Obviously we do not know how to interpret the ultrasound image on the screen. Patiently waiting for the Dr to break the mystery, the Dr finally spoke, "Sorry but I can't see any sign of the baby in your womb...." We were shocked. What? No sign of the fetus/embryo? My heart sank. The Dr says we were supposed to see a black round stuff which is called the "yolk sac". :( continue praying. God, may your will be done. He asked us again to confirm how did we know I'm pregnant, and I answered "Home Pregnancy Kit." Which the ads says it's 99.9% accurate....
Dr says there are 3 reasons why the yolk sac is not seen.
#1. It may be ectopic pregnancy where the implantation happened outside the womb. An ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency, and, if not treated properly, can lead to the death of the woman.
#2. I may have experienced miscarriage after the day I took the pregnancy test, before we come to see the Dr.
#3. It's too early to see the sac.
We did a blood test on that day and was scheduled to do the next one on 2 days later to compare the pregnancy hormone level (hCG). On that first visit, I did not take out the little questions booklet, as the answers may not be relevant for now =(
On the next morning (16March), Adventist's nurse called and told me that the Dr wanted to speak to me. Wow... first time receive a Dr's call since most cases you are supposed to call to follow up or if you need to talk to them. He told me that the hCG is slightly exceeding 1000mIU/ml. Means, I'm confirmed pregnant 'yesterday'!! Hahah... Ok... Good. Dr says if hCG will increase 66% by the next 2 days (which is the next day), then it's not ectopic pregnancy (please not....)
Within those 2 days, YS and I read a lot from the web about hCG and ectopic pregnancy. This was what I managed to read up from Wikipedia:
hCG Levels
The following is a list of serum hCG levels. Note that these are merely typical values--a given woman's values may not fall within these ranges. (LMP = since last menstrual period).
* 3 weeks LMP: 5 - 50 mIU/ml
* 4 weeks LMP: 5 - 426 mIU/ml
* 5 weeks LMP: 18 - 7,340 mIU/ml
* 6 weeks LMP: 1,080 - 56,500 mIU/ml
* 7 - 8 weeks LMP: 7, 650 - 229,000 mIU/ml
* 9 - 12 weeks LMP: 25,700 - 288,000 mIU/ml
* 13 - 16 weeks LMP: 13,300 - 254,000 mIU/ml
* 17 - 24 weeks LMP: 4,060 - 165,400 mIU/ml
* 25 - 40 weeks LMP: 3,640 - 117,000 mIU/ml
* Non-pregnant females: <5.0 mIU/ml
* Postmenopausal females: <9.5 mIU/ml
17 March was an important day which we've been counting down to. The nurse actually called up to remind us of the appointment and the "agenda of the day" - blood test, then follow by ultrasound. This round, we remembered to pray before going into the hospital. We prayed that God's will be done and we'll continue have faith in Him. The appointment was supposed to be 5pm and we arrived at 4.30pm. When we registered at the counter, the nurse pass me a form, requesting me to go to the laboratory for an URGENT blood test. Yeah, it was written "URGENT", in red, on the form. It was the same guy taking my blood again. I remember that during the last blood taking, his hp actually rang when he almost finish taking my blood. I was so tempted to ask if he can off his hp when he's on this important duty this time. But I dare not... after he apply the antiseptic (i think so) with cotton, his hp RANG!!! Aiyo... he quickly take it out, and sent a busy tone to the caller. I said, "Wow, you are very busy." He replied, "Yeah, almost 5pm. My friends are looking for me already." The prick was a little painful this round. Maybe he tried to take revenge. Or maybe I was over-sensitive. Yong Sheng asked me not to talk too much next time :(
After the blood taking, not long later it was our turn to go into the Dr's office. Ultrasound... No yolk sac found, again :( was sad. But there's an unknown object (which Dr labeled as "?") was still found at the outer uterine. I think he told me that it's not on the Fallopian tube, it's somewhere near the uterus, BUT NOT UTERUS. Well, really hope it's just some normal cyst during pregnancy which does not harm me nor the baby. He told us that the 'object' actually shrunk a little compared to previously.
To know if it's ectopic pregnancy, we could only wait another 40mins for the blood test results. He asked when was the last hour I ate something, and I told him 2pm, actually I had some kiwi at 4pm but I forgotten. The nurse later told me not to eat or drink anything from that minute onwards, as they might want to admit me for a "scope" if the blood test gives <66% increment of hCG. They need to scope to see what's in there to ensure I won't die of losing too much blood in case something nasty is happening. Really sad and anxious. I think the 'minor surgery' costs about RM3000. Gosh, we came to the Dr initially with good news and now the Dr is preparing my heart for a not so good news. Worse, we did not have any guarantee letter to claim from insurance company!!! It's such a big sum...
When we were notified that the blood test result is out and we were supposed to go back to the room, we were sweating. Trying to cool down the tense situation, I said to the Dr in a very innocent and joking tone, "Don't you give us bad news ar..." He smiled. Then I reconfirmed with him again if the "66" mentioned was referring to "count" or "percentage". And he said percentage...
"OK, this was your hCG level two days ago....... and today it is........" And he showed me the new number - 2388mIU/ml.
"Dr, more that doubled le!!! Wow... " So glad. NOT ectopic pregnancy!!
Dr then confirms that mine is a normal pregnancy, with very healthy hCG hormon level. He asked if I want another scan, intravaginal ultrasound. Worrying that we will have to pay more for it, or maybe more worried if still can't see the yolk sac again will affect the remaining days before next appointment, I declined. When we walked out, the nurse again remind us to go straight to the emergencies in case got bleeding or intense stomach ache. Anyway, thank God I did not need to stay at the hospital that night and can continue eating and drinking water. Managed to go to the Open Heaven Revival Meeting that night. Next appointment will be on 22March.
22Mar
After answering "NOs" to his questions of "abdominal pain? Spotting? Bleeding? Vomiting?", I was asked to go to the ultrasound scanner place. Haha... this round we could see the 15.27mm yolk sac in the uterus (actually we seen in during our "second opinion in another hospital a day ago, but we promised each other to act surprised, since it was the 1st time this Dr is seeing it). Haha.. we actually felt that he's even happier than us during that appointment :p This round, he officially told us the baby's EDD (Estimated Due Date). Finally this time, we felt free to ask questions like should we start drinking the pregnant mum's milk, is the blood flow sufficient and so on... This Dr's answer would always be, eat balance diet. 60% carbo and fibre, 30% protein, 10% fat. The only supplement needed for 1st trimester (Wk1-Wk12) is folic acids, 1 per day.
Share with you the yolk sac we've been expecting...
5wk++
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