January 5th 2025.
I remember that night like it was yesterday. I was lying in bed next to my husband, John, writhing in agony. Something was terribly wrong and I knew it. I managed to cry out to John, "I'm dying." It was 4am and our four-year-old son was asleep in the next room, so John quickly sprang into action. He called an ambulance and asked my mom to come over and watch our son.
For the past two weeks, I had been experiencing heavy bleeding and cramping outside of my normal cycle. I had gone to our local GP in Edinburgh and even made multiple trips to the A&E, but no one seemed to have any answers or could help me. And now, the pain was so much worse. I had a gut feeling that something serious was happening and I knew my life was at risk.
As the ambulance arrived with its blue lights flashing, our four-year-old appeared in the doorway with bleary eyes. I reassured him that everything would be okay and that a doctor would make me better. I left him in the care of my mom and traveled to the hospital with John.
Once we arrived at the hospital, we were kept waiting in the A&E and my pain continued to intensify. In a moment of desperation, I begged John to get help as I couldn't wait any longer. He quickly got me the attention I needed and I was seen by a consultant who informed me that I was experiencing a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. It was a life-threatening emergency and I needed immediate surgery.
I barely remember signing consent forms before being rushed into surgery. It wasn't until I woke up in recovery that I fully understood what had happened to me. For two weeks, I had been trying to find answers to my pain, but no one had recognized the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy. I should have been tested, but instead, I was left to suffer.
I had some knowledge about ectopic pregnancies, but I didn't know much. I later learned that it occurs when a fertilized egg grows outside of the uterus, typically in a fallopian tube. The fetus cannot survive outside of the uterus, but the tissues can continue to grow and cause a blockage that can eventually burst out of the fallopian tube. It's a life-threatening situation that requires immediate medical attention and often results in the removal of the damaged tube.
After my surgery, I spent three months recovering from the huge blood loss and emergency procedure. I was signed off from work and spent most of my time lying on the sofa, eating spinach and red meat to regain my strength. When I finally returned to work, I was hopeful that my boss would show concern for my health and offer support. However, during our meeting, he seemed to dismiss the seriousness of my experience and even criticized my work as "substandard." It was at that moment that I knew I needed to make a change.
Despite having a successful career in advertising, I decided to leave the industry and focus on starting a family with John. Our daughter was born in 2010 with no issues, even though I only had one remaining fallopian tube. When my maternity leave ended, I made the decision to not go back to my previous job. Instead, I stayed at home with our children for 18 months and gave myself the time and space to plan my next career move.
During this time, I also gave feedback to the Scottish Health Board about my experience and urged them to improve their training on ectopic pregnancies. Although my complaint couldn't be officially actioned due to the time that had passed, I still felt better for raising the issue and hoped it would make a difference.
It took me years to regain my confidence, but in 2017, I finally felt ready to return to my first love - marketing. I started my own business, Enjoy Marketing, and over time, our team grew to five people, including John and myself. We prioritize treating everyone with respect and trust, and I even launched a podcast to support other business owners and make marketing more accessible.
I am grateful every day that I am still here. I'm lucky that my ectopic pregnancy only changed my life and didn't end it. I hope that by sharing my story, I can raise awareness about ectopic pregnancies and encourage better training for medical professionals.
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