On my own scared and worried

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Hi, I had the Methotrexate injection yesterday. Even though they could find no sign of an egg topic pregnancy in my fallopian tubes they could find no evidence of a pregnancy inside the uterus and my levels were only going up incrementally. I have never been a person to take ordinary medication and as a child we were brought up on natural things and homoeopathic medicine. We have spent about four days going backwards and forwards to the hospital and my arm is so bruised from all the blood that’s been taken.

I am absolutely terrified about what is going to happen to me. My backside is really sore and I seem to have a pins and needles sensation running down my legs. My partner has gone to work because this morning I said to him that I thought I would be okay.

I need to tell my place of work at the end of the week what’s happened because I don’t think I’ll be up to going following week. I’m a teacher and in December I had a miscarriage, the following week they made the decision to demote me. “Due to recent news and events” they have now employed somebody over and above me. This was because they knew that I was now trying for a baby. I’m worried about the effect that this is going to have on my job and that they will try and fire me if I take off more time. I do want to leave my job there anyway. It’s a horrible working environment.

I’m worried about the effect of the methotrexate on my body. Does this increase the risk of me having a disabled child in future? I read that it can. I’m so desperate to have a baby I feel like time is running out for me and that it’s never gonna happen. I feel like my body is let me down and let it become like an enemy. I just feel really on my own at the moment.

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Hello

I’m a teacher too. On Sunday I had my left tube removed. My work knew what was happening as I thought I’d had a miscarriage 5 weeks ago and needed some time off then. I had no idea that it was ectopic and that this would happen.

I can’t believe your work have treated you like that. You should contact your union? Surely they can’t demote you for that? You don’t need that stress with everything you’re going through.

I’m at home on the sofa as I have been all week. Won’t be going back to work until I am ready; make sure you do the same.

Sending you love x

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Thank you Nadine and for your reply. I’m so sorry for what you have been through too. It’s so traumatic. I’m glad your employer has been good about it. The thing about teaching is you can’t just sit down. It’s so physical with a lot of moving around. I have the A’level and GCSE practical exams when I go back and I know I’m going to have a full inbox of parental complaints if I’m off work.

I’m dreading telling them. I think I’m going to have to hand in my notice and not return in September. I don’t know what I will do for money. At the moment I’m just more scared about what’s happening to me now. Does any one know how long it take for the Methotrexate to start working? I’m so scared I’m going to have to have a second lot of the injection. So many of the other posts say they needed a second lot. I’m terrified. I have my day four bloods on Saturday and then day seven bloods on Tuesday. My last lot measured at 1902. I’m praying they won’t have gone up.

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I know it’s easier said than done, but please try not to worry. You need to focus on getting stronger and trying not to stress. Your health is the most important thing. Work and parent complaints can go f themselves.

When they discussed having surgery or the methotrexate with me, they told me I would have to wait 4 months to get pregnant with the Injection, as the drug can be harmful to a new baby before that time. They said you might need a second jab. I decided to have the op but now I am down a tube!

But all you can do Hun is try to be calm and positive and wait for your blood test. If everything is ok then in four months time you could be trying again if you are ready. And then you can have your maternity leave and have a good break from those horrible people at work xxx

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Hey,

I’m really sorry to hear what you’re going through :frowning:

In regards to the methotroxate, I had to have 2 injections of this in feb as the first didn’t work. Each time I felt very sick and dizzy for a couple of days afterwards and felt like someone had punched me in my bum!! I promise it gets easier when it wears off though! My hcg levels took just over 4 weeks to return to 0 and I had a blood test every week to monitor this. I felt like this was a longer waiting though and was quite relieved when it was all done.

In regards to you work, just tell them the truth. I was so worried about telling my boss as I’d only been with my department about two months and she supported me all the way through it and made sure I was okay before I returned. Your boss will be fine and if not then they are idiots.

Put yourself first hunni and don’t worry about anything else just yet, you need to look after yourself xxx

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Dear Aetw34,

I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss and especially hearing how the thought of informing work is troubling you so much. I am in agreement with Nadine194 and would suggest contacting your union for advice and support.

It is important that you give yourself time to recover both physically and emotionally, time to grieve and if you do not feel ready to go back to work, talk to your GP about a getting a sick note for extended time off.

Methotrexate is metabolised quickly but it can affect the quality of your cells, including those of your eggs and the quality of your blood for up to three months after it has been given. The medicine can also affect the way your liver works and so you need to give your body time to recover properly before a new pregnancy is considered. Methotrexate may have reduced the level of folate in your body which is needed to ensure a baby develops properly. A shortage of folate could result in a greater chance of a baby having a neural tube defect such as hare lip, cleft palate, or even spina bifida or other NT defects. To counteract this, we and many health professionals advise that you should wait until your hCG levels have fallen to below 5mIU/mL (your doctor will advise you when this is through blood tests) and then take a folic acid supplement for 12 weeks before you try to conceive.

I am afraid if is difficult to predict how long it will take for your hormone levels reach non-pregnant levels. As we are all individual, our bodies respond differently to the drug and it depends on factors like how high levels reached and our unique physiology. What I can say is that it can take a number of weeks and, while it can take some time, it is not as invasive a procedure as surgery. Also, in terms of chances of future successful pregnancies, studies do not show a significant difference between treatment routes, whether surgical, medical using methotrexate or expectant management (allowing time for the body to resolve the pregnancy itself).

I too had methotraxate injection following my ectopic pregnancy. I only had one injection​and to reassure you l have gone on to have a successful pregnancy.

We have more information on methotraxate here- http://www.ectopic.org.uk/patients/treatment/

The chances of a further ectopic after a first in UK is 10%. So that’s 90% chance of the embryo being in right place next time. It may be comforting to know that 65% of women are successfully pregnant within 18 months of experiencing an ectopic pregnancy and some studies suggest this rises to around 85% after two years.

Importantly early scans avail. As soon as you know you are pregnant, contact your local EPU to inform them and book in for an early scan at around six weeks. Remind them of your previous ectopic pregnancy. This self refer route is the best route in our view. Hopefully you will have some comfort to know you are under the radar of medical professionals right away.

Many women experience feelings of isolation after an ectopic pregnancy - I did, too. It is a frightening experience. Like you, I reached out to the Trust for support and we will be here for you to lean on for as long as you need.

Sending much love,

Karen x

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 www.ectopic.org.uk

Email us at ept@ectopic.org.uk.

Our helpline is 020 7733 2653 (available Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm).

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.

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Dear Karen, nadine and Lorna. Thank you for your reply. My levels had dropped on day seven from 1230 on day 4 to 503 on day seven. So no need for second injection. Phew! I have felt so unwell, like it’s been kicked in the stomach but I decided to take the time off work that the doctors have suggested. I have gold work and given in my notice at the same time. I’m just very clear on what I need to do to be health and the worry of work isn’t helping my mental state at the moment. This is all so much harder than the “normal” miscarriage I had in December. Thanks for the support. Xxx