Everything happened so very quickly when Korbin was born and I know there are so many unanswered questions about what happened so I'll try to tell the story as best I can. When we saw the high risk doctor on Wednesday, the 3rd, Korbin's fluid was on the low side of normal. The doctor didn't think there was any need to worry and thought we could just check weekly until our planned c-section at 36 weeks. However, low fluid levels made Ward and I nervous, since we nearly lost Kai that way. So the doctor said we should come back in two days for a non-stress test and fluid recheck.
On Thursday, my mother was staying with us and she, Ward and I watched a movie that night. As the movie went on I started having more and more pain in my lower abdomen. By the time the movie was over, I was in terrible pain. I knew his fluid levels were low and I know that it's painful to carry a baby with low fluid levels. But even for that, it seemed awfully painful. The pain was constant, so I knew it wasn't labor. I wasn't bleeding or leaking fluid and the baby was moving fine, so I took some Tylenol and went to bed.
The next morning I felt a bit better. The pain was just a bit achy now, so I figured he must have just been laying funny and had moved. I was still waiting to hear from the doctor when we were going to do the c-section, and when I called the office I was told that she had already left, and had taken my chart with her. That was a bit nerve-wracking.
Ward's mom arrived at about 12:00 to stay with the kids while my mom took me for our check-up. As we were leaving Kai was upset and I told him that we were just going to go listen to Korbin's heartbeat and take his picture and then I would be right back. He asked if Korbin was going to come out- I told him no. Little did I know.
We arrived at the high risk doctor's office at 1:30 and they immediately hooked me up to the monitors. I sat there talking to mom and fiddling with my phone for half an hour, thinking everything was just fine. Baby sounded great and we had no reason to worry. They moved us into an ultrasound room for a quick check on his fluid levels.
The tech came in and said it would only take a minute. Mom and I were talking about stopping to get ice cream on the way home. As soon as she began the ultrasound, everything changed. She began searching for pockets of fluid but there were none. She began looking more and more concerned. Finally she said, "I'm sorry sweetie, but this is a game-changer. I'm going to get Dr. Moore."
As we waited for the doctor I tried not to cry. At that point I didn't know how bad it was, just that I wouldn't be going home, and I had lied to my little boy. I was worried about the baby and worried about how I would explain to Kai what was going on. When the doctor arrived she began looking for fluid pockets as well. Nothing. When I told her about the pain I had the night before she checked and it was decided that my water had broken but because the cervix was blocked, it had erupted into the space between my placenta and uterus, which is what caused the pain.
At any rate the baby now had no fluid and had to be delivered. She told me to go straight to St. Johns and that she would talk to the OB and that they would deliver either that night or the next morning. I called Ward at work and told him what had happened. I didn't realize how fast everything was going to go.
Mom dropped me off at the doors at St. John's. I was so nervous as they got me registered and then took me to a room. I got a gown on and by the time I got into the bed the room was already full of people getting me ready. A nurse started an IV, while another asked all the registration questions, another had me sign paperwork for the baby, blood transfusion and hysterectomy. A NICU nurse came up to go over what would happen with Korbin when he was born. They asked if I wanted someone to come pray with me before they took me to surgery. Someone from anesthesia came to explain how they would give me multiple IVs and a line in my neck for the transfusion.
All I could think of was that I hadn't gotten to tell my babies goodbye. I was trying so hard to hold it together, but I knew there was a significant chance that I wouldn't see them again. Ward called them and I talked to them one last time. Telling them and my Daddy goodbye over the phone was the hardest thing I've ever done.
They wheeled me downstairs to surgery prep, since the surgery would be done in the main OR. Two anesthesiologists worked together to put in my IVs and arterial catheter in my arm that would measure my blood pressure with each heartbeat. The head of the anesthesia department was in charge of my care. I ended up with 6 IVs so they could administer blood products quickly. While they were getting all the lines started doctors and nurses were coming in to "meet" me before I went in. I had an OB nurse and a surgery nurse assigned to me. The GYN oncologist came into meet me, informing us that he was hoping to not have to do anything, but that the last lady he had seen like this he had to remove the entire top half of her bladder.
