Just MC and ready to try again? Pack your cake, wine and tightie whities and join us for more ranting, weeping and most of all, laughing. All welcome (Part 6)

[KnitterNotTwitter]

A lovely place for those either lurking, waiting, WTFing or SWI after MCing...

...with optional fish slapping

Good luck today MummyA. Can't believe you have that to contend with on top of the horrendous cycle and your DH's foot. Hope things look up for you soon.

Hairy that fab news on the bloods, good for you pal. Great to give you some reassurance and hope that things will work out this time round.

Nickster thanks for asking. I'm 7 weeks today and my scan is exactly one week from now. They offered one last week but I wanted to hold out until 8 weeks. Both beans we lost stopped developing around 7 weeks, discovered at 12 weeks then 8 weeks for the second MC. Both times I had early scans and saw little hearbeats but beans were small for dates. My rationale is that if I get my scan next week and the bean is ok then it will be further than the previous pregnancies. The wait has been horrible though and I swing from brimming with optimism to being in the depths of despair about 100 times a day. Will keep you posted of course. Good luck on getting back to full health for TTC x

Jamface I'm sure MamaP will answer your question soon if she isn't too ill! I've heard grapefruit juice works but haven't tried it myself.

Hope everyone else is well

caribou - pleased to hear things are going ok, will be thinking of you and keeping my fx for your scan next week. I imagine getting past the critical point for the last mc must be quite a milestone

jamface - I did the grapefruit juice when ttc DD and thought it worked. Tried it this time and noticed no difference, so have moved onto taking evening primrose oil up to ov. That definitely worked for me!

Thanks Izzy... that one morsel of information can spring up so many other splinter thoughts that cause you to question everthing. Yesterday was the last day of self pity for me (following a wobbly weekend!) What is it buzz lightyear says Onwards and upwards? Nope thats not it.. to infinity and beyond! Should be "shag to infinity and beyond"

caribou so far so good....... fantastic news :) How do you feel other than the swinging emotions?

Caribou I am hoping your little bean is getting nice and comfy in there and you get to enjoy being p/g I bet you are counting down hours until that scan!

Jam The only way to do this is to examine regularly so you can identify the movement and change in opening. Just found this bit that I posted on one of the other freds about examination: During the follicular phase of your cycle you are looking for the teeniest tinyest little dimple. As you move into the luteal phase this dimple starts to get slightly bigger and softer. The cervix moves higher up when you're heading towards ov and will move down when you are not fertile. Hope that helps I was so fascinated by this and determined to understand my own body that I have bored this lot silly with TMI so feel free to ask away

I'm off before I spread my delightful germs! Ewwww!

Nick I'm better than last time, when I had given in to the nerves and panic. Much calmer this time round and probably a bit more resigned to what will be will be, regardless of how much worrying I do.

I'm pretty shattered, peeing up to 4 times a night and on some mornings very mild nausea which lasts about 15 minutes or so. Boobs are rather big and pretty sore.

I have had a drama, one which may interest you MamaP. About 2 weeks ago I felt an odd sensation, like a heavy feeling in my abdomen as if RTD was on its way. That alarmed me so for some reason I decided to check my cervix to make sure it was shut - which it wasn't and still isn't. Its also very low. I almost gave up, especially after our friend the internet declared that open cervix = certain MC. I couldn't see my GP until a week later and was convinced she would tell me it was all over.

She told me that although the opening may not be shut the cervix itself isn't open as I would be bleeding if it was. Also that a mucus plug will be protecting the bean. She reckons the ERPCs have damaged it, the same way childbirth would (DD arrived by planned C section so it was intact up until recently). She said if I get as far as 12 weeks I will be assessed to establish if it needs to be stiched for the remainder. I'm not really convinced by her explanation as I have felt it closed even after the 2nd ERPC. Trying not to dwell on it though and just focusing on the first hurdle. MummyA your earlier post about damage from ERPCs made me think about this too. As if being pregnant after MC isn't bad enough!!

Hello all! Glad to hear you're all well.

caribou glad the pregnancy appears to be coming along well. Good luck for your scan, we will have fingers crossed for you. The side effects are a good sign. Having said that I had nada with Ds, who is fine.. It's all so bloody distressing!

jamface after reading the information about the grapefruit juice and it's knock on effects, I am determined to try it now. Luckily I really like that sour make-your-mouth-wince tang.

Good luck for the scan about the lump mummyA. It really does seem like you've got a shed-load of goings on to deal with over there.

nickster Good luck with the SWI to infinity and beyond! Mine has been seriously lacking this month, mental note, must try harder next month..

mamap I too have abandoned my BBT and OPK. I tried to temp, and actually I very rarely have a 3 hour window of uninterrupted sleep in the AM. Usually DS is up and I have to get up and persuade him to return to bed, or he or I need a wee.. So I am a CM only girl now!

izzy whats the amounts for Oil Evening Primrose? is it meant to do the same thing as grapefruit juice?

waves to all, apple daschs lalooly sillyness owlshoes and anyone else i've missed, Sorry. I love you all though!

