By registering on our forum, you can view and contribute to more topics on ectopic pregnancy. Your details are confidential and we do not send unsolicited emails. For your confidentiality, you can choose your own forum name to protect your anonymity if you so wish. If you register, there is no obligation to post; you can simply take comfort from the words of others. It is entirely up to you whether you post a message or read others' experiences or do both.

Ectopic Pregnancy & COVID19 experiences

This is a welcoming place for you to ask your questions and share your knowledge and experiences of ectopic pregnancy.
To keep this as a safe space, before being able to post freely, an administrator will need to activate your account and authorise your first post.
KeeleyE
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2021 10:25 pm

Re: Ectopic Pregnancy & COVID19 experiences

Post by KeeleyE »

I collapsed in pain on a Monday in March. I was sent to the sexual health clinic by 111! They told me I was pregnant. I had no pregnancy symptoms at all and had had two periods. I then started bleeding, They sent me to A&E with a suspected ectopic. When I got to A&E they did another two pregnancy tests and then told me to go home as it was probably a miscarriage as if it was ectopic I would be in much more pain. They mad a referral to early pregnancy. I'd been terribly pale for weeks and I told them this. Early pregnancy called me the next morning but were too busy to see me. I begged them to see me as I was in agony and had been up all night and. They are only open from 9-12 and so said they couldn't. When I went to early pregnancy another 24 hours later I had to go in alone and my husband had to wait outside. They then told me alone that I had a ruptured ectopic and 200ml of blood in my pelvis and that I wouldn't make it another 24 hours without emergency surgery. Fortunately, a nurse took pity on me and let me and my husband wait in a prayer room as I then had to wait 6 hours to go to theatre. They then took me off. It was heart-breaking saying goodbye to my husband in the corridor. He wasn't allowed back, even to bring me clothes or a charger for my phone. After surgery I was then taken to just a surgical ward (not a gynaecology ward). They didn't know how to deal with me. Very inappropriately a male came in and asked to shower me in the morning. They then continually asked me if I was breast feeding and whether I was pregnant. In the end I just pulled the sheet away and pointed to my drain and theatre wound. They then bladder scanned me approximately 6 ties but failed to cover the wound and so the scan gel kept getting in the wound and was obviously stinging like [heck] from the open wound.

I am a domestic abuse lawyer and at no stage did anyone ask me about how things were at home or who I was going home to. They didn't even see me off the ward when I was discharged I was just let go to find my husband in the carpark.

Al of above was obviously not helped by Covid but changes need to be made.

Cat1985
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2021 10:04 pm

Re: Ectopic Pregnancy & COVID19 experiences

Post by Cat1985 »

What can I say...... Due to covid and not being able to actually get an appointment with a doctor... My severe pain went from... Possible appendicitis to pelvic inflammatory disease this was by telephone consultations, then 3 weeks after the pain had started I was finally told I had an ectopic pregnancy and my tube had completely ruptured.... I was then given an option of 'go home and see what happens!!!' or surgery to remove the pregnancy. Obviously I opted for the removal because I had spent so long in pain I just needed it to go away. The pregnancy was a complete shock as we werent trying. All the time I was alone, my partner not allowed to be with me... But in fairness he was doing great with our other two children who were worried about their mum. I cannot fault the doctors who prepared me for surgery (first surgery I have ever had) and the aftercare, however I wasn't given any information on what to expect when I was discharged. Still to this day I get alot of pain on the right side especially when I am due on it feels very strange and I can't touch my side sometimes without it hurting... I just refuse to go to my doctors again after the 'misdiagnosis' twice!!!! Covid brought nothing but distrust for me now when it comes to my doctors... All I think is what if I never took myself to A & E and just opted for antibiotics for pelvic inflammatory disease!?!

hthannah
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2021 10:03 pm

Re: Ectopic Pregnancy & COVID19 experiences

Post by hthannah »

3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. It wasn’t discovered until I had lost about 3.5 litres of blood and had started to go into hypovolemic shock - despite me repeatedly raising to my doctors that I was bleeding a lot in the previous week. Luckily the hospital got me onto the operating table on time and removed the ruptured fallopian tube.

