Ectopic - Methotrexate- info needed

[Tonias]

Hi, I am new to this site and my main reason for joining is to try and gain some information. I havent been told a huge amount from my GP or the hospitals and I just want to know what I am experiencing could be normal -
3 weeks +pregnant ( according to the test) on Fri 9 March after I had been continually bleeding for exactly four weeks. I was admitted to hospital 2 days later where they found the pregnancy to be ectopic and in my right fallopian tubeand they gave me a shot of methotrexate on Monday 12th March. Since then I have been admitted twice, with immense pain on my right side and the fear is the possibility of rupturing however they havent found this on the scans they have done. In three weeks my HCG has dropped from over 1000 to 152 last week which is a good sign and I now have to return once a week until they hit zero.

I just want to know if there are people that experince this immense pain three weeks after having the original shot? i had a scan 4 days ago which showed the ectopic was still there and looked bigger than on the previous scans but the gynae semed to think this was actually the injection working and could be the cells breaking down and some actual blood around it. Is that normal nearly 3 weeks after the shot? Has anyone else had this? Also , I have had bad pains on and off , one day I am fine and the next I am completely taken out by the pain on my right side? Is this because the ectopic ( at the moment is still there ? And how long does it take for the injection to work - if my hcg is dropping nicely how long will it take for pregnancy to 'leave' the tube. I know I sound very matter of fact about this but at the moment i am trying to concentrate on my body healing and dealing with the emotional aspect after.

Apologies for the very long post - i just dont know where else or who else to try and get some info from - as I said my gp and the hospital did not tell me what to expect -I have had real bad fatigue the whole time, loss of hair as well but not huge amounts and also the intense pain and I just want to know if this is normal ? I am so tired all of the time yet the doc did not tell me i would be like this. I think it will just put my mind at rest if i know what to expect - thia is my first pregnancy and a real bad expereince and not having the right info seems to be making it a whole lot worse...... I just hope someone can maybe help with this or point me in the right direction. Thanks x

 

[hardtolove]

hiya i had methotrexate a few years ago for an ectopic..unfortunately i was one of the unlucky ones it didnt work for . after reading on the internet it said if bleeding or pain was present methothrexate should not be given..i ended up having a emergency tubal removal.my levels were continually rising though..so yours dropping is a good sign!!. good luck hope u feel better soon xx

 

[wiganlass2010]

Hi hun its definetly a good sign that your levels are dropping, i had two shots last year due to ectopic pregnancy in my right tube. I had a lot of pain at times, it was so bad that i could hardly stand up straight. I took two weeks for me to start bleeding and a further 4/5 weeks for my levels to reach under 5 before i was discharged.

 

[janebell22335]

I had my ectopic 12 months ago and i had the pain for over 3 months after being treated with methotrexate. My levels dropped to 0 after 4 weeks but i continued with the pain. I had a scan after 3 months and there was still a visual of the ectopic in my tube this is why i had the pain. They continued to scan me and eventually the ectopic was absorbed.

Take care hun x

 

[Tonias]

Hi - Really do appreciate your replies. Thought I would update you on the latest.....

Having been admitted to hospital 5 times over the last four weeks with bad pain and bleeding (its now 6 weeks since i had the methotrexate) and my HCG levels dropped nicely to 19 ........I had a scan which showed a MASS 6CM in my right fallopian tube !!!! Apparently the gynae said he had never seen anything like it - he could not understand as my levels had dropped so low . Anyway I ended up having emergency laparotomy (open surgery) and my right fallopian tube removed completely. The gynaes explanation was this " the pregnancy had ended (indicated by the VERY low HCG and negative pregnancy tests ) but it looked like there was bleeding into my actual right tube around the ectopic itself, which had made the tube stretch and swell with blood to the size of a grapefruit (the gynaes own words). He said he couldnt believe my tube had not ruptured and rushed me down for emergency surgery straight away.

So now Im recovering from the major open surgery I had ! If anyone does read this, please please do no take note, I KNEW something was seriously wrong the whole time, yet I was dismissed everytime, by the doctors as my HCG was dropping. I dont mean to scare people, however if you have worries after methotrexate that you dont start to get better or your in pain, INSIST on a scan . My perserverance literally saved my life.