) so it was taken seriously.
I don't think YABU but as others have said, those pains are quite normal in early pregnancy.

grumpysquash · 11/06/2015 11:29

You are unlikely to see a hearbeat until around 6+2 or 6+3, and this is only if you are absolutely sure of dates.
Also, the sac may not look properly formed this early (depending on the resolution of the scanner), or it might not be visible at all. Which means that if you had a scan today or tomorrow, the sonographer would probably not be able to reassure you.
If you were m/c (and please don't assume that you must be), it is very unlikely that it would be diagnosed by a scan this early (they would be asking you to wait a week so that you would be at a stage where they would be able to see it....).
BTW, implantation occurs quite early, approximately 12 days after conception, about 3 or 4 days before it's possible to get a +++ test. But there are many reasons that cause aches and pains, many of them hormonal.

Hope some of this helps and good luck :)

SaulGood · 11/06/2015 11:30

Even if you GP gets you a scan, at under 6 weeks you'll likely see nothing reassuring, just knowledge of the location of the pregnancy. You won't feel reassured. You'll spend your holiday even more wound up.

AndNowItsSeven · 11/06/2015 11:32

You don't have any miscarriage symptoms though so it would be correct for you not to be referred for a scan.
I don't meant to sound patronising but try to relax and enjoy your holiday next week.

WorldsBiggestGrotbag · 11/06/2015 11:32

I had similar worries OP so I paid for an early scan, it was £70 I think. All was fine.
The problem is that at your gestation they may not be able to see anything anyway, so it would do nothing to alleviate your worries and probably mean follow up appts (probably when you're on holiday!).
Pain and cramps are very common in early pregnancy.

Original poster

1wokeuplikethis · 11/06/2015 11:35

Thanks everybody.

I do feel more assured and what you've said about early scans and how inconclusive they can be is a very good point.

This is my second pregnancy and I don't recall the dull ache feeling/sharp pain if I cough and when I get up, but do remember what I called 'stabby fanny pains' which I have also got.

I almost feel a bit silly going to the dr now.

But I'm sure it will help put my mind at rest.

OP posts:

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 11/06/2015 11:37

The thing is, OP, even if something was going wrong, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it (except in the case of an ectopic pregnancy). So there would be nothing to 'forgive' yourself for - you and the doctors would be totally unable to do anything to stop a miscarriage. It's not a case where if they caught it early they could save the baby. I'm sorry if this sounds brutal, but sadly it's the truth.

And early scans might not see a heartbeat even if there was one to see, which would panic you even more. I had an early scan with DD2 due to a previous stillbirth (in fact, I had 2 - one at about 8 weeks and one at 10). They did see the heartbeat on both occasions, but as I was in a very fragile emotional state at the time, it reassured me for approximately 24 hours and then I would start freaking out again anyway. With DS, being much more emotionally robust by then, I toughed it out and waited for my 12 week scan. And even with the referral for a scan, they still refused to do it until 8 weeks in case they couldn't see anything, so the EPU would be highly, highly unlikely to scan you now at 5+5.

snowglobemouse · 11/06/2015 12:30

if you really want an early scan (knowing that it'll probably make you worry even more due to the fact that you can't tell much about anything at this gestation), pay for one!
yabu

electionfatigue · 11/06/2015 12:31

Ok, unless you have bleeding you don't need a scan

rubbish

Ectopics can present with pain only. It's reasonable for the doctor to want to see you first - if the pain is more back/side then a scan isn't indicated, but if it's lower abdomen then a scan is perfectly reasonable.

SanityClause · 11/06/2015 12:38

You could ask to be referred privately, and pay for a scan.

I did that, when there were complications with one of my pregnancies.

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