This morning I was at the doctor bright and early for my last checkup on Abel before surgery day tomorrow. I didn't have a scan, but everything was good. His heart rate was good, my BP was good, and my urine was still clear of blood. Dr. Sanders and I just did a lot of talking, crying (on my part), and praying about tomorrow.
I check into the hospital tonight at 5pm, so in just a few hours, and to be honest, I'm a nervous wreck. I've asked every possible question about Abel, the surgery, recovery, ICU, blood loss, etc. that I can think of, and it all comes down to what happens in surgery tomorrow... that's what makes it so nerve-wracking for me. I like being aware and having some control over situations, and neither of those things will happen tomorrow. I do know that tonight I'm having all my labs done for the blood bank so they'll have plenty of units of blood on standby tomorrow, having IVs put in, meeting with anesthesia to figure out the game plan for tomorrow with Andy, and she said probably meeting with a resident to go over everything... so maybe we won't just be sitting there bored all night. I think we'll have some visitors in and out too, so that'll help keep my mind off of everything.
One of my main concerns was figuring out if I'd have time to see the boys tomorrow morning before surgery, and it doesn't look like I will. I'm ok with that because I know I'll be an emotional mess and don't want to scare them, but I'm glad I figured that out before hand... I would've been a raging crazy woman in the morning if I thought I was seeing them and then got taken back before they made it to the hospital. She said they'd probably take me down for surgery prep around 7am, so I'm not going to make my poor mother-in-law break her neck getting them there that early.
We once again discussed the logistics of NICU/non NICU with Abel, and if the doesn't have to go to the NICU he can just hangout in the room with everyone while I'm in surgery. I'm already really jealous that everyone is going to get to meet him before I do. If he goes to NICU the boys won't be able to go back and see him, but she said the nurses are pretty good about letting family have a peek as they bring him up. If I'm in ICU and he's not, she said that she thinks nurses will bring him down to breastfeed, so I'm hoping she's right... that's about my biggest concern right now, losing precious time with him if I'm in ICU. That happened with Cooper and it was terrible.
I'm glad we'll have a game plan in place tonight regarding anesthesia. Dr. Sanders is hoping they'll keep me awake through the c-section for Abel's sake. The medication used for putting me to sleep would go to Abel, and she said she prefers that not to happen because it takes them longer to wake up to "normal" range. I don't want that either for him. I asked if I could have something to calm my nerves in the morning, and she said all of the stuff that would be worth taking would go straight to Abel, so that was a no. So, hopefully I can be a big girl and pull myself together in the morning. She said I should wake up really quick once surgery is over, so that was another fear that has been put at ease, somewhat... I'm scared of being put to sleep period.
Alright, we're about to head out for my "last supper" at City Cafe, but I'm sure I'll checkin at the hospital tonight from boredom and nerves. 36 weeks of carrying this sweet boy and 5 weeks of accreta prep are about to come to fruition, so keep praying for us!
The Smithsons
Monday, February 15, 2016
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Thursday Update
Happy Thursday! We had our first day of winter break today, and we had snow days Tuesday and Wednesday, so my maternity leave has officially started! We're less than a week out from Abel's delivery and my surgery, and while that scares me to death, life just keeps on moving forward... funny how it does that! Anyways, here's a little break at what the Smithsons have been up to recently.
- Everything is moving along according to plan on the pregnancy front. Like I said above, we're under a week away from delivery and surgery, and I'm an absolute nervous wreck. About 50 new and different scenarios pop into my head every day that cause my worry and anxiety to skyrocket, but as Andy says, worrying won't change anything. I'm trying to think of things I need to do around the house or buy before he gets here, but with everything that's going on, I'm pretty limited on what I can actually do. I did a lot of cleaning and some grocery shopping today, but that about killed me. That makes it hard to adequately prepare!
- Cooper has been in a bit of a rut with no school the last few days. He really loves school, and he was heartbroken yesterday when he didn't get to go - they were supposed to have their Valentine's Day party. We're not sending him on Tuesday either due to Abel being born, but it'll be nice when he gets back into his own little routine... he's so much better behaved when he has a good routine and goes to school.
- Clark has been thrown off by me being home, too. He keeps asking why his Granna isn't keeping him. I'm trying to explain that I'm going to be keeping him for awhile since Abel is coming soon (with help from my mom until I heal from my surgery), but he'll probably get tired of the baby and me real fast!
