"panicking"-part 2

[nefi]

Hi everyone. Just thought that I would update you from my message on Wednesday. I'm afraid we are no further forward and I really cannot believe how people insensitive people can be. Went to the hospital yesterday to have a blood test to check HCG levels. I was told by the nurse on Wednesday that if that if it was a healthy pregnancy and in the place it was meant to be then there would be nothing to worry about. After everyones advice and support from this site I felt more positive but boy, did she take the wind out of my sails!. Luckily, I took hubby with me otherwise I do not know what I would have done. The first thing she said as we sat down was had we decided on what method of termination had we decided. Were we going for an operation and an injection? She said that the injection would mean a lot of paperwork for them but if we insist then they would agree to this despite this. My hubby pointed out that we were not here to discuss termination and that we thought that we were here to check my HCG levels. She then went on to say that if we got a level about 1900 to 2000 then this would be great but she doubts that it would reach this level and we would have to "make a plan". She asked if we wanted to wait two hours whilst we get the results or did we want to go home, bearing in mind that once we get the results we would have to come back to "make a plan". I decide on going home and two hours later she called me back. She said that my level on Wednesday was 1776 and the increase was 1896. Then she said hold on she had missread her figures and the level on Wednesday was in fact 1176. She then was silent for a few seconds and asked if I could hear her mind working. She said that she did not know what to do now and she would have to call me back. She called back about 10 minutes later and said that she did not really know what to do but suggested that I go back on Sunday for another blood test to see if there was another increase. I would have to go to another department because the pregnancy support department would be closed. She did say that this department would probably tell us something completely different to what she has told us. This is unbelievable. I told her that I certainly do not think that this is an eptopic pregnancy. The spotting has more or less stopped. I have no pain anywhere even during the internal examination when the nurse delibrately pressed firmly on the area where they could see the spot. I do remember when I telephoned the hospital last Saturday when the spotting started that the nurse said to me that at 5 weeks they would not be able to see anything so in her opinion there was no point in me having a scan. I think that they had already made up their minds that it is an eptopic pregnancy without full investigations. I was told that she would call me on Monday morning with the results and we can then "make a plan". Regardless what "plans" they want to make I think that I would want a second opinion. I certainly have no confidence it what they are telling me. I intend to arrange a private scan next week. If this shows nothing up then I will accept that it is an eptopic but I am certainly not going to terminate my baby until I am 100% sure that is a fact. Obviously, I will not put myself at risk and if I do experience pain etc then I will immedately go to the hospital. However, I do think that they are trying to write off my baby before it has a chance. Sorry for the rant and i will now get down from my soap box. So it looks like another cuple more days to worry. I'm sure that I will have a few grey hairs before this is over. I will keep you posted.

hi nefi

don't know your story up to this point..but sounds as though you went to have your pregnancy confirmed and the nurse discussed termination with you??

did they not scan you again yesterday to confirm there the pregnancy is?

shocking..

sorry..if that is not right..can;t read big chunks of text easily and can;t be bothered getting my glasses!!

nefi

this sounds bonkers

it is not up to you to decide what they should do - that's what they're for

if they suspect an ectopic pregnancy then they will track hcg (as they have started) and continue to scan you. unfortunately even this may not tell them definitively what is going on. they cannot expect you to make a decision about the metho shot (i guess this is what they're talking about when you mention 'termination'?) - this can only be done by doctors, once a diagnosis of ep has been reached.

i strongly suggest you contact the ectopic pregnancy trust helpline - 01895 238025 - and speak to one of their nurse advisors

good luck
x

How appalling!

Its all very well "going through the motions" with you, but clearly she has forgotten that you are a person - not just a patient number. How awful.

I have to say, that, at this early stage it is difficult to see a pg, let alone anything else. I would certainly book a private scan if you can afford to - or hassle your gp into arranging a second opinion.

With both of my pg's i had alot of pain in one side which was due to a cyst (that all women get which disappears naturally after 7-8 weeks) causing me more pain than is normal. It worked out fine.

If the pain gets worse - do go to A & E. Other than that, I'm afraid its very much a waiting game.

Thanks for your replies. Sorry for the long rant. My gut tells me that this is not an eptopic. I have not had any pain at all apart from slight back ache and I've only just recovered from a bad back. I personally think that what they saw was a slight cyst on my ovary and the bleeding is due to a cervical erosion (this was mentioned at my last smear). The spoting was not very heavy except for Thursday morning which I think is because they gave me an internal and if I do have an erosion then this is probably what caused the increase in discharge (blah-I hope no one is eating their lunch whilst reading this). Anyway, the waiting game continues but I am in a positive frame of mind. However, being 38 and this being my first pregancy I do not know what is normal and what's not. All I can say that this site is a god send. Cheers everyone for your support.

Nefi

Sorry, I don't know your earlier history either, but I've had an ectopic and have had every subsequent pregnancy (2) checked carefully.

Have they not referred you to a specialist EPU? An EPU would scan you immediately to confirm the location of the pregnancy. They can do this from about 4.5 weeks with an internal scan (the alien probe!).

You can get a referral to your nearest through your GP or A&E. These referrals should be treated with urgency if you have any pain and/or bleeding for your own safety.

Btw, I hope it's not, BUT if it is ectopic please try not to think of it as a termination because it isn't a viable pregnancy and a real threat to your health. I had to have emergency surgery. But if they catch ectopics early enough they might be able to save your tube... so get bolshy!

Gosh, what a story - I really feel for you, as we went through the same tests with my daughter early last year. From what I understand from this last posting, I pretty much produced the same symptoms, but lucky for me the nurses at the EPAU were very encouraging. The only difference may be, that your HCG levels seem to rise a little slower than mine did at the time. However, I understand that this on its own is not enough proof for an ectopic pregnancy. Having said that, when we were in the middle of all this, in those couple of weeks I read almost every single website on ectopic pregnancies and came to the conclusion that for it to be an ectopic pregnancy I was experiencing the pain way too early (between 4-6 weeks). If it was a real ectopic pregnancy the pain would come much later. I too had brownish discharge, which disappeared completely by the time they did the last scan at the EPAU. I had about 3 scans altogether (first one was too early, second detected the sac and yolk, and the last detected a heartbeat) and this was over a period of 2 weeks from the third day that my period was overdue. Please don't give up yet! In my case, the final diagnosis was very simple...in layman?s terms, apparently my daughter was conceived in the right ovary, and the ovary and egg were in distress as a result of the conception which manifested itself in the pain I was experiencing. The pain was similar to what some women feel when they ovulate but a lot more intensified.
I don't want to give false hopes, but I somehow believe that you're going through the same thing. Please double- and triple check with the right people, who know what they're talking about!