After 1.5 years, I found out it *wasn't* a miscarriage...

Adoption Momma · 02-24-2005, 10:22 PM

July 2003 I had passed a mass of tissue and blood clots. A couple of days later, my nurse told me it was called decidual cast. I didn't discuss w/the doctor as I figured the nurse would have put it on my chart; she didn't.

So, I came home and did some research and everything indicated this was an ectopic pregnancy. Obviously, I went thru all the normal things you do when you have a miscarriage.

So, yesterday I go to a new PCP who also specializes in OB/GYN. I told him I put ectopic pregnancy but I wasn't sure. I told him what happened and he explained it was NOT a miscarriage. He said when the egg and sperm meet in the tube, the uterus senses it and begins to develop tissue for when the egg drops. He said it's common for the body to absorb an egg that's not good quality. My body absorbed the egg but the uterus didn't know and eventually has to shed (cast) the decidual tissue it had developed.

He said the tissue was from my uterus (which actually made me happy) and was common. It's similar to a blighted ovum but different in the sense that it's just the tissue from the uterus, no egg/sac involved. You can have an ectopic pregnancy w/decidual cast, but he stated since I just passed tissue and no medical procedure, than there wasn't an actual pregnancy involved.

Anyway, I'm relieved but disgusted that I have thought all of this time I had a miscarriage. I wasn't actually sure where to post this; it's not a rant and it's not a miscarriage but I thought it might be useful to anyone else that has experienced what I have experienced.

Tina

Catylou's mom · 02-25-2005, 01:49 AM

I'm so sorry you had to go through the grief of a miscarriage, but I'm glad that you found out the truth now. Makes you wonder sometimes what dr's and nurses think, how are we supposed to know what all those terms mean, she should have explained it better to you.

KatrinaBeena · 02-25-2005, 10:47 AM

This made me think of a nurse in the ER I came across when I had my second miscarriage.

I'd gone into the ER with severe pain, and I'd miscarried a year before as well. The nurse told me it was a "threatened miscarriage" (at that point, I was still okay) She said -- I swear, it's been years and this STILL gets me --

"A threatened miscarriage is like if I said to you, 'I'm gonna beat you up now' but you know I'm not going to do it. You will be fine. You won't lose this baby. If you listen to your doctor you'll be just fine, but if you lose this baby it will be because of something you chose to do or not to do."

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!? It was ON my CHART that I have PCOS, and that I'd already had one miscarriage. I was too shocked to say something to that wench at the time, too taken aback that that would come out of ANY healthcare provider's mouth, and after she said it she just walked out of the room.

And I did miscarry. And it was not my "fault", but for years that nurse's words echoed in the back part of my heart... the part where you're up at night and wonder if maybe you DID do something wrong. Everyone knows that voice, we all have it for one reason or another, and it usually speaks just FINE on its own without some dorky, illeducated nurse feeding it false information.

I'm glad you didn't have a miscarriage, and I'm glad you were able to get the right information. I'm just sorry you had to even have it in your head at all that you might have lost a baby.
(((((((((( hugs! )))))))))

tlcur107 · 02-25-2005, 03:15 PM

Hey Tina,

I'm glad to hear it wasn't a miscarraige, but I'm so sorry that you had to go thru all that. I wish that they would have explained it to you so you wouldn't have had to go thru all the heartache. I'm so sorry hun. (((HUGS))) to you!

GabrielsMom · 02-25-2005, 03:23 PM

Quote:

The nurse told me it was a "threatened miscarriage"

Unfortunately, that is close to the medical term for spotting during pregnancy. I think that it must have been men that came up with these terms. Just be glad she didn't use the REAL technical term for it, which is "threatened spontaneous abortion." UGH. She should have explained that it was medical terminology, like my midwife did when it was on my chart.

KatrinaBeena · 02-25-2005, 06:01 PM

I hate that term, "spontanious abortion". Why can't they just call it a miscarriage? Some medical forms I've filled out recently had that "spontanious abortion" rather than miscarriage and I wanted to cross it out and rewrite it. I'm NOT thrashing any woman's right to an abortion, I'm only saying it's not something for ME and the term spontanious abortion sounds like.... oh hey, I have dry cleaning to pick up, I have to get to the store but I have some time to kill so let's go get that abortion and be all spontanious about it. Grrrr.

Adoption Momma · 02-25-2005, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KatrinaCysterBrown
If you listen to your doctor you'll be just fine, but if you lose this baby it will be because of something you chose to do or not to do."

Walking into an abortion clinic and requesting an abortion is a choice; taking illegal drugs while pregnant is a choice to harm your baby - those are choices. We have as much control over our bodies to stop a miscarriage as we do changing our bodies to pee thru our noses!

KatrinaBeena · 02-25-2005, 09:48 PM

I just got a mental image of that!

Adoption Momma · 02-25-2005, 09:53 PM

I wouldn't want to be around anyone like that during allergy season. LOL.

KatrinaBeena · 02-25-2005, 10:03 PM

...yer gonna make me pee my pants!! Or my chin, how ever you want to look at it!! eeeewww... peeface....

GabrielsMom · 02-25-2005, 10:28 PM

OMG, I am totally losing my mind. For some reason I saw the first part of the sentence about spontaneous miscarriage, but I didn't see the end about it being your fault if you miscarry! That's so aweful, and I'm sorry I totally misunderstood the first time. That nurse is an evil insensitive witch and I hope she retired or something!

KatrinaBeena · 02-26-2005, 01:45 AM

Yeah, she was aweful. But it evened itself out in the end. When I came back to the hospital for the actual miscarriage, I was alone. My mom had stayed with me for a while but she's getting old and hospitals are hard on her. The baby's dad... ha... that's another story for another day.

I was alone. I knew the baby was gone, but my body hadn't passed the baby yet and I was actually going into labor. The nurses were having me push, and I finally caved in on letting them give me pain meds. (narcotics and I do NOT mix well) All through the whole ordeal the nurses kept asking if there was someone I could call to stay with me, I shouldn't have to go through this alone. blah blah blah. At the time there really wasn't anyone I could call.

I'd nodded off from the medication and when I woke up there was a nurse sitting in my room reading a book. She'd been there all day and I asked her when her shift ended.

She said, "Oh... about an hour ago. I just thought I'd hang out with you so you wouldn't be by yourself through this..."

She stayed with me for another three or four hours through the worst of it that had yet to come.

So, I had an irrationally insensitive wench in the ER, but the one who stayed with me a month later in my room more than made up for it.