Thursday, October 25, 2012

UTMB Galveston---- slightly reassuring….. But nothing solid….


Well, As you all Know Tuesday we left to head down to Galveston Island……..  Trip took what seemed like forever, even though really it was not as long as it even felt.  The whole way down we tried to distract out selves…. Talk about what we could…Listened to “our” radio station from teen years… Tried to almost avoid the Daniel subject as much as possible…  Not that Daniel is ever an untouchable subject… but every time I would move uncomfortably, or  touch my HUGE preggo belly…… My Dear hubby would look at me with concern and be questioning if I was ok, if something was wrong…  Then we would both just about burst into tears knowing we honestly do not know a true answer to that.  Our guts have no clue, We are over thinking every single thing….  Then……. We saw water!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! we were crossing over the bridge.. and able to see (well tried to see cause it was pitch black )  I have to say I did extremely well on the drive down  only 2 restroom breaks!!! With the twins just leaving home and making it to Houston was a triumph if I did not have to stop more than 6 times!!!  =)
So, We decided to find The Residence first……. Once we located that….  we tried to find the hospital but we turned wrong leaving the parking area then just decided that it was much more feasible if we just tried to do that during the day light hours anyways. So we headed back to The Residence checked in got shown to our room, grabbed out luggage and food and went into the room…..
Tried to sleep…. which Did not work for me.  We turned the lights and tv all off at about 1145 ad come 145/2 am I was awake and couldn’t sleep. Very grateful to my Jennjenn and her grave yard shift hrs…. cause she kept me company with tons of text!!!!
So….. I anxiously awaited  9 am……
Once about 830 came we ran out of the room all luggage packed,  turned in the key and jumped in the swagger wagon.. and headed to find the parking lot….. and the UTMB clinic…….
And it took an ACT of GOD!!!! Roads closed apparently some kind of popo training was going on! BLAH!  When we finally got there we had mins to find the building and get to the floor and appt.
Signed in at 857 at the Obgyn clinic on the third floor, then it was a short wait…. We first met with a lovely older lady (in a wheel chair ) who was so sweet and polite.  She asked if it was ok that she had a dr in training with her which it was. We followed her to her office and then preceded to sit down and wait scared stiff as to what was to come…….. She re introduced her self..(no sorry peeps I can NOT remember a single name of a single person sorry)
Stated that she was the genetic counselor and asked if we knew why we were there…. Which is when I stated to a point… I have not really received answers from most my questions in months, but I do understand I asked to come here and to get a level two ultrasound done to look at my baby boys organs and growth to check on him due to my diabetes and my very nervous, worried and concerned self. She applauded me  =)
Asked us several questions about our health and habits and then preceded to do family trees on both of us up to great grand parents…… and down to our children. over to our uncles/aunts… and down to their kids, and then our siblings and their children……. needing to know mental and physical health as well as if they passed on what was the cause and the ages…… Then after looking over all her drawings(which was really cool a male  or female on my side had different shapes than the males and females on my husbands side. really it was interesting I guess you just had to be there ;D haha ) She flipped open two books, One showing options,   amniocentesis Which can tell us 99% accurately if things are wrong….. But of course can lead to fetal demise…. Preterm labor, leaking of amniotic fluids…….. and so on……….. or The level two ultra sound which is approximately 95-96 % accurate…… and told us that of course it is our choice….. Well With out my husbands consent (Mainly because we feel totally the same on many of these items) I stated that unless it became totally medically necessary for the amniocentesis….. I would prefer to decline that…. and that I would really need them stating at that time that it was the one and only way for us to get an answer to know how to begin treatments or something…… that it would have to be the only choice and last resort….. That even though I know Daniel ( I made sure to say it as often as I could his name I mean) was at a gestational age that was a sign he could live and be normal…… I was not prepared in any way to add any extra risk to him and my self at this time. That we would rather just spend time with the ultrasound tech. To which she replied that’s fine, Its not like an amnio would make a difference at this point any ways cant do anything about it. And then I responded with that is why I refuse the options for those and blood test and stuff from the get go…. I would NEVER choose to terminate my pregnancy…… EVER!!!!!! She smiled. (I liked that.) also loved how the Med student’s face was like Oh wow they are going to have their hands full when he learned that we have two amazing 20 month old twin boys and that Daniel is a boy also…… HEHE I love that look now…. the saying I hate….. cause it’s a lie and people will never understand …. SO….. then she told us that it would be about 35-45 mins doing this ultra sound  and told me from the 2nd binder…… that due to the diabetes I have a higher risk more like a 1/15 to have a down syndrome baby…… and that they would be looking for that as well as looking for spina bifida…… So…. With that… we were sat back out in the waiting room to  wait for our ultrasound…….
The ultrasound………….
First Lets have a beatiful shot….MAHANAYJESSICA20121024103440662
Meet Daniel Reason Mahanay…………..
Whom I might add…… Un to his Father’s admitting until yesterday…… is also still Daniel! and is still 100% boy!!!!MAHANAYJESSICA20121024102120571
=) I kept joking with him for a while that if it came out and did not have a “winkie” I was sending it back for a full refund!!! He is now finally able to stand there and say Im having a boy!!! =) Im glad cause if he would of kept on I would of smacked him! LOLOL (totally a joke!!!)
So………. IT took a whole hr for the tech to even get the first pic!!! He was such a wiggly worm and jumping bean that she was lucky to get the good shots she did! But She was also very amazing!!!!!
She literally spend a whole hr looking for his arms and legs and lengths in those and measuring his skull, and looking for hands and feet when he would hold still! HAHA She constantly talked to him saying good baby… Baby roll a lil this way for me…. or that way…. and come on baby please cooperate…….. It was too cute!!! And the set up was very nice! The screen that was hers… was all hers none of this break your neck to see what she sees stuff…… I had my own screen directly in front of me on the wall….. But with each sigh, or deep breath…. I was trying my best to not cry and choke back tears….. she kept measuring and re-measuring…… what felt like certain areas over and over and over…. making me even more nervous…… Then she would say oh look all four chambers in his heart looks good… watching “our” blood flow through him…… through his umbilical cord,…….. through his organs…….. and his heart…… Was damn near breath taking………This was our baby…… (is) that they are trying to look at and figure things out on………. and all I kept thinking is . God will prepare us (I keep praying too cause we are not prepared for what is coming) All I could see when looking at his lil face was Gabriel and Ezekiel and how much he resembles them to me…….. and what a lil miracle he is!!! This is my second pregnancy……. third baby boy…… whom I have been blessed to conceive and carry after hearing for 15 years..  that I would never conceive that I would never have babies. Fertility wouldn’t be for me…… But GOD …… My LOVING HEAVENLY FATHER…. has chosen me to be the mother to these 3 beautiful boys!!!!!!! BOY(S )  AM I BLESSED!!!! So, Then we see his lungs……… My baby boy is was opening his mouth big and yawning…….. Stretching out his lungs…. With every “breath” that brought tears to my eyes!!! All those organs I have been worried about look to be functioning just fine!! PRAISE GOD!!!!!!
Well, then she makes a disc and says that she needs to go consulate and see if this is ok or if the dr wants and needs to look or wants her to try for better pictures……  then leaves the room………. for quite a while……… now im freaking……….. WHen she returns im sure what was about 20 mins later….. She has a tall male dr with her…. HE states his name and why he is here and tells me he would like to look at baby for him self…… So I reposition back to where they want me…… he does his own findings……… Guess I should let out they were looking at his brain…….. very closely………
SO……. before I really go on this is what I have found on the net……..
When certain anatomical features are altered, absent, or present in a fetus, it may indicate Down syndrome. Some of the markers that are examined include:
  • the length of the long arm (humerus) or leg bone (femur),
  • the length of the nasal bridge,
  • the size of the renal pelvis (hypoplasia, pyelectasis),
  • small bright spots in the heart (echogenic intracardiac foci),
  • small middle section of the little finger (hypoplastic fifth digit),
  • a large gap between the first and second toe,
  • increased brightness of the bowel (echogenic bowel), and
  • pelvic bone angle (widened iliac angle).

