Hasta la vista 2010? Why did I name this blog that you ask? Because I have never been so ready for one year to end in my entire life.
2010 has been a year full of major lows. It felt like we, my family and I, suffered blow after blow after blow. Things that you never imagine or even think about happened this year.
To begin with, Wesley and I had not one, but two miscarriages this year. Losing two babies in one year is something that I would NEVER wish even on my worst eniemies. But most of you who read this blog know the hardships that Wesley and I have experienced this year. We hope and pray that this next year will bring only good things to our family.
Through my reading and studying the who, what, wheres of miscarriages; I also read up on Ectopic pregnancies (along with many other CRAZY things that can go wrong in pregnancy). I learned that only 2% of all pregnancies are ectopic or tubal. Just like with an early miscarriage most women never know if they even have an ectopic pregnancy because it is reabsorbed by the body before any symptoms occur. Unfortunately this was not the case for my sister…
Most of you that know me, know that my younger sister (only sibling) had no problem conceiving and giving birth to my beautiful and incredible nephew, Khade (You have seen lots of pictures and know just how special he is to me) two years ago. This past month Brandy experienced an ectopic pregnancy. This just like the miscarriages was the first time my family had experienced such a heartache.
It all began when Brandy’s husband Trevin took her to the ER one night because she was bleeding and in extreme pain. At the ER Brandy found out that she was pregnant and had a urinary tract infection. The ER doctor was concerned about the pregnancy since some of the symptoms were signs of an ectopic pregnancy and told her to see her OBGYN for a follow-up. Brandy did just that. She saw her OBGYN the following Monday.
She received her bloodwork back on Tuesday and was told that she was indeed pregnant and her progesterone was low. She was placed (just like I had been with both pregnancies) on a progesterone supplement. She was nervous as anyone would be, but I tried my best to encourage her while yet being very honest with her. Her doctor continued to monitor her hCG (pregnancy hormone) level to be sure that everything was developing correctly for the next week, every other day.
*Keep in mind that at this time I was impressed with her doctor, Dr. Snowman, since she seemed to be on top of all of it. She seemed to be concerned and was having Brandy come in every other day for bloodwork.*
Brandy’s hCG levels and progesterone continued to rise as they should throughout that week until Friday. She got her results for her Friday bloodwork on Monday and found out that the number did rise, but not at the rate that they would like to see. (According to most a women’s hCG level during early pregnancy should raise by at least 60% in 24 hours and double within 72 hours) This caused all of us to panic once again…the doctor wanted her to come back in and have more bloodwork done and to have an ultrasound to see if they could find anything. Of course it was too early for anything to be seen on ultrasound.
On Wednesday, Brandy went in to meet with Dr. Snowman and was told that her hCG levels had tripled since Friday and that all was okay after all. I was keeping Khade that day and I remember the relief that both of us felt in that moment. I just kept thanking God that everything was going to be okay after all. All of that would change dramatically in less than 24 hours…
At about 7:30 Thursday morning I received an upsetting text from Brandy regarding the pregnancy. She told me that she was now bleeding and was experiencing some pain. I told her to contact her doctor and see what she should do. Throughout the day, I continued to receive texts from Brandy about her worsening condition. The pain became much, much worse throughout the day and all new symptoms began to come up. Brandy did call her doctor and her doctor said that everything was okay and that she should just take it easy for the rest of the day. And of course even though I began to urge her to go to the ER even if it was just for peace of mind, she would not because her doctor said it was not necessary.
After receiving text after text all day long, all of the sudden I did not hear from Brandy for over two hours. I was a nervous wreck!!! I could feel it, I knew something was really wrong. I tried texting her, I tried calling her, and no answer. Finally after I had got into bed for the night, my mom called to tell me that Trevin had taken Brandy to the ER. The ER doctors were unsure what was wrong, but believed it was her gallbladder and an infection in her stomach. They said that they could not do anything until talking with Dr. Snowman since she was pregnant. Well, Dr. Snowman refused to come in to the hospital that night to see Brandy and so my sister layed in a bed in EXTREME pain (they could not give her any hardcore pain meds due to the pregnancy) while her doctor got to sleep in peace at home! I told my mom to keep me in the loop and if I was needed I would be on the way.
I just knew it was the baby…None of this had started happening until Brandy found out she was pregnant! I told Wesley that I hoped I was wrong, but I just knew it. The next morning (Friday) my mother called to update me on Brandy. She had internal bleeding and were planning on scoping her to find out where the bleeding was coming from. I was panicked!!! My sister is like my other half. I have always treated her like she is my child rather than my sister. I have always felt like I needed to take care of her. I got immediately into the car and started traveling to the hospital. During this time, Dr. Snowman finally decided to show up and they decided officially that Brandy had an ectopic pregnancy.
Because of Dr. Snowman’s absolute negligence and stupidity, my sister had to have one of her fallopian tubes removed. Not only that, but she actually almost died from the internal hemorraging.
After all of this we have found out that Brandy, in fact, had EVERY symptom of an ectopic pregnancy. So much so that I could have diagnosed her as having one. This is what makes this whole thing so upsetting. Not only did the doctor refuse to check on Brandy the night she was in the hospital, but she absolutely refused to look at the symptoms and make the call. And honestly, if an ectopic is caught early enough a simple Methotrexate shot can be given and no surgery is needed.
Here is a list according to WebMD and the Mayo Clinic of ectopic pregnancy symptoms (the ones Brandy experienced are in red):
- Vaginal Bleeding
- Lower abdominal pain
- Cramping on one side of the pelvis
And then a list of the symptoms of a ruptured fallopian tube (red again):
- Sharp, stabbing pain in the pelvis, abdomen, or even the shoulder and neck
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
And a list of symptoms where a woman should immediately call 911 (highlighted once again):
- Severe abdominal pain
- Heavy vaginal bleeding
- Shoulder pain
- Extreme lightheadedness, fainting or shock
Now here is my question: why did Dr. Snowman not see Brandy immediately and why did she keep telling her not to worry? Anyone can see that Brandy OBVIOUSLY was not okay and in fact had the ectopic pregnancy that Dr. Snowman was (at the beginning) believing she might have. This is just another example of how you MUST be the one to take care of yourself. No one will care as much as you!
I am proud to report that Brandy has made a full recovery and is now seeing a new OBGYN. We are hopeful, as always, that she will be able to have another child with no complications. Thanks to everyone for all their prayers and well wishes this year!!!
