Does anyone have experience of molar pregnancy? Bit shocked here

[artifarti]

I had a miscarriage and ERPC three weeks ago. Was just starting to recover from that when I got a phone call from my EPU today saying that I had had a molar pregnancy and am being referred to the specialist unit at Charing Cross Hospital. I have read all the information and am just a bit in shock with it all now. I know that the prognosis on all fronts is good but just can't quite believe it's happening to me. I wondered if anyone else had been through this and what their experience of it all was. Thanks in advance.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

arti hope it all went well today.

[cep]

arti hope it went ok today.

[artifarti]

Thanks guys, it was actually harder than I anticipated - not least because the blood testing room is in the same place as the EPU and ante-natal clinics so it was nice sitting there for an hour, not. Then the blood lady got very excited at the sight of my special 'bio-hazard' box with its nuclearesque symbols on it and so I had to explain to her what a molar pregnancy was and she got all sympathetic, which made me wibbly. Then I have the worst veins ever so she made a bodge of it and had to get her supervisor to do my other arm! At which point I'd had enough and burst into tears! They were very nice though and made me a cup of tea.

Anyway, it's presumably all winging its way to Ch X as I type so tomorrow afternoon I will put in my first pester call on the offchance it arrives tomorrow. If not...Monday or Tuesday...eek!

[cep]

i'm sorry it was so hard today. typical it's done in the same place. fx you get an answer quickly.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

It is completely crap that they took you to the same place to do it. Sounds like you've had a really bad day.

Have a and put your feet up and hope you have a better evening.

Can remember vividly what you are going through but 5 years on, and one beautiful DD and it does feel better.

[ruddynorah]

i had one 2 years ago. habbibu was a big help

all fine now. conceived a month after follow up too. he's now 14 months old.

[Blackkat]

Arti so sorry you had such a horrible experience, I sometimes wonder whether the people that plan these clinics realise the emotional drain they place on patients? ((((big hugs))).

Glad they made you a though!

Hope you get spoilt a bit this eve and over the wknd

xx

[Habbibu]

Hi arti. I am sorry that it was so rotten. I really do not understand why they can't just have taken you somewhere else for it - my hosp have generally been brilliant for that - scheduling appts in the gynae clinic, and bloods in phlebotomy, etc.

I have crap veins too. I've taken to pointing out the one good one (which isn't what they'd normally choose) - they're usually quite grateful for the info!

Anyway, I hope you have a good weekend, with lots of hugs and nice things - try to spoil yourselves and relax.

Hello, ruddynorah! Hope all's well.

[artifarti]

Ah, you're all lovely! I wasn't really given much info other than you can go to your GP or the hospital for bloods and I knew that the GP only do it at certain times, whereas I could do it straightaway at the hospital. I knew it was by the EPU but was feeling big and strong and thought I could handle it! I think I would have been okay if it hadn't been for having to explain it again to someone and them say "I've never heard of that! Oh you poor thing, how dreadful etc." I'm thinking of having some laminated cards made that I can just hand out, walk away and save myself the bother.

Habbibu - I also have a favourite vein I like to point out but sometimes perhaps too enthusiastically in an effort to be helpful and they look at me like I'm a secret addict.

Thanks for another inspiring story ruddynorah. I keep trying to cheer myself up at the thought that I most likely will go on to have another baby eventually and I have all that to look forward to.

[hazeyjane]

Arti, your thread slipped off my 'Threads I'm On'.

Sorry you had a crap blood test. I know what you mean about wishing you could have a card printed up, I had a little speech which I knew off by heart, because I had had to explain it to so many people. I have also got used to the fact that through each of my 3 pregnancies and pretty much any time I mention to an hcp that I have had a persistent molar pregnancy, a medical student will pop up out of nowhere to watch scan/ask questions etc etc.

I had a stupid amount of blood tests, and oher injections, cannulas etc because I was on chemo for so long, the worst ones were done by the people trying to be nicest! It is always causes huge confusion as to how they are supposed to treat the bloods, and the whole fiddly dealing ith packaging them up to send off.

