7.2 weeks or bust!

Ectopic pregnancies aren't deadly, unless they get to the point where they rupture. If they get the chance to rupture and they burst a main artery then you are in some serious trouble. It the event of it rupturing slowly there is normally a small tear in the fallopian tube and it slowly leaks blood into the abdominal cavity. The mother is not going to feel well by any means, quite often there is referred pain in the shoulder tip and gastrointestinal upset.Vaginal blood loss is sometimes present however it does not have to be. A lot of ectopic ruptures at this stage are mistaken for gastroenteritis.

In the event of a full rupture, this happens very quickly. There is a massive bleed and the mother will feel faint, nauseous, feel a huge painful pressure in the abdomen and not mobile.It feels as though a bomb has exploded in your abdomen.Without medical intervention, death is a guarantee within hours.

The mean for a rupture is 7 weeks and 2 days pregnant. This accounts for all ruptures occurring between 4-12 weeks pregnant. A lot of the deaths from ectopic pregnancies are for women that didn't even know they were pregnant.

I ruptured at exactly 7 weeks and 2 days. Ive always thought of myself as average and in this instance I was right on the money.

If you are pregnant and have any discomfort in your abdomen. Get a trans vaginal scan to make sure everything is Okay.

If you suffered from an ectopic rupture let me know how pregnant you were when it happened??

Thank you

Janey

My pain was in vain!

If you have read my post on What to do in the face of negligence? then you would understand that I am now facing a battle between myself and the Australian Government health department. There is currently an investigation being held at the community health clinic that I was originally "treated" in.

The community health clinic "the name of which I do not speak" misdiagnosed my ectopic pregnancy. The list of people and things to blame is so long its scary. So many things went wrong on so many levels. It was a disaster of mammoth proportions....(well for my right fallopian tube anyway.)

The staff work less than normal hospital hours, they are housed in lovely accommodation free of charge ,they have more holidays than teachers and they are remunerated generously with Australian tax payers money. Very few of them do their job properly and when I say properly I mean to the normal standard that any Australian would consider appropriate. A lot of them would disagree with my "opinions" of them and their situation but I "tell" it how I "know" it

Which begs the question... when you live in a remote indigenous community what choice do you have? I know the answer to that one......none!

A friend who still lives in this community rang us yesterday and told us that his pregnant wife had woken up in pain. She is 7 weeks pregnant and has cramping pains on her left side.He had tried to ring the health clinic 8 times...but it rang out. So he drove her there. She then waited to see a midwife, who promptly told her that what she was experiencing was normal and to go home and have paracetamol!

I asked them if she had got an early scan yet, she told me that she was booked in to see the obstetrician that was due in the community last month, but it was cancelled and she would have to wait another 2 weeks. This would be taking her up to 8 weeks pregnant. If she had an ectopic pregnancy, she would be past the threshold for rupturing at that stage.

We flew her to us and I took her to the hospital. She was white as a ghost and convulsing in pain. I thought the worst and to my relief so did the emergency department. She had presented to emergency with a positive pregnancy test and abdominal pain on one side, immediately ectopic pregnancy had to be ruled out. We waited for the ultrasound and to our relief the baby is fine, but she does have an extra large ovarian cyst which was possibly rupturing and this would explain the pain.

It has been just over 6 months since I was taken to that health clinics emergency room.Collapsed in shock and bleeding out rapidly. They knew what happened to me was preventable...there was no need for me to experience that amount of trauma if I had been treated "properly" Yet here they were...faced with a similar situation again and alas.....they failed. How can this clinic continue to be negligent...and yet still be tolerated, have tonnes of money thrown at it and better still "rewarded" for their efforts.

It makes me sick to my stomach to think that this department has learnt nothing from what happened to me. Its a tiny community....most pregnant women there refuse to go to the clinic because of what happened to me and theres little wonder why.

I have another month to wait for their response to the investigation.