- We had Blue, our beagle puppy, fixed this week, and she's been pretty pitiful. She's walked around real gingerly, and slept a lot. She was feeling a little better yesterday, then she got into some old cooking oil from our fry daddy, drank a ton of it, and was literally sick as a dog all night last night. She threw up so much, but I'm sure that was the best thing for her. She got my couch one time, and while my couches are old and not in great shape anyways, I don't know that this particular one will ever bounce back from that little vomiting episode. I've scrubbed that thing until I've about put a hole in it, but there'll probably always be a slight stain... I see new couches in our not too far future! Anyways, Blue loves playing outside in our backyard, so I'm hoping that after today we'll be able to let her out some.
- We're about to book our vacation for this summer! We seem to always pick our trips around this time each year... I think it has to do with snow days! Anyways, we're heading back to my old stomping grounds, Daytona Beach. We technically don't stay in Daytona, we stay in Ponce Inlet, but it's pretty much the same place. We haven't been there in a few years, and in my opinion there isn't any better beach than there in the South, so I'm super excited! It'll just be the 5 of us going (it feels so weird to say 5!), but we've had a lot of fun on our own the past few years.
- I'm all caught up with Scandal, so I'm ready for the mid-season premiere tonight! If any of you watch Scandal, I must say now that I'm caught up, I hate Olivia Pope. Fitz is, by far, my favorite character on that show, so I really despise her now. I'm anxious to see what happens from here!
- I've gotten hooked on another show that I never thought I'd like - Fixer Upper. Andy and I sit and watch this every night. Since we just started liking it and there are 3 seasons, we've got a ton to watch! I've never been one to like home/HGTV shows, but I can't get enough of this one. The last few months Andy and I have thrown around the idea of buying land and building (in a few years - not now), so seeing how they do these homes just makes me want to move and build/redo a home so badly! Since Andy's been watching it, he said he'd be fine with buying a house with some land and fixing it up - too bad we probably won't be able to make it look like they do though! I knew I wanted a farmhouse whenever we do something, but that show has really reaffirmed that for me!
Alright, I'm sure I'll be back soon with some updates on the delivery/surgery front... it's coming upon us quickly!
Monday, February 8, 2016
Abel Update - One Week from D-Day
This morning, before I ever headed into the doctor, I woke up sick as a dog with dizziness and nausea. I didn't know if I was getting a bug or what, but when I made it to work (I went in against my better judgement because I could hardly stand up), I had them check my blood pressure. It was 92/68... that explained the dizziness, but I didn't really know why it had bottomed out. I didn't have any energy or appetite the rest of the day, and felt pretty terrible, so I was anxious to see what Dr. Sanders would say about that little episode once I got to her office.
When I got to her office, they quickly told me that she had an emergency c-section she had to go to, but that I could wait until she got back if I wanted. I went ahead and had everything checked with the nurse, then had an ultrasound to check Abel's weight and peek at my placenta. My blood pressure was pretty low again, but not as low as it was at work. The nurse said that can happen at this point in pregnancy, and just make sure I was eating enough. When I got back to ultrasound Abel finally cooperated and let us get a good look at his face, and I think the consensus is that he looks like Clark's mini me. She estimated his weight at 5 pounds, 12 ounces, so according to that, he's gained almost half a pound since last week... that's probably due to all the cookie dough his mommy is eating. She said he was right on track and looked great. She looked at my placenta/bladder area and said that she couldn't make out if the placenta was completely against my bladder wall or uterine wall, so once again, we didn't get any answers there (I didn't have blood in my urine though, still a good sign).
I left and got some lunch, came back and waited a little more, and then finally saw Dr. Sanders. She was pleased with how everything was progressing considering my situation, and said Abel had a really big belly. Every time they've weighed him there and at the high risk they've said that, so I got paranoid something was wrong, but she said he was fine. She said the weight estimates are rarely ever spot on, so expect him to be between five and a half to six pounds, hopefully closer to the 6 pound mark by next week. She also told me the best thing I could do to help my low blood pressure was to make sure I'm drinking plenty of water... I'll follow orders because I felt like I was really going to faint this morning.
My only questions for her this week regarding my surgery were if they would keep Andy updated on my progress during the surgery, and what they would do when I check into the hospital Monday night. She said they would run my labs, monitor the baby, and cross check (or something like that) my blood with the blood bank and get all the units they need on standby for the next morning. I go back to see her next Monday morning, and then we check into Erlanger Monday night at 5pm. I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm already crying every time I think about leaving the boys that day, so I'm going to go ahead and take a wild guess that I'm going to be a basket case at the hospital.
