Dear Beth,
I am so sorry to hear of your ectopic pregnancy and loss,
Generally we advise that you should take it very easily for about six weeks after surgery. Your body will be using its energies to heal internally. It is normal to feel physically and emotionally exhausted during this time and please do be kind to yourself, especially working in the environment you do. Recovery can take time and some days will be better than others, one day you maybe ok and the next you maybe in discomfort or more emotional. This is perfectly usual and the healing process will go back and forth in this way for however long you need. It is important to listen to your body's signals and pain and feeling tired are your body's signs to tell you to rest. We suggest keeping a healthy balanced diet, drinking lots of water and resting. Once your wounds have healed, very gentle exercise such as a short walk can help, but please do take this slowly.
Experiencing some pain after an ectopic pregnancy is normal as your body has been through a great deal. It is still early days from your surgery and everything is still settling down and healing. The pain may be due to adhesions (scar tissue that binds two parts of the body together) which form and take some time to settle. Your body may be preparing to ovulate and many women experience ovulation pain when they did not before their ectopic pregnancy - including myself. You also may have a heightened perception because of the sad loss that you have had to go through. If you find you experience offensive smelling discharge or an increased temperature of more than 37°C or just want to be checked out to be on the safe side, it would be worth asking your doctors to run tests to check for infection.
It can take up to six weeks (sometimes longer) for our bodies to recover from surgery however if the pain persists after this time, I suggest keeping a pain diary noting when the pain appears, the intensity on a scale of 0-10 and anything that helps the pain eg resting, hot water bottle, paracetamol etc. Visiting your doctors with this information helps them to assess how best to manage your symptoms.
Regarding your bowels, this may be due to the surgery as a small amount of gas is put into your abdominal cavity to inflate it to enable the surgeon to see inside the abdomen. This maybe still causing the noises as it takes time to settle. Also general anaesthesia can slow down the bowels, preventing the passage of gas and stool. Walking encourages the peristaltic movement of the bowels, relieving gas and constipation. A heat pack may also provide relief. Hot peppermint tea is a great remedy to help gastrointestinal motility and relieve painful gas pains.
Before having a period you have to ovulate and it is possible to become pregnant without having a proper period first, if you are not using contraception. As a gentle reminder regarding conceiving again, we and many medical professionals advise waiting for two menstrual cycles. It is important to allow time for your body to recover and emotions to surface and be worked through. This is so that you have some comfort that your body is returning to its natural rhythm and you have a last menstrual period date from which to date a new pregnancy - key information in checking you are not suffering from an ectopic pregnancy in the future. The first bleed soon after surgery for ectopic pregnancy is not classed as a period as it is the body's response to falling hormone levels.
Above all be kind to yourself and allow time to grieve, to heal both physically and emotionally,
Sending much love,
Karen x
The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust
Registered Charity Number: 1071811
Ectopic pregnancy patient information suite: Highly Commended in the 2019 BMA Patient Information Awards
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