Trip to A&E left me confused

[lethisbetheone]

Trigger warning: potential loss?

I'm 5 weeks pregnant and have been bleeding for a week now. It's not enough tmto fill a pad but it's definitely noticeable. It's dark brown. I'm also feeling dizzy and have pain on my left close to my pelvis.

I actually thought I was having a normal period but once the blood wasn't turning red I decided to take a pregnancy test.

Today I couldn't get through to my GP so I called 111 who were able to get me an appointment at the walk in centre.

There they did a pregnancy test and send me to A&E because they suspected it could be an ectopic pregnancy due to my symptoms and my blood pressure being quite high.

After a long wait at A&E they finally called me in and asked for another urine sample.

A few minutes later the nurse came back and said that the test was negative and I'm not pregnant. It could also not be an ectopic pregnancy because I wasn't experiencing any shoulder pain.

I heard her speak to the consultant prior to speaking to me and he said since I'm 39 I'm most likely having a miscarriage anyway.

They send me home without taking blood.
The nurse did say I could have stayed and requested some blood work but the wait was 9-10h and since my test was negative there wasn't much point.

When I came home I did another test and it's positive. What do I do now? I'm so confused.

I’d go back to A&E.
Bring the (very clear positive) test with you.
I’m sorry OP.

You need to ring your local early pregnancy unit, I wouldnt be bothering with a+e, you can usually self refer in most areas. They will probably refuse to see you until you are 6 weeks, but they will see you and scan you. I have had similar symptoms in 2 of my pregnancies, they both continued and it wasnt ectopic.

Buy a clear blue digital test where the words ‘pregnant’ or ‘not pregnant’ are clearly visible then test in a few days and if it’s positive again go to the EPU. It may not be bad news, I bled throughout both my pregnancies. Good luck and fight for your right to proper medical care!

Your test is positive while the NHS test is negative because the NHS tests are not as sensitive. You are still pregnant at the moment, but at 5 weeks I would expect the NHS test to be positive too, if it's going to be a successful pregnancy. I'm sorry.

You do still need to keep an eye on the possibility of ectopic. I would phone EPU and ask for bloods/scan. They may want to wait another week to scan, but make sure you get seen soon.

Ring your local early pregnancy unit for scan. Good luck 🤞

i think EPU will only see you from 6 weeks but still worth speaking to them and getting an appointment.

I called the EPU and they won't see me until I'm at least 6 weeks. Called my GP to ask wether they could take my blood to determine the HCG levels and they told me they don't do that anymore. I will have to do a self referral and I will get seen by a midwife whenI reach 8 weeks.

I'm back in A&E with my positive test and it's a 9-10h wait and I've already been told that I might not get seen until the early hours even though I'm still in pain and dizzy.

I'm appalled at the service I'm currently receiving.

Thank you for all the responses. I really hope this isn't an ectopic pregnancy.

You poor thing - this is absolute crap.

No matter how grim stay there and get seen

If its ectopic you will need medical intervention.

Good luck.

I’m so sorry you’re in this position! I’m glad you’ve gone back to A&E and I really hope you get some answers very soon.

Sending hugs and strength OP.

I hope is isn’t such a long wait for you.

That’s awful op. I hope they see you before 9-10 hours!!

I think you are in the right place if you are still in pain. I hope things go well for you.

So sorry you’re having such a terrible time seeking help. My ectopic was diagnosed by the EPU and operated on at 5 and a half weeks so it’s a real shame your EPU have refused to see you and you’re having to face such a long wait in A&E.

And I’m not sure they can rule it out on the basis of no shoulder pain. I was under the impression the shoulder pain associated with ectopics is a sign of a bleed post rupture. I never experienced it because my ectopic was diagnosed and dealt with before getting to that point. Which you’d think would be their goal!

In the absence of any alternative I think you’ve done the right thing. Hopefully it’s not ectopic but it is always best to be cautious. You really shouldn’t have to but perhaps have a quick look at The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust website or something to arm yourself with some information in case they try fobbing you off again.

Yes the shoulder pain is caused by bleeding post rupture so they need to be taking you more seriously.

Hope you are seen soon and everything is ok. Sad you have to navigate the usual terrible NHS “service”

My first ectopic was completely painless even though it was, according to the surgeon, very close to rupture and had started leaking blood (8 and a half weeks). Please insist on an ultrasound to rule out this life threatening condition. Anything else is negligence on the part of the hospital.

Go back. You absolutely can have an ectopic with no shoulder pain.

I’ve had 3 ectopic pregnancies, didn’t have shoulder pain in any of them and the first one was further along than I thought. Keep strong and ask for hcg bloods. Hope it all goes well x

I didn't have shoulder pain with my ectopic. It still nearly killed me.

Shoulder tip pain is caused by referal of irritation of the diaphragm by free fluid when an ectopic ruptures. It is a very late rather than early or diagnostic sign.

The only way you're going to understand what is going on is by having serial blood tests and monitoring your hcg levels, and having an USS to cross reference with those blood results.

Sorry your care is so poor. Keep advocating for yourself.

You are absolutely right to have gone back to A&E OP and I'm really sorry your going through this.

My ectopic didn't cause shoulder pain, despite it having already ruptured before I was operated on. I didn't know I was pregnant until I arrived in A&E either, I thought it was appendicitis.
It's so awful they've just taken their own test as a negative and ignored you. Have you got anybody with you?

Where abouts are you in the uk?? I would also get a referral to the EPU rather than a&e as they don't seem specialised enough to deal with this.

I had an ectopic that ruptured and didn't had shoulder pain, had some niggles in my side but in general seemed fine - to the point where they didn't really want to operate on me! I pushed for it after my blood tests and good job I did as I was 8 weeks with an ectopic, I lost a tube and was very lucky in the grand scheme of things.

hopign you have a better outcome x

Terrible treatment. I hope ur seen soon and wishing you all the best

I’m so sorry lovely, I’m typing this while in A&E with my little 2 year old waiting to go up to the ward for the night.

im disgusted at the lack of care you’ve been given, I hope everything turns out okay for you. I bled on my first three pregnancies quite significantly and had some pain and dizziness, they are very much healthy feral little monsters now. Thinking positive thoughts for you xxx

Thinking of you

I hope you have had some news from A&E. I just came to say I also had a negative test in A&E when I went in for rehydration with hypermesis. The doctor was very dismissive and just told me to wait until the 12 week scan- I was about ten weeks at the time.
I ended up getting a private scan the next day and all was fine.
I had quite a bit of bleeding early on in that same pregnancy and was given an internal scan by the epu at about 5 and a half weeks. It was reassuring to know the pregnancy was developing in the right place. Maybe if epu won’t see you, you can book a private scan with the expectation you won’t see a heart beat but just know it is developing in the right place.