We're just a week out from D-Day now, and to be honest, I'm ready to get it over with, but completely dreading it at the same time. I know that sounds terrible since it's the delivery of my last baby, but I'm terrified. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely can't wait to meet this sweet baby who's making me super uncomfortable these days, but I'm scared to death of everything else that will take place. I'm also worried about the chance of snow next Monday/Tuesday, so that's just another thing to add to my list of anxiety triggers. As always, we'd appreciate all the prayers you can spare! I'll keep everyone updated as our big day approaches!
Here's some pictures of Clark's twin. She said he had quite a bit of hair, so I can't wait to see what color it is!
When I got to her office, they quickly told me that she had an emergency c-section she had to go to, but that I could wait until she got back if I wanted. I went ahead and had everything checked with the nurse, then had an ultrasound to check Abel's weight and peek at my placenta. My blood pressure was pretty low again, but not as low as it was at work. The nurse said that can happen at this point in pregnancy, and just make sure I was eating enough. When I got back to ultrasound Abel finally cooperated and let us get a good look at his face, and I think the consensus is that he looks like Clark's mini me. She estimated his weight at 5 pounds, 12 ounces, so according to that, he's gained almost half a pound since last week... that's probably due to all the cookie dough his mommy is eating. She said he was right on track and looked great. She looked at my placenta/bladder area and said that she couldn't make out if the placenta was completely against my bladder wall or uterine wall, so once again, we didn't get any answers there (I didn't have blood in my urine though, still a good sign).
I left and got some lunch, came back and waited a little more, and then finally saw Dr. Sanders. She was pleased with how everything was progressing considering my situation, and said Abel had a really big belly. Every time they've weighed him there and at the high risk they've said that, so I got paranoid something was wrong, but she said he was fine. She said the weight estimates are rarely ever spot on, so expect him to be between five and a half to six pounds, hopefully closer to the 6 pound mark by next week. She also told me the best thing I could do to help my low blood pressure was to make sure I'm drinking plenty of water... I'll follow orders because I felt like I was really going to faint this morning.
My only questions for her this week regarding my surgery were if they would keep Andy updated on my progress during the surgery, and what they would do when I check into the hospital Monday night. She said they would run my labs, monitor the baby, and cross check (or something like that) my blood with the blood bank and get all the units they need on standby for the next morning. I go back to see her next Monday morning, and then we check into Erlanger Monday night at 5pm. I'll go ahead and tell you that I'm already crying every time I think about leaving the boys that day, so I'm going to go ahead and take a wild guess that I'm going to be a basket case at the hospital.
We're just a week out from D-Day now, and to be honest, I'm ready to get it over with, but completely dreading it at the same time. I know that sounds terrible since it's the delivery of my last baby, but I'm terrified. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely can't wait to meet this sweet baby who's making me super uncomfortable these days, but I'm scared to death of everything else that will take place. I'm also worried about the chance of snow next Monday/Tuesday, so that's just another thing to add to my list of anxiety triggers. As always, we'd appreciate all the prayers you can spare! I'll keep everyone updated as our big day approaches!
Here's some pictures of Clark's twin. She said he had quite a bit of hair, so I can't wait to see what color it is!
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
My Latest Thoughts on C-Sections
I had my first c-section on November 18, 2010. Cooper wasn't due until 12/29/2010, but due to the sudden onset of preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, a team of doctors decided to deliver him 6 weeks early via emergency c-section. Fast forward 20 months later and I had my second c-section on July 27, 2012. I was having some early signs of preeclampsia, so my doctor made the decision to delivery Clark at 38 weeks via a c-section to avoid any complications like I had with Cooper. Fast forward again to the present day, and I'm scheduled to have my third and final c-section on February 16, 2016.
When I first got pregnant with Cooper, a c-section never entered my mind as his method of delivery. Yes, I knew what they were, but I never imagined I would be in a situation where I would need one. Due to the complications I had with him, by the time he was delivered, my lungs were filled with fluid, I couldn't breath, my liver and kidneys were shutting down, all kinds of other problems were arising, and it was a very real life and death situation for me. When the high risk doctor came into my hospital room and said they were doing an emergency c-section in a couple of hours, we didn't questions their judgement at all. I've never once been upset about that decision - I believe it literally saved my life and got Cooper here in the safest situation possible.
When I got pregnant with Clark I knew a v-bac wouldn't likely be an option, and to be honest, I was completely fine with that. I had a good recovery from my c-section with Cooper, and I had no clue what I was "missing out on" with a vaginal delivery. I discussed it with my doctor, and he said that all of the doctors in their practice didn't perform v-bacs unless you came into the hospital in active labor, basically ready to push the baby out at any minute. He said they felt it was too risky, so we knew Clark would be a c-section. Once again, I had a pretty easy recovery from my c-section with Clark. It was a little bit harder than Cooper's just because Cooper was still really young, so I did a lot more lifting than I was supposed to, but it wasn't terrible by any means.
