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Pregnant after a Loss
JennyLynne
member
Did not enjoy my 1st appointment...
JennyLynne
member
Disclaimer: a) I'm still pregnant--so I definitely know things could be much much worse. b) Today is the anniversary of my miscarriage c) I'm a little whiny/emotional today. d) this could be long
So it was my first appointment today with the nurse. I guess I didn't know what to expect, but what I got wasn't anywhere near what I thought today would be. I was super emotional in the waiting room for the appointment to begin with--exactly a year ago I started bleeding and had my first appointment. Last year when I got there, they sent me straight to the lab for HCG levels (which were way too low for being almost 6 weeks).
So here I am a year later and I felt like basically the appointment consisted of this nurse asking me just a few medical history questions, and reading me their pregnancy website (to which I said to my husband, if I wanted someone to read me the internet, I would turn my text to voice option on on the laptop). And most of the stuff they read to me, is on places like thebump & babycenter. She got all excited at one point (and again, I was really emotional in the room) and was like, "oh your due date is July 26th!" and I was feeling like, "Yeah. I know. TheBump uses the same calculator you just used."
THEN she starts talking about my future appts before she sends me to lab for blood work. And it turns out I get 1 ultrasound and it's not until 18 to 22 weeks. So that was a HUGE disappointment. And she could tell I was really freaked out by that, and she says to me, "It's normal to be concerned after a miscarriage, but once you get further in this pregnancy than in your last, you'll feel fine." At that point I wanted to burst into tears (and walk out of the room).
I then ask if they'll be testing HCG levels with the blood work she mentioned, and she says there's really no need. That there's nothing that an hcg test would show unless I come back for a follow-up, to which I said, "Yeah........I know". Now I get my bloodwork results back...and they did HCG. It was supposed to be the follow-up to the HCG I had done last year when I miscarried--they just never took it off the order (my HCG had already dropped so low in my mc, they didn't have me return for the follow-up test).
I'm frustrated and sad. I feel like this appointment was a letdown--I thought it was going to be a lot more informational and a lot more exciting.
ETA: Oh my god. This was long. Sorry!!!
BFP # 1 11/2011, MC 12/2011
BFP #2 11/2012, Delivered at 21 weeks on 3/16/13 due to complications with bilateral renal agenesis.
~~Missing Astrid Lynne~~
BFP#3: 09/2013, EDD 5/14/14
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Did not enjoy my 1st appointment...
Here's to better days!
Any chance you could email or call your doctor directly and request the HCG testing? There's not much a nurse could do but if you have doctor's consent, you have some more options.
Have you thought about getting a doppler for your home (though I know you can't use it for a while since they are not as sensitive as the medical dopplers). If all else happens that you can see an ultra sound until mid pregnancy, maybe you could go to an elective ultra sound elsewhere? I think it's comforting that we can have all these advances in technology to give us some options. I'm so sorry she wasn't sensitive to your concerns.
EDD 1/31/13, MC May 17. EDD 3/31/13, MC July 26. I miss you so much already my angel loves
Positive for HLA-B27, I'm a mutant
Testing - Me ok, gluten issue? DH - borderline count, low motility
4/28/11 IUI#1 = BFP!(5/25), EDD 2/2/12 - m/c 5w3d
7/3, 7/31, 9/25 - IUI#2-4=BFN
IVF#1 - 1 blast = BFP!! (12/30), EDD 9/9/12, confirmed c/p 4w2d
FET#1 3/2/12 - 2 blasts =BFP!! EDD 11/18/12, us#1 = twins! Confirmed m/c 5w6d
4/20-surprise BFP and another c/p 4w2d
FET#2 7/16/12 - 2 blasts = BFN
FET#3 8/20/12 - 1 blast - BFP!! Beta #1-2=177, 354
1st u/s 5w6d, one beautiful little HB
baby girl born 5/10/13
TTC#2 since 12/17/2014, Cycle 8
Repeat Testing...FSH=12, AMH=3.8, AFC=28.
IUI#5 5/10/15- c/p?