Everyone promised to take good care of me, but no one was promising that I was going to make it. I'm sure they had their own doubts. They started to take me back and I had to tell my mom and my husband goodbye. I knew they were terrified, but there was nothing that could be done at this point. They wheeled me into the OR. It was huge! There were so many people in there. Several nurses, someone with the surgery tools, a couple of NICU nurses, the neonatologist, the OB, the high risk dr, the oncologist, the anesthesiologists, residents, the blood people, I couldn't count how many. The bad thing was that they had to keep me awake for all the surgery prep. They couldn't put me out until they were ready to start because they had a matter of minutes to deliver the baby once the anesthesia entered my system.
Surgery prep wasn't fun. Dr. Morris, the high risk doctor held my hand through the entire thing and promised to stay right with me until I fell asleep. If he needed to get something with the hand I was holding he would switch hands, but he never let go of me. As I was laying there God and I were in deep conversation. I felt peace and knew that either way I would open my eyes happy. Hanging on the wall in the OR was a picture of Jesus standing with surgeons as they operated. I knew that I was in the very best hands possible with these doctors, but even better hands ultimately.
I remember Dr. Arnold gently touching my throat and telling me I was going to sleep. When I opened my eyes, Dr. Arnold (the head anesthesiologist) was still beside me. He smiled at me and told me that the baby was fine, that they hadn't given me any blood and that I still had a uterus. I honestly didn't even know what to think. It didn't seem like it was even possible. I think I probably asked several people just to hear it again.
They brought Ward back to see me and he brought Sarah's camera so I could see pictures of Korbin. Unless you've had a situation you honestly thought you may not live through, I don't think it's possible to describe the feeling of seeing those you love most and knowing that you'll be there to share another day with them.
We had just lived the most amazing miracle...and every day is an absolute gift. We are so blessed.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Surprise!
Well, as most of you know, Korbin had plans far different than the doctors did and decided that instead of coming two weeks after my last post, he would come two DAYS later. Long story short, my water broke Thursday night, the fourth and we didn't know it due to the previa. They found it at my Friday doctor appointment. We left the office a little before 3 in the after noon and Korbin was already here at 5:37 pm weighing 4 lbs 15 oz. He was only 34 weeks gestation, so we've been in the NICU ever since. We're hoping to be going home tomorrow or Wednesday. If you'd like to see our entire journey through the past two weeks you can go to Korbin's CaringBridge site.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/korbinschweitzer
We are so thankful for our sweet little miracle.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/korbinschweitzer
We are so thankful for our sweet little miracle.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Two more weeks...
Thank you all so much for the sweet birthday wishes and prayers for us today. My babies and my momma made my birthday special. The kids made me a banner, complete with balloons and Kaytie baked me my favorite kind of cake.
Unfortunately, we got worse news than we were expecting today. First we went to the high risk doctor for an ultrasound. After finishing up the ultrasound, the tech went to get the doctor. He came back in and looked a bit more himself. He was very kind, but didn't sugar coat anything.
It appears that the placenta has grown into the uterus, through it and is at least on the bladder, possibly attached to the bladder. He said that the last lady he saw that looked like this spent "quite awhile" in the ICU. I told him that the doctor had ordered 6 units of blood and he actually laughed. He said that it would be really good to only use 6 units, but that I had 5 liters in my body, so we should be prepared for it to be more.
I think Ward and I are on information overload. I'll try to explain the basic plan. Korbin's fluid levels were on the low side, so I'll be monitored frequently at the high risk office until I deliver. They'll do non stress tests and ultrasounds to check fluid levels at each appointment. I go back Friday for my first one of those.
I'm on "modified" bedrest for the next two weeks. I can still do basic things, but no extensive walking and I'm supposed to spend most of my time sitting on my rear and living "an extremely sedentary lifestyle." We'll know tomorrow exactly what time the c-section will take place but it will most likely be August 17th at 36 weeks. The high risk doctor said there was no need to do an amniocentesis to check to see if he was mature because it just didn't matter. He said "if we make it to 36 weeks, there's no point in trying to be valiant, we just need to get him out of there."
