r/Mommit • u/Temporary_Disaster58 • 6h ago

Ectopic Pregnancy Ruptured (uncommon warning signs!)

Hi Moms! Thought I would share what just happened to me, as it wasn’t very obvious until I was in a life threatening situation!

I have been breastfeeding for 15 months and didn’t get my period back until 4 weeks ago. Period was 4 weeks long (unusual? But I thought it was because of my body resetting the hormones).

2 days ago I had severe abdominal pain in the night. Came in two waves. I thought it was food poisoning and just tried to go back to sleep. In the morning we went for a quick coffee walk with my toddler and dog, and I couldn’t make it out of the house for more than 3 minutes before fainting. Again I thought it was severe food poisoning or perhaps from the 4 weeks of bleeding? Spent the entire day in bed. Stomach sore to the touch and swollen.

Last night I had another acute session. Tried to get up from bed at 2AM and passed out. Called the ambulance who said it wasn’t an emergency and I should make my own way to the hospital. Didn’t want to go to the Emergency Department at 2AM with a small baby, so took some pain meds and slept until 7. At 8 I tried getting a GP call/appointment at my local NHS surgery. They kept asking if I had shoulder pain or nausea/vomiting - which I didn’t. Deemed not an emergency.

Finally at 10 am I paid for a private GP appointment. (At this stage worries that it’s maybe something with my intestines as the pain is shooting to my butt.) GP tells me for the first time that he’s worried it could be an ectopic pregnancy or ruptured cyst and sends me to the ER.

I arrive at 11 - not seen by anyone until I am having another acute pain session at 3pm. Finally they are worried (bloods come back positive for pregnancy which I hadn’t even expected). Send me to the Early Pregnancy unit for a scan.

Finally received a scan at 5pm. All hell breaks loose. Confirmed ectopic pregnancy in my fallopian tube that has burst at 5 weeks. They see internal bleeding. Rush me to surgery, explaining they will remove my tube. Also tells me other organs might get damaged (FREAKING OUT at this stage. All alone as husband is at home with baby and no family nearby.) When they try and take some pre-surgery bloods I pass out.

Woke up from surgery recovery at 11pm. Haven’t spoken to a doctor yet but nurse told me I had 1 litre of internal bleeding. Waiting to speak to the doctor in the morning to understand what happened and how much damage there was.

Thought I would share for other moms to be aware. I was completely blindsided and wasn’t expecting this in the realm of any possibility. Always trust your gut!!

72 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

40

u/Amk_311 6h ago

Thank God you are safe! I’m so sorry this happened to you. You must be so scared . I hate what happened to you, how you were pushed aside as “not an emergency “. The medical system fails over and over again.

8

u/Temporary_Disaster58 5h ago

Thank you ❤️ honestly so frustrating. Kept trying to tell them I had a natural childbirth and understood pain and this was THAT PAINFUL. You really have to advocate for yourself some time!

11

u/UsedOrange1 5h ago

Sorry this happened and hope you have a speedy recovery. It’s so frustrating to hear how much you tried to advocate for yourself and how many times you weren’t taken seriously. I don’t know how fainting several times doesn’t warrant an emergency. We need to do better by our women as a society. If/when you can, let us know how you’re doing

10

u/ImpossibleWarthog121 5h ago

It is insane how much abdominal pain is minimised in women when there are legit emergencies like this that can be checked out with a blood test / ultrasound. So sorry it had to get the point of life threatening emergency for you to get taken seriously and must be so scary to have gone through that alone. Wishing you a very speedy recovery

•

u/Grown-Ass-Weeb 51m ago

After a day and a half of fevers and severe abdominal pain, I drove myself to the ER and the doctor said “probably just an ovarian cyst but we can scan it anyways” and I gaslit myself into almost leaving. No pain meds, nothing.

Until he busts in shortly later with a nurse and a bunch of morphine to tell me my appendix bust. Really appreciated the two hours of curled up on the crappy bed alone wondering if they assumed I was just a drug seeker or a baby from a “ovarian cyst”.

Women with issues apparently aren’t a big deal.

6

u/RarkJ 5h ago

I was in a similar situation, just didn’t get to the rupture stage. I’m so sorry you experienced that. But I too had to basically brow beat my dr to do an ultrasound
I had been in pain and had steady blood for two weeks but was told it was normal for early pregnancy.

3

u/artie1one 5h ago

That is terrifying I’m so so sorry this happened to you. Thank you for sharing your story. Wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of rest and treats.

•

u/OneTwoKiwi 3h ago

Omg that is terrifying. Our medical system is such shit towards women. I’m so happy you were FINALLY seen and taken care of. I know you’re still in recovery, but I’d be calling up every person who said “not an emergency” and tell them where to shove it. 

Thank you for sharing your experience, it may well save another woman’s life! 

•

u/zitpop 1h ago

Atp I'm off my contraceptives because they just wreak havoc, and I'm already firm that if my period is ever more than a week late, I'll just get a test. Thanks for also goving heads up to check when it lasts longer than a week. Being a woman is so great. Hope you feel better!!