The Complications I Am Forced to Call my Reality

For me, life has always been a challenge. I’ve faced an abusive relationship I was too afraid to escape, having a child at 16, a near fatal car accident, graduation as a junior, starting college as a sophomore, getting married at 19, having a special needs child, wisdom teeth extraction and the emergency surgery from the infection that followed, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. My latest challenge in life happened to me yesterday.
The day before my birthday (January 13) we found out I was pregnant with out fifth child. We were ecstatic! I was five weeks along at that time. The past couple weeks everything has been going well. I got my first OB appointment made with our doctor, started taking my prenatal vitamin and began to watch what I was eating with more interest. We hadn’t really told anyone yet because it’s always good to wait until 12 weeks just in case that rare possibility of complications. Unfortunately, it wasn’t such a rare chance for me.
A couple days ago I began to have heavy cramping, but no bleeding so it was just assumed that the uterus was doing its thing and getting all ready for the baby growing inside. The next day I began to notice some brown spotting and was told it was most likely dry blood and is also typical with a pregnancy. Yesterday though, yesterday was different. The cramps and spotting were both back and it felt like I was being tortured. The cramps were so heavy at times I was brought to my knees in agony and broke into cold sweats and felt extremely nauseous and light headed. I called the doctor once again and he scheduled for me to have blood work and an ultrasound.
The blood work was a quick in and out and then I sat nervously waiting for my ultrasound. At first the nurse used the tool and looked from the outside of my belly, but her results were somewhat inconclusive so she decided to do a vaginal ultrasound as well. As she would move the wand on the right side, a sharp shooting pain was sent through my body. After taking dozens of images, she told me she had spoken with my doctor and he had wanted me to go to the ER and see the doctor on call and discuss my options. Immediately I broke out in tears, I knew I lost the baby. How lost though at this point I wasn’t aware which is why I needed to go to the on call doctor.
Once I got over to the ER they did vitals and got me into a gown. I knew it was bad. The doctor came in and told me I had an ectopic pregnancy, where the baby begins to develop in the Fallopian tube as opposed to the uterus where it should be. I was informed usually a patient can take some medication and be able to release the fetus that way, but my situation was a little more unique than that and I was going to require surgery…immediately. If you thought I was freaking out before, now I was hysterical. Why would I require surgery though? Because there was a rupture from the fetus and I was bleeding internally.
Image surgeon came in and spoke with me, letting me know what may or may not happen depending on what they find when they get in there. He said if possible he was going to try to repair the Fallopian tube and keep it in tact, but he wouldn’t know until he got in there what the extent of the damage was. I was taken to the OR, given some anesthesia and was out like a light. About 1 1/2 hours later I came to and the nurse told me what had happened in my surgery. They made 3 separate incisions in my stomach. The fetus was removed along with my right Fallopian tube because it had ruptures and was causing me to bleed internally and there had been a lot of blood. They were able to stop the bleeding luckily and said it was very good that I had come in when I did because I could have been in a lot of danger had I waited much longer. Josh says I have a knack for knowing when to get it to a doctors office for these types of things.
So to sum up January 29th, I lost a baby. I lost a Fallopian tube and the chances of me having another baby is decreased by 50% now. I’m only 24 years old. This is still so surreal to me mainly because I never got to hear this baby’s heartbeat or see it in the ultrasound as a healthy child. I do believe the fetus was a child though and am very much in pain at the loss of my fifth child. I was only 7 weeks and 6 days along so I will be living in a world of unknowns and what ifs. Such is life though. I will get though this, we as a family will get through this and hopefully be able to overcome the pain it has brought.
I ask that you take the time to please pray for a quick recovery for me as life will not be stopping because of this loss. My daughter will still have doctor appointments in Sioux Falls, therapies in OC and need to be getting to and from school everyday. I don’t expect any pity for this as I am not the first or last person to have an ectopic pregnancy, I just ask that you understand if I don’t happen to be in the mood to make a post for a few days.
Thanks for the continued love and support.