IVF#2 8/19/15 - cancelled due to cysts
IVF#2 take two 10/2015 - 5 blasts frozen
FET#4 12/11/2015 - BFN - 4 blasts remaining
FET#5 2/18/16 - BFP!!! Beta1-3, 126, 250, 745!!
Tons of love and ((hugs)) to my IF sister NMscubagirl
My Blog!
TTC #1 since 11/1/2011
Me: 28 DH: 29
DX: Hypothyroidism (2004) & Possible PCOS (2/2012)
CD3 b/w: Elevated LH:FSH ratio HSG: All clear! Y-shaped Uterus; SA: Normal
Round 1 of Clomid (50mg) 8/28-9/1: BFP!
BFP #1: 9/23/12 Edd: 6/4/2013. M/C 9/28/12 @ 4w4d
Round 2 of Clomid (100mg) 10/3-10/7: BFP!
BFP #2: 11/3/12 Edd: 7/16/2013. mmc discovered at 18w2d (our baby girl stopped developing at 15w3d due to Down's Syndrome). d&e 2/15/13
3/28/13: "quite a few" uterine polyps and scar tissue discovered.
Hysteroscopy (4/16/13): Polyps, Scar Tissue removed. Septate confirmed & removed.
Appt with new RE 5/30/13
Surprise BFP (with no treatment!) 6/30/13
Our perfect little boy was born 3/11/14 - 9lbs 2oz, 21 1/4"
I will say in my area, it's common practice to not have labs done (betas etc) or an u/s until that time and only 1
I only had an u/s and blood work with all my pregnancies b/c I had bleeding/spotting/passed clots etc.
It still sucks...maybe see if you cn talk to the doc about your concerns etc and see if they'll get you scheduled
PgAL/PAL welcome, always!
Same here when I was in the States. One u/s at 20 weeks, and I only had labs done because the nurse knew I was coming off a m/c and I specifically requested them.
BFP1: DD1 born April 2011 at 34w1d via unplanned c/s due to HELLP, DVT 1 week PP
BFP3: DD2 born Feb 2013 at 38w4d via unplanned RCS due to uterine dehiscence
I'm sorry you were disappointed! Reading you the website?? What a waste of everyone's time! I hope your appointments get better from here on out.
It's pretty normal not to have HCG levels checked unless you have some reason (spotting, etc). And a lot of practices don't do an ultrasound until 18/20 weeks -- again, unless there's a medical indication. Hang in there. I know it's hard, believe me. But look at it this way -- I've had five ultrasounds and at least 8 blood draws so far, because I was having bleeding and pain. You DON'T want to deal with that. I know ultrasounds are really reassuring (I am not having another until 20 weeks and I'm nervous about it too!) but at least you can be glad you don't have a reason for them to do that! They aren't doing it because they think everything looks just fine for you right now. That's good news!
I really don't have any advice but wanted to say that I am sorry anyways!
It almost seems pointless to have you come in for an appt if that was all that they were going to do. INTERNET HUGS!!
BFP#2 5/28/2011, EDD 2/1/2012, chemical pg
BFP#3 10/22/2011, EDD 6/30/2012, natural m/c 11/3/2011 @ 6 weeks
BFP#4 4/16/2012, EDD 12/24/2012, Beta #1 23 @ 10dpo, Beta #2 68 @ 12dpo, Beta #3 370 @ 16dpo, Saw baby and heartbeat on 5/11/2012.
It's a boy!
M/C 7/8/12
Perfect baby boy born 7/8/13
BFP 8/20/14 EDD 4/27/15 It's a GIRL!!
Who is the best? The ladies of PgAL! Thanks to all of you for the e-hugs!
I'm going to make a call to my insurance company today and see what the deal is on u/s. I'm guessing it's both the practice and the insurance company's policy to do just the 1. We just have two hospitals where I live and the business I work for gets their insurance from the one I go to (which is the only one I can go to because of that).
Again, thank you so much ladies!
My heart is as open as the sky.
Read about it on the blog
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
That sounds really frustrating! We (PgALers) really NEED to have something done to comfirm the pregnancy. U/S, betas, whatever. Something that lets us know that our pregnancy is progressing as it should be. I'm so sorry you didn't get that.