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ECTOPIC PREGNANCY
Hi guys,
Not been on here in a couple of years so not sure if I am posting in the correct forum.....apologies if not.
M/C about 12 weeks ago at 6W, got pregnant two weeks later and at 6W started spotting. Figured I was miscarrying again but had intense pain in my right side. Coped for a week but finally went to Dr and she sent me for an early scan. They found my uterus to be normal size (empty) but still testing positive. They said if i still tested positive a week later to go back. Next night I had to go to A and E because pains were like labour and had me in tears (had four separate incidents of this type of pain before I was sent to the scan). Scanned again and checked my fallopian tubes at my request and found a 2.6cm mass.
They gave me 75mg of Methotrexate on 21st June (HCG previous to this was 1000 and rose to 1300 two days later) and tested my HCG day 4 (400) and day 7 (200). Seems to be working.
Thing is that since day 2 I have had extremely bad abdominal pains, I have been controlling with paracetamol (Co codomol makes me vomit) but sometimes they have been quite bad. The pain has eased off a bit last couple of days but if I move about too much it comes back. Hard to rest have 20 month old twins but I'm signed off work and am trying to rest.
Hospital doesn't seem to be concerned but I am worried about what is causing the pain and how long it is lasting. I know what the side effects of the drug are and I appear to have been unlucky enough to have them all over the last 7 days. Has anyone else had a similar experience???
Not been on here in a couple of years so not sure if I am posting in the correct forum.....apologies if not.
M/C about 12 weeks ago at 6W, got pregnant two weeks later and at 6W started spotting. Figured I was miscarrying again but had intense pain in my right side. Coped for a week but finally went to Dr and she sent me for an early scan. They found my uterus to be normal size (empty) but still testing positive. They said if i still tested positive a week later to go back. Next night I had to go to A and E because pains were like labour and had me in tears (had four separate incidents of this type of pain before I was sent to the scan). Scanned again and checked my fallopian tubes at my request and found a 2.6cm mass.
They gave me 75mg of Methotrexate on 21st June (HCG previous to this was 1000 and rose to 1300 two days later) and tested my HCG day 4 (400) and day 7 (200). Seems to be working.
Thing is that since day 2 I have had extremely bad abdominal pains, I have been controlling with paracetamol (Co codomol makes me vomit) but sometimes they have been quite bad. The pain has eased off a bit last couple of days but if I move about too much it comes back. Hard to rest have 20 month old twins but I'm signed off work and am trying to rest.
Hospital doesn't seem to be concerned but I am worried about what is causing the pain and how long it is lasting. I know what the side effects of the drug are and I appear to have been unlucky enough to have them all over the last 7 days. Has anyone else had a similar experience???
What I put it down to is the different protocol that our countries have and the fact that our health care system is free. In the US you all pay don't you so maybe that's why you seem to get better treatment.
I've been annoyed too and a little frightened at times.
Today the pain was gone and I didn't need to take paracetamol at all. Then I was silly and did some cleaning and the pain came back. I took some paracetamol and rested and it's gone again. I will just have to take it easy for a few more days.
The plan now is for them to do bloods every Monday until my HCG returns to below 2. Then I have to wait three months before trying again.
Thanks for posting! Stress seems to trigger the pain too and I know you've set my mind at ease a little and that's prolly why I'm in less pain.
I've been annoyed too and a little frightened at times.
Today the pain was gone and I didn't need to take paracetamol at all. Then I was silly and did some cleaning and the pain came back. I took some paracetamol and rested and it's gone again. I will just have to take it easy for a few more days.
The plan now is for them to do bloods every Monday until my HCG returns to below 2. Then I have to wait three months before trying again.
Thanks for posting! Stress seems to trigger the pain too and I know you've set my mind at ease a little and that's prolly why I'm in less pain.
No that's ridiculous and I'm disappointed in the u/s tech for only looking at your ovaries - an ectopic can happen at any point from the embryo traveling to the uterus. I'm a new nurse and I don't even work with OB but I know for a fact that an ectopic is a medical emergency and someone should have picked up on the hints!
And I would definitely push for a follow-up u/s if you're still having pain. They do an u/s after you miscarry from the uterus, to make sure all the tissue is expelled, I would think it's even more necessary with an ectopic. Unless they aren't worried about blocking your fallopian tube nor are they worried about whats causing you pain.
I'm sorry, I'm really angry about this situation - that many medical professionals should not have overlooked all the warning signs of a medical emergency.
I'm glad you were your own advocate and were able to take methotrexate. Did they tell you how long it usually takes to dissolve completely? I know little about that drug except that it's called trexall in the US.
