My body imploded on itself (aka, update on my condition)
Apr 20, 2016 8:45:55 GMT -5
Post by peanutmuse on Apr 20, 2016 8:45:55 GMT -5
I wanted to put you all in the loop about my current situation, since I've talked about it around here a few times...
As many of you know, I had an extremely rare condition called heterotopic pregnancy, which is a viable pregnancy in my uterus as well as an ectopic pregnancy in my tube. In spontaneous pregnancies, the odds of this happening are 1:30,000. The ectopic pregnancy was being monitored regularly. We were hoping it might dissolve on its own to avoid surgery while I had the other viable pregnancy.
On Sunday afternoon, the ectopic in my tube ruptured. I had to have emergency surgery and it was touch and go for a while. The ectopic was slowly leaking first -- and causing pain and other symptoms -- which is why I went in to the ER. I just knew something was wrong. The doctors actually watched it rupture while giving me an ultrasound. It was originally going to be laparoscopic surgery, but the rupture was so severe that they ended up needing to do a laparotomy (open pelvic incision) in order to save my life. It was like a scene from an ER drama -- nurses cutting my clothes off, 8 people working on me at once, and I came within a sliver of cardiac failure. I lost half of my blood in a matter of minutes and needed a blood transfusion of 2 liters. I had to stay in ICU for a day, but I am in a regular maternity room now. The good news is that the regular ultrasounds I have had in the past few days have shown that the baby in my uterus is still ok.
I have been told that if I was not in the hospital when it ruptured, there is a real chance that I would not have survived because the internal bleeding was so severe. My hematocrit levels were low enough that cardiac failure could have happened at any moment.
The recovery process has been slow. My body did not tolerate the blood loss well, and I have just been really sick. But I am finally starting to get better, I think. I hope. I will probably be in the hospital for another day or two.
So, anyway, the situation has finally resolved itself, now it's just a matter of healing from major surgery!
As many of you know, I had an extremely rare condition called heterotopic pregnancy, which is a viable pregnancy in my uterus as well as an ectopic pregnancy in my tube. In spontaneous pregnancies, the odds of this happening are 1:30,000. The ectopic pregnancy was being monitored regularly. We were hoping it might dissolve on its own to avoid surgery while I had the other viable pregnancy.
On Sunday afternoon, the ectopic in my tube ruptured. I had to have emergency surgery and it was touch and go for a while. The ectopic was slowly leaking first -- and causing pain and other symptoms -- which is why I went in to the ER. I just knew something was wrong. The doctors actually watched it rupture while giving me an ultrasound. It was originally going to be laparoscopic surgery, but the rupture was so severe that they ended up needing to do a laparotomy (open pelvic incision) in order to save my life. It was like a scene from an ER drama -- nurses cutting my clothes off, 8 people working on me at once, and I came within a sliver of cardiac failure. I lost half of my blood in a matter of minutes and needed a blood transfusion of 2 liters. I had to stay in ICU for a day, but I am in a regular maternity room now. The good news is that the regular ultrasounds I have had in the past few days have shown that the baby in my uterus is still ok.
I have been told that if I was not in the hospital when it ruptured, there is a real chance that I would not have survived because the internal bleeding was so severe. My hematocrit levels were low enough that cardiac failure could have happened at any moment.
The recovery process has been slow. My body did not tolerate the blood loss well, and I have just been really sick. But I am finally starting to get better, I think. I hope. I will probably be in the hospital for another day or two.
So, anyway, the situation has finally resolved itself, now it's just a matter of healing from major surgery!