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Please can someone help me. Im in so much pain and I dont know what to do.

992 replies

spookycharlotte121 · 19/04/2010 00:02

I have had horrible pains all day..... they feel like periiod pains. As the day has progressed they have been getting worse and worse.

Nurofen isnt touching it. Im totally exhausted by it and just want to sleep. Im sat here crying because I dont know what to do. I took painkillers nearly an hour ago anf they just arent working and I just want to sleep.

OP posts:
hazeyjane · 20/04/2010 23:09

Considering how dangerous (and relatively common) ectopic pregnancies are, you would think that they would have something set up like they do for molar pregnancies, where there are centres that have expertise in diagnosis and treatment. That way medical professionals who have little or no experience of them, can access information and advice day or night.

wubblybubbly · 20/04/2010 23:09

Absolutely stunned to read this, totally apalled. Spookycharlotte I hope you're okay.

Lubyloo · 20/04/2010 23:10

Here's the NHS guidelines for diagnosing EP. They state "If an ectopic pregnancy is suspected from clinical features, the first step is to carry out a trans-vaginal ultrasound"

MmeLindt · 20/04/2010 23:10

Toccata
I assume that the reason that most of us know little about eps is that by the time you get the bumpf from the doc about pregnancy, you are generally past the time for eps.

BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger · 20/04/2010 23:12

I had no idea that EP was so common.

I have had 3 MC's and never been to hospital with any of them.

Reading this thread, I'm glad I didn't, and thank the lord it was never anything complicated.

Surely we must campaign for greater awareness?

Brollyflower · 20/04/2010 23:13

Get them to say to the Dr "Have you heard of mumsnet? No? Well suggest you find a computer with an internet connection and google 'Mumsnet' then go to the chat forum because there is a discussion on there during the course of which woman after woman has said they were ignored with classic symptoms of ectopic pregnancy, which can be life threatening"

OK, maybe that won't help...

Brollyflower · 20/04/2010 23:15

I hope you are OK Charlotte. This must be so frightening. I remember how terribly vulnerable I felt emotionally during my first miscarriage and how hard it was to fight my corner when the gynae ward dr treated me horribly.

poshwellies · 20/04/2010 23:16

Oh I agree,she should of had a scan at the first instance in the EPU and blood tests for her pregnancy hormone regularly and kept her in the ward on gynae for obs.

Even if they were undecided ,I would of thought they would operate with a Laparoscopy to see what was going on and take measures as needed.

Wish you well SC,be firm,you aren't wasting their time-you want to be well for you little ones and you.I hope the morning brings some more positive actions for you,remember to speak up,doctors are not gods!

AitchTwoZone · 20/04/2010 23:19

and nor are medical results, tbh. as i know to my cost. if the doctors had believed me rather than trusting their (broken) machine in the lab, i wouldn't have been operated on before having been in a position to rule out a heterotopic twin pregnancy. that nearly killed me, emotionally, and the fuckers barely apologised for it.

CarGirl · 20/04/2010 23:21

!

blinks · 20/04/2010 23:25

all very worrying.

even if they think it's not an EP, i can't understand why they wouldn't want to rule it out more definitively.

hard to know when you're only getting bits of the story.

Fimbo · 20/04/2010 23:28

Could someone not phone the hospital and pretend to be another sister or something and see what they say. Then launch your own EP experiences at them....

Tobermory · 20/04/2010 23:29

Just found this thread. What an awful experience.

SC hope you're ok. Being in hospital is, Im sure, the best place right now. Hope you get some answers and soon.

parkj83 · 20/04/2010 23:30

Hey charlotte, just read through all this, and thinking of you xx

Hope it all gets sorted soon - really push for 2nd/3rd opinion as others have suggested.

I can sympathise with being fobbed off, has happened to DH, and MIL in the past, so def stick to your guns xx

Brollyflower · 20/04/2010 23:30

Better yet, maybe these drs should simply google "ectopic pregnancy diagnosis" as I just did, which brings up this informative document as the first result.

