Friday, July 10, 2009

MFM Update

july 2009 091

My farmer’s tan really isn’t that bad.  It’s just the flash. ;)

That up there?  That’s really the only thing I took away from Friday’s MFM appt.

Overall, it went about as well as I expected.

The doctor had me review my pregnancy history as well as extensive family medical history.  We performed the RPL testing, which consisted of 12 vials of blood.  Results should take about 2 weeks.

The cause of Duncan's death, as we suspected, was a blood clot in his placenta.  More than likely, a clot was also the cause of Seth's abruption and IUGR; we were just blessed with Seth in that his placenta functioned well enough for as long as it did.  We just were not as fortunate with Duncan.

This blood issue is either caused by me, or a combination of me having a clotting disorder and ALSO passing the disorder on to my fetus -- in this case, Duncan.  So, there is a good chance that any subsequent pregnancies would also be threatened.  To what extent, we don't know.

I have an appt on 7/24 to go over the results of the RPL, and Jim and I will make a decision thereafter about our plans.  After today's appointment, I couldn’t even begin to tell you which way we are leaning.   There are just too many variables.

So, there it is.  More waiting, and not a lot of news.  I guess it was too much to hope that we’d walk in and they’d go, “Oh, Monica!  So glad you’re here.  This was all a big mistake – here’s your baby!”

9 comments:

Sara said...

:( *BIGHUGS* So, less blood & more questions. Awesome. Let's pray the appt. on 7/24 is a little clearer. Love you!

http://stacey-dellfamily.blogspot.com/ said...

I've thought about you all day & prayed & prayed.
I'm sorry for the results - but am thankful that you know what happened.
Blood thinners during pregnancy are so common now & I know that you have to wait for your results to come in before they know if it's Factor V or Protein C or S deficiencies, etc, but the shots aren't that bad.
The first month is the worse. Getting the nerve to poke yourself & once you get the needle in, then you have to push in the fluid..but after that month, your stomach is used to the shots & you just have to work around the bruises.
Plus, you have something to guilt them w/later - haha - nursing home? I was thinking a guest house in the back...do you know how many shots I had to do to have you... :)
I'm pretty knowledged on the blood thinners & blood clots (unfortunately) if you have any questions you can't find answers to online or that don't make sense, please drop me an email & i'll help any way i can.

Anonymous said...

Still praying hun! Wish it was all different for you and Jim! Kiss the little man for me!

Love ya, Gramp-e

savannahgirl said...

You continue to be in my prayers (((big hugs)))

Kendra said...

Well...at least the first part is over. That's...something I guess. I will be praying you have some more answers on 7/24, and praying that you and Jim have clear and united wisdom from the Lord.

Sara said...

I just wanted to let you know that I have a blood clotting disorder - it wasn't discovered until I was 23 weeks with my son. He didn't survive - nothing to do with the disorder, his lungs just weren't ready.

With this baby, I have been on blood thinner shots the entire time and it has been a flawless nine months. No clots or scares.

There is hope for you to have a successful pregnancy if it is a clotting problem. Many women go on to have healthy pregnancies once treatment begins. The treatment is an inconvenience, but do-able.

All that said, I am sorry that it looks like a clot that took Duncan from you too soon. And I know that a healthy pregnancy won't ever replace your Duncan. I pray for you often and I wish you guys the best.

Christina said...

My sister-in-law had several miscarriages (she had a normal pregnancy with her first child), only to find out that she has a blood clotting disorder. She is pregnant again, about 24 weeks along, with no problems. She is taking a baby aspirin a day to thin her blood. Maybe it will be that simple for you! However, for my sister-in-law, it almost seems to0 simple of a solution to have gone through so many losses.

Unknown said...

Wow, it feels like deja vu in the fact that even before reading this, I was going to suggest you get tested for clotting disorders. One of my best friends had 3 miscarriages (2 after 20 weeks) after having 2 normal pregnancies. They're not sure how her's happened, but she's on asprin and shots and doing great with this pregnancy. She's due in October. One positive is that you can take any headache meds you want if you need them! You are in my prayers and we will do anything for our babies, won't we?! You do eventually get used to needles and learn the dos/don'ts to painful areas. I don't have clotting, just gestational diabetes treated with 4 shots of insulin a day and 7 finger pricks, but really not that painful. God is good and He will see us through all these trials and we will hold our babies in our arms! Love ya and mesage/email me anytime!
Ashley

Valerie said...

Mon,

I've shared with you before that I have MTHFR. It's scary to think about your body having this "silent" problem that can cause so many issues with pregnancy. I'm glad that you have such good doctors taking care of you and helping you to look into things further.

Sending hugs and prayers from Pittsburgh, my friend.

Val