I have my little biohazard box sat next to me as I have to do a urine sample for Charing Cross tomorrow, it looks like it should contain plutonium rather than my teeny tiny vial of wee.

Good luck with the levels, I called ChX practically every day, so don't worry about pestering them.

[Habbibu]

I'm feeling rather cheated out of a biohazard box now. Vial and brown envelope for me. It got to be dd's job to post it. I may remind her of that when she's a teenager .

[artifarti]

First results back on Monday afternoon.

[cep]

fx for your results. Take care of yourself this weekend and make sure dh gives you lots of tlc.

[artifarti]

Thanks cep. Hope eveything still okay with you.

[cep]

thank you. i'm surviving with a lot of paranoia.

[Blackkat]

to supplement what Sainsbury has to offer, have a good weekend, thinking of you x

[Habbibu]

here's to low numbers and good wine, arti. Have a good weekend.

[artifarti]

Urgh, low point. Some friends round last night and one guy came early. His opening gambit was "Really sorry to hear about your mc [he didn't know about the molar]. Wifey had one in November, it was awful but the great news is she's pregnant again and we had our 12 week scan last week!" Which means she has pretty much exactly the due date I would have had. I'm really pleased for them but it just took me by surprise. Managed to hold it together until DP came home and then fled to the garden and burst into tears. DP explained to everyone (they are all good friends of ours) and I managed to smile through the evening but then just went to bed and sobbed about it all. Sometimes just not sure how I'm going to make it through the coming months without going loopy.

[cep]

omg arti what an idiot with absolutely no tact. what did his wife say? i hope you're ok. You're braver than i am, i think i'd have cancelled the night. Just take it one day at a time, are you still signed off work?

[Blackkat]

Arti you poor thing, what a rotten thing to happen ((hugs)). So impressed that you kept it together until DP got home. I really hope you get the support you need in RL now your good friends know the full details, as well as the support (i hope!) your finding here.
x

[Habbibu]

Oh, how rotten. People just don't think properly before speaking - very nice friend of mine asked me to help her find pregnancy risk assessment form at work just after my molar pg - I muttered something, put my head down, got out of the door and literally ran to the toilets so I could cry.

You poor old love. It will get easier, especially as the numbers start to go down. It's a cruel thing, no doubt about it - hang on in there, and we'll hold your hand through it.

[artifarti]

Wife wasn't there. He's a nice bloke; I think he just didn't know how to announce it so just blurted it out. Why he couldn't have told DP beforehand...? He was being very blase though even when I told him about the molar pg he was like "oh yes, we read all about that in our book". It will be their first child and I got the impression that he thought I would find the whole thing easier because I already have DS - which in a way of course is true, I count my lucky stars every single day that I have him, but it doesn't stop this being scarey and sad.

Have been back at work (p/t) for three weeks. To be honest, it takes my mind off it and is easier than days off.

Blackkat - how are you doing? I know this is a difficult time for you too, hope you are okay.

[artifarti]

I think my period has just started, 5 weeks and 2 days after ERPC. Is that a good sign at this stage? Do your hormone levels have to drop to a certain point before this happens?

[cep]

as far as i know your hormones should have dropped to normal for your af to have started. it took mine 5 wks from a natural to start.

[exexpat]

If it is your period, it is a good sign - mine took longer to come back than that.

However, if there is any regrowth, there can be non-period bleeding, which can become heavy - I had to go back into hospital about a month after the second ERPC (where I was, the protocol for molars is two ERPCs a week or so apart, then follow-up) because I started bleeding again. I was haemmorhaging so badly that I lost well over a litre of blood and it took them quite a while to stop the bleeding. I then had to have a third ERPC which finally sorted things out.

So, it may be a good sign, but keep an eye on things - if the bleeding gets heavier than a normal period or you start passing clots, call a doctor or go to A&E.