If you have abdominal pain and are late for your period or have had a positive pregnancy test....I urge you to get an early pregnancy scan! If you have a trans vaginal ultrasound up to 85% of ectopics are diagnosed on the first visit.....the rest are diagnosed on the next. Please don't play Russian roulette with your body......

If you have been treated by a health care professional and you believe that you have been treated with negligence then I firmly suggest that you forward your story to the complaints commission located in your state. They will contact you and explain to you what will be done.They are independant of the local health department and the doctors and nurses commission. They will demand answers from the subjects that have lead to your complaint. It is against the law for them to not reply to the complaints commission.

Please follow the link to your local health complaints commission in your state or territory.

Tasmania
South Australia
Victoria
New South Wales
Queensland
Western Australia
Northern Territory

Thank you

Janey

Another egg bites the dust!

Aunt Flow is back in town and she is really getting on my nerves. I just wish she would win lotto and nick off on an overseas holiday for I don't know....9 or 12 months or so.....that would be a nice break for everyone (in my household anyway.)

I was waiting to wee on a stick. I had all of the symptoms. I was even a little frightened with the twinges I was having....oh God not another ectopic....could I be so unlucky? Ive been dizzy, nauseous and had really sore boobs for a couple of weeks now.....but no such luck. Its just my body playing tricks on me and once again I am left here sobbing in front of my computer not wanting to talk to anyone.....just sob and breath quietly.....when all I really want to do is scream.

Another egg bites the dust. 

Direct relationship between IUCD removal and ectopic pregnancy.Myth or fact?

Firstly for those of you who are not familiar with what IUCD's are please click here

*********Let it be known IUCD's are not recommended for women who have not yet had children, or are likely to want children in the future.*******


Online there seems to be two schools of thought on this subject. Predominantly the concern is for women who currently have an IUCD and are worried about the increased risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. Some professionals argue that if you have an IUCD then you have a 5% chance of it becoming ectopic, as opposed to 1-2% if you do not. Other professionals are adamant that women are not at a higher risk of having an ectopic pregnancy with an IUCD because the chances of falling pregnant are so low.

What I am concerned about is the overwhelming amount of women who have had there IUCD removed for the purpose of trying to conceive and are falling pregnant within a few months and having an ectopic pregnancy. This is what happened to me and I have been researching whether or not there is a correlation. It turns out there are a lot of conflicting results and once again Im left to my own devices.

 There are articles online that say this is not the case, including a study done in New Zealand in 1982 to determine fertility rates and complications after having a copper IUCD removed.You can read it here. In the article it states, in the 4 year study "The ectopic pregnancy rate was 0.7% among women who had their IUDs removed because of complications compared with 0.5% among those who underwent removal to achieve pregnancy." They also state that "overall, this prospective study suggests that a favorable return to fertility and a good pregnancy outcome can be expected after IUD use is discontinued."

Mind you they did say "good" pregnancy outcome...not brilliant!

I have come across a lot of women in forums across the globe, who have had their IUCD's taken out to conceive and have fallen pregnant very quickly only to miscarry or worse have an ectopic pregnancy.There is a midwife called Paula Greer who when asked what causes ectopic pregnancy she answers:
When the blastocyst implants anywhere outside the uterine cavity the result is an ectopic pregnancy. The incidence is about 1 percent of all pregnancies and is increased in women over age 35 and in women of color. Over the last decade the incidence is on the rise which may be attributed to the increase in sexually transmitted diseases and the use of antibiotics. Factors which increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy: blockage in the tubes from scarring from previous pelvic infections, abnormalities of the reproductive tract, and IUD users.

 The risk in IUD users seems to be the greatest in the several months after IUD removal so it is wise to practice other methods of birth control several months after an IUD is removed before attempting pregnancy.


Another article I found was a woman trying for medical malpractice legal advice her story is simple:

Hi,
I had the Mirena IUD inserted about 2 1/2 years ago.
My husband I and were very cautious about getting any form of birth control because of the side effects. After doing intensive research we decided to get the Mirena IUD. We already had two children that were 15 months apart so, we wanted to wait a couple of years before our 3rd child.

