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1

Hello everyone.

I found out last Wednesday I was pregnant (unplanned) after going to the GP with stomach pain. I was referred to the hospital same day for a a TVUS and told to return the following week for then to try again (the TVUS couldn’t locate the pregnancy) but by the Friday evening I couldn’t walk from the pain. I went to to A&E and I was operated on immediately and had the right tube and the ectopic removed.

I’m happy that the immediate danger is gone and the pain has lessened to. But I spoke to my boss on the phone yesterday and there’s talk of me being back in the office on Monday and I’m scared I won’t be ready. I didn’t want a baby so I am not coping with the loss that others have to but something doesn’t feel right. I feel weakened, fragile, vulnerable and (at risk of being dramatic) traumatised by all that happened in such a short period. I was genuinely afraid I was going to die on Friday night in the 3 hours waiting time it took before the doctor saw me because I didn’t understand what was happening and why I was in so much pain. But I feel a fraud for being upset.

I’m also scared because I am constipated today and I have also started light bleeding (3 days post op) and I am worried something is going wrong again.

Do I have protection under law employment wise just in case I am not ready on Monday? And is it ok to be constipated and light bleeding?

Thank you

2

In terms of sickness, are you on a full time or set hours contract or 0hrs? No expert but I worked at the CAB.

Usually get a sick certificate ‘fit note’ as not fit to work and then get it adapted as a phased return or with adjustments to you role as required.

3

Hi

I’m sorry to hear about what happened.

I had surgery and the hospital signed me off. I’ve been off now for 4 weeks as told it takes at least 4 weeks to recover. Can I ask did you have surgery? If so I wouldn’t have thought you should return to work, only you know when it’s right to return tho.

Hope you recover soon

4

I’m sorry to hear that you seem to have pressure to return to work. Have you spoken with your doctor?

I know you say it wasn’t pkanned, but it’s a loss all the same, sending healing thoughts

LavaLamp2019

5

Dear Kirstylou86,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss, although your pregnancy was not planned, it doesn’t make it any less traumatic, and I’m sorry you have had to go through this.

Experiencing an ectopic pregnancy is a huge ordeal and you are in the early stages of recovery. Your body needs time to heal from your surgery which is in itself a gruelling task. You have also had to process the loss of your baby and been through an immense rollercoaster of emotions - all of this will take time to come to terms with.

You should take it very easily for about six weeks after surgery. Your body will be using its energies to heal internally. It is normal to feel physically and emotionally exhausted during this time and please do be kind to yourself. Recovery can take time and some days will be better than others, one day you maybe ok and the next you maybe in discomfort or more emotional. This is perfectly usual and the healing process will go back and forth in this way for however long you need. It is important to listen to your body’s signals and pain and feeling tired are your body’s signs to tell you to rest. We suggest keeping a healthy balanced diet, drinking lots of water and resting. Once your wounds have healed, very gentle exercise such as a short walk can help, but please do take this slowly.

It is normal to bleed after treatment for ectopic pregnancy. The first bleed that occurs after treatment for ectopic pregnancy is not classed as a period. It is the body’s response to falling hormone levels because you are sadly no longer pregnant. The body expels the lining of the uterus that had built up in preparation for the pregnancy because it is no longer needed. This process involves vaginal bleeding - it can be clotty or like one of your usual periods and some women have bleeding/spotting for up to six weeks.

Constipation can be common post surgery and some pain killing medication can also cause constipation. I have added an NHS link on constipation and how to manage it here- https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/constipation/

You can always talk to your local pharmacist or GP if your constipation continues.

Surgery is an immense ordeal for the body to go through. In general, after about six weeks you should be able to return to most jobs from a physical point of view. However, if your role involves manual handling, we suggest that it would be sensible to have a phased approach, gently building up to the usual extent of activity. I would suggest avoiding a rapid return to strenuous activities as it is important to build up strength after recovery.

A few options may be available depending on your role: might there be an opportunity to work reduced hours, increasing them slowly over a few weeks? Perhaps there are certain tasks that you could take on which may entail a change from your usual role or a series of reduced tasks initially? I am not sure whether this is appropriate in your circumstances, but is there anything that you could action from home (which may be different from your usual role but still be of use)?

It is very early to be thinking about returning to work just now, especially if you do not feel ready. In addition, it is worth bearing in mind that experiencing ectopic pregnancy is a very frightening experience and many women need to take time to help them deal with the psychological/emotional impact of the loss of their baby, being diagnosed with a life-threatening condition and undergoing major surgery. Please speak to your GP about having further time off work if required.

Please be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally. We are all here for you for as long as you need,

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?

Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

We provide a call-back helpline service: 020 7733 2653

The latest EPT newsletter is out now! You can take a look at the Winter edition and subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/986bdd6091ee/ectopic-matters

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team

6

Hello everyone,

Thank you very much for your kind replies. And EPT Host 20 thank you for taking the time to send such a detailed response, it’s really reassuring.

Yes, I had surgery. I had a laparoscopic right salpingectomy. Plus adhesiolysis because they found some adhesions.

The hospital gave me a sick note for two weeks. I feel like this puts a deadline on when I should be recovered by but I’m sure I’m just being over-sensitive and the doctors at my GP practice are usually very good so I’m sure they’d extend this if I need.

It’s reassuring to know that bleeding is normal and it helps to know the biology behind it. Today I’m having pain inside, too (not the wounds). It feels like period pains and is in a similar location to where period pains would be. I’m confused because what I’ve read on the NHS website says that pains should go after 3 days but mine have only started now, 4 days after surgery. Is this also normal? I’m wondering if I need to go back to A&E.

Thank you all so much xx

7

Dear Kirstylou86,

Experiencing some pain after an ectopic pregnancy is normal as your body has been through a great deal. The pain may be due to adhesions (scar tissue that binds two parts of the body together) which form and take some time to settle. Your body may be preparing to ovulate and many women experience ovulation pain when they did not before their ectopic pregnancy - including myself. You also may have a heightened perception because of the sad loss that you have had to go through. If you find you experience offensive smelling discharge or an increased temperature of more than 37°C or just want to be checked out to be on the safe side, it would be worth asking your doctors to run tests to check for infection.

If you do not feel unwell but the pain persists, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.

Sending much love,

Karen x

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust

Registered Charity Number: 1071811

If we have been able to help you, are you able to help us with a small donation or by volunteering?

Further information is available at ectopic.org.uk

Email us: ept@ectopic.org.uk

We provide a call-back helpline service: 020 7733 2653

The latest EPT newsletter is out now! You can take a look at the Winter edition and subscribe to our mailing list here: https://mailchi.mp/986bdd6091ee/ectopic-matters

Detailed medical information can be found on our website. Please remember online medical information is NO SUBSTITUTE for expert medical advice from your own health care team