Tomorrow morning the OB and the high risk doctor will go over the MRI results. They'll consult with the GYN oncologist who will be assisting them with the delivery because- in the words of the doctor "they handle the surgeries no one else wants to do." They will also likely be assisted by a urologist who will reconstruct my bladder if need be. So they will decide tomorrow when they can all be there for the surgery and we'll know for sure what time to plan for.
I will be delivering at St. John's...which is disappointing, but the high risk doctor said this is as high risk as it gets- "this is life or death" and that we really needed to be somewhere where they could easily handle large transfusions and get specialists in as needed. I'll be delivered in the main surgery OR, instead of the OB OR, under general anestesia. The special care nurses and neonatologists will be there and will care for the baby when he's delivered. Then they'll come get Ward and let him stay with the baby.
It's almost 100% certain that they'll do a cesarean hysterectomy at that point. If the blood loss is not terribly extensive, they'll let me recover similarly to a regular cesarean, except that I won't be able to nurse for 24 hours until the anethesia is out of my system.
Obviously, this is not the news that we had hoped for. But we are thankful that we live in a day and age when we know this before I went into labor, in which case there's no chance me or Korbin would have survived. I'm thankful that I've been able to spend my pregnancy at home with my babies, which is nothing short of miraculous in and of itself. I'm thankful that we have access to such amazing medical professionals. I'm thankful that we've made it so far with the baby and that, although he will technically be premature, he'll hopefully be more than 5 lbs. when he's born and will be healthy. (He's 4 lbs. 13 oz. right now)
Two weeks from now my sweet little baby will be on the outside, safe and sound...and I could not be more thankful.
Unfortunately, we got worse news than we were expecting today. First we went to the high risk doctor for an ultrasound. After finishing up the ultrasound, the tech went to get the doctor. He came back in and looked a bit more himself. He was very kind, but didn't sugar coat anything.
It appears that the placenta has grown into the uterus, through it and is at least on the bladder, possibly attached to the bladder. He said that the last lady he saw that looked like this spent "quite awhile" in the ICU. I told him that the doctor had ordered 6 units of blood and he actually laughed. He said that it would be really good to only use 6 units, but that I had 5 liters in my body, so we should be prepared for it to be more.
I think Ward and I are on information overload. I'll try to explain the basic plan. Korbin's fluid levels were on the low side, so I'll be monitored frequently at the high risk office until I deliver. They'll do non stress tests and ultrasounds to check fluid levels at each appointment. I go back Friday for my first one of those.
I'm on "modified" bedrest for the next two weeks. I can still do basic things, but no extensive walking and I'm supposed to spend most of my time sitting on my rear and living "an extremely sedentary lifestyle." We'll know tomorrow exactly what time the c-section will take place but it will most likely be August 17th at 36 weeks. The high risk doctor said there was no need to do an amniocentesis to check to see if he was mature because it just didn't matter. He said "if we make it to 36 weeks, there's no point in trying to be valiant, we just need to get him out of there."
Tomorrow morning the OB and the high risk doctor will go over the MRI results. They'll consult with the GYN oncologist who will be assisting them with the delivery because- in the words of the doctor "they handle the surgeries no one else wants to do." They will also likely be assisted by a urologist who will reconstruct my bladder if need be. So they will decide tomorrow when they can all be there for the surgery and we'll know for sure what time to plan for.
I will be delivering at St. John's...which is disappointing, but the high risk doctor said this is as high risk as it gets- "this is life or death" and that we really needed to be somewhere where they could easily handle large transfusions and get specialists in as needed. I'll be delivered in the main surgery OR, instead of the OB OR, under general anestesia. The special care nurses and neonatologists will be there and will care for the baby when he's delivered. Then they'll come get Ward and let him stay with the baby.
It's almost 100% certain that they'll do a cesarean hysterectomy at that point. If the blood loss is not terribly extensive, they'll let me recover similarly to a regular cesarean, except that I won't be able to nurse for 24 hours until the anethesia is out of my system.
