Her Story

I found out I was pregnant in March 2001.  I was about two weeks late for my period, and had blood work done.  I came back positive, and I was shocked!  I have to be honest, I cried because I was so scared.  I could believe I was actually pregnant!  It was on a Wednesday when I found out and by Friday, I started to experience mild cramping.  I called my doctor (who knows I am a worry wart), and he told me to relax.  He said that if I were having an ectopic pregnancy, I would have been doubled over in pain and the location of the pain was not where it would typically be with an ectopic.  To relieve my worries, he sent me to the hospital for a transvaginal ultrasound.  I asked him what was going to happen if it was ectopic, and he said he would not get into that with me because he felt it was not ectopic.  There I was on the table, having the TVU, and the technician was poking around and asking questions.  She left the room and then a senior tech came in and he poked around, too.

At this point, I knew something was wrong.  Then both technicians left the room.  They were calling in doctor to take a look.  I sat there in the room alone and cried, thinking please tell me what is going on!  The doctor came in and told me to get dressed.  I went back into the waiting room where my husband was and just cried.  He was asking me what was wrong, and I could not even tell him because I didn't know!  I just knew something was wrong.  Then the doctor came over and told me that my pregnancy was ectopic and that he was calling my OB/GYN.  I had to be admitted right there and then.  While they prepped me, I cried to my husband, "I am so scared.  I am going to be afraid to try again."

I woke up from the surgery and they told me that they had to take my right tube because it had ruptured.  I was still in shock that I had just had emergency surgery that I really did not have time to realize the fact that I now only had one fallopian tube. It hit me when my mother and I were talking the day I got home from the hospital.  She was telling me that the doctor came to talk to her and my husband while I was in recovery, and she started to cry.  I felt I had to be strong for her and told her, "Mom, I am okay."  She was thinking ahead-about the possibility of a struggle to conceive.

We waited for the time to try again and all of my fears were gone!  I wanted to try again!  October came and I was due for my period on the 7th.  I was so anxious I ran down to my OB/GYN for a test because I did not get my period!  The urine test read negative.  While I was talking to the nurses in the office, the doctor came in the room and looked at the test and it had turned positive!  I had no idea, and he walked over to me to say congratulations!  I looked behind me to who he was talking to.  I realized it was me!

It was a faint positive, so I went directly to the lab and had an HCG blood test done.  By now I am nervous wreck, thinking it was going to be an ectopic again.  By the second day, I felt some cramping.  I very cautiously called my doctor and he sent me for another TVU and HCG blood test.  I had the blood done STAT, and went for the TVU.  The tech said he did not see anything abnormal, but it was too soon and that I should come back.  I left with a sigh of relief (for now).  As I was walking out the door, my doctor called me on the cell phone.  He had the results of the HCG.  He said that my levels had dropped and that I was going to miscarry.  I got in the car and just cried again.

I saw the pain in my husband's eyes.  He could not do anything for me.  Within two days, I had a heavy/crampy period.  My doctor reminded me that I have to see the bright side of this-that I know I can get pregnant.  I have to admit I was glad it was a miscarriage and not another ectopic.  We waited the two months, and we are trying again!  My doctor suggested taking Clomid to enhance my chances, and we may take that route.