It says "Once referred the definitive investigation is an ultrasound scan"

Be Aware:

Bleeding in early pregnancy - consider an ectopic pregnancy and refer to an early pregnancy unit;
*

Exclusion of ectopic pregnancy cannot be made in the community;
*

Assume a women is pregnant until a pregnancy test is found to be negative;
*

Waiting to see if the symptoms settle can put the woman at great danger by increasing morbidity and mortality;
*

Atypical presentations occur so do not expect bleeding in all cases;
*

Refer if in any doubt for further investigation;
*

Emergency admission is justified because of the potentially serious consequences.

It also mentions elsewhere on the site that before the tube ruptures the ectopic may be diagnosed by blood tests which show that the normal pregnancy hormones are not rising as fast as they should be, so low HCG might well fit the overall picture here.

Of course, as Aitch says, a scan may show nothing. However, if it does and all the symptoms still indicate EP then that calls for a laparoscopy to investigate.

I also agree with blinks that we have only part of the picture. However, if the fuller picture the doctors have includes clinical symptoms of shock then they'd better pull their finger out and do something now.

edwardcullensotherwoman · 20/04/2010 23:31

I can't believe SC still hasn't been scanned. There must be someone about to do urgent scans surely?? DS had a scan on his head on a sunday morning fgs (dr was in his slacks ready to hit the golf course, but still, it was a potentially life threatening situation and he was called in to do it. I'm getting quite anxious on the thread now, really hope SC gets a diagnosis soon
Aitch and everyone else with similar experiences, so sorry to hear about them, it must be truly awful to go through

AitchTwoZone · 20/04/2010 23:32

ah yes, the ept. that forum saved my life, it did...

Valpollicella · 20/04/2010 23:44

So when we know Charl is out of danger, do we feel a campaign coming on?

Because this is utterly ridiculous

Brollyflower · 20/04/2010 23:48

Oh very much so.

For now I'm off to bed I'm afraid. My thoughts remain with her and I hope for a positive post from her or her sister in the morning telling us that they are all certain everything is OK. Sleep well all .

BitterAndTwistedChoreDodger · 20/04/2010 23:52

Totally up for a campaign.

Does anyone know how many women die per year as a result of EP / Misdiagnosed EP?

It's shocking how little the health service seem to know if the statistics are so high.

And with that, I'm off to bed.

AitchTwoZone · 21/04/2010 00:03

well, in a way it's a good story as the figure is quite low. 11, 12, 13, that sort of number in england and wales. i'd be interested in knowing, though, how many women present and aren't investigated for ep until things have got so bad that they are left without a tube but with a huge scar and terrible emotional distress. it#s bad enough with metho or a laparoscopy.

blinks · 21/04/2010 00:06

i think there's a good chance that if it's found pre-rupture, early enough, surgery can be avoided. i think it involves an injection to end the pregnancy and it can resolve itself.

Calyx · 21/04/2010 00:07

Hope you are ok spooky, sending you hugs, well done for going back and I hope you get scanned. You are not being silly and you are doing the right thing. I'm so glad you had all the advice and support here and well done your sis and mum! And exp as well. Don't give up, sending you strength. X

Valpollicella · 21/04/2010 00:10

Yes the figure is low...but... If there is one woman like Charlotte who is being fobbed off by docs...

Thats one woman too many who might be suffering from an EP

One woman too many who might go home and bleed out

And leave a family. A partner. Friends/ Family? (sorry. Graphic I know)

All for the sake of a scan?

I really think this is a MN campaign that's worth pursuing

toccatanfudge · 21/04/2010 00:13

am off to "sleep" now - have just sent her another text to tell her that - but stressed that "sleep" is a term used very loosely round these parts at the moment and she can ring or text if she wants to talk/vent/update.

Will let you know in the morning if there's anythng further to report.