2023 has been a tough year for me and it is only the month of August.

March is the month this journey started. It was a regular Thursday and I was preparing to eat dinner when I got a sharp pain in my left lower abdomen.

This brought me to the bathroom because I was not sure if I was going to vomit or not. Once I was in there, I started to sweat and get very hot. Yelled for my husband for some ice water and the next thing I remember after taking the glass from him was lying on the floor with my clothes soaked. It appears that I fainted right there in the bathroom.

After about 2 hours of sleep, I was barely able to walk without help. Decided to take a bath before bed to help my sore muscles but ended up getting overheated so straight to bed after that.

The next day, I was not able to do much beyond get out of bed to eat and get to the toilet. The pain continued on and off with a general feeling of being unwell for the next week and a half.

I had no idea what was going on but one day, I was working at the computer when I got the pain again, felt lightheaded and nauseous so I went to lie down. The pain did not subside so I called for a ride to the Emergency Department. After the tests, I was told I had a cyst on my left ovary and this was likely leading to my pain and symptoms.

Four days went by and I felt like I was living on anti-nausea medication (Zofran), Tylenol, and Aleve around the clock. Appetite was barely there so the fatigue was not helped by eating beige-colored foods. Pain returned with a vengeance when I was putting the kids to bed and nothing was helping. After about an hour, my husband and I decided to go back to the Emergency Department.

Late at night, I was lucky enough to be one of the only ones there and was seen right away. The pain was quite unbearable at the time and they had to do more tests including blood work and an ultrasound. Results showed a positive pregnancy blood test and a very low hemoglobin level. Eventually, I was consulted by the OBGYN on call and was told I was likely to have an ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy is the implantation of an embryo outside of the uterus. This is the leading cause of first trimester maternal death. Symptoms typically arise at 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. Symptoms include abnormal vaginal bleeding, low back pain, pain in the abdomen or pelvis, and cramping on one side of the pelvis.

https://helloclue.com/articles/pregnancy-birth-and-postpartum/what-you-need-to-know-about-ectopic-pregnancy

The chance of this happening in someone with an IUD is around 1 in 500 people. I am now one of those individuals. The entire 2 weeks, I jokingly told my husband that I felt like I did during my first trimester of pregnancy but worse. We thought there was such a little chance for me to get pregnant, that there had to be something else going on.

When I was told that I was pregnant while having an IUD, I was so confused. I had to make a decision at 1 am about the next step forward depending on where the embryo was implanted. Laparoscopic surgery at 3 am and woke up in recovery and found out my left Fallopian tube was removed as well as two and a half liters of blood from my abdomen.

Due to the blood loss, it would take about 3 months for my body to recover from this alone. I lived with anemia for months.

Anemia: low levels of iron. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, chest pain, pale skin, and irritability.

My activity was very limited during this time and slowly increased while I paced myself and listened to my body as much as I could. I thought I was in the clear by mid June. Then the symptoms started again!

I cannot stress how absolutely frustrated and defeated I felt at the time. Yet another trip to the Emergency Department to find the cyst that was on my left ovary back in March is still there and now larger. Due to the size of this cyst, I was told that I need to get it removed because the pain that I was experiencing was due to possible torsion of the ovary. If this continued, then it could cause blood supply to cease to the ovary.

Ovarian torsion: An uncommon but serious condition (also known as adnexal torsion) that occurs when the ovary, and sometimes the fallopian tube, twist on the tissues that support them. This cuts off the blood supply to the ovary, which if not treated promptly, can cause tissue in the organ to die.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322666

Laparoscopic surgery was then scheduled a few weeks later on my birthday of all days. I felt better pretty much immediately! It was a sweet relief that next week when the only discomfort I had was due to surgery.

Writing this, I am 4 weeks post-surgery and now feeling the effects of the inactivity from the last 4 months and having my abdominal muscle and tissue cut in to twice in just a few months apart. I feel like I am having to relearn my body and how it moves.

I had struggles in postpartum after both kids for different reasons but this hit me a bit different and felt worse. Maybe I am in a different place in my life mentally and emotionally compared to after having kids but I have experienced the importance of building a team around me through this time.

My team has included my family, friends, mental health therapist, Pilates instructor, and an internally trained pelvic health physical therapist.

At the last appointment with my pelvic health PT, she used a diagnostic ultrasound in the office. I found how my pelvic floor has virtually no muscle contraction, my left abdominal muscles have little movement, and my diaphragm is weak to the point of the ribcage not having enough expansion to reduce tissue tension through my abdomen.

My athletic mindset has always pushed me to be my best and other than pregnancies, I have not truly experienced something that has taken me away completely from doing what I want physically. It has taken me time to adjust and accept my circumstances but I want to be able to share my journey and be able to help those women who may have similar experiences.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing my physical therapy exercises and ways to meet my physical goals while taking time for my body to recover.