When I got pregnant with Abel, I knew with about 99% certainty that he would also be born via c-section, but I discussed it with Dr. Sanders anyways. She said that since this was my third baby and due to the fact that my body had never been through labor, she felt like a repeat c-section would be the safest decision. She said there's a higher risk of uterine rupture at the scar site, and that my body may not "know what to do" while in labor, so a c-section it would be. She did stress that this should be my last c-section due to complications that can arise where the placenta can attach to the uterus (yes, she literally told me this at my first visit), but that that was a rare occurrence, but odds increase with each subsequent c-section. I had never heard of this before, so I brushed off her warning, and figured I still had one more good chance for baby #4 if we decided we wanted a fourth. Anyways, once again, I trusted her and was fine with the decision for a repeat c-section.
As this pregnancy progressed, I decided I wasn't ready to have my tubes tied (or removed as they do now), even though Andy and I had never seriously considered having another baby... I just knew that I didn't want that door closed. As this pregnancy progressed though, we started running into some complications (as any of you know who've kept up with this pregnancy through my blog). At my 20 week scan I was told I had a low-lying placenta, then at 23 weeks I was diagnosed with placenta previa (covering the cervix). At these visits my doctor discussed the risks of placenta accreta with me (what she had briefly mentioned at the first visit, but now it had a name), and went into a lot more details. It sounded absolutely terrifying, and was told that would definitely be the end of having children because it requires an emergency hysterectomy to control bleeding. She explained that this most often happens as a result of repeat c-sections, so she wanted Andy and I to really pray about getting my tubes removed, even though at this point she wasn't very worried about me having this.
As each visit passed, my placenta wasn't moving, so my doctor got concerned about the likelihood of me having placenta accreta. I knew this would mean a hysterectomy, so I really prayed that it wouldn't be an issue. Well, I was officially diagnosed with placenta accreta at 31 weeks, and now have been upgraded to placenta percreata, where the uterus is attached to the bladder, even though none of the doctors are 100% sure the placenta is to that point yet. All of this was most likely caused by the fact that I had two previous c-sections and placenta previa during this pregnancy.
So, now having this knowledge that I was absolutely clueless about until my third pregnancy and c-section (I had never heard of this and had no clue a condition like this existed), I thought I'd go ahead and give my updated opinion on c-section births. I will once again say that I have no regrets with the decisions my doctors made when they delivered Cooper. I still feel like a c-section was the best case scenario for that situation, and I'm grateful they did it so quickly to keep me from getting worse. With Clark the decision was once again out of my hands, but I'll never be upset at my doctor at the time for delivering him via c-section - it was the decision that needed to be made and I trusted him with that.
So, here is where my opinion has really changed; I used to be a supporter and advocate of c-sections. I never understood the big deal when I would see women post things on Facebook about how c-sections were being overused and that something needed to be done about it. My c-sections were easy, the recovery was fine, and it wasn't affecting my ability to get pregnant. What was the big deal? I even had some friends who told me that their doctor would let them choose whether or not they wanted a vaginal delivery or c-section. Now, I thought that was a little odd, but I still didn't understand the big uproar over it.
Well, now I do. More than likely, if I hadn't of had c-sections, I wouldn't be forced to have an emergency hysterectomy in less than two weeks and close the door completely on my childbearing years. I'll be honest - that's a very hard pill to swallow at 29 years old. I'm not angry, I know it has to be done, but I would've never chosen this road for myself... God obviously didn't have 4 kids in the plans for Andy and me, and that's ok. Don't get me wrong - I understand the need for c-sections in cases of emergency better than anyone, but now I don't understand why a doctor would perform one if isn't really needed, or let their patients choose if there isn't a legitimate medical reason to do so... this really can cut down your chance of having as many children as you want, which is sad. Out of 14 kids on both mine and Andy's sides of the family, only 3 of them have been delivered vaginally... that's crazy. I'm not saying all these c-sections weren't warranted, but it's just insane to me how many babies are delivered that way now. Placenta accreta is on the rise due to the high number of c-sections being preformed now, which was fortunate for me because my doctors are really confident in the surgery since they've seen it more lately, but really sad for women who want more children like I did.
