Hi all.
I guess I have kind of an odd question but I am trying to figure out what I can or cannot do. I guess bear with me cuz this may be a bit long.
My husband is active duty in the military. At our last duty station in IL we were blessed with 2 children. The military hospital there apparently does not deal with pregnancy although they do have a ob clinic so I was sent out into town. You see the referred ob until you give birth and have a post partum check and then are referred back to the military hospital.
My daughter was born early february via a scheduled C-section. It was my 2nd section. I had my post partum check up, all was fine, and I was released back to the military hospital.
I made an appointment in March at around 8 week post partum. I was told I could get an IUD inserted for birth control at that time. I went in and the nurse practioner (she is civilian I believe) inserted the IUD. I had the Mirena IUD inserted. The procedure was a little painful but not bad. She sent me on my way with the pamphlet about the IUD. This pamphlet stated that I should check for my IUD strings monthly. This is to make sure it is still in place etc. I had been spotting consistantly after getting it inserted which I was told was normal.
In April I tried to find my strings and could not. I had my husband try and he could not. So I called and the corpman said I should come in right away because not finding the strings could be a sign of a problem. So I made an appointment and went back in. The same Nurse Practioner that did the insertion checked me. She could not find the strings either. So checked a few times and nothing. She then used a clamp and went into my cervix and said "I think I made contact with a string so its still in place and there. Just dont check for your strings because I guess I cut them too short" I asked how she knew it was in place and she said because there was a string up there (even tho everything I had read stated that short strings could mean misplacement)
In June we were transferred to California. At this point I had still been spotting from the IUD. I didnt think much of it though as I was told by the nurse practioner it was normal.
In September the spotting stopped and I had what I figured was a period. It lasted 1 week and stopped. 2 weeks later the same thing happened. Then 2 weeks later. In the middle of October I had started spotting again. The next day I was on the floor playing with my 9 month old. I stood up and my 3 year old screamed "Mommy, owie" and was pointing to my leg. I looked down and my leg was covered in blood. There was blood all over my carpet, my nightgown, me etc. I ran to the bathroom and when I got in there blood was literally dripping out of me. I called to make an appointment and they told me to go to the ER (Military hospital) My husband got home and took the kids and I got a ride from a friend to the ER. At the ER I waited about 4 hours until I was seen. The DR did a pelvic and said he could not find the IUD strings. He did a pregnancy test which was negative, tested for a urinary tract infection and that was negative, a CBC and said that was normal. Said all the bleeding was definatly coming from my uterus and prescribed me birth control pills to try and stop the bleeding and sent me on my way with instructions to make a follow up at the OB clinic. ( Not the same ob clinic that did insertion as I have now moved from IL to CA) I was called by the ob clinic to make an appointment for a follow up. The soonest they could get me in was 3.5 weeks after my ER visit. So I took the appointment.
At my followup the ob asked me how the nurse practioner knew the IUD was still in place if she did not do an ultrasound to check. I told him what she had told me. He then asked me what the ER had done for me. I also told him. he asked if they did an ultrasound to look for the IUD and I said no. So he wheeled in an ultrasound machine. He did a pelvic and could not find my IUD strings. He then did an ultrasound and my uterus was empty. The IUD that was supposed to be there was no longer there. He sent me up to xray and to make an appointment with ultrasound for a further review and to make a followup appt in 3 weeks. I had the xray and made my ultrasound appointment.
I went to my ultrasound appointment and was informed by the radioligist that via xray they found my IUD and then they did the ultrasound which confirmed it. The IUD is no longer in my uterus as it should be. it is wrapped around my left ovary and will likely take surgery to remove it. It is possible I might lose my ovary depending on the severity of it etc. I went to talk to my ob who told me he was aware and to make an appointment for a followup to discuss the results. The soonest they could get me in was 2 weeks.
So this is the point I am at. I am currently waiting for my followup with an IUD expelled from my uterus, perhaps wrapped around my ovary. I was told by the nurse at the clinic to go back to the ER if I have another bleeding episode like before. Otherwise just wait for my appointment.
My question I suppose is there anything that can be done? Has there been a violation of anything? My main concern is that I don't want this to happen to someone else. This possibly could of been prevented had the nurse practioner actually did an ultrasound to check for my IUD. Instead of me sitting here with huge bleeding episodes, an IUD expelled in me, probablly wrapped around my uterus and the possibility of the lose of an ovary
Thanks so much for your time and any responses. and I apoligize for the length of this post
I guess I have kind of an odd question but I am trying to figure out what I can or cannot do. I guess bear with me cuz this may be a bit long.
