So I had my scan this morning. First they did an abdominal scan (I was thinking, "What?!" - what are they going to see at 4 weeks, that way, lol?!!), and of course they saw nothing, so they sent me to empty my bladder before the internal scan. They asked me to save the sample for testing - WHOOPS! I had just been to the loo before heading out to the hospital! I gave them what I had, though, and they used it to take a pregnancy test. I heard the nurse say quietly, "It's very faint...", which made me feel discouraged, but then I remembered that hospital tests measure at 50miU (home tests are 25miU sensitive, and the super sensitive ones are 10miU!), and I had only just done my FMU down the toilet at home! So I tried to let that one roll off my back.
The sonographer was lovely and reassuring. She looked all over my uterus but did not see a THING. She could see a corpus luteal cyst on my ovary (I forget which side) which is consistent with pregnancy, and noted that my decidua (lining of my womb) is 9mm thick. I asked if that was normal for pregnancy and she said yes, it was a good thickness for a healthy pregnancy. She could see a pocket of fluid, but nothing else. She reassured me that it was probably just too early, and sent me to wait to see the doctor.
After AGES, I saw the doctor, who examined my tummy and asked detailed questions about my symptoms and bleeding, etc. My bleeding is exactly the same today as it has been for 7 days now. It is like a constant drip. Sometimes it seems like I have hours without any, and then I will go to the loo and have some run out, like it was collecting somewhere. Otherwise it's a steady amount (not a lot, but much more than just spotting) all day and all night. Always either bright red, or more commonly dark red. Very rarely brown. So I told her all this in answer to her questions.
She said that because I have had pain (in the first few days of the bleeding, which I told her I thought was implantation cramping) and am bleeding, and because I am pregnant (by urine test and uterine lining) and they have not visualised anything in my womb yet, they can't rule out ectopic pregnancy. As such they are treating me as a potential emergency case, until they can rule it out, just to be on the safe side. I HOPE that's all it will ever be - on the safe side! :/ The doctor said that she would discuss with the consultant what the plan of action should be, and then let me know, so back I went to wait in the waiting room. After she called me back, she took blood from me to test for my hcg levels and progesterone levels - I have never had a beta done before! :) They do it over in the States but not here.
When she looked at the clock and said, "If we do this now, it should be back by this evening, and we will give you a call by 7pm to let you know what will happen next." - that's when I realised she meant what she said about the potential emergency case! Same day results on the NHS?!! :-O They are taking awesome care of me, and I'm so happy with how thorough they are being. She said that depending on the results, either they might indicate a failing pregnancy and maybe that would be the reason for my bleeding (she referred to the very faint positive on the urine test, though I set her straight on the bold lines of my home tests and the fact that I went to the loo before coming to the hospital!), OR they might be within normal levels. Based on the results, they might have me come back in 48 hours for a repeat blood test, or arrange a follow-up scan.
A sweet nurse called at 5.30pm and said that my results were in! She said my hcg count was consistent with a well-implanted pregnancy (what a wonderful thing that was to my ears - "well-implanted pregnancy"!! Relief!), and that my progesterone levels were "nice and high" to sustain the pregnancy, but that it looked like it was just "very early days yet". My count was 147 at 17DPO, which I thought was maybe on the low side, but apparently anything over 100 means no repeat blood test as it's deemed to be progressing healthily, and a scan is usually arranged next. So she calculated that with my hcg levels doubling every 48-72 hours (if they do...), we should be able to see something on ultrasound if I come back a week from today. I will be 5 weeks and 3 days - SEE?!?!! This is why they should've listened to me in the first place, lol! I will DEFINITELY lie next time about the date of my last period. I always do. I'm frustrated that I forgot to this time! Ah well.
So I have a week to wait, but I'm greatly encouraged by my hcg count and the fact that my progesterone is nice and high, because I had started to worry about it maybe being low and that's why I'm bleeding. Hopefully my numbers will multiply enough over the week for them to be high enough to visualise at least the gestational sac next week. They want to visualise a pregnancy within my uterus, so that they can rule out ectopic pregnancy. I am a bit worried about it, but I'm trying not to, despite the fact that I EXCEL at these things! ;) I have been having twinges and pulling pains in my right side, inside my hip but low into my pubic bone/groin almost all day. For the first few hours I figured they were early pregnancy "settling" or "burrowing" pains, but now I am paranoid... It's nice and early, and I know that I can call them if anything gets worse.
I am still nauseous, yuck. I have to have something with me all the time in case I start feeling too queasy. Right now that something is sugar - boiled fruit sweets, or Fox's glacier mints. :) Sucking or crunching a couple of those helps a lot, for the time being, maybe for 5 or 10 minutes, and then the return of the nausea is gradual so it buys me some time. It's still not overwhelming, and I am nervously bracing myself for the weeks to come when it will "kick in" (making this seem like a walk in the park) and knock me for six. Oh please let it not be toooo bad!!! I have seven little ones to keep up with and provide food and hygiene for! :/ With it starting this early, I am also worried it will be worse than usual when it gets going properly. I do NOT want to be sick!!! Even spending most of my waking hours for weeks on end feeling like I was constantly literally ABOUT to, I never actually did. And I don't want to change that this time! :/
So that is today's news. My temp was almost identical to yesterday's (36.87 instead of 36.86), nice and high, and I didn't test today because I knew I was going to the hospital. Now that I have a positive blood test with an actual quantitative hcg result, I don't need to take any more tests, unless things change like a week down the line and I wonder if I am miscarrying or something. Same with temping. So I think my chart is complete, at 17 days past ovulation! :) SO surreal to be putting closure on a new pregnancy chart and moving on to actual PREGNANCY!!! I so hope everything will be okay, and my baby is in my womb, and my bleeding is harmless and will clear up soon. Once I can get to the next scan and see an intra-uterine pregnancy, and hopefully either the bleeding is going or else they can tell me from the scan why it's happening, then I will feel ready to embrace the whole thing without hesitating somewhat to protect myself in case I lose my little one. Right now I feel pretty detached from any emotions over that - I can discuss it and feel pretty matter-of-fact about the possibility. It doesn't fill me with dread, it just seems like it will be a shame, but "one of those things". I know that can't possibly be realistic of me - it is sure to be heartbreaking and I am sure to need to grieve if it happens, but I am taking care to stay at arms length right now so that I don't plunge into that when it might not even be warranted, you know? I can't wait to relax and be fully excited and look ahead with joy, thinking about the future for this baby, and names and due dates, etc. And announcing! :) I do already have a plan for announcing this pregnancy, and have even bought a few necessary bits and bobs... I will use them another time if need be, but it's a SECRET! Even from my bloggy readers! :P For now...
Thanks for keeping up with my news and leaving me encouragement and well wishes, and for praying for me and my sweet baby. My eighth baby... wow. That hasn't actually sunk in yet - one of the things at arms length... but HOW BLESSED?!! Eight babies. :)