EmmaLouise, I'm sorry you are in so much pain. Can you self-refer to your EPU?
I'm in London and I go to St Thomas' EPU. They're not my local hospital but you can self-refer with pain or bleeding rather than go via GP or A&E. (I'd also say, they are wonderful - so kind and treat you with such care and dignity. Unlike my local hospital who were rude and dismissive when I went to them with a mmc a few months before. Anyone London-based I'd strongly recommend self-referring there).
With my reassurance scan I actually self-referred as I had had a heavy period-like feeling, but no bleeding, and they suggested I come in earlier than the appointment. I also have a sharp stabbing feeling in the side I had the laparoscopy when I cough.
Tranquility, when I arrived I filled in the usual paperwork. Made me sad to write that this was my fourth pregnancy when I only have one ds (one mmc, then one ep almost immediately after).
They took me to a side room and did blood pressure, weight, height, urine sample, A bit of a wait, then a chat with a new nurse about my symptoms. Because I had self-referred and wasn't bleeding I wasn't prioritised and then had quite a wait as others saw the sonographer first (not complaining, this is correct, just so you know to take a book etc).
When it was my turn, I was called into a side room by a doctor and sonographer. Asked if I'd emptied my bladder, said I had. Stripped to waist, with sheet over tummy, bottom right to edge of the bed with feet up in stirrups. The bed them was raised up to the doctor's seated height. To my right was the doctor with the sonograph(?) machine, to my left the other woman at a desk with a computer also showing what the probe was showing. Asked if I was allergic to latex (as I think they cover the probe with a condom). The probe looks HUGE but it is only inserted very slightly into the vagina. No discomfort. Nothing like a smear. The doctor then moves the probe with her hand and looks at the screen in front of her. It's no more invasive than that.
There was a lot of umming and noises between the two of them and I thought the worst. Really thought they were about to break terrible news. But it turned out I did need to empty my bladder as they couldn't see. Embarrassing. Clothes back on and off to the loo and then started it all over again!
They confirmed pretty quickly the pregnancy sac was in the right place. I burst into tears of relief. She showed me the sac on the screen. But then lots more probing. She asked me if she could press down, externally with her other hand, on each of my sides. This was the only uncomfortable bit but only mildly and over quickly.
I asked her if they could tell which side I'd ovulated from, as I thought it would be kind of brilliant if it had been the same side as my previous ectopic. And that my remaining Fallopian tube had 'floated over' and caught the egg like I'd read it could. But it had been the side with the tube.
That's when they said that although there was a pregnancy sac they couldn't find a heartbeat or foetus. But she made a big point of reassuring me that it's early days. They booked me an appt for exactly two weeks later.
It's been a horrible long wait. I'm both dreading the scan and looking forward to it. I've developed the most horrendous nausea since the first scan. I want to be reassured that this means everything is well. But I had morning sickness throughout the twelve weeks running up to my mmc, when the baby had died at eight.
I'm really sad that this pregnancy won't ever be like my first, uncomplicated pg which led to the birth of my beautiful ds, now 3. I'm never going to have that blissful ignorance again. Even if Wednesday goes well, there's so many more milestones to get over . I'm not sure how many weeks I'll be before I'll be able to excitedly announce this pregnancy.
Hope it all goes well for you - Tranquillity, Love & EmmaLouise. Will have my fingers crossed for you.