My husband is active duty in the military. At our last duty station in IL we were blessed with 2 children. The military hospital there apparently does not deal with pregnancy although they do have a ob clinic so I was sent out into town. You see the referred ob until you give birth and have a post partum check and then are referred back to the military hospital.
My daughter was born early february via a scheduled C-section. It was my 2nd section. I had my post partum check up, all was fine, and I was released back to the military hospital.
I made an appointment in March at around 8 week post partum. I was told I could get an IUD inserted for birth control at that time. I went in and the nurse practioner (she is civilian I believe) inserted the IUD. I had the Mirena IUD inserted. The procedure was a little painful but not bad. She sent me on my way with the pamphlet about the IUD. This pamphlet stated that I should check for my IUD strings monthly. This is to make sure it is still in place etc. I had been spotting consistantly after getting it inserted which I was told was normal.
In April I tried to find my strings and could not. I had my husband try and he could not. So I called and the corpman said I should come in right away because not finding the strings could be a sign of a problem. So I made an appointment and went back in. The same Nurse Practioner that did the insertion checked me. She could not find the strings either. So checked a few times and nothing. She then used a clamp and went into my cervix and said "I think I made contact with a string so its still in place and there. Just dont check for your strings because I guess I cut them too short" I asked how she knew it was in place and she said because there was a string up there (even tho everything I had read stated that short strings could mean misplacement)
In June we were transferred to California. At this point I had still been spotting from the IUD. I didnt think much of it though as I was told by the nurse practioner it was normal.
In September the spotting stopped and I had what I figured was a period. It lasted 1 week and stopped. 2 weeks later the same thing happened. Then 2 weeks later. In the middle of October I had started spotting again. The next day I was on the floor playing with my 9 month old. I stood up and my 3 year old screamed "Mommy, owie" and was pointing to my leg. I looked down and my leg was covered in blood. There was blood all over my carpet, my nightgown, me etc. I ran to the bathroom and when I got in there blood was literally dripping out of me. I called to make an appointment and they told me to go to the ER (Military hospital) My husband got home and took the kids and I got a ride from a friend to the ER. At the ER I waited about 4 hours until I was seen. The DR did a pelvic and said he could not find the IUD strings. He did a pregnancy test which was negative, tested for a urinary tract infection and that was negative, a CBC and said that was normal. Said all the bleeding was definatly coming from my uterus and prescribed me birth control pills to try and stop the bleeding and sent me on my way with instructions to make a follow up at the OB clinic. ( Not the same ob clinic that did insertion as I have now moved from IL to CA) I was called by the ob clinic to make an appointment for a follow up. The soonest they could get me in was 3.5 weeks after my ER visit. So I took the appointment.
At my followup the ob asked me how the nurse practioner knew the IUD was still in place if she did not do an ultrasound to check. I told him what she had told me. He then asked me what the ER had done for me. I also told him. he asked if they did an ultrasound to look for the IUD and I said no. So he wheeled in an ultrasound machine. He did a pelvic and could not find my IUD strings. He then did an ultrasound and my uterus was empty. The IUD that was supposed to be there was no longer there. He sent me up to xray and to make an appointment with ultrasound for a further review and to make a followup appt in 3 weeks. I had the xray and made my ultrasound appointment.
I went to my ultrasound appointment and was informed by the radioligist that via xray they found my IUD and then they did the ultrasound which confirmed it. The IUD is no longer in my uterus as it should be. it is wrapped around my left ovary and will likely take surgery to remove it. It is possible I might lose my ovary depending on the severity of it etc. I went to talk to my ob who told me he was aware and to make an appointment for a followup to discuss the results. The soonest they could get me in was 2 weeks.
So this is the point I am at. I am currently waiting for my followup with an IUD expelled from my uterus, perhaps wrapped around my ovary. I was told by the nurse at the clinic to go back to the ER if I have another bleeding episode like before. Otherwise just wait for my appointment.
My question I suppose is there anything that can be done? Has there been a violation of anything? My main concern is that I don't want this to happen to someone else. This possibly could of been prevented had the nurse practioner actually did an ultrasound to check for my IUD. Instead of me sitting here with huge bleeding episodes, an IUD expelled in me, probablly wrapped around my uterus and the possibility of the lose of an ovary
Thanks so much for your time and any responses. and I apoligize for the length of this post