          So You see they were looking for indications and markers………… Well……. None of those did they see…  What they THINK they might of seen…… is not confirmed or denied…. They saw that in the two places in the brain that we hold water.. to keep it wet so to say……  One side is measuring 1.3 the other side they believe is measuring .6-  neither side is supposed to measure more than 1 cm.
          They are unsure though honestly if these are true measurements….. but this is one marker of Downs…….. So…… then things got serious…….
          I was given options:
          Amniocentesis, Mri, Ultrasound, Or nothing…. and can do cord blood testing after he comes……
          Well Amniocentesis was out once he told me it would have to be done in an L&D OR……. and that I would have to be carefully watched and monitored….. *UH HUH!*
          Well, MRI was out due to that is laying still( HA YEAH RIGHT! ME AND DANIEL STILL!?!?!) for a long period of time and all while on my back……….. NOPERS!
          So I said well, LEts go with ultrasound I love my tech from today and I sure would NOT mind seeing her nor seeing Daniel on the camera again!!! She said she felt flattered =D
          So ……. 11-15-12 we have a 1 pm appointment at The OBGYN in Galveston again……. for another fetal ultra sound level two again!!!
          Then after this being soooo late and an hr and half past my 10 am appointment I had up stairs on the 7th floor…. they gave me my disc and sent me on my way……. (oh also have an appt set up there with her too for 12-6-12… but she said no point in trying to go beyond that because they are sure I wont last that long………
          Oh and Daniel was measuring between 32& 34 weeks depending on the places she was measuring and she was guesstimating that he was weighting 4 lbs 12-13 oz……..

