The fun begins...
So, my last pregnancy (in May 2010) ended in miscarriage. We were devastated, to say the least. A couple days into this pregnancy, I began spotting lightly. Naturally, it worried me enough to mention it to the nurse when I called to schedule my first prenatal appointment. Well, the nurse was concerned enough that she told me to come in immediately to get it checked out. Here's how this all has gone down...
July 26: Call to schedule first doctor's appointment. Tell nurse about the spotting. She tells me to immediately come in to see the doctor and get an ultrasound. Ultrasound performed by Dr. Harrison. He tells me there's no ectopic (tubal) pregnancy (which is good), doesn't see anything developing yet besides a "dark area" that he believes to be the start of the gestational sac. Schedules me for blood work at the hospital to test my Beta hcgs. In early pregnancy your beta hcgs should approximately double every 48-72 hours, which indicates things are progressing normally. Any number over "5" means pregnant. :-) My first blood draw today was 517.
He also prescribes at least 48 hours of total bed rest. Ugh. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who made sure the kids and I were fed and entertained. I spend most of the next 48 hours laying on the couch sleeping, browsing the internet and watching movies. Bed rest is HARD when you have a 6 and 4 year old home all day with you!
July 28: More blood work at hospital. Today's level is 1119! Yay! My numbers doubled in under 48 hours!
July 30: More blood work at hospital. My level today was 1888. Because it was Saturday, I had to go into the lab earlier than the other two days, so this wasn't quite 48 hours between tests.
August 1: I call Dr. Harrison to get my beta hcg numbers. (I didn't know them until this date....that's almost a week of worrying!) He gives me the numbers and says he is "very pleased" with them and that an ultrasound at this point still wouldn't show much, so he wasn't going to do one because we'd just be disappointed if we didn't see anything (which he again emphasizes would be normal at this stage.) He tells me to rest up and take it easy. Dr. G (my husband) already has me on semi-bed rest still - and he won't let me do any heavy lifting or hard cleaning. My house NEEDS cleaned and laundry NEEDS done....but growing a baby is more important at this point, so housework will have to wait. Around 5pm this day, Dr. Harrison's office calls and asks if I can come in tomorrow for my nurse assessment (which was originally scheduled for August 9, but the nurse need to reschedule.)
August 2: I go in for my nurse assessment. Basically just paperwork, questions about my family health history and previous pregnancies and deliveries. She looks at my chart and asks about the spotting. I tell her it's still there, on and off. She insists on getting me another ultrasound. Dr. Harrison is in surgery and can't do one that day. She schedules me with Dr. Campbell tomorrow morning,.
August 3: Ultrasound number 2. This time with Dr. Campbell. She does the ultrasound and says "there's the gestational sac" and takes a few measurements of it. Then she says "but there seems to be some sort of partition there too...I don't know what that means". ?!?! After the ultrasound she informs me that she thinks we should be seeing more than just a gestational sac at this point and she's worried that this is going to not end well. I point out my hcg levels and tell her that Dr. Harrison was pleased with them. She comments that the last one didn't double and that concerns her (ok, Debbie Downer). She says it's too early for her to say for sure what is happening but she wants more blood work done to see if the numbers have gone up or down and she schedules me for another ultrasound the following week.
She also proceeds to tell me that if I do miscarry at least I can be comforted in knowing that there was most likely a problem with the baby and at least I wouldn't "get a child with genetic defects". She also says if it is a blighted ovum I could take comfort in knowing that at least a baby never formed. What?! She makes me sick! We've been trying for 24 months and only had TWO positive pregnancy tests. The first one ended in miscarriage and it took me over a year to conceive again. Nothing would comfort me in losing my baby - nothing. I strongly dislike this doctor. If this pregnancy continues I will fight tooth and nail to not see her again and she will certainly not be delivering my baby.
We go to the hospital with my lab order. She has written "missed miscarriage" as my diagnosis...I hate that phrase. I feel numb. We've gone up and down - good news, bad news, uncertain news, good news, bad news, uncertain news. I don't even know how to react, but it takes everything I have to not cry my eyes out the rest of the day. I get my blood drawn and go home and just lay on the couch and cry most of the afternoon.
August 4: Dr. Campbell calls me and tells me that yesterday's hcg level was 5598! So, it's gone up and more than doubled. (Everything I have read on the internet says from 5-1200, levels double every 48 hours. From 1200-6000 they should double every 48-72 hours and from 6000 + they should double every 96 hours.) I am well within that range. Still, she's not convinced that everything is ok. She says she's still concerned that it could be an ectopic pregnancy. I told her that both she and Dr. Harrison checked for that. She says she wants another opinion and wants me to get another ultrasound, this time at the hospital. I am to continue getting my blood work done and keep my appointment for next Thursday. Her nurse calls me an hour later with my ultrasound appointment at the hospital. It's scheduled for August 5 at 2:00 pm.
This entire pregnancy has been up and down, back and forth. I am afraid to let myself "feel" pregnant, afraid to get too excited (even though most signs are pointing to everything being fine.) I am worried sick and I am sure the stress that they've put on me is worse than the spotting that originally started this cycle of testing and doctor visits. I've given it all to God. That is my only comfort at this time - that it is all in His hands. I've prayed daily for this baby and my own health and I've asked that His will be done, not my own.