So, from here on out, I'll definitely support any woman who ends up having a c-section, but I'll never be one to encourage it again if it isn't needed. Every woman and every birth is different, but I would never want to encourage someone to do something that can take away their fertility... it's been heartbreaking for me, and I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
When I first got pregnant with Cooper, a c-section never entered my mind as his method of delivery. Yes, I knew what they were, but I never imagined I would be in a situation where I would need one. Due to the complications I had with him, by the time he was delivered, my lungs were filled with fluid, I couldn't breath, my liver and kidneys were shutting down, all kinds of other problems were arising, and it was a very real life and death situation for me. When the high risk doctor came into my hospital room and said they were doing an emergency c-section in a couple of hours, we didn't questions their judgement at all. I've never once been upset about that decision - I believe it literally saved my life and got Cooper here in the safest situation possible.
When I got pregnant with Clark I knew a v-bac wouldn't likely be an option, and to be honest, I was completely fine with that. I had a good recovery from my c-section with Cooper, and I had no clue what I was "missing out on" with a vaginal delivery. I discussed it with my doctor, and he said that all of the doctors in their practice didn't perform v-bacs unless you came into the hospital in active labor, basically ready to push the baby out at any minute. He said they felt it was too risky, so we knew Clark would be a c-section. Once again, I had a pretty easy recovery from my c-section with Clark. It was a little bit harder than Cooper's just because Cooper was still really young, so I did a lot more lifting than I was supposed to, but it wasn't terrible by any means.
When I got pregnant with Abel, I knew with about 99% certainty that he would also be born via c-section, but I discussed it with Dr. Sanders anyways. She said that since this was my third baby and due to the fact that my body had never been through labor, she felt like a repeat c-section would be the safest decision. She said there's a higher risk of uterine rupture at the scar site, and that my body may not "know what to do" while in labor, so a c-section it would be. She did stress that this should be my last c-section due to complications that can arise where the placenta can attach to the uterus (yes, she literally told me this at my first visit), but that that was a rare occurrence, but odds increase with each subsequent c-section. I had never heard of this before, so I brushed off her warning, and figured I still had one more good chance for baby #4 if we decided we wanted a fourth. Anyways, once again, I trusted her and was fine with the decision for a repeat c-section.
As this pregnancy progressed, I decided I wasn't ready to have my tubes tied (or removed as they do now), even though Andy and I had never seriously considered having another baby... I just knew that I didn't want that door closed. As this pregnancy progressed though, we started running into some complications (as any of you know who've kept up with this pregnancy through my blog). At my 20 week scan I was told I had a low-lying placenta, then at 23 weeks I was diagnosed with placenta previa (covering the cervix). At these visits my doctor discussed the risks of placenta accreta with me (what she had briefly mentioned at the first visit, but now it had a name), and went into a lot more details. It sounded absolutely terrifying, and was told that would definitely be the end of having children because it requires an emergency hysterectomy to control bleeding. She explained that this most often happens as a result of repeat c-sections, so she wanted Andy and I to really pray about getting my tubes removed, even though at this point she wasn't very worried about me having this.
As each visit passed, my placenta wasn't moving, so my doctor got concerned about the likelihood of me having placenta accreta. I knew this would mean a hysterectomy, so I really prayed that it wouldn't be an issue. Well, I was officially diagnosed with placenta accreta at 31 weeks, and now have been upgraded to placenta percreata, where the uterus is attached to the bladder, even though none of the doctors are 100% sure the placenta is to that point yet. All of this was most likely caused by the fact that I had two previous c-sections and placenta previa during this pregnancy.
So, here is where my opinion has really changed; I used to be a supporter and advocate of c-sections. I never understood the big deal when I would see women post things on Facebook about how c-sections were being overused and that something needed to be done about it. My c-sections were easy, the recovery was fine, and it wasn't affecting my ability to get pregnant. What was the big deal? I even had some friends who told me that their doctor would let them choose whether or not they wanted a vaginal delivery or c-section. Now, I thought that was a little odd, but I still didn't understand the big uproar over it.
Well, now I do. More than likely, if I hadn't of had c-sections, I wouldn't be forced to have an emergency hysterectomy in less than two weeks and close the door completely on my childbearing years. I'll be honest - that's a very hard pill to swallow at 29 years old. I'm not angry, I know it has to be done, but I would've never chosen this road for myself... God obviously didn't have 4 kids in the plans for Andy and me, and that's ok. Don't get me wrong - I understand the need for c-sections in cases of emergency better than anyone, but now I don't understand why a doctor would perform one if isn't really needed, or let their patients choose if there isn't a legitimate medical reason to do so... this really can cut down your chance of having as many children as you want, which is sad. Out of 14 kids on both mine and Andy's sides of the family, only 3 of them have been delivered vaginally... that's crazy. I'm not saying all these c-sections weren't warranted, but it's just insane to me how many babies are delivered that way now. Placenta accreta is on the rise due to the high number of c-sections being preformed now, which was fortunate for me because my doctors are really confident in the surgery since they've seen it more lately, but really sad for women who want more children like I did.
