Tomorrow is the Big Day.
I have been looking forward to/dreading this day. Tomorrow, I go to the MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine).
Here’s a little back story for my new stalkers readers.
When I was pregnant with E, I developed HELLP syndrome at 34 weeks, 6 days. I delivered him at 35 weeks. I had a pretty severe case of it and, basically, could have died if the doctors did not act as quickly as they did.
So what exactly is HELLP?
HELLP stands for Hemolytic anemia, Elevated Liver Enzymes, and Low Platelet count. It is a life-threatening obstetric complication usually considered to be a variant of pre-eclampsia.
My symptoms were not so noticeable. At about 30 weeks, my blood pressure started to rise and my feet were really swollen. Over the next 5 weeks, my blood pressure continued to rise and my feet (and legs, hands, face) were so swollen that people cringed when they saw me. Then the rib pain started. I had thought that it was just E snuggled into my ribs. Turns out, it was my swollen liver.
I was blown off by the OB nurse line and told to rest and take it easy. “Put your feet up.” Duh, lady, I’ve been doing that for the past 5 weeks. I wasn’t happy with her response and I fought to be seen. That last week was horrifying. I went from having perfect blood test results to “kids, you’re having a baby tonight because you are really sick” in a matter of 3 days. 3 DAYS! (If you are interested in reading about the whole ordeal, you can find it here.)
At my annual appointment, my OB was talking to me about future babies. I had a ton of questions for her regarding HELLP and my risks during the next pregnancy. Unfortunately, she didn’t have all the answers. HELLP, although very life-threatening, is also very rare. I was her first case and she said she will never forget me for that. She suggested that I make an appointment with an MFM. They would have better answers for me and would be able to steer me in the right direction. I would also being seeing these doctors throughout my next pregnancy because I would be classified as high-risk (more appointments, more ultrasounds, more blood work, oh joy).
And that brings me to tomorrow.
I have my notebook ready with all my questions. I might have to go to this appointment by myself. The hubster isn’t sure he will be able to leave work for it. I want to write down all the answers so that I don’t forget anything.
I am nervous about this appointment. There is a small (teeny-tiny) chance that the doctor will tell me that it is not in my best interest to have any more children. The hubster and I decided when we started this process that if there were any long term effects on me from having this condition once (possibly twice) then it is just not worth to risk my life (again) to have another child. I really want another one but I don’t know if that’s a risk that I am willing to take again.
I am hoping that all my questions will be answered and we will receive some positive news. Of course, I’ll keep you dear readers updated!
I hope everything goes well at your appointment Stephanie!
Honey good luck today!
I just stopped by seeing as today is your Big Day.
I pray you will update once you get back and that all will be OK
One of your SITSas….
I hope everything goes well at the appointment for you and you come away relieved. xx
As a fellow HELLP mama, please fill us in with all the explicit details of what the MFM has to say. We're going to wait another year at least before trying again, since I am not feeling so brave about it yet, but we're going to see a MFM next year to try to get perspective (my ob seems abnormally optimistic, IMO). Wishing you luck!
Good luck at your appointment. I hope everything goes well.
Good luck tomorrow hun! I'll be thinking of you (and missing you on GChat of course!) but can't wait to hear all about it!
*muah*
@ Sara B – Another HELLP Momma! I will make sure I give explicit details on everything they tell me!
I hope it goes well for you!
What a terrifying experience and overwhemling decision ahead of you! Best of luck with the appointment. May the doctor be wonderfully helpful.
Thanks for stopping by my blog SITSta! I just said a prayer for your health and that everything goes well 🙂
Coming by from SITS.
Hope all goes well with your appointment! My prayers are with ya!
Hoping for good news for you! If it's rare maybe that means it's not necessarily going to happen again?!
I wish you the best of luck tomorrow! I'm going to follow you so I can see how everything turns out.
(isn't SITS fun?)
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I saw a MFM and went to high-risk OB's for my one and only pregnancy (I have myasthenia gravis). THey were AWESOME and took such good care of me! They were worried about HELLP with me too, but thank the Lord it never occurred. Good luck tomorrow, and I'll be checking back to see how it went!
I loved going often because I had a ton of ultrasounds, and got to watch Jacob grow on the inside!
Kerri
http://www.sickofmg.blogspot.com
Hi Steph,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note! You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Good luck today! I really hope all goes well.
Wow. I hope they were very informative and addressed your concerns and questions in a way that was understandable. Doctors speak a strange language sometimes. Thanks for visiting me!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Read your post here and want to wish you well. Don't you just love it when nurses and doctors blow you off with the old, "just relax, there's nothing wrong" routine. Good for you for making them see you. I had an OB nurse tell me the baby wasn't coming any time soon, because "that's what they all say." I delivered 30 minutes later. You gotta trust your instincts!