Obviously, this is not the news that we had hoped for. But we are thankful that we live in a day and age when we know this before I went into labor, in which case there's no chance me or Korbin would have survived. I'm thankful that I've been able to spend my pregnancy at home with my babies, which is nothing short of miraculous in and of itself. I'm thankful that we have access to such amazing medical professionals. I'm thankful that we've made it so far with the baby and that, although he will technically be premature, he'll hopefully be more than 5 lbs. when he's born and will be healthy. (He's 4 lbs. 13 oz. right now)
Two weeks from now my sweet little baby will be on the outside, safe and sound...and I could not be more thankful.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sometimes it just helps to write...
It's August 2nd. When I was a little girl, this day was exciting because it was the day before my birthday. (I guess once you get to a certain age, birthdays just aren't as exciting anymore.) I would be anxiously awaiting tomorrow, probably wouldn't sleep- which could have been because I knew that my mommy or daddy would be making me a stack of delicious pancakes or something else wonderful for breakfast. ;)
I'm not all that excited about turning 27. Big deal. The weirdest thing is knowing that it was 7 years ago that Ward gave me a beautiful ring and asked me to be his wife. Hard to top that for a birthday. :) But today I'm a bundle of nerves anxiously awaiting tomorrow for a very different reason.
Tomorrow we head to the hospital for the tests that will decide quite possibly what the rest of our lives look like. I'm excited, of course, to see my little guy on ultrasound. I'm definately ready to have some "final plan" for this baby's birth. But tomorrow decides more than whether we meet this baby this week or three weeks from now. It also may decide whether or not we have a preemie baby or get to bring him home when he's born, whether or not we have a "normal" c-section, and possibly whether or not we ever have more children.
To say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm so ready for tomorrow to get here. It feels like all the what-ifs of the past few months have been building up to this and hopefully tomorrow we'll know the answers to some of those questions.
Honestly, I could care less that tomorrow I'll be another year older, but we're making a really big deal about my birthday this year, for the sake of the kids. It really is a perfect distraction for them. Kai especially has struggled a lot the past couple of weeks. He knows that mommy is not ok, but he doesn't understand why. He's terrified of leaving me. He doesn't even like me to go downstairs or to the bathroom without telling him how long I'll be gone. He told me today that "I think I just want mommy to be all better." That's rough.
I've tried not to think about the risks, about the "worst case scenario". I've tried really hard to stay positive and not allow myself to let my mind wander down the scarier paths. But honestly, no matter how hard you try, it's always this nagging little voice in the back of your mind.
Do I believe that everything will turn out alright...that my God is bigger than these problems...that he has a plan for everything regardless of whether it's what I want? Yes. Absolutely. But the fact of the matter is that we live in a fallen world, and the uncertainty and hurt are just facts of life. I don't know what will happen. I do know that within the next couple of weeks, it will all be over, one way or another. All could go perfectly, all could go horribly, or any number of scenarios in between. But it's almost over.
All I can do is pray for peace to handle whatever we're told tomorrow, for trust that what happens is what is supposed to happen, and for patience with my little ones as they try to make sense of what's going on. That and enjoy a big ole piece of cake for my birthday and spending time with my precious family- thankful for the 27 years of life that I've been given and the amazing people who have been a part of it.
I'm not all that excited about turning 27. Big deal. The weirdest thing is knowing that it was 7 years ago that Ward gave me a beautiful ring and asked me to be his wife. Hard to top that for a birthday. :) But today I'm a bundle of nerves anxiously awaiting tomorrow for a very different reason.
Tomorrow we head to the hospital for the tests that will decide quite possibly what the rest of our lives look like. I'm excited, of course, to see my little guy on ultrasound. I'm definately ready to have some "final plan" for this baby's birth. But tomorrow decides more than whether we meet this baby this week or three weeks from now. It also may decide whether or not we have a preemie baby or get to bring him home when he's born, whether or not we have a "normal" c-section, and possibly whether or not we ever have more children.
To say that I'm nervous is an understatement. I'm so ready for tomorrow to get here. It feels like all the what-ifs of the past few months have been building up to this and hopefully tomorrow we'll know the answers to some of those questions.
