I found out in August of 97 that I was pregnant. Sept. 22 I was at work and started bleeding. I went to the hospital and they said that I was having a threatened miscarriage and ordered a ultrasound to confirm it. I went in and there he was jumping around in my belly still alive. I was very relieved. Until the dr walked in and said you may still miscarry in the next couple of days and that I had a low lying placenta, just go home and wait it out. He ordered me to bedrest and to follow up with my ob/gyn the following week. I kept on bleeding and went in the ob's office and there he told me that I had a 50/50 chance of carrying to term because of the bleeding. I was told to stay on bedrest and they would follow up in a couple of weeks to see where my placenta was at.
Oct 16th I woke up at 5:00 a.m. hemmoraghing. I went back to the same hospital and they told me that I had possible placenta previa and I was anemic. I stayed there for 2 days until the bleeding almost stopped. But, it never did.
Oct 22nd I went to the ob's and was told that my pap smear was abnormal and had to have a colposkopy.
Oct 31st I went to a gyn/oncologist and he said that he wasn't going to do a biopsy because my cervix was open. He called my ob and he said to send me home and go to bed. I was told by the oncologist that he could see cancer by using a scope and acid and he would delay the biopsy for 2 months until I stopped bleeding and my cervix shut.
Nov 16th I woke up again hemmoraghing and went to the hospital and they kept me for 3 days this time and confirmed placenta previa at that time. A dr there said that he wanted to keep me in the hospital but my ob said no "send her home." I wanted a cerclage to sew me shut (open cervix), I wanted steroid shots, c-section. My dr wouldn't address any of it. My dr wouldn't talk to me about anything.
Nov 30th I started having contractions and went into the hospital (I was 23 wks) they were only 4-5 mins apart. They gave me mag sulfate to relax my uterus and sent me home on Dec 2nd.
Dec 6th I started feeling them again. I was having them every 4-5 mins again. I went in and they started me on mag sulfate again. That didn't work so they gave me tributaline. That helped but they didn't stop. Not even 24 hours later my dr walked in and said "I'm sending you home." I said "what I'lm still having contractions." He said "well I think that is just how your body works." I said "so your telling me that I'm going to keep having these contractions until I deliver this baby?" He said "I think so." When the nurse came in to wheel me out I was having another contraction and told her to wait a minute and said "I can't believe they are sending me home" and she said "Well when you have 12 women in labor we need to free up some beds." She handed me a presciption for Brethine and told me to take it ever 3 hours. I was sent home after 22 hours of being there for contractions that were close together... Make any sense to you???? Not me. Not the father of our baby and our 3 yr old, Not my mother, my father, no one but the dr and the hospital. We were on our way home from the hospital and there were getting closer and stronger and I got home and got into the bathtub to try and relieve the pain. It didn't work. We called my dr and he said "Take another pill and I'll call you in a hour." I couldn't wait and Mark got me dressed after 1/2 hour and got me back to the hospital and that's when they told me I was dialated to 3-4 and they started me on all the drugs again. Mag sulfate, tributaline, brethine, and last resort suppository. The contractions slowed down for a while, then my water broke and I was dialated to 5-6 and my dr said "We can't do anything else for you. We have to stop all meds and just deliver when it's time. But, if you have this baby today it is going to die." I was hysterical. I got another dr to come in and he said that my baby's chances of survival were 50/50 because I was only 23 1/2 wks. I delivered Taylor that night at 2:08 a.m. on Dec 9.
This is what I think of the situation:
1. Dr. should have given me a cerclagePeople say that we are strong, but, sorry strong is not the word. It just prepares us for anything and the unthinkable to happen to us. It just makes it easier for the next death of a person what can be worse you've already lost what matters most to you, your child. When someone complains about how terrible their life is I just tell them my story and say I wanted to give up, but, my life can't get any worse. It can only get better.