It took two visits from paramedics (within 24 hours) before they decided it was likely an ectopic pregnancy and I needed to go to hospital. Luckily there was no queue for the ambulance getting into the hospital - but they did warn me this was a highly likely possibility. My husband was not allowed to come in the ambulance with me because of the pandemic, which made me very anxious.

Once in the hospital, everything happened very quickly after I collapsed on a nurse trying to take blood samples. I was rushed through to a “resus” ward - several doctors about asking me questions and lots of tests going on. I had to sign a few consent forms but I was in so much pain I couldn’t really read the details of what I was signing - although they had explained pretty clearly what they needed to do and what they consent forms were for. I do wish my husband could have been there to check what I was signing - although I trusted the doctors looking after me.

I also wish my husband could have been there at the moment they confirmed I was pregnant - we didn’t know before this and I’m sad he missed out on that. To him, it still doesn’t feel “real” that there was a foetus there.

After the surgery, they handed me another consent form to cremate the foetus. Again, I wish my husband and I could have done this together.

I was in hospital for 5 days in total. They did bend the rules to allow my husband to see me late on the first night after the surgery (given the last he’d seen of me before this was me repeatedly collapsing and being whisked away in an ambulance, this was a must for his peace of mind). After that, he was only allowed to visit me for 1 hour a day. This was obviously really tough on both of us and never felt like enough for everything we had to process. Furthermore the limit of one visitor a day meant my mum couldn’t see me, which was also hard.

There were a few times I broke down into tears whilst in hospital. Whilst the nurses were lovely and did their best to comfort me, all I really wanted was my husband. I think not being in the hospital and seeing everything I was going through has made it harder for him to really understand just how traumatic the pre-surgery emergency bit was for me. I tell him about it a lot and he can see the emotional effect it has had on me, but that’s no substitute for actually being there and seeing everything first hand.

Amb13
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat May 07, 2022 9:17 pm

Re: Ectopic Pregnancy & COVID19 experiences

Post by Amb13 »

Hi all.

Had laparoscopy surgery 2 days ago and jus got home yesterday. It doesn't feel real my whole world changed in 2 days. My husband is all over the place ans his diet went out the window. I'm not coping emotionally and people keep saying they understand as they've had miscarriages. I keep saying they don't as I had a major surgery and just lost a part of me. My baby was between 3-5weeks they weren't able to tell me how old he/she was but I was hoping for a boy. Today my husband is getting me a kitten as I feel really sad. Nothing will make it better but it will be something that will take my mind off things. I have these really bad pains in my shoulder and staying in the hospital was dreadful. It helped that I wasn't on a ward by myself, the women got me through things on that ward. I feel so emotional all my friends and family from church have been worried and been praying for me. I feel so overwhelmed I don't know how to feel. I feel like I'm not in the real world. When I went into hospital my hormone levels were over 5000 hence they suggested I had the surgery over the injection. The woman who wouldn't let me out the hospital was extremely rude and I just found myself calling my mum and crying. To be told that your chances of having a baby had been shortened was a shock. I asked for a second opinion as I have never had such a life-changing surgery which not only affects me but my husband also. Dr Khan really reassured me that the other tube would work fine and the possibility of having a baby was something I could be hopeful in the future. The doctor said to me the coil probably was what caused the baby to implant outside the uterus but there are other risk factor like stds. Before going into hospital I never really wanted children and thought I still had time in the future to make my mind up. I never thought my chances would be taken away. I feel like part of being a woman has been stripped of me. I don't feel normal. I am angry. I am upset.

I have had a change in mindset since coming out the hospital. I want to live life to the fullest and enjoy every day every moment. Appreciate my loved ones more. I could've died and it scared me so much. Health is so important, I said to the doctor they don't teach you about women's health that much in school. I knew hardly anything about periods growing up, let alone ectopic pregnancy. I only knew I had one when I googled symptoms. I am adament I want children now having almost being stripped of my womanhood. I feel so empty and sad,

It's weird because when I was experiencing the excruciating pain in my stomach I almost wanted it to stay there as atleast the baby would still be a part of me. Now I feel numb but also very sad in my soul. I just keep crying and crying and crying. I don't want my husband seeing me like this. He has never really seen me this sad he is worried I am losing a part of my personality my bubblieness. I lost my spark.

I really hope I feel better soon but right now I don't see a way forward. I know God has always been with me but I am so so so sad.

Post Reply