Honestly, I could care less that tomorrow I'll be another year older, but we're making a really big deal about my birthday this year, for the sake of the kids. It really is a perfect distraction for them. Kai especially has struggled a lot the past couple of weeks. He knows that mommy is not ok, but he doesn't understand why. He's terrified of leaving me. He doesn't even like me to go downstairs or to the bathroom without telling him how long I'll be gone. He told me today that "I think I just want mommy to be all better." That's rough.
I've tried not to think about the risks, about the "worst case scenario". I've tried really hard to stay positive and not allow myself to let my mind wander down the scarier paths. But honestly, no matter how hard you try, it's always this nagging little voice in the back of your mind.
Do I believe that everything will turn out alright...that my God is bigger than these problems...that he has a plan for everything regardless of whether it's what I want? Yes. Absolutely. But the fact of the matter is that we live in a fallen world, and the uncertainty and hurt are just facts of life. I don't know what will happen. I do know that within the next couple of weeks, it will all be over, one way or another. All could go perfectly, all could go horribly, or any number of scenarios in between. But it's almost over.
All I can do is pray for peace to handle whatever we're told tomorrow, for trust that what happens is what is supposed to happen, and for patience with my little ones as they try to make sense of what's going on. That and enjoy a big ole piece of cake for my birthday and spending time with my precious family- thankful for the 27 years of life that I've been given and the amazing people who have been a part of it.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Baby Update: 32 weeks
Here's the latest on this interesting pregnancy. :) We had another appointment this evening. The past couple of weeks have been pretty uncomfortable. I honestly feel like a walking time bomb. I explained to the doctor that I've had some fairly painful episodes of "pressure." She explained that I'm going to feel very different than my other pregnancies because the pressure of the placenta is constant and more intense and the baby is transverse and "free floating" and won't get settled down like the others did.
She was totally understanding of my unsettled feelings about living so far from the hospital and not knowing what would happen day to day. So we had a lengthy discussion about the different possibilities and what would happen in each scenario. So I'll try to explain the management plan for the remainder of the pregnancy. If you read this and are more confused than you were before, I apologize. There are a ton of variables and possiblities, but I get so many questions about what's going on that I thought I should try to explain as best I can.
I am currently 32 weeks along. We've had no bleeding episodes thus far. Statistically, it's fairly unlikely that I won't have one in the next few weeks, but it's a good sign that there has not been one yet. If I have a bleed in the next two weeks, they will do as we had planned before- watch and see, give me steriods to speed his lung development and then do the amniocentesis to check for lung development and take him out as soon as his lungs are ready.
However, most previa bleeds are recurrent. So if I have one, it's likely there will be more- probably in a short amount of time. If, in the next two weeks, I have more than one bleed (say, three), they will deliver him at 34 weeks, because it isn't worth the risk to wait any longer than that. In her words "we get less patient with each recurrent bleed." If there is no bleed in the next two weeks, they will do the ultrasound as planned.
Ok, so let's say that we make it two more weeks without a bleed and I'm still pregnant at 34 weeks. :) They'll check Korbin's size, fluid levels, placental blood flow, etc during the ultrasound. If everything looks good, they'll schedule an MRI at 36 weeks.
If we get to 36 weeks and I'm still pregnant, we'll do the MRI to check for accreta. Accreta is when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterus. We're already concerned about this because during my last ultrasound they could not find a definative line between the placenta and the uterus, but there's no way to really diagnose accreta with an ultrasound. The MRI should give us a better idea.
If the MRI shows NO sign of accreta, then we will reevaluate everything and may attempt to make it to 39 weeks (September 7th). If there is any sign of accreta, they will deliver him the next week at 37 weeks. If we deliver at 37 weeks, they'll prepare me for blood transfusion during delivery and do a vertical skin incision in case they need to do an emergency hysterectomy. She assured me that the hysterectomy would be last resort, but obviously they're not going to let me die to save my uterus. (reassuring, huh. haha)
So we may have a baby in 2 weeks, in 5 weeks, or in 7 weeks...actually, technically, we could have a baby any day if I had a significant enough bleed. No more than 7 weeks left in this crazy pregnancy, though. I will feel so much better when he's safe and on the outside. I don't want him to come out a day too soon, but I don't want to play Russian roulette with this thing either. So we continue on the "wait and see" game for now.
