Sorry about the utter lack of blogging this week - lets just say, my blog has been one of the furthest things from my mind...
It all began Tuesday morning, I woke up - went to the toilet & found that I was bleeding. I tried to stay calm, but that didn't really work - I rang my m/w and she told me to meet her at the clinic at 9am. Met the midwife, she took me in - listened to Emersyn's h/b - which was nice and strong, then talked to me about my symptoms. Basically I had no symptoms - except bleeding. It wasn't heavy - but it was there, and that's enough to stress out a pregnant woman! Julz (m/w) rang the hospital & asked what they wanted me to do, and they agreed that because everything seemed okay, I should just go to St Georges (one of the secondary maternity hospitals) & get a Rhogam (AntiD) shot.... then ring my m/w if the bleeding got worse, or stopped & started again. Went to St Georges. Got my jab. Took Gaby to preschool. Went to my parents house (as I do when Gaby is at preschool).
Everything was fine until 10.30pm Tuesday night - went to the toilet & was bleeding again. Rang m/w, she told me to go up to the acute gyne assessment ward at the hospital. Luckily my friend was staying, so she looked after Gaby - and my Mum came to get me, and went up to the hospital with me. Up at the hospital, they took my vitals, talked to me again about my symptoms, had me do a urine sample. By the time I got up there the bleeding had stopped - seemed it was in a routine of stopping and starting. The doctor came in, talked more about my obstetric history & my current symptoms. She did an internal exam with a speculum & took 3 swabs, then she felt my cervix - told me it felt a 'little short'... then she tried to use the doppler to listen to Emersyn's heartbeat - which she couldn't find. I had felt lots of movements that night & she told me before she started using the doppler that she wasn't particularly skilled with it - so if we couldn't find the h/b, it's most likely be due to her lack of skill. She told me she'd get the ob registrar to come down & listen for the h/b though, just to be safe.
Ob registrar (who looked about 12!) gets down, eventually - and has a portable u/s machine with her. We looked at Emersyn & all looked well - I couldn't see much from where I was lying on the bed, but I could see her moving around, and felt a lot of relief. They checked the placenta and everything looked good - couldn't see any obvious signs for my bleeding. The ob registrar told me that if the bleeding started again, to come back up - but otherwise, to talk about it when I came for my high risk ob appt on Thursday (to discuss my epilepsy).
Woke up Wednesday morning, no bleeding.. took Gaby to preschool & went to my parents, no bleeding.. of course at 4pm when I went to the toilet, I found I'd started bleeding again. I rang my m/w - same routine - go up to acute gyne... Gaby stayed with my Dad & friend, and again Mum took me up to the hospital. The nurse did my vitals, talked about symptoms - then got out the doppler. Luckily she found the heartbeat (eventually), and again Emersyn's h/b, was nice and strong. She told me that the doctor would be in to talk to me soon - but then returned awhile later, to tell me that the urine sample I'd done that day, was positive for white blood cells - indicating a UTI, and one of the swabs they'd done the night before, was positive for BV (bacterial vaginosis) - so I was given a reason for my bleeding (and cramping, which had started that day), and sent on my way with a prescription for the BV, and told to talk to the ob the next day, to get him/her to check what bacteria had showed up in my urine sample & to prescribe accordingly.
Thursday arrived - I made it to my ob appt with 10 minutes to spare - only to be told that the appointment time *I* had been given was incorrect - 2 hours incorrect - the time I'd been given was 1.40pm & on their schedule it was 3.40pm. I had to wait - with a very bored Gaby, until 3.20pm (ish), was taken in, spoke to who I THOUGHT was the ob - but turned out it wasn't, he was just 'screening' me, to see if I needed to see the ob. I thought the whole point of going to the high risk ob was to SEE THE HIGH RISK OB, but apparently not! We discussed my epilepsy & meds & he felt that I didn't need to be seen again regarding thing, unless I started having more seizures that couldn't be controlled by upping my medication.
I then brought up the bleeding/spotting/cramping - the doctor checked the computer system, and it turned out that my urine sample from the night before - that had been positive for WBC, had come back clear - I DIDN'T have a UTI!!!! Apparently the BV diagnosis was correct. He went and spoke to the ob & decided I should see him. So we went back out to the waiting room - and then about 4.30pm we were taken back to see the ob. By this time Gaby was cranky, I was cranky - and was starting to feel freaked out again, by what the cause of my bleeding would be, if it wasn't a UTI.
To be nice - the high risk ob was a total w@nker. He basically told me that I was "stupid and irrational for worrying about a bit of bleeding" - and that there were other patients who had serious problems, who deserved his time! Lovely! He told me he wanted to check my cervix, and asked me if GABY COULD WAIT OUT IN THE HALL! Um - NO SHE CAN'T! What doctor - wait, what NORMAL, RESPONSIBLE HUMAN BEING, suggests leaving a 3 yo, alone in a huge hall, in a huge building - with lots of cool looking machinery that I can imagine she'd want to go and explore? The nurse looked at me with a look on her face as if to say the same thing I was thinking. Gaby stayed down by my head, the dr did his assessment & told me my cervix was nice and long, and closed - good! He then tried to listen to the h/b - and couldn't find it... So as if it was the hugest inconvenience to his day he said "I guess I'll go and get the ultrasound machine then"... he came back, demanded the nurse & trainee doctor get the room dark, then put the probe on my belly - and looked at the screen.. and didn't say a word... When I asked if he could see the heartbeat, he told me "yes I can" in a very impatient tone - like it was oh-so-hard to reassure a freaked out pregnant woman. He finished up, told me to come back in 4 weeks & then was gone... Me feeling no more reassured than I had when I went in - infact, I was LESS reassured, now that they'd removed the diagnosis of a UTI.
Friday morning, I rang up the hospital to get the results of the urine sample they'd taken the day before - the doctor I had seen first (who was nice, and respectful, and kind - everything a doctor should be!), had ordered for them to check again for a UTI. The hospital told me I would have to get my midwife to ring up for the results. So I rang my m/w, told her what they'd said, and she told me she'd let me know. Around 1.30pm she rang me to say they didnt DO any tests on me from the day before, and that one person she spoke to said I did have BV, but that the other person said I DIDN'T have BV... She was confused - I was confused... She told me to continue with my antibiotics for BV, that she'd prefer me have the course, than stop - then find out I DID have the infection, and end up going into pre-term labour - which would be a very bad thing at this point in pregnancy.
It is now Sunday. I am still taking my antibiotics. I still have cramps (which I have read & been told, can be caused by BV, or the antibiotics to cure it!). I am slowly starting to feel normal, and to not stress constantly. Emersyn is kicking me lots, which is the best piece of reassurance I can get - seeing as the doctors can't give me any reassurance - or straight answers!!!! Gaby stayed at her fathers last night, so I've been able to sit & relax, and do nothing - just worry about myself.. which has been good. I have the midwife again on Tuesday - and I'm sure it'll be a big debrief... If my pee stick (that tests for glucose, protein, wbc) comes up even slightly positive for WBC, I am going to ask that she arranges for tests.
My sister gave birth 5 weeks early, after a UTI was left untreated - and caused her to go into labour. There is NO WAY I am going to let that be even a slight possibility for me...