To our surprise, after the removal of the IUD we became pregnant 3 months later. 2 days after we took the pregnancy test I noticed I was bleeding. I called my OBGYN and they immediately started taking test, come to fine out I was have an Ectopic Pregnancy.

We were devistated because we trusted the research that was done on the Mirena IUD. Nowhere did it ever state that after the removal of the IUD that it can cause an Ectopic Pregnancy. We have two other children that were anticipating another sibling. 

The lawyers response was disgusting to say the least:

Ectopic pregnancies occur for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is a disruption of the normal process such as an IUD or scar tissue as a result of an IUD. The second could be infection or scar tissue from an infection.Endometriosis and fibroid tumors can cause an ectopic pregnancy as well.

An ectopic pregnancy from the use of an IUD is a known risk although it is relatively low. Your risk of a subsequent ectopic pregnancy doubles once you have the first.

Very truly yours,

Paul D. Friedman, M.A., Ph.D., J.D.

Why thanks Paul, have you completely missed the question?She is not talking about whilst it was inserted, she is talking about AFTER it has been taken out! Yes the risks are well known when its IN but its not well documented about the effects when its taken OUT!

There was a follow up comment which I found particularly interesting which you can read here..

There is another site which has some ladies with interesting experiences with miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies after having an IUCD removed.You can read them here.

Jury is still out on this one if you ask me. Please let me know If you have come here because you have experienced an ectopic pregnancy after having an IUCD removed or you know of someone that has please let me know!

Thank you

Janey.

Ectopic means "out of place"

Ive always had a fascination for living things in unusual places. Im not a fan of them inside me!These photos are all mine by the way.....taken on our travels before I even knew what "Ectopic"meant.

Where are you storing your grief?

Its been 4 years since my last confession....I mean massage.I'm a masseur, a fully trained licensed remedial massage therapist and I haven't done one for 4 years!! Well.....other than the odd 5 minute back rub for hubby. Ever since I have had my son I haven't massaged for a living. My partner and I became a management couple instead. It worked really well....until we decided to have another baby. All of a sudden we were shacked up and ready to roll and 7 weeks 2 days later my tube blew out which took us both off the road for a while. We have been trying to think of a way to get me back on track. We have been bouncing ideas off each other for me to make extra income from home, or via the net. The logical conclusion was for me to set up a massage room and start getting clients. The boy had started preschool and all odds stacked up in its favour except one thing. On my right hand, my ring finger and my pinky are covered in dermatitis. Painful flaky cracked bleeding annoying dermatitis. On occasion I would put cortisone cream on it and it would be good for a couple of days, until i did the dishes or washed my hair or did anything with my hands really. About a month ago it got to the point where i couldn't submerse my hand in water without it feeling like I had poured acid on it. It affected my quality of life. It seems such a small thing but it was such a pain in the ass because all of a sudden this little annoying thing was keeping me from making a living from something I used to be so passionate about.

 I miss having passion in my life. I needed passion back in my life...hell who am I kidding...we need the extra income.....badly! Everything I love to do...involves my hands. Massaging, cooking, gardening, felting, drawing,playing with my son. It was close to driving me crazy. Anything and everything anyone suggested I did. Ive taken homoeopathics, naturopathics, multivitamins, all sorts of oils and omegas  for skin problems, skin salts,detoxing programs, no dairy, no alcohol, no tea...........bloody basically no life.

 Its been tough....on all of us not just me. Its a classic case of the snowball effect....starting with the ectopic pregnancy followed by a succession of events of the ball getting bigger and bigger and bigger until last week i cracked....quite literally felt like I had split in half...again....out of the blue. Classic post traumatic stress disorder style....and it eats me....everytime. Chews me up and spits me out feeling a little less like "me" everytime. Im sick of it...I've had enough. This "life" Im living is not my life...its not "me" in this body. Its my shell... housing shattered fragments of me....that are shaky and scared of being put back together again just incase I witness first hand that not all of my pieces exist anymore.

