2 Ectopic's In The Last Year

[Har-vey]

Hi All

On the 11th September 2017 I found out I was pregnant for the first time. Me and my fiancé at the time were over the moon. My only concern was I had the cooper coil in. We immediately made an appointment at the doctors and she confirmed we were pregnant and we explained our concerns. She did reassure us that it should not harm the baby but referred us to the hospital that evening for blood tests to see what my HCG level was in order to see how far gone we were in order to complete an ultrasound scan. The next day we had it confirmed that we could have the scan and the appointment was made which we intended. Straight away we knew something was wrong and where told to wait in the waiting area and a doctor would be with us shortly to speak to us. We were then told it was a Corneal Ectopic and that I had 2 options to prevent it from rupturing, to have surgery or to have a methotrexate injection. As we were keen not to go through an operation we chose to go ahead with the injection. We were visiting the hospital every few days for blood tests to see if the levels dropped and they didn't so had another injection of methotrexate. Once again visiting the hospital to have blood test to see if my HCG Level dropped. This did force me to have a miscarriage which happened a week or so after my second injection. The experience was awful lots of blood, pain and tears and felt so ill for weeks due to the methotrexate. The coil came out while I went through the horrible trauma of the miscarriage. Due to the injection we were unable to try for children till January of this year and we also set a date to get married so put all our focus onto our amazing day.

It was the best day of my life and we went straight on our honeymoon in July of this year. Was the best 3 weeks so many things ticked off the bucket list! Not long after we got back we had found out we were pregnant again and were so excited! We made an appointment with the doctor and she referred us to have an early 6 weeks scan due to my previous history last year. We had the scan last Monday the 13th August, straight away knew something was not right once again. We were told that they could see a fluid sac that was to big to be a 6 week baby and were told that they would take our blood and see what the HCG Level was and call us with a plan the following day. This was to late, Tuesday Morning I woke up in agonising pain. Went to the toilet and calapsed on the floor, could not move, felt sick and faint and had extreme pain in my stomach and all up the right side of my body. My husband called an ambulance and they were amazing, they arrived very quick and did lots of checks with some pain relief as were limited to do to much due to us not knowing the circumstances with our baby. Was rushed to A and E and was told the situation that I most likely had another ectopic pregnancy. I had to authorise them to do what they needed to and was taken straight to theatre. A few hours later I was in recovery and was then transferred to a ward where my family where waiting for me. I was told that I had my right tube removed due to a ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured. I had bled 2 and half litres of blood internally and was very lucky. I had a blood transfusion during theatre but still felt dizzy two days later I was given another 2 pint of blood. I felt so ill could barely move or do anything myself. On Friday I was released from hospital and was told that they did discover scaring on my left tube from the methotrexate from my previous ectopic. We were told that that we could have a test to see if the flow in the tube will allow us to conceive in the future or we may have to think about other options such as IVF. Currently at home trying to recovery.

I feel so upset as I have been through the loss of 2 babies in less than a year. It puts your body through such a physical trauma but mentally it is so hard. I am so scared of not being able to ever have my own child, having another ectopic, putting my body through this again, or even risking my life. Scared of feeling alone! My husband has been amazing, he is literally the best husband and friend to support me and I want to support him as he is just as much effected by this as I am.

We have made an appointment at the doctors to start the process and just so we can talk to someone really.

I don't know what to think now, to be honest my heart aches.

Any helpful advise on where to go from here would be great! Thank you.

[EPT Host 20]

Dear Har-vey,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancies and losses. To experience one loss is difficult, to deal with multiple losses is heartbreaking and my heart truly goes out to you.
You have been through a huge amount in such a short space of time and it is very normal to feel overwhelmed. From your words, I can imagine how frightening the experience must have been and I am sorry you have had to go though this. Coming to terms with what has happened will take time. You are still in the early weeks of recovery and are physically and emotionally needing to heal.

Sadly, there are no tests or investigations that can be done to assure you that you will not experience an ectopic pregnancy again. You are doing the right thing in talking things through with your Dr who can refer you to fertility specialists, who will be able to look into your case in more detail and advise you further.

For now, concentrate on your recovery. Experiencing an ectopic pregnancy is a huge ordeal. Your body needs time to heal from your surgery which is in itself a gruelling task. You have also had to process the loss of your baby and been through an immense rollercoaster of emotions - all of this will take time to come to terms with.
You should take it very easily for about six weeks after surgery. Your body will be using its energies to heal internally. It is normal to feel physically and emotionally exhausted during this time and please do be kind to yourself. Recovery can take time and some days will be better than others, one day you maybe ok and the next you maybe in discomfort or more emotional. This is perfectly usual and the healing process will go back and forth in this way for however long you need. It is important to listen to your body's signals and pain and feeling tired are your body's signs to tell you to rest. We suggest keeping a healthy balanced diet, drinking lots of water and resting. Once your wounds have healed, very gentle exercise such as a short walk can help, but please do take this slowly.

Please be kind to yourself, allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally.
We are all here for you for as long as you need. There is also a specific Preparing for your next pregnancy board that you can look at whenever you feel ready.

Sending much love and warm hugs,
Karen x

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[Har-vey]

Hi Karen

Thank you for your support and kind words. We went to the doctors today to get referred to a fertility unit to complete the HSG test.

Many Thanks
Lisa