Posts Tagged ‘doctors’
Misoprostol
When we heard the news that we had miscarried we were given three choices with how to deal with the situation.
1. Natural: letting the body deal with what had happened naturally.
I liked the idea of this because it meant that I wouldn’t be invaded in any way. We could let nature take its course and be given a time to say goodbye. I didn’t like the idea of this though because it meant a very drawn out process, it could take up to nine weeks for everything to be okay again, and as horrible as this sounds I wanted to move on from this period of my life as soon as possible so we could both start to look to the future.
2. D and C: surgery to remove the products of conception.
The only things about the D and C that appealled to me were the high success rate of the procedure and the fact that it would all be over within a day and the body could start healing all over again almost immediately. I didn’t like the idea of my uterus being scraped out. There was too much finality there without any sense of being able to say goodbye and the risk of something going wrong weighed heavily on me. I also don’t react to anaesthetic very well and didn’t like the idea of being put under without waking up to Ben holding my hand. This seemed like a last resort for me.
3. Misoprostol: tablets which dissolve and open up the cervix.
I ended up choosing this option because it was less invasive and had fewer risks than surgery while still being relatively quick compared waiting for things to occur naturally. It also meant that if it didn’t work I could have the D and C afterwards as a last reort. What I experienced though was not what I had entirely expected.
It was difficult I had to deal with emotional, physical and mental issues while the misoprostol took effect.
Mentally there was the worry that the pills wouldn’t do what they were suppossed to and I would have to undergo a D and C, which I really didn’t want to have to do. In the end they were 90% successful so I am currently on a second course of the tablets and hopefully when I go in to the hospital again next week, the pills will be successful and that will be our last visit. I was also worried about the amount of blood I was loosing. In the first four hours I had to change my pad seven times, it just seemed too much and I was scared I was going to pass out.
Physically it was a lot to deal with. I was perscribed pain killers but I still could feel a lot of pain especially as the first contractions of the uterus started. I was doubled over crying for Ben when they hit and couldn’t deal with what I was seeing or feeling. The pain is a constant dull pain like a strong period pain. While the pain killers and heat packs help I can still feel it there even now.
Emotionally I had to deal with a lot. Sure it was painful, sure I was worried at what was happening but the rush of emotion that overtook me when I started passing tissue was overwhelming. I cried as Ben held me, as I came to terms with what was happening. I was unreasonable and selfish in wht I wanted from the situation. I was hurting. The good thing though was I was able to say goodbye and know for certain that what I had once hoped for and held onto was now gone. I could begin to move on with my life.
Since going on the misoprostol I have been feeling impatient but also a whole lot better. My attitude is much more positive, I have more energy and I am conciously looking toward a happier future where hopefully, I will be pregnant again. I am impatient because I don’t want to wait but know that the real joy is in the waiting.
Through all of this Ben and I have had some wonderful staff look after us at King Edward Memorial Hospital. From newly trained doctors who were terrified to tell us the wrong thing in case we cried in front of them, to overprotective midwives who almost insisted that we cry. We hope, despite them being very nice people, that we won’t have to meet them again and if we do it is for a happy reason not a sad one.
Image by honikum (Flikr)
Okay so the last few days have been very confusing. I went to the doctors first of all to confirm the pregnancy. It seemed a little silly really. As far as I can tell they did the exact same test I did at home, pee in a cup and wait for the result. The worst part about the whole doctor visit was my usual GP has cut back her hours and now only works one day a week. I found a really nice doctor who looked after me when I had swine flu earlier in the year but he has now moved to Geralton. So I took a chance on a new doctor and I don’t like him at all and I don’t want to be stuck with him for nine months. If I’m going to have a GP I want it to be someone I can trust, talk to and understand.
There was a lot of confusion with the doctor I went to. He handed me a whole bunch of forms but didn’t explain any of them to me. It wasn’t until later in the day when I called my sister that she informed me I should have had a blood test. I looked through all the paperwork and there it was, a form for blood tests to be done. I was so confused. I never remembered the doctor saying anything about blood tests. Had he forgotten? Had he assumed I knew what was going on? I also found a perscription for some tablets that he had given me as I was paying my account. Not once did he explain what these tablets were for or why I was getting a perscription for them. Later Ben looked them up on the internet to find they are just a multi vitamin for pregnant women.
I was so confused and really unhappy with the way he had handled the first appointment. Now I’m faced with finding a new doctor. Exactly how do you interview doctors for the priveledge of being YOUR GP?
I also was given the sound advice by my sister to buy the book “What to expect when you are expecting” I looked at the cover in the bookstore and wasn’t impressed. It honestly looks like a 1970′s book cover and is completely aimed at the middle aged mum. Which I found really strange, wouldn’t you market your book to younger first time mums seeing as they are the most likely to buy the book?
Anyway the book was amazing. I read the two sections on ‘confirming preganancy’ and ‘so you are pregnant’ in one night (I was so tired when I went to bed though). It answered so many of my questions and raised a few too but all in a good way.
I’m starting to get really excited about this whole experience.
So the doctor did, what sounds like, the same test to confirm Emma is not just good with a red marker pen.
I understand that they don’t want millions of hysterical girls blocking up the waiting room in the next place, but it seemed a little expensive to pee in a cup! It’s just due process I guess. I’m sure there will be a bunch of that ahead of us.
Isn’t there like a flag or something we can set to skip the non-essential steps?
Now we have to discuss hospitals and doctors… Do I ask her about home birthing? Water babies? Do I buy a camera now? Am I expected to be In The Room – When It Happens?
Do I want to be in the room?
If I’m in there, am I expected to help?
Haven’t I done enough already?