On Wednesday  the 6th of June I had a combined reiki massage session with a new therapist. She took one look at my hand and said its got nothing to do with anything I'm putting on or in my body. Its purely emotional, traditionally trouble in the ring finger symbolises grief and the little finger symbolises family. I explained to her that I am currently grieving.I went home perplexed. 3 days later, on the morning of the due date of my baby that got the raw end of the stick or fallopian tube as it was.....I woke up and my dermatitis is gone. Not better.....or less sore....gone! I just wish I had taken a photo of it when it was bad so that I could show you the difference.

I am nothing short of amazed. My husband looks at it in disbelief. I have been whining about my hands for months...."when are you going to install the frickin dishwasher man???"  It makes me smile, 5 days of waking up happy because i haven't scratched my fingers till they bleed in my sleep.

Im hoping this means I have dealt with my grief...now i can move on. It has to be the true beginning of my healing and forgiving my body. Ectopic pregnancy does feel like your body betrays you...in every way. I am learning to forgive my body and to love my body again....its been a long road to get to here.

I have missed being happy.....true happiness is effortless, guilt free and light. I feel like I am breathing again........I feel like the cloud of depression is finally lifting.

Has this happened to anyone else? Has your grief manifested itself in other parts of your body? If so....where?

Think pink

Janey

Misdiagnosed ectopic pregnancy considered the norm?

I read an article this morning on ectopic pregnancy, it was reprinted in Australia in 2005 in the Australian Family Physician, Volume 34 #3.

You can read the article here.

One statistic in particular stunned me, it is estimated that up to 50% of ectopic pregnancies are misdiagnosed at the initial presentation. This information was taken from the book  

______________________________________________________________

Ectopic pregnancy: ten common pitfalls in diagnosis.

Abbott J, Emmans LS, Lowenstein SR.

Source

Department of Surgery, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262.

Abstract

Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a common, life-threatening complication of pregnancy. Modern technology (ultrasonography and improved pregnancy tests) should facilitate the diagnosis of EP. However, in a retrospective review of 65 cases of confirmed EP managed over 18 months at an urban teaching hospital, only 37 of 65 patients (57%, Cl95 = 44%, 69%) received prompt diagnosis and treatment; delays occurred in 28 patients (43%). In 10 of the 27 delayed cases, the diagnosis of EP was not even considered at the time of the first visit. In patients with a delayed diagnosis, morbidity (transfusions, cardiovascular instability, progression of illness) did occur. Diagnostic pitfalls that resulted in delayed care were reviewed, delays most commonly occurred in patients with a benign examination or "atypical" pain. Risk factors for EP were missed (7 patients, 25%), subtle clues to blood loss were often ignored (10 patients, 36%), and passage of tissue was thought to exclude EP (2 patients). Ultrasound was only helpful for half of the diagnoses and was misinterpreted in 27%. A dry or serous culdocentesis occurred frequently. In five patients, a falling or low quantitative human chorionic gonadotropin level was believed to indicate a completed abortion. The authors conclude that almost half of EPs are still missed on the first physician visit; errors and pitfalls in diagnosis are still common in the 1980s.
_____________________________________________________________

It was common in the eighties, the nineties, the naughties and now.

I was misdiagnosed, not only at the initial presentation, but every visit after until eventually I ruptured and nearly bled to death in front of a nurse that thought I was having a dramatic miscarriage.

It is clear that we need to educate young people on the risks of ectopic pregnancy because more and more ectopic pregnancies are occurring which will equate to more misdiagnosed EPs and the possibility of more ectopic pregnancy related deaths.

Were you misdiagnosed? What happened to you? What was missed, the risk factors, internal bleeding signs, bad ultrasound? Given methotrexate when the baby was in the uterus? You name it....someone has suffered from it. Let us know your story.............



Think Pink

Janey.

Due date depression?

