Retained products - sit and wait??

[Flutterby8]

I did jump onto another posters thread about this but thought i should start my own now I have more info.

Gave birth almost 7 weeks ago now and I am still bleeding and experiencing low down pains.
Almost 4 weeks post birth i suffered a haemorrhage which landed me back in triage.
Had an internal exam and a swab taken to rule out infection. Doctor said no active bleed and prescribed me antibiotics while they waited for the swab results. They also organised an urgent scan to rule out retained products.
Swab was negative.
Scan has taken weeks to be organised but has revealed I have a 1inch piece of placenta retained. I wasnt told if it was attached or floating about, just that it is there and shouldnt be.

Referral to gynaecology made.
They called me to discuss the issue. Said I didnt need to be seen and they were confident the retained parts would come out naturally?
I expressed that I am still bleeding, sometimes very heavy and have pain and havent lost any 'bits' and they just said to give it a few weeks and take a pregnancy test?
I questioned the point of this and was told, if its negative then Im fine.
I took a test after the phone call and its negative.
Yet im still bleeding, having bad pains (not constantly) and am losing small bits of tissue now, but nothing that would equate to what was seen on the scan.

Im waiting for a follow up call from them now.
Does this sound right? Am I being fobbed off?
Im actually worried and did stress this to the woman on the phone but she really didnt seem bothered at all.
Anyone had similar or can relate at all?
Advice welcome.

Hi Flutterby8, we're just giving this thread a bump for you in case anyone's around to give you a bit of advice and support.

And another bump for luck.

Hi @Flutterby8 I replied on the other thread but wanted to acknowledge your message on here too. So my baby is now 11 weeks and after I gave birth I had a large piece of retained placenta too (10cms). I too was readmitted with a second PPH and active bleeding. Mine actually dissolved by itself by 6 weeks, the consultant i saw said it breaks down into small pieces and dissolves rather than passing in one big piece, so by the sounds of it that’s what is happening to yours. I was very skeptical too and amazed that it had gone by itself without further intervention.

Thank you for replying @FrangipanFlower. I did see your reply on the other thread that I short of hijacked (oops!).
I havent been told anything about it dissolving. To be fair, I havent been told anything, except that it will pass on its own and a negative pregnancy test will confirm this?
Hospital seem to think my period will make it come out but i am breast feeding so dont know when this will happen. I assume not within the next 2 weeks.

My bleeding is up and down alot and i constantly feel uncomfortable when using the loo or standing from the sofa.
I wish I had done a pregnancy test weeks ago hust to see if it had have been positive.
I assume you had a final scan to confirm yours has passed?
I dont think they will offer me one if I have another negative test though.

Yes I had a scan at 6 weeks to confirm everything had passed. Could you call the postnatal team and request one too?

I had this after a missed miscarriage around 13 weeks
I was awaiting the hospital appointment
With dread and fear and I hate that kinda stuff like examinations etc due to past traumas
Anyway

Went on the power plate at the gym
You know like the thjng that shakes like made while you lunged or squat on it etc
And it came out was a bit of placenta the the bleeding stopped
So deffo worth a try

@FrangipanFlower I'm no longer under the care of postnatal unfortunately which is frustrating.
They were the people who referred me for the scan in the first place but because it's more than a month since birth its no longer their issue so it's gone via my GP.
I have an appointment with my GP next week and will have a chat with them about it then to see if they can organise an extra scan.

@LovelyYellowLabrador sorry to hear about your miscarriage.
Interesting how how your case turned out! Must have been a bit of a shock for you when at the gym!!!

I had a (very small) piece of retained product for weeks after birth. Around 20 odd weeks if I remember correctly. I was passed from pillar to post.
However, eventually it did pass when my periods came back.

@Imhereforthefood oh wow! 20 weeks is a long time!
Were you being monitored all of that time by the hospital at all?
Sorry to ask but did you continue to bleed and/or have pains until you passed it?
Im still bleeding in and off, some days much heavier than others and still have alot of pain so guessing its still present in a reasonable quantity.

No, I wasn’t. I was just being passed from one department to the next. Every time I spoke to someone and explained they were shocked and said I’m sorry this has been going on so long but no one actually fixed it.
My gp was good and constantly chased it up for me, as he was concerned of infection risk.
TMI but I had a horrible smelling discharge and a non healthy colour, but no bleeding.

Sorry name change!

@Whoknowsweknows your case sounds like the situation i think i am going to be in soon.
Gyane really didnt seem bothered at all even when i said i was worried about infection and haemorrhage! Im going to see the GP next week and will ask if they can refer for another scan and see what is occurring.
TMI - i have lost some buts if tissue. Not alot though and my bleeding has eased a bit. I dont want to get my hopes up though!

I thought I would update the thread in case anyone has a similar problem in the future and stumbles across this..

After getting nowhere with the hospital despite expressing my concerns, I had a chat with my GP who was horrified that the hospital hadnt seen me for an appointment.
She organised for an urgent ultrasound via an independant NHS service that operate from GP clinics. I was seen within 4 days which is better than the urgent 3 week wait from the hospital for my initial scan!

My bleeding had eased at the time of the scan. Luckily the scan came back as all clear. We think the chunk of placenta had dissolved a bit and came away as small fragments over the period of 2 weeks.
The sonographer was prwtty concerned that the hospital wouldnt see me for an appointment and has suggested I take it further but I havent pushed it at the moment.
At least I have dodged surgery!

Thanks for the update @Flutterby8 that’s a relief. I think maternity services are completely over stretched and overwhelmed at the moment, I’ve heard of people being turned away for scheduled inductions at our local hospital and told to go to hospitals miles and miles away. That said, it’s rubbish they wouldn’t see you, they certainly have a duty of care after you have given birth.

Thanks @FrangipanFlower, I'm glad it's all over now!
I've heard some horror stories about maternity services at the moment as they are so short staffed!
I was at the hospital the other day (long story) and was waiting to go in via the main A&E entrance to the paediatric department. The woman in front of me had taken her daughter up there as she had a bump.on the head and she wanted her checked.
There was a nurse on the door who turned her away because there was an obvious bump and told the woman not to worry.
Meanwhile, paediatrics were empty so the woman and child could have easily been seen. Its such a sad situation.