So, from here on out, I'll definitely support any woman who ends up having a c-section, but I'll never be one to encourage it again if it isn't needed. Every woman and every birth is different, but I would never want to encourage someone to do something that can take away their fertility... it's been heartbreaking for me, and I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
High Risk Appointment
Andy and I headed to the high risk doctor today for my checkup. My appointment was at 3:45, and I didn't get back to a room until about 5:15... it was a bit ridiculous. We had a pretty good time people watching though - there were some real characters there. Anyways, after all the initial workup/checkup stuff, I went back for an ultrasound once I finally got back to a room.
The first thing the ultrasound tech said was that she was going to look and see if my placenta had moved any, and I asked if it still could since it was attached, and she just kind of looked at me... I later heard her explain to the doctor she didn't know she was scanning an accreta, she just thought it was a previa. I think she felt a bit ridiculous when I said that. Anyways, Abel looked great, but still refused to give us a good glimpse of his face. She estimated his weight at 5 pounds and 6 ounces, but said it gets less accurate as we get closer to delivery, so not to put a whole lot stock into that. She checked my placenta, and I asked her right away where my bladder was. She showed me, and since I'm not a doctor, all I could tell was that everything looked really close to each other.
When Dr. Kipikasa came back, he said he assumed I had heard about my MRI results from Dr. Sanders, and I told him I had. He said that didn't change a thing, that they were prepared for the worst from the get-go. All he said the MRI results did for him was confirm his original suspicions that there is an accreta, and the finding that it's to my bladder (according to the radiologist) just reaffirmed the fact that they would need the extra doctors on hand that they were already planning on having. He told us that the bladder is very resilient and doesn't cause a lot of bleeding, so to not worry if repair is needed on it. If there is repair done, which he said a lot of times is inevitable with this regardless if it's just an accreta or percreta, I'd just be in a catheter longer than I would be with no repair. He said the more concerning matter would be my ureters and accidental injury to them, but that's what the stents are being put in for, so there shouldn't be a high concern with those. I asked him what he thought about my bladder today based off of my ultrasound, and he said it was so close that he couldn't tell if it was attached to the placenta or not. He said it literally comes down to millimeters of tissue, so there's no real accurate way of knowing until they're in there - he said imaging isn't sensitive enough to be that accurate. So, that's where we stand with the bladder... we're still not 100% sure one way or another.
We talked to him about recovery time in the hospital and he said it could be anywhere from a 4 day stay to longer depending on whether or not I'm in the ICU. We asked about that as well, and he said it depends on a lot of factors, but the main one being the amount of blood I lose. He told us he had performed around 80 of these surgeries (which made us feel a lot better), and that it's been about a 50/50% of women who have had to go to the ICU and women who haven't. We once again asked about Andy coming back (I know I sound like a broken record), and he said once again that would be up to the anesthesiologist. He said that when you're put under anesthesia that allows you stay awake for the c-section portion, it can cause lots of fluctuations and bottoming out of your blood pressure, and lots of the anesthesiologists don't want the stress of that when they know they're going to have to put you sleep anyways for the hysterectomy. So, we won't know what will happen with Andy until the morning of. We also talked about the incision I'll have (another broken record, I know), and he said vertical incisions give them a lot more room to work, and he said he was thankful I was skinny (so kind of him!) because it would make the surgery easier on everyone. He said he expects the surgery to last anywhere from 3-4 hours, but that's only an estimate since they don't know what to expect for certain until they get in there.
He finished up our visit by saying that Abel looked great and had a big, fat belly, and that since Dr. Sanders is seeing me weekly, he'd just plan on seeing me the morning of my surgery unless a complication arises.
I handled our visit much better today than I did last time around. Since there weren't any new surprises thrown at us, I was able to coherently think through everything and ask the few questions I had thought of since yesterday. Andy was able to ask questions he had too, so I'm really glad he got to come. I'm 34 weeks today, so as of 8am this morning, we were two weeks out from delivery. I don't have many appointments left before D - Day, so now it's really just down to the final preparations as we get closer and waiting for the 15th when we check into the hospital and the morning of the 16th when our little baby arrives. Once again, please keep us in your prayers. We're praying that these next two weeks go smoothly and we have no complications that make delivery come sooner. We're also obviously praying for a healthy baby who hopefully won't have to go to the NICU, and for a smooth surgery for me.