I was dreading yesterday for 7 months. I thought I would be an emotional wreck. Instead I woke up and got out of bed with ease at a reasonable hour. Yes....quite the miracle during a weekend for me.I'm just in awe that I was able to function...at all. Not only function but be able to take a deep breathe in and appreciate all the love and beauty I have around me. I honestly felt lucky to be alive. For a second I was concerned that I was shutting down and going into denial. But I'm pretty certain that this is acceptance. I feel at peace with myself  and with my family.I feel positive and I feel safe.I can only hope the sun has set on my depression. This is the photo I took of the sunset on my due date. I'm thinking it isn't the due date of my baby.....its now the due date of getting my life back on track. I was starting to think it was overdue....but now it feels just right.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon?  

The time has come to try.........

Okay...so Ive been trying for a few months now and nada....so instead of getting depressed about it I thought about actively boosting the odds. I went down to my local pharmacy and bought a maybebaby ovulation tester.

I remember when I worked in pharmacy I thought these were a waste of money. If you want a baby you should just have lots and lots of sex right? yeh...thats right when your 21 years old you can. Im now 33 and Im lucky if I remember to shave my legs regularly let alone have regular sex. For one I have a 4 year old that squeezes in between us every night. He is taking his job of "conquer and divide" a little too seriously. My husband isn't home 2 nights a week and when your fertility window is tiny its makes it a little difficult. I have been doing the spit test for 5 days now. It looks like a constant transition phase, but if there is anything that resembles a fern....I say jump some bones!

My libido has been killed since my ectopic pregnancy surgery aswell which im sure is a contributing factor. Feeling good and positive lately though. Im curious if I will still ovulate from the ovary with no tube. Does anyone here know what happens with that? Im going to look into it.

What methods has everyone else used when TTC after an ectopic pregnancy?


Think pink

Janey

Its time for Ectopic Pregnancy Awareness awareness!

No the title is not a typo! I believe that more women need to be aware of ectopic pregnancy awareness. Why are survivors of ectopic pregnancy pushed into the same corner as any early pregnancy loss group? Its disturbing to me.

" I didn't have a miscarriage, I had an ectopic pregnancy.I nearly died."

Its hard being in a little niche of our own, it means that if you like me are suffering from a lot of things post ectopic pregnancy that people including general practitioners cant make sense of then you are left in the dark.
I think the main difference for me boils down to the extent of the physical trauma. Not only do ectopic pregnancy sufferers have to deal with the loss of their baby, they quite often have to deal with the loss of a tube, sometimes a part or all of their uterus,an ovary,their blood and ultimately their life. The damage can severely effect their future fertility (this decreases at least 30% ...minimum)  and that's if they intend to ever risk putting their bodies through this again because they will now have a 10% chance of having it happen again. Which is a massive hurdle to overcome, understandably.

I have lost our baby.

I have lost my right tube.

I have lost all of my blood.

I have lost my hair

I have lost my beautiful skin.

I have lost my right to wear bikinis

I have lost touch with friends who don't understand

I have lost the ability to make a quick decision

I have lost a fair chunk of my fertility.

I have lost trust in our health facilities.

I have lost all desire for sexual intercourse.

I have lost most of my confidence in myself.

I'm trying to think what I have gained from this, other than weight and a ginormous scar. I have gained awareness, of the lack of awareness for ectopic pregnancy.

I was playing around with some stuff and whipped this little beauty up earlier. I was thinking that if ectopic pregnancy were to get an awareness ribbon it should look something like this. Upside down for a start,out of place, with the foetus up there in no mans land (literally) with the baby loss colours, to signify the loss and a little purple section to signify purpose,my intention to create awareness.

Let me know what you think? Should ectopic pregnancy survivors be grouped in with early baby loss groups? Am I just being silly thinking like this?

If there was somewhere in Australia that we could turn to for specific ectopic pregnancy support would we utilise it? If you are from another country did you use any support method offered to you? did it help? 

Think pink

Janey