Hi everyone, I didn't know where else to turn to as the doctors are closed until Thursday and I don't feel I can justify an A&E visit so I just wondered if anyone has experienced what I am, just a warning that this is TMI but i'm sure as you have all experienced miscarriage that it won't be anything new or disgusting.

As some of you may have already read my HCG levels have been dropping quite slowly (according to doctor and surgeon) since I had a D&C with a missed miscarriage 6 weeks ago. I am still testing positive and my last HCG level was done two weeks ago and sat at 80 (I have had three tests and they all show a trend of halving every week) so I should be testing negative (should be around 20) on a urine test now which i'm not but I know it could take a few days to get under that 25 mark. Anyway yesterday morning I starting getting really bad cramping like the bad period pain I got with the endo, it is still hurting now but no bleeding what so ever until just before when I wiped after going to the toilet. On the toilet paper there was a brown mucus and what looked like little sesame sized blood clots. I have had literally no bleeding since the d&c apart from 2 days of light bleeding immediately following.

Has this happened to anyone ? I have no idea what's going on with the pain and the random brown bleeding and i'm wondering if maybe this is some left over product ? The pain i'm in is quite substantial so i'm also wondering if my body is trying to gear up for up for a period but then not sure as i'm still testing positive on a urine pregnancy test. I am just so incredibly frustrated with all of this and so over it, I just want to understand what is going on with my body and for it to just return to normal ! loosing a baby is hard enough without this extra crap on top of it. Any advice/suggestion would be much appreciated here.

I'm so sorry that you are going through all this.

If you are dealing with really severe pain than I think that you should go to A&E to make sure everything is OK - especially since your HCG levels are dropping so slowly. To me it makes me wonder if you have any retained products which may have caused an infection.

Was thinking the same thing as Atlanta. Sometimes HCGs do take a long time to drop down however. And after six weeks, you're due for a period of which this could be the precursor to.

My advice is to head off to hospital. You say you're in a lot of pain, and if it's a period then fine. Better to feel foolish than miss an infection. You've enough challenges to your fertility anyway. You might only see registra's (but don't be afraid to ask if a consultant is on - squeeky wheel and all that!!) so make sure you get a hard copy of your discharge/referral letters and see your own OBGYN when they open up.

Don't put yourself last (as you're obviously sitting on this umming and ahhing). If this was one of your kids in pain, you wouldn't question - you'd whip them off to the doctor.

Let us know you're o.k. hun.

p.s. I say hospital, as they'll have scanners, labs, and OBGYNs (even if they're only registras) available.

yup take yourself off to hospital hun. pain like that doesnt sound right to me. better to find out its nothing than not go and have an infection thats really easily fixed, but if left can be damaging and if nothing else, for the peace of mind let us know how you get on!

If you are really concerned, you can ring the Acute Gyno ward and talk to a nurse (or the place where you had your D & C) - they will be a bit more onto it than a regular at A & E, and will advise you what to do.

I had retained product and rang through, talked to a nurse and she asked me a whole lot of questions and told me what to look out for, it put my mind at ease.

I'm not sure what Auckland is like, but in Chch with my first MC I went in on a holiday and there wasn't anyone to do an ultrasound, I had to wait until the following day anyway, after spending a whole day in A and E.

All the best

Hey mrs kd, definitely think you should see a doctor to be on the safe side.

My D&C was 5 weeks ago and had symptoms you described last week although pain wasn't too bad. I know the first periods after all my D&C's always started with bad cramping. I usually have cramps for a couple of days then brown old blood with a few small clots but the next day is like a normal heavy period (sorry if that is TMI) but there are always risks and if you are experiencing more pain than is normal better to get it checked out even if it is to put your mind at rest.

Let us know how you get on

Ok so long story short, had my HCG levels done yesterday and they came back at 44 this morning which means they haven't even halved in 2 weeks where as they had been halving every week before that ! The pain is on and off at the moment so i'm having a scan tomorrow to make sure I haven't retained any product which I think could possibly be the case ! so so so angry and annoyed at this whole situation, health wise nothing ever seems to run smoothly with me and I honestly feel like I can't catch a freakin break !

Big MrsKD, I hope that the scan shows what is causing the slow falling HCG and that you can get it fixed up real soon so you can put this one to rest.

It is hard on you having to go through all this, I will be checking in to see how things go for you xx

Thinking of you, MrsKD. It's awful enough having to go through this without having it drag on for so long. Really hope things sort themselves out soon xx

SO didn't get a scan in the end as my GP felt that with my levels being at 44 that I probably didn't have any retained product or that if there had been any it wouldn't be detectable on a scan. My hcg levels from yesterday came in at 40 !!! seriously ! a drop of 4 in one week ! how pathetic is that ! Im starting to think that something is really wrong and that my GP doesn't know what she's on about. I have left a message with my surgeon but as its their first day back today i'm not sure if i'll hear anything from him today fingers crossed this gets sorted soon i'm starting to go a bit insane with it all !

Def - follow this up. As I understand it, the main risk with retained product is infection, which would most likely show up on a scan. Regardless a drop of just 4, this far along just sounds wrong.

hope you have answers now hun, it doesnt sound quite right ay...so so sorry you are going through this x x

Thanks Atlanta and Dangermouse, I spoke to my surgeon and honestly he doesnt seem too worried either ! he's just sent me for another blood test in a week and if there is no significant drop then he will refer me to a specialist gyno ! he didn't think I needed a scan or anything so i'm kinda just stuck in limbo here

Mrs KD, I couldn't get a scan with my MMC either. I dunno whats up with the system, but it's like they have all been told to skimp and save money? it totally sucks and is unfair.

I did have retained product. I never had my HCG levels checked by anyone, I bled for 3 months, I didn't have any idea what was going on - there are some real gaps in this crappy system.

When I passed my first lot of product I rang the gyno ward and was told that as long as I had no infection symptoms, all was o.k and to keep the 'bits' and take them to my gp. I passed lots, took them in, finally got an HCG test (but no scan!) and was then told it was over.

I think the only thing that saved me was that I had been on 2 courses of antibiotics for sinus after my MC.

My point is - the professionals fail us all the time, if your GP wont refer you for a scan, keep hounding them, or find someone who will (or bluff and say you are in pain and have noticed a change in your discharge - or something).

I hope you get the care you deserve, it's hard to begin the healing process when the miscarriage hasn't fully ended.

Oh you poor thing. Healing emotionally goes on hold when you're still trying to heal physically.

My advice is to try and view this like a car repair and instead of an intimidating doctor/surgeon, they're a mechanic. If your car is still making a funny noise after you have it fixed, you don't assume the mechanic is right when he tells you it will go away by itself in a few weeks, and to call him if it doesn't. This is the same in that the doctors are service providers and you are a customer. You have a right to information - and you sound very confused as to why your HCGs aren't falling and you don't sound happy with this wait and see approach. You are entirely within your rights to politely say to your GP or your surgeon "no, I'm not happy to wait, please refer me now". And if they say it's unneccessary, you just repeat "I'm not happy to wait, please refer me now". Over and over until you get what you want.

This is your body, and you're health. If you don't know what is going on, then you ask. If you don't agree with their diagnosis, approach,oppinion, smell, hair cut, you can go somewhere else. I know I felt like the doctors were so blaise about my first couple of miscarriages, that I must have been precious or over-reacting to be worried. It took a bit of a journey to be able to push for what I wanted/needed. I most of the time I was right much to the doctors charign and surprise.

Your body, you demand the treatment and answers to your questions that you want hun.

Kia kaha