I really hope you feel better soon and I'm sorry you had to go through this situation :(
And I would definitely push for a follow-up u/s if you're still having pain. They do an u/s after you miscarry from the uterus, to make sure all the tissue is expelled, I would think it's even more necessary with an ectopic. Unless they aren't worried about blocking your fallopian tube nor are they worried about whats causing you pain.
I'm sorry, I'm really angry about this situation - that many medical professionals should not have overlooked all the warning signs of a medical emergency.
I'm glad you were your own advocate and were able to take methotrexate. Did they tell you how long it usually takes to dissolve completely? I know little about that drug except that it's called trexall in the US.
I really hope you feel better soon and I'm sorry you had to go through this situation :(
I live in the UK and do you know that when we have told family and friends that I have an ectopic they all react the same way. To my surprise both the A and E department and the Early Pregnancy Unit have all seemed to take this like it is just one of those things.
They wouldn't have actually caught it if I hadn't nagged. When I was initially scanned on Wed 16/06 I complained that I had pain in my right side even thugh the US tech said my uterus was all normal size. I expressed then that it may be ectopic and was the pain normal but they said unlikely because I had no fluid and my ovary was a normal size. They didn't actually check the tube. When my HCG read 1000 that Friday they were trying to rule out an earlier pregnancy even though I told them the last time I BD'd was 8/05. By Sunday when they were checking my HCG levels again, I demanded that they do something because I felt like a sitting duck.
They decided to scan me Monday and that's when they found it!! I chose Methotrexate because it seemed the better of two evils. The alternative they offered me was removal of the tube even though they said most of the tubes they take turn out to be okay?!? They seemed to think because I already had twins, I wouldn't be concerned about my fertility.
THANKS for what you said xxx I teach high school Science and I thought that I found the situation more serious because I had a little bit of extra knowledge.
They told me no follow up US necessary because your body will not produce HCG while ever there is any tissue where it shouldn't be. They said that they will monitor my HCG unil it returns to below 2. They were looking for a 15% drop between Friday and Monday and it was 50% so I'm hoping that means it's okay.
I have not passed any tissue since I started spotting four weeks agom they are not concerned by this either. They said Methotrexate is cytotoxic and will dissolve the mass.
They wouldn't have actually caught it if I hadn't nagged. When I was initially scanned on Wed 16/06 I complained that I had pain in my right side even thugh the US tech said my uterus was all normal size. I expressed then that it may be ectopic and was the pain normal but they said unlikely because I had no fluid and my ovary was a normal size. They didn't actually check the tube. When my HCG read 1000 that Friday they were trying to rule out an earlier pregnancy even though I told them the last time I BD'd was 8/05. By Sunday when they were checking my HCG levels again, I demanded that they do something because I felt like a sitting duck.
They decided to scan me Monday and that's when they found it!! I chose Methotrexate because it seemed the better of two evils. The alternative they offered me was removal of the tube even though they said most of the tubes they take turn out to be okay?!? They seemed to think because I already had twins, I wouldn't be concerned about my fertility.
THANKS for what you said xxx I teach high school Science and I thought that I found the situation more serious because I had a little bit of extra knowledge.
They told me no follow up US necessary because your body will not produce HCG while ever there is any tissue where it shouldn't be. They said that they will monitor my HCG unil it returns to below 2. They were looking for a 15% drop between Friday and Monday and it was 50% so I'm hoping that means it's okay.
I have not passed any tissue since I started spotting four weeks agom they are not concerned by this either. They said Methotrexate is cytotoxic and will dissolve the mass.
First of all you are extremely lucky that they caught the ectopic pregnancy. They are extremely dangerous, it could have ruptured and you could have hemorrhaged/bled out. My sister had an ectopic, which caused her ovary to rupture. It was extremely painful and she very well could have bled to death if she wasn't rushed to the ER.
They are intensely painful no matter where it occurs and I can imagine that a 1 cm wide tube wouldn't feel good being stretched to 2.6cm :( After you took methotrexate did anything come out? It makes sense that you would still have pain if your tube is still being stretched/blocked. The doctor's should give you a follow up u/s, right?
I'm sorry for your losses and I hope the pain eases up soon . . .
They are intensely painful no matter where it occurs and I can imagine that a 1 cm wide tube wouldn't feel good being stretched to 2.6cm :( After you took methotrexate did anything come out? It makes sense that you would still have pain if your tube is still being stretched/blocked. The doctor's should give you a follow up u/s, right?
I'm sorry for your losses and I hope the pain eases up soon . . .
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