          Now, The DR……………. On the 7th floor……….
          WE get up there and I was chatting with mom on the phone for a bit letting her know what was happening and how things were going……… Trying my damnedest to not cry around all these people…….. Then we were called back ……….  Well,  its kinda good and bad here too………..  She hates the premixed insulin im on…… and changed it to two separates that I my self mix..  Then…..  the tried to keep me…. cause she wanted straight up my  testing runs this at these hrs while I was supervised…. well….. after tons and tons and tons of crying………  and then finally after agreeing to go along with what ever she wanted. and crying more…. I came to the conclusion there was NO way I could stay………. In all complete honestly….. we are so screwed up thanks to the bills and the bouncing of those checks from the previous job…….. That WE literally had to borrow money from our great “family” to even be able to gas up and go to Galveston in the first place…… NO LIE!  In all honestly water bill is due today…… *HA!* Electric is due Tuesday ….. And what she was asking was to keep me for literally 24 hrs……. when keith misses a day we lose a chunk…… So he couldn’t stay he would have had to drove back home, worked all day. then come down to get me…….. Then drive me back home……. which would of come down to him missing…… friday more than likely…… so we already are shorted 2.5 days…… that would have been 3.5…… and it not possible……. Well In order to come home I agreed to almost anything…… which would have had to happen anyways because they are going to keep a close watch on me big time anyhow. So now I have to go to Nac On friday (tomorrow) And then twice a week from then on…… LET alone….. the trips of at least two if not three down to the island again…… so, left over from the Family borrowed stuff. we have 2.00…… and maybe a 1/8th of a tank…… which is not going to get me to nac no way no how. Im determined to get done what had to be done but this is getting crazy!!!!!! Oh and for those not around the area nac is about an hr away…. 60 miles per say…… in one direction…..  I drive a swagger wagon(mini van) ……. *sigh* Im at a loss over all this………
          But… I Got to come home….. =/
          well anyways, she stated she wanted my sugar better controlled, and also informed me that…… really…… With my incision, they will not let me go back 37 weeks!! =) So ……. at the latest… by her book…. we will be seeing Daniel December 13th…….. if we go by im 30 weeks today……. Now if we go by his measurements then really since per her words the uterus is the most stupid organ/muscle in the body………. There is a chance at him being born in November !! Guess we might know more after the next ultra sound which I will see her again at also… Oh and ……………. I will have an Island baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
          They would rather (well me too with the great care I feel Daniel and I are getting) me birth down there with them….. on the island……… ( btw can you tell I love saying island?!?!?!?!?!?!)
          So, after all this checking out being freaked out still having to go back and check out of the room, and get confirmed that I was not leaving AMA and stuff….. I was starving it was late and I had not had lunch at all and all the floors said no food or drinks …… (stupid!!!!!) So we  found a New York Pizza place….WP_000781
          LOOK AT THAT HUGE PIE!!!!!!!!!!!!
          Grabbed our own slice…………………..2012-10-24 2012-10-24 001 022
          and walked out to eat on the……………….
          2012-10-24 2012-10-24 001 023 where keith had to feed the stupid stupid birds!!! UGH!!!!!!!

          First time at the beach together……….. EVER2012-10-24 2012-10-24 001 039
          Oh and ignore the words on the shirt!
          I looked awful but from all the crying and stuff for days….. I figure…… WHo cares. He still loves me  and he makes me life complete!!! That’s what mattered to me at that moment (oh and that’s galveston island’s historic pleasure pier……….. THe rides are new this summer thanks to the hurricanes from years ago!)
          And since it was not just my love and I at the beach……… Had to Have a moment to let Daniel shine…………markontheworld
          He needs is time to shine! and I believe he will Leave his Mark on the world!!!!!!!!! All for Christ!!!!!!! Daniel Reason!!!!!! Momma loves you lil man!!!
          and my relaxing…………….  toes in the water!!!!!! AHH!!!!!!!! COOL WATER
          2012-10-24 2012-10-24 001 037
          That’s about all I have for an update………….. sorry yall its still kinda inconclusive to a point….
          but this is what we have….  and its about all I can give yall
          Even though there is a chance at down syndrome…….. Im calmer…….. Im sure its because I know or feel I know his organs are good…  and hes beautiful in my eyes!!! ANd really That I am so ready to meet my lil Daniel Reason and hold him and bring him home God willing!!!!!!!!!

          Thanks yall for reading and understanding,
          Loves,
          Jessica and Daniel.

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