A Testimony from another Ectopic Survivor

I am very passionate about promoting awareness about Ectopic Pregnancies....

Perhaps because I know I am one of the lucky ones that survived a life

threatening situation....

In a country like ours in Nigeria, where medical care may not be accessible to all, 

it is important to raise awareness....

Many times we hear a woman died of pregnancy complications and in many cases 

complications from an Ectopic pregnancy was the cause of death....

With awareness and quick medical intervention, we can reduce the number of deaths 

from this .....

Below is another story from a Survivor....Do read and spread the word......

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Last December I was pregnant and so happy about it. I got pregnant after only trying for 

4 months. I had some bleeding at the beginning, I thought I was having a light period and 

it was only after my mom said that you can bleed during a pregnancy that I took a test.

Then at 7 weeks I thought I miscarried. I had a lot of bleeding and I went to the emergency 

room but after waiting 4 hours without seeing a doctor, I convinced my husband that we 

should go home and I would talk to my family doctor the next day. (I know stupid idea. 

But I was sad and tired and I just wanted my bed.) 

Well, the next day I called my doc and realized that she was on vacation for a week. 

Both of my sisters and my mom have had miscarriages so I thought it was something 

that I would inevitably have to face. The bleeding finally stopped 

(I didn't bleed that much really.). 

When I saw my family doc a week later I told her what happened and she gave me a 

pelvic exam and told me it was a m/c and that my uterus had gone back to normal. 

I think it was because she also knew my family history of m/c that she didn't order 

any tests, not even a blood test.

I went about my life as usual, I felt fine and was focusing on just trying to get 

pregnant again. I did have spotting after I saw my doc and I took another pregnancy test 

just to see what it would say. It said Positive. Well that freaked me out so I called the hotline 

that they have in my city and spoke to a nurse. I think she just googled the answer; and said 

that after a m/c you can have a false positive for up to a month. So that set my mind at ease

 and I decided I would just take another test when my month was up. 

(I didn't call my doc and tell her about the test though, Again Stupid, I know.)

Well less than a month later, I was taking a 10 hours drive to go visit my mother, alone. 

Luckily I only made it 1.5 hours away from home, when I got horrible pains in my stomach 

and started feeling VERY weak. Remember at this time I didn't think I was still pregnant so 

I just thought I was getting the terrible flu that was going around.

I really thought I was getting terrible diarrhea and looked to pull off the highway for a 

bathroom. I finally found a Ducan Doughnuts not far from the highway. 

At this point my arms were so weak that I could barely steer my car. 

I found the bathroom but I didn't have to go. That was when I started getting worried. 

I called my sister from the bathroom stall and told her that I wouldn't be able to drive home. 

I was too weak and thought I would fall asleep driving. 

She thought I was just being a baby (I'm not usually very tough when I get a flu.) 

but agreed to come get my with my 17 year old niece. 

It took her about 2 hours to get there, I put the seat back in my car and sat in the 

parking lot with these huge pains going all though my stomach. 

All I wanted to do was sleep. My sister kept texting me, asking how I was but I was too 

tired to answer. Finally she called and told me to answer her freaking calls, I told her that 

I just wanted to sleep. That was when she started to get very worried.

When she finally arrived, I got out of the car but I could barely walk. 

My sister tried to hold me up and walk me into the DD because I really needed to go 

to the bathroom. My sister had a broken arm though, and when we walked towards 

the door I fell and she wasn't able to catch me. I hit my face on the door. 

I remember saying "ow my nose". Then I passed out cold.

When I woke out my sister was slapping me across the face telling me to wake up 

and calling 911 at the same time. I had never fainted before. Then I realized that 

when i passed out, I lost control of my bowels and my urine, right there laying on 

the floor of Ducan doughnuts. I was so weak I wasn't even that embarrassed, 

I just asked my niece to help me to the bathroom. Then I started to throw up. 

(oh ya, I was a pretty picture.)

I lay down on the bathroom floor until the paramedics arrived. Gross I know, 

but I was sooo tired. My sister did everything she could to keep me awake. 

And she kept trying to take my pulse. She said she could not find a pulse, 

I said: "If I don't have a pulse, Daphne, that means I'm dead." I was joking 

but it was much truer than I thought.

The ambulance arrived and they put me on a stretcher. They also couldn't find 

a pulse. My blood pressure was too low. That was my first and hopefully last time

 in an ambulance. I was freezing and each bump made the pain in my belly 

unbearable. My sister said the ambulance was going faster than 160 km/h.

My husband arrived at the hospital not long after I got there. They did an

ultrasound and said they couldn't see anything in my belly because my abdomen 

was too full of fluid. Fluid = Blood.

By this point I figured it was an ectopic pregnancy. So i was just worried that they 

would take my tube.

They stripped me naked right there on the table with 10 people in the room and 

and the door wide open. I didn't even care. It's funny how when you are dying, 

little things like self-consciousness and pride go right out the window.

They had doped me up by this time and I remember saying to my husband and my sister: 

"Are they going to gut me?" I was thinking about the huge scar on my mother's stomach

 when she had her gall bladder out years ago.

Well medical technology has greatly improved. They didn't gut me, but I did feel very 

very bad when I woke. I spent the whole next night puking because of what they 

used to put me to sleep. Which hurt the cuts on my stomach like hell. 

Luckily my husband was given a bed in the same room as me and he helped 

me so much.

I didn't find out until the next day that they had taken out my left tube. 

They left the ovary though. The doctor said I was VERY lucky to be alive. 

My tube had burst while I was driving.I lost more than half my blood. I forget 

how many liters but I lost most of them.

It is very terrifying to realize that I lay in my car in a parking lot full of 

people bleeding to death. I didn't once think about asking someone there 

for help and I would have never considered calling an ambulance for myself. 

If it had been someone in my family that it was happening to I would have 

called 911 immediately but for myself, it never crossed my mind. 

I wouldn't want to seem stupid if I all I had was the stomach flu. 

Sometimes ladies, we really don't have our own best interests in mind.

The good news was that the doctors said that I had as much chance as anyone 

to become pregnant again. My other ovary and tube would take over and 

I should start ovulating from that one. We had to wait 2 months before trying again. 

I only have 4 little scars on my lower belly.

The best news, of course, is that I am now 10 weeks pregnant. It took 7 months to 

get pregnant again. And so far so good. We aren't telling people until 

I am 3 months along, just in case.

So ladies, that is my story. I hope that it helps you recognize the signs. 

My advice is : You have to be your own advocate! You have to ask for tests 

if you're worried and if you are ever too weak to answer the damn phone you 

MUST call 911. I didn't and I almost died at 24 years old.

      

Story and Pictures Culled from:

http://www.whattoexpect.com/forums/september-2010-babies/topic/my-ectopic-pregnancy-story-please-read-it-might-help-you.html