She said that she knows it's laughable to say "take it easy" in my situation, but did ask that I "restrict my mobility" within reason. That doesn't mean I can't get out, but nothing strenuous and trying to do only the necessary when it comes to real exertion. So hopefully that will keep any bleeding episodes away for the rest of the pregnancy.
I'm praying that I would be able to see past my fears that the entire situation is not left to chance, but is in hands of a perfect God. I'll keep everyone updated over the next few weeks.
She was totally understanding of my unsettled feelings about living so far from the hospital and not knowing what would happen day to day. So we had a lengthy discussion about the different possibilities and what would happen in each scenario. So I'll try to explain the management plan for the remainder of the pregnancy. If you read this and are more confused than you were before, I apologize. There are a ton of variables and possiblities, but I get so many questions about what's going on that I thought I should try to explain as best I can.
I am currently 32 weeks along. We've had no bleeding episodes thus far. Statistically, it's fairly unlikely that I won't have one in the next few weeks, but it's a good sign that there has not been one yet. If I have a bleed in the next two weeks, they will do as we had planned before- watch and see, give me steriods to speed his lung development and then do the amniocentesis to check for lung development and take him out as soon as his lungs are ready.
However, most previa bleeds are recurrent. So if I have one, it's likely there will be more- probably in a short amount of time. If, in the next two weeks, I have more than one bleed (say, three), they will deliver him at 34 weeks, because it isn't worth the risk to wait any longer than that. In her words "we get less patient with each recurrent bleed." If there is no bleed in the next two weeks, they will do the ultrasound as planned.
Ok, so let's say that we make it two more weeks without a bleed and I'm still pregnant at 34 weeks. :) They'll check Korbin's size, fluid levels, placental blood flow, etc during the ultrasound. If everything looks good, they'll schedule an MRI at 36 weeks.
If we get to 36 weeks and I'm still pregnant, we'll do the MRI to check for accreta. Accreta is when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterus. We're already concerned about this because during my last ultrasound they could not find a definative line between the placenta and the uterus, but there's no way to really diagnose accreta with an ultrasound. The MRI should give us a better idea.
If the MRI shows NO sign of accreta, then we will reevaluate everything and may attempt to make it to 39 weeks (September 7th). If there is any sign of accreta, they will deliver him the next week at 37 weeks. If we deliver at 37 weeks, they'll prepare me for blood transfusion during delivery and do a vertical skin incision in case they need to do an emergency hysterectomy. She assured me that the hysterectomy would be last resort, but obviously they're not going to let me die to save my uterus. (reassuring, huh. haha)
So we may have a baby in 2 weeks, in 5 weeks, or in 7 weeks...actually, technically, we could have a baby any day if I had a significant enough bleed. No more than 7 weeks left in this crazy pregnancy, though. I will feel so much better when he's safe and on the outside. I don't want him to come out a day too soon, but I don't want to play Russian roulette with this thing either. So we continue on the "wait and see" game for now.
She said that she knows it's laughable to say "take it easy" in my situation, but did ask that I "restrict my mobility" within reason. That doesn't mean I can't get out, but nothing strenuous and trying to do only the necessary when it comes to real exertion. So hopefully that will keep any bleeding episodes away for the rest of the pregnancy.
I'm praying that I would be able to see past my fears that the entire situation is not left to chance, but is in hands of a perfect God. I'll keep everyone updated over the next few weeks.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Update on Kaytie
I know it's been forever since I wrote a regular old blog post. Things around here have kept me quite busy these past few months, and my family is, of course, my priority...so alas, my blogging has taken a break for awhile. Hopefully I'll be back to writing soon. I am, however getting in quite a bit of reading and can't wait to catch everyone up on great reads! For now though, here's an update for those of you who have been following what's going on with our sweet little girl.
Kaytie developed a really nasty cough about 4 months ago. It coincided with allergy season and Kai had terrible allergies, so we thought it was probably just that and treated it as such. However, she never got any better. For the past 4 months she's had coughing fits nearly every night that would continue until she threw up. It has been absolutely exhausting for her and for mommy, who would have to try to keep her calm and change sheets multiple times, and of course is quite pregnant and exhausted anyway.
