May 15, 2019
My level went down one number, which is good, but since I have been around the same numbers for several weeks now, my doctor wanted me to do the treatment anyway. I called Jim to come home from work and together we went to the Emergency Room. Apparently they only have this treatment at the ER for some reason.
We got our own room, I was told to put a gown on and then we sat there for an hour just waiting. Eventually I had Jim go out to ask if I could switch clothes and go to the bathroom.
Eventually a doctor came in and checked me and told us that the standard is to do an ultrasound, a chest x-ray (because it can spread both in the uterus and in the lungs) and get the treatment all in this visit. Since I had already done an ultrasound two weeks ago I didn’t have to do that. They took some blood to check the hcg level, put an IV in my arm and then I had to do an x-ray of my chest. Another hour later they came back and told us that they found nothing in my x-ray so that good. The nurse gave me one shot of methotrexate in each thigh and then we were alone again for 45 minutes.
The insurance guy came in, and then a nurse to take my blood pressure and soon the main nurse came back with my HCG result. I was down another two numbers since Monday, yay, that’s good. I signed a paper and was discharged.
My neck pain that I got on Monday was unbearable, but other than that it was pretty easy. It could be much worse. Many women have to go through so many harder things than myself, so I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I don’t feel sorry for me. Yes, it is a scary thing to have to go through and yes I have been worried, but it could be worse. I have read other womens stories after having the same kind of pregnancy, women who had a hcg level up in the thousands and had to go almost a year with blood tests and do several treatments. I started in the low hundreds and I think my doctors expected me to be done a lot quicker. They have seemed surprised that I’m not done yet.
Our doctors and the hospital staff are all amazing and they are keeping a good eye on me. I couldn’t feel more cared for. I am so happy I chose this place (cause I did some research and carefully picked my doctor when I got pregnant instead of just go to the nearest place, it worked out wonderfully).
I was never really worried about having to do the treatment, I was more nervous for the side effects. When my doctor told me about the treatment she basically only used the word chemotherapy and told me that I could throw up, get really dizzy along with some other minor issues for a couple of days after treatment..and this all scared me of course. When I asked the nurse yesterday she said I might be sore and maybe a little swollen around the area I got the shots but other than that I would most likely feel normal afterwards, the side effects is just like any medicine, like it says on the box that it can be side effects but probably not. Puh! Couldn’t they have told me that from the beginning and I would have been more calm about it? Ok, it’s only 9 am the day after now so I don’t know yet how my body will react, but it seems ok.
I have to see my doctor and do another blood test next week. She’s hoping that this treatment would take me all the way down to 0 and I would be done next week, but the nurse yesterday said that since I have been around the same level going up and down, she thinks I might have to do another treatment, but I won’t know until after next blood test.