July 26: Call to schedule first doctor's appointment. Tell nurse about the spotting. She tells me to immediately come in to see the doctor and get an ultrasound. Ultrasound performed by Dr. Harrison. He tells me there's no ectopic (tubal) pregnancy (which is good), doesn't see anything developing yet besides a "dark area" that he believes to be the start of the gestational sac. Schedules me for blood work at the hospital to test my Beta hcgs. In early pregnancy your beta hcgs should approximately double every 48-72 hours, which indicates things are progressing normally. Any number over "5" means pregnant. :-) My first blood draw today was 517.
He also prescribes at least 48 hours of total bed rest. Ugh. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who made sure the kids and I were fed and entertained. I spend most of the next 48 hours laying on the couch sleeping, browsing the internet and watching movies. Bed rest is HARD when you have a 6 and 4 year old home all day with you!
July 28: More blood work at hospital. Today's level is 1119! Yay! My numbers doubled in under 48 hours!
July 30: More blood work at hospital. My level today was 1888. Because it was Saturday, I had to go into the lab earlier than the other two days, so this wasn't quite 48 hours between tests.
August 1: I call Dr. Harrison to get my beta hcg numbers. (I didn't know them until this date....that's almost a week of worrying!) He gives me the numbers and says he is "very pleased" with them and that an ultrasound at this point still wouldn't show much, so he wasn't going to do one because we'd just be disappointed if we didn't see anything (which he again emphasizes would be normal at this stage.) He tells me to rest up and take it easy. Dr. G (my husband) already has me on semi-bed rest still - and he won't let me do any heavy lifting or hard cleaning. My house NEEDS cleaned and laundry NEEDS done....but growing a baby is more important at this point, so housework will have to wait. Around 5pm this day, Dr. Harrison's office calls and asks if I can come in tomorrow for my nurse assessment (which was originally scheduled for August 9, but the nurse need to reschedule.)
August 2: I go in for my nurse assessment. Basically just paperwork, questions about my family health history and previous pregnancies and deliveries. She looks at my chart and asks about the spotting. I tell her it's still there, on and off. She insists on getting me another ultrasound. Dr. Harrison is in surgery and can't do one that day. She schedules me with Dr. Campbell tomorrow morning,.
August 3: Ultrasound number 2. This time with Dr. Campbell. She does the ultrasound and says "there's the gestational sac" and takes a few measurements of it. Then she says "but there seems to be some sort of partition there too...I don't know what that means". ?!?! After the ultrasound she informs me that she thinks we should be seeing more than just a gestational sac at this point and she's worried that this is going to not end well. I point out my hcg levels and tell her that Dr. Harrison was pleased with them. She comments that the last one didn't double and that concerns her (ok, Debbie Downer). She says it's too early for her to say for sure what is happening but she wants more blood work done to see if the numbers have gone up or down and she schedules me for another ultrasound the following week.
She also proceeds to tell me that if I do miscarry at least I can be comforted in knowing that there was most likely a problem with the baby and at least I wouldn't "get a child with genetic defects". She also says if it is a blighted ovum I could take comfort in knowing that at least a baby never formed. What?! She makes me sick! We've been trying for 24 months and only had TWO positive pregnancy tests. The first one ended in miscarriage and it took me over a year to conceive again. Nothing would comfort me in losing my baby - nothing. I strongly dislike this doctor. If this pregnancy continues I will fight tooth and nail to not see her again and she will certainly not be delivering my baby.
We go to the hospital with my lab order. She has written "missed miscarriage" as my diagnosis...I hate that phrase. I feel numb. We've gone up and down - good news, bad news, uncertain news, good news, bad news, uncertain news. I don't even know how to react, but it takes everything I have to not cry my eyes out the rest of the day. I get my blood drawn and go home and just lay on the couch and cry most of the afternoon.
August 4: Dr. Campbell calls me and tells me that yesterday's hcg level was 5598! So, it's gone up and more than doubled. (Everything I have read on the internet says from 5-1200, levels double every 48 hours. From 1200-6000 they should double every 48-72 hours and from 6000 + they should double every 96 hours.) I am well within that range. Still, she's not convinced that everything is ok. She says she's still concerned that it could be an ectopic pregnancy. I told her that both she and Dr. Harrison checked for that. She says she wants another opinion and wants me to get another ultrasound, this time at the hospital. I am to continue getting my blood work done and keep my appointment for next Thursday. Her nurse calls me an hour later with my ultrasound appointment at the hospital. It's scheduled for August 5 at 2:00 pm.
This entire pregnancy has been up and down, back and forth. I am afraid to let myself "feel" pregnant, afraid to get too excited (even though most signs are pointing to everything being fine.) I am worried sick and I am sure the stress that they've put on me is worse than the spotting that originally started this cycle of testing and doctor visits. I've given it all to God. That is my only comfort at this time - that it is all in His hands. I've prayed daily for this baby and my own health and I've asked that His will be done, not my own.
posted by Mama M at
6:54 AM
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