I took her to the doctor at the end of May/beginning of June. They did a chest x-ray which came back fine and told us it could be one of three things- allergies, asthma or acid reflux. They decided treatment of reflux was the easiest so they would try to rule that out first. They also informed us that it could take up to a month before we would know if it had worked. She got worse. The coughing fits started to come several times a day and the wheezing started. The poor little thing just struggled all the time.
On our way home from Florida last weekend she had a coughing fit that lasted from the time she woke up in Chattanooga until Murfreesboro, KY. We tried everything we could think of to make it stop from honey to Vicks (which only succeeded in making her smell like a nursing home and making mommy slightly queezy). So Monday morning we were back to the doctor. He put her on albuterol treatments through a nebulizer and scheduled an appointment with a specialist.
Much to our relief, the albuterol treatements did seem to help, but they had to be given to her at least three times a day and as soon as one would wear off, the coughing and wheezing would ensue again, so this was obviously not going to be a great long-term option.
This morning we saw the specialist. They did an allergy skin test (poor sweet darling) and found that she has no major allergies. (aside from the sunscreen one, but that's a whole different story) They did do an x-ray of her face to rule out chronic sinusitus, but that doctor said he was fairly certain in was not that, he just wanted to be thorough.
So she has been "tentatively" diagnosed with asthma. I say "tentatively" because apparently they cannot give a firm asthma diagnosis on a child that small. She'll be reevaluated periodically and when she's a few years older she'll be given the lung function test that can tell them for sure. For now though, she will be treated as though it is asthma.
She'll get two doses of a preventative medicine through her nebulizer per day to start with. We're hoping that we'll be able to ween her down to one and eventually put her on a pill instead of the breathing treatment, but that will probably be a ways down the road. She'll also use the albuterol treatments as a "rescue inhaler" type of treatment when she has her coughing/wheezing fits. The doctor is hoping that once we get this under control we won't have to do the "rescue" treatments more than twice a week.
It's a bit overwhelming to think of having to do multiple breathing treatments a day with her for a long period of time, since she doesn't sit still very well on her own yet, and we're about to have our hands quite full here in a few weeks when the baby gets here. It will also mean that we have to keep a closer eye on her during cold/flu season as her condition can make these illnesses more serious. And of course, it's not exactly convenient to tote around a nebulizer machine whereever you go (along with four small children and their things) in order to make sure she can get a rescue treatment if she needs one. But I am so grateful that we may be getting my sweet girl some relief. She's struggled with this for so long. Now, in the next couple of weeks we may get that coveted full night's sleep we've been so desperately needing (just in time for it to be interrupted by night time feedings. haha)
Thank you all for your prayers for Kaytie during this time. She handled the tests like a champ. We got her a "bubbles the fish" mask for her nebulizer so hopefully it won't be as difficult to give them to her. We shall see. Any bets on whether my kids fight over "bubbles the fish"?
Kaytie developed a really nasty cough about 4 months ago. It coincided with allergy season and Kai had terrible allergies, so we thought it was probably just that and treated it as such. However, she never got any better. For the past 4 months she's had coughing fits nearly every night that would continue until she threw up. It has been absolutely exhausting for her and for mommy, who would have to try to keep her calm and change sheets multiple times, and of course is quite pregnant and exhausted anyway.
I took her to the doctor at the end of May/beginning of June. They did a chest x-ray which came back fine and told us it could be one of three things- allergies, asthma or acid reflux. They decided treatment of reflux was the easiest so they would try to rule that out first. They also informed us that it could take up to a month before we would know if it had worked. She got worse. The coughing fits started to come several times a day and the wheezing started. The poor little thing just struggled all the time.
On our way home from Florida last weekend she had a coughing fit that lasted from the time she woke up in Chattanooga until Murfreesboro, KY. We tried everything we could think of to make it stop from honey to Vicks (which only succeeded in making her smell like a nursing home and making mommy slightly queezy). So Monday morning we were back to the doctor. He put her on albuterol treatments through a nebulizer and scheduled an appointment with a specialist.
Much to our relief, the albuterol treatements did seem to help, but they had to be given to her at least three times a day and as soon as one would wear off, the coughing and wheezing would ensue again, so this was obviously not going to be a great long-term option.