Thanks for your good wishes everyone, off to the hospital in a minute.

Caribou - what an idiot I am for posting that! definitely the wrong place to be spreading fear and rumour (internet diagnosis are just that, pure rumour) Until the doctors tell us otherwise, we both have to trust that there is nothing seriously wrong, very hard to do when worry has become second nature I know, but I will promise to try if you will too? Good luck for your scan, I am really rooting for you. xxxx

By the way, I think the language the doc used about cervix "damage" is a bit harsh, TCOYF says the same thing, that women who have had a vaginal birth will always feel their cervix slightly open, but it doesnt sound nearly so scary the way she puts it - she says that you can feel a curved open line like the shape of a "smile" )

masses of good luck to you, me and everyone who needs it today!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Good luck Mummya! Hello and chocolate to everyone else x

YRMOTB - my capsules are 500mg and I was taking one a day up to ov. You can get 1000mg though (or just take 2) if you want.

mamap hope you're feeling a bit better

How did you get on at the hospital mummyabroad ?

had blood tests to check kidneys are OK, now am off for scan. xxx

are you both ok lovelies?

And prettymrs how are you too?

Has anyone heard from Fondant lately?

Thanks Izzy wine and paracetamol combo is working wonders , BTW.

Glad I'm not the only one winging it for a while yrmotb! I already feel the pressure is off without jabbing a bloomin thermometer under my tongue before I even wiped the sleep out of my eyes!!

Caribou don't fret about the ole cervix my lovely...I'm told by a lovely midwife that a simple stitch is all that's required if it is open. It does seem reasonable to me to say that the opening to the cervix could be open but the cervix itself closed (but what do I know), I think though in order to tell that you would probably need to be using a speculum and light...also, bleeding is apparently a sign it's open, your midwife or GP will keep a close eye on you but I'm sure all is well and as I said if it's open it's just a teeny tiny little stitch and it's all sorted. Simple's xx

Nicks, you are so lovely, you always think of everyone and you always make me smile xxx

Wave to all and hugs where needed (or chocolate if you'd prefer, come to think of it wine is on offer to!!)

Hi all!

Sorry I have been crap with keeping up...must try harder!

ma Good luck for scan x

mamap Hope you're feeling better x

caribou Try not to fret, as mamap says thats something that can be fixed x

yrmotb I got those ribbons the next day! and it was late afternoon when I ordered! leaflet title was difficult though x

nic Hope the antibiotics are doing the trick and you're feeling better x

Hairy pleased you're doing well x

Hi to everybody else

Will be lucky to shag to infinity this month let alone beyond aswell... DH has decided he doesnt like me very much this week after i was mean to him and so is likely to be a willy witholder and keeping his swimmers to himself when i need them next week!!

Gah, i should just learn to be nice, and keep me big fat mush cakehole shut!

Question what would happen if you took evening prim and grapefruit juice? Would you start to resemble a snail?

Cariboo Fantastic you are getting lots of the old symptoms. Do keep us posted with progress. Everything is crossed for you xx I had a vag birth and everything feels /ventouse/epesiotomy and everything is different since that, look and feel! A little stitch if its needed, hopefully it wont be

YROMTB sorry you have had a dry spell, looks like i may be joining u this month If you add fresh orange to fresh GF juice it makes it a bit more paletable.

MA hope all ok today. Am sure you wont have had ashermans. It must just be a haywire cycle. can the doc give you something to bring it on....? Or can they send you for a scan to see how thick your womb lining is?

Mamap froggy hope your birdflu is clearing up.... birdflu is a much, much stronger strain than manflu!!

cariboo that was meant to read " i had a vag birth ventouse/epesiotomy/ etc and everything is diff down there, both inside and out, look and feel!! GAH i am a twazock!

Hi,

I have been lurking horrendously since my mc two weeks ago. Still can't quite believe it happened! I have two DDs. Both pregnancies were very straight forward etc etc. So finding out at the 12 week scan (after horrible ms and being the size of a house I was certain everything was fine) that the baby had stopped growing was a complete shock and I felt rather guilty that I didn't know ... stupid really,

Am currently obsessing over a brown bleed (TMI) ... desperately want it to be implantation bleeding but at same time certain it means something is retained. Anyone have something similar? I have no idea what the follow up should be afterward mc. Do I go to the doctors to get my HCG levels checked to be sure they have gone down? Is there a test you can do at home other than the pregnancy test? Are they supposed to scan you at some point? Sorry for all the questions but I'm a bit confused at the moment ...