The first thing the ultrasound tech said was that she was going to look and see if my placenta had moved any, and I asked if it still could since it was attached, and she just kind of looked at me... I later heard her explain to the doctor she didn't know she was scanning an accreta, she just thought it was a previa. I think she felt a bit ridiculous when I said that. Anyways, Abel looked great, but still refused to give us a good glimpse of his face. She estimated his weight at 5 pounds and 6 ounces, but said it gets less accurate as we get closer to delivery, so not to put a whole lot stock into that. She checked my placenta, and I asked her right away where my bladder was. She showed me, and since I'm not a doctor, all I could tell was that everything looked really close to each other.
When Dr. Kipikasa came back, he said he assumed I had heard about my MRI results from Dr. Sanders, and I told him I had. He said that didn't change a thing, that they were prepared for the worst from the get-go. All he said the MRI results did for him was confirm his original suspicions that there is an accreta, and the finding that it's to my bladder (according to the radiologist) just reaffirmed the fact that they would need the extra doctors on hand that they were already planning on having. He told us that the bladder is very resilient and doesn't cause a lot of bleeding, so to not worry if repair is needed on it. If there is repair done, which he said a lot of times is inevitable with this regardless if it's just an accreta or percreta, I'd just be in a catheter longer than I would be with no repair. He said the more concerning matter would be my ureters and accidental injury to them, but that's what the stents are being put in for, so there shouldn't be a high concern with those. I asked him what he thought about my bladder today based off of my ultrasound, and he said it was so close that he couldn't tell if it was attached to the placenta or not. He said it literally comes down to millimeters of tissue, so there's no real accurate way of knowing until they're in there - he said imaging isn't sensitive enough to be that accurate. So, that's where we stand with the bladder... we're still not 100% sure one way or another.
We talked to him about recovery time in the hospital and he said it could be anywhere from a 4 day stay to longer depending on whether or not I'm in the ICU. We asked about that as well, and he said it depends on a lot of factors, but the main one being the amount of blood I lose. He told us he had performed around 80 of these surgeries (which made us feel a lot better), and that it's been about a 50/50% of women who have had to go to the ICU and women who haven't. We once again asked about Andy coming back (I know I sound like a broken record), and he said once again that would be up to the anesthesiologist. He said that when you're put under anesthesia that allows you stay awake for the c-section portion, it can cause lots of fluctuations and bottoming out of your blood pressure, and lots of the anesthesiologists don't want the stress of that when they know they're going to have to put you sleep anyways for the hysterectomy. So, we won't know what will happen with Andy until the morning of. We also talked about the incision I'll have (another broken record, I know), and he said vertical incisions give them a lot more room to work, and he said he was thankful I was skinny (so kind of him!) because it would make the surgery easier on everyone. He said he expects the surgery to last anywhere from 3-4 hours, but that's only an estimate since they don't know what to expect for certain until they get in there.
He finished up our visit by saying that Abel looked great and had a big, fat belly, and that since Dr. Sanders is seeing me weekly, he'd just plan on seeing me the morning of my surgery unless a complication arises.
I handled our visit much better today than I did last time around. Since there weren't any new surprises thrown at us, I was able to coherently think through everything and ask the few questions I had thought of since yesterday. Andy was able to ask questions he had too, so I'm really glad he got to come. I'm 34 weeks today, so as of 8am this morning, we were two weeks out from delivery. I don't have many appointments left before D - Day, so now it's really just down to the final preparations as we get closer and waiting for the 15th when we check into the hospital and the morning of the 16th when our little baby arrives. Once again, please keep us in your prayers. We're praying that these next two weeks go smoothly and we have no complications that make delivery come sooner. We're also obviously praying for a healthy baby who hopefully won't have to go to the NICU, and for a smooth surgery for me.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Weekly Abel Update
Today I had my weekly appointment with Dr. Sanders. There were no new surprises, so that was a plus. I told Andy it takes me about a week to wrap my head around and process any new, unexpected, not so good news, and after that I accept it and get into "preparation mode." I'm finally there from our last round of not so good news (my MRI results), so I said I didn't know if I could handle anymore thrown our way before delivery day. In the grand scheme of things with placenta accreta, we're already prepared for the worst form of it since the radiologists thinks it's to my bladder, so hopefully nothing else will sneak up on us. Anyways, there was still no blood in my urine, so that's a good sign for the bladder.
