I have an appointment for an ultrasound on the 18th Jan, but I’m wondering whether I’m likely to get anywhere with it this time.
I had a complicated birth 10 weeks ago; forceps, shoulder dystocia, postpartum haemorrhage, stuck placenta, followed by two bouts of mastitis for which I was put on an antibiotic drip and a course of antibiotics to take home. 5 weeks after the birth I had an ultrasound at a small local hospital because of intermittent pain inside the left side of my pelvis. The radiographer sent me to see a consultant at the big city hospital the same day, saying that there was significant retained tissue in my uterus. I sat in the hospital for 12 hours and was then sent home, the doctor saying they couldn’t tell if anything was wrong or not and I should be rescanned in two weeks.
I’ve not stopped bleeding since the birth 10 weeks ago. I have worsening intermittent stabbing pains in my pelvis, and general tenderness there all the time. The bleeding slows and then I have another bout of pain, sometimes rising to an excruciating peak and subsiding, like contractions, followed by a flood of bright red blood with thick black clots. Then the cycle begins again. I feel constantly headachey and run down (but I do have a 10 week old baby!), my hands shake a lot, I’m having dizzy spells and I’m constantly cold, but often find I’m sweating.
My next ultrasound is booked at another small local hospital. I’m really worried that I have something retained which is causing problems and getting worse, and that I’m going to have a repeat of last time, being sent to another hospital in a panic, only to wait for hours and then made to feel like a time waster and sent home still in pain.
Has anyone experienced this? What can I say to get it taken seriously? Should I be pushing for any other testing? (Blood and urine tests showed nothing, but I was on antibiotics for the mastitis when they were done) How worried should I be about waiting another nearly 3 weeks with these symptoms?