Hi AndRMum,

Sorry for your loss. You have come to the right place as I think I will be glued to the computer for the next 3 hours and am happy to bombard you with info help

I found this site really really useful,
www.pregnancyloss.info
especially the bits about physical recovery. It gives you a good idea of whats "normal" and whats not.

I DID have retained tissue, sometimes the bleeding was brown, sometimes red and sometimes there was none at all, so it is very difficult to know from bleeding alone. If you read through that site you will see that brown bleeding 2 weeks after isnt unusual, so dont worry. I would recommend doing a home pregnancy test to give yourself extra piece of mind that your hormone levels have now dropped, BUT if you think it could be implantation I take it you are TTC again? Maybe hold off for a couple of weeks until you get a negative? It will save lots of worrying.

Your GP will only do an HCG blood test or send you for a scan if they have reason to suspect that something is up, but very often they will prescribe antibiotics first as a precaution against infection and take a wait and see approach. Why not make an appointment so you can discuss some of your concerns? You are entitled to some post mc follow up, its not fair just to be left high and dry.

DO immediately go to the doctor if you have

fever (over100.4 degrees)
chills
"foul" smelling discharge (lovely expression!)
pain

because these are signs of infection due to retained tissue.

Hope it does turn out to be implantation though! Time will tell xxx

I just had my scan but have to wait 2 hours for the results!

AanRMum sorry you're going through this too. My first MC was discovered at the 12 week scan and I know exactly what you mean about not knowing something was wrong. I had been really sick too, was defintely showing and had probably gotten a bit complacent after a great pregnancy with DD. Its such a horrible shock and I felt that my body had tricked me and that it should have told me something was wrong.

Have you had an ERPC? After my first ERPC I got quite a lot of that brown discharge - sort of mixed in with EWCM, its quite common and not anything to worry about. I've had 2 ERPCs now and no one told me to do a test or come for scans. I think they only get you back in if there is a concern - heavy bleeding weeks after, painful cramps, etc. Take care of yourself, its a rotten thing to be going through.

MummyA your post didn't alarm me, please don't worry. It just reminded me of what the doc said. She told me if I need another ERPC (liking her optimism!) that I need to tell them about the cervix and ask the consultant to carry out the proceedure. I thought that meant that she was concerned they had caused damage. Thanks to you, MamaP and Nicks for the cervix advice. To be honest, i'm not even that worried about it - for now anyway. I'll wait until after the first few scans and then start obsessing!!

Nicks you're going to have to use your powers of persuasion next week if you're in the bad books!

Hey AnadR.

In general, no they don't rescan you, they just go by the fact that the bleeding slows and (eventually) stops. Mine took 3 weeks, and then I'd have an occasional bout of brown smeg stuff for a day here and there for another few weeks after that.
A Home PT will tell you if the levels are down, and can be sensitive enough to tell you if not preg, ie below 5 HCG (I have cheapy ones from Amazon which do this) It took me 3 weeks to get a negative test post ERPC. Basically doctores just leave you to it, saying go back if you think any probs, ie heavy bleeding, smelly discharge, high temp. Did u have ERPC or Medical?

welcome

X post with loads of people!!

Hello ladies, been lurking too but wanted to answer AandR. Must have been a complete shock finding out at the scan, but don't feel guilty about not knowing - so many of us have had different experiences leading up to a miscarriage - and what with some women bleeding or having no symptoms even in successful pregnancies it's impossible to predict. If you've had at least 21 days of no bleeding then this bleed could well be an anovulatory bleed, where you're body's just resetting itself for a proper cycle. I had lots of odd brown spotting in my WTF cycle after my last mc, it seems to be very common.
However if it hasnt been at least 21 days since you last stopped bleeding after the mc, then this could still be part of your mc. I had blood tests at my local epau to confirm hcg was dropping, can you ask for similar?

nickster what did you do to DH??

Answer to A&B If you only MC 2 weeks ago - so very sorry for your loss - its rubbish! Have you passed everything yet - or is the brown goo the start of something to come - or have you had EPRC?

I MC at 12 weeks, was sent away MC naturally (which you would know about - severe blood loss) and then re-scanned 1 week later to make sure womb had cleared That may be just Macc hospital policy, may differ elsewhere.

If you havent yet passed the debris, that could be MC starting off, Mine started with a show.

EPU also did 3 blood tests each week to ensure HCG levels were dropping as they felt pg tests were inconclusive. My BFN didnt arrive for another two weeks, only then did i get discharged.

we havent met!

Carib & YRMOTB we just had a blazer and in temper
dragged up some old shit, and said some mean things to him - which in hindsight i perhaps shouldnt have!

Mmm powers of persuasion....

1. shaving legs
2. letting him back in our bed
3. taking off big whities and resorting to mini cheesewire
4. making burgers
5. buying beer and getting him drunk
6. offering to look after DS whilst he goes out with his pals

Any more tips gratefully received

Failing that i will be scrubbing the toilet bowl with his toothbrush