As soon as Dr. Sanders walked in, she explained her decision about using the oncologist, so I feel completely at ease with that. She said in her professional opinion, he's the best in Chattanooga, and if her mom were going in for any kind of major GYN surgery, she'd want him doing it. He's going to be in from the beginning, placing the stents in my ureters, and staying until the end to do any work needed. He blocked out his whole morning at his practice, so I'm glad he'll be on hand for the whole surgery. She said if there was just minor bladder repair that he would do it, but if they get into something major with the bladder they would call in the urologist. She also told me that the bladder should be the least of my worries with the surgery because it doesn't cause major bleeding, and it's easy to repair if there's an issue. She did say that they've all decided that they aren't going to try and pull my placenta out at all; they're going to get Abel out, stitch up my vertical incision to keep me from bleeding from out there, do a new incision (I think), and then just take the uterus out and survey the rest of the damage from the placenta and go from there. They want to keep blood loss at an absolute minimum, so she said that was the safest plan.
We talked some more about everything involved in surgery preparation and recovery, and it's still all up in the air about wether or not Andy will be able to come in and if I'll be asleep the whole time or not. I really, really want Andy back there, and I REALLY want to see Abel when he's born, but I also see the advantage to being asleep the whole time. My nerves are already shot, so I can't imagine how I'm going to be the day of the surgery... it may be nice to be knocked out for the whole process. Obviously, if I'm asleep before the surgery starts, Andy can't come back. She said they would let him wait by the door for Abel though and would whisk him out to Andy once he's out. We're really praying he won't have to go to the NICU and that him and Andy will get to have lots of bonding time while I'm in surgery.
Overall the visit went well, just lots of questions by me and answers by Dr. Sanders. I didn't have a scan done today since I'll have an in-depth one done tomorrow at the high risk. Andy's going with me tomorrow, so I'm glad he'll be able to tag along again... I'm sure we'll have lots of information thrown at us and he remembers stuff better than me.
Before I left I told Dr. Sanders that I had felt like time was crawling, but now that we're two weeks out I feel like it's coming up fast. I definitely can't wait to meet Abel, I'm really excited about that, but I'm dreading everything else involved! I'm already worried about leaving the boys for however long I'm in the hospital and am worried about how they're going to handle it, so just keep us all in your prayers... I really just need some peace of mind! I'll be back tomorrow with another update after the high risk!
As soon as Dr. Sanders walked in, she explained her decision about using the oncologist, so I feel completely at ease with that. She said in her professional opinion, he's the best in Chattanooga, and if her mom were going in for any kind of major GYN surgery, she'd want him doing it. He's going to be in from the beginning, placing the stents in my ureters, and staying until the end to do any work needed. He blocked out his whole morning at his practice, so I'm glad he'll be on hand for the whole surgery. She said if there was just minor bladder repair that he would do it, but if they get into something major with the bladder they would call in the urologist. She also told me that the bladder should be the least of my worries with the surgery because it doesn't cause major bleeding, and it's easy to repair if there's an issue. She did say that they've all decided that they aren't going to try and pull my placenta out at all; they're going to get Abel out, stitch up my vertical incision to keep me from bleeding from out there, do a new incision (I think), and then just take the uterus out and survey the rest of the damage from the placenta and go from there. They want to keep blood loss at an absolute minimum, so she said that was the safest plan.
We talked some more about everything involved in surgery preparation and recovery, and it's still all up in the air about wether or not Andy will be able to come in and if I'll be asleep the whole time or not. I really, really want Andy back there, and I REALLY want to see Abel when he's born, but I also see the advantage to being asleep the whole time. My nerves are already shot, so I can't imagine how I'm going to be the day of the surgery... it may be nice to be knocked out for the whole process. Obviously, if I'm asleep before the surgery starts, Andy can't come back. She said they would let him wait by the door for Abel though and would whisk him out to Andy once he's out. We're really praying he won't have to go to the NICU and that him and Andy will get to have lots of bonding time while I'm in surgery.
Overall the visit went well, just lots of questions by me and answers by Dr. Sanders. I didn't have a scan done today since I'll have an in-depth one done tomorrow at the high risk. Andy's going with me tomorrow, so I'm glad he'll be able to tag along again... I'm sure we'll have lots of information thrown at us and he remembers stuff better than me.
Before I left I told Dr. Sanders that I had felt like time was crawling, but now that we're two weeks out I feel like it's coming up fast. I definitely can't wait to meet Abel, I'm really excited about that, but I'm dreading everything else involved! I'm already worried about leaving the boys for however long I'm in the hospital and am worried about how they're going to handle it, so just keep us all in your prayers... I really just need some peace of mind! I'll be back tomorrow with another update after the high risk!
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