This morning we saw the specialist. They did an allergy skin test (poor sweet darling) and found that she has no major allergies. (aside from the sunscreen one, but that's a whole different story) They did do an x-ray of her face to rule out chronic sinusitus, but that doctor said he was fairly certain in was not that, he just wanted to be thorough.
So she has been "tentatively" diagnosed with asthma. I say "tentatively" because apparently they cannot give a firm asthma diagnosis on a child that small. She'll be reevaluated periodically and when she's a few years older she'll be given the lung function test that can tell them for sure. For now though, she will be treated as though it is asthma.
She'll get two doses of a preventative medicine through her nebulizer per day to start with. We're hoping that we'll be able to ween her down to one and eventually put her on a pill instead of the breathing treatment, but that will probably be a ways down the road. She'll also use the albuterol treatments as a "rescue inhaler" type of treatment when she has her coughing/wheezing fits. The doctor is hoping that once we get this under control we won't have to do the "rescue" treatments more than twice a week.
It's a bit overwhelming to think of having to do multiple breathing treatments a day with her for a long period of time, since she doesn't sit still very well on her own yet, and we're about to have our hands quite full here in a few weeks when the baby gets here. It will also mean that we have to keep a closer eye on her during cold/flu season as her condition can make these illnesses more serious. And of course, it's not exactly convenient to tote around a nebulizer machine whereever you go (along with four small children and their things) in order to make sure she can get a rescue treatment if she needs one. But I am so grateful that we may be getting my sweet girl some relief. She's struggled with this for so long. Now, in the next couple of weeks we may get that coveted full night's sleep we've been so desperately needing (just in time for it to be interrupted by night time feedings. haha)
Thank you all for your prayers for Kaytie during this time. She handled the tests like a champ. We got her a "bubbles the fish" mask for her nebulizer so hopefully it won't be as difficult to give them to her. We shall see. Any bets on whether my kids fight over "bubbles the fish"?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Baby Update...29 weeks
We had an ultrasound and appointment this morning. Baby is doing great. A whopping 2 lbs. 12 oz currently. haha. He seems to be doing very well, though he's making life quite uncomfortable for mommy. The placenta has not moved at all, which means he can't lay up and down and won't be able to turn into that position later like most babies do. Instead he's laying across my belly.
All in all, not much has changed. Everything still looks ok, but it's nearly impossible that it could move now, since it hadn't moved at all. The ultrasound tech spent quite a bit of time looking around my previous c-section scar and didn't say much, but didn't seem too happy with what she saw. I go back in three weeks for an appointment and then have another ultrasound on my birthday, August 3rd. They'll do an MRI within a week or so after that ultrasound. The doctor said she would "tentatively" schedule my c-section for September 7th, but did not seem optimistic that we would make it that far. The plan is still to try to get to that point, but it's really unlikely that I won't have a bleed in the next month or two. If I do, they'll deliver him as soon as they think it's safe, which they'll determine by amniocentesis.
We're thankful for now that he is healthy and growing, we haven't had any bleeds thus far and that we get to go on vacation this week! Some time on the beach can fix nearly anything, I think. :) Thanks for all of your prayers that have gotten us this far.
All in all, not much has changed. Everything still looks ok, but it's nearly impossible that it could move now, since it hadn't moved at all. The ultrasound tech spent quite a bit of time looking around my previous c-section scar and didn't say much, but didn't seem too happy with what she saw. I go back in three weeks for an appointment and then have another ultrasound on my birthday, August 3rd. They'll do an MRI within a week or so after that ultrasound. The doctor said she would "tentatively" schedule my c-section for September 7th, but did not seem optimistic that we would make it that far. The plan is still to try to get to that point, but it's really unlikely that I won't have a bleed in the next month or two. If I do, they'll deliver him as soon as they think it's safe, which they'll determine by amniocentesis.
We're thankful for now that he is healthy and growing, we haven't had any bleeds thus far and that we get to go on vacation this week! Some time on the beach can fix nearly anything, I think. :) Thanks for all of your prayers that have gotten us this far.
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