So – it’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post. A
real, from the heart, down to earth, blog post. I think it’s finally time to
let everyone know what is going on with me. To be perfectly honest, 2014 and 2015 were not kind to
myself and my family.
Here’s a quick little rundown:
2014 – My dad had a stroke, our daughter was diagnosed with
an autoimmune disease that attacks her eyes, my step-dad got cancer, we
accidentally got pregnant, I lost the baby, my daughter had surgery, my
step-dad died.
2015 – I developed SERIOUS health issues. What started as a
rash on my hands, quickly progressed to dermatologists, allergists,
rheumatologists, and more. Remember when I looked like this:
In October of 2015, I was
finally diagnosed as “ANA+ with a steroid responsive rash; also,
Hashimoto’s disease”. What does this mean for me? A lot of meds. A lot of diet
changes. A lot of restrictions on my normal clean eating staples!
Add to all of 2015, I got pregnant again!!! We thought we
lost the baby twice. Turns out it was a subchorionic hemorrhage. The doctors
gave me a 50% chance of keeping this pregnancy as of Dec. 24th. Yes.
Christmas Eve. Closer to New Year’s Eve, we thought we lost it. It was bad and
my mental state was not in a good place.
I went in for a “confirmation of loss” ultrasound on January
6th. Imagine my surprise (and tears) when we saw a little baby with
a heartbeat waving at us! I hadn’t lost the baby. BUT, the high risk doctor did
not give me good odds of the baby surviving with my “extremely large”
hemorrhage. I think he said “don’t get your hopes up”.
So, on Feb. 3, I had another ultrasound. And there was the
baby! Waving at us again! This time, my hemorrhage had almost completely gone
away. We were in the clear and I was almost 12 weeks along! Almost out of the
first trimester!!! WOO HOO!
Then, on the afternoon of Feb. 11, I got another call
from my midwife. She left a message and asked me to call her back on her CELL
phone. Then, she texted me when I hadn’t called her right away. I figured that
couldn’t be too good.
When we talked, she told me that I had tested positive for
the anit-E antibody. Turns out it’s another AUTOIMMUNE thing. It can be bad for
the baby if my titer gets too high. Today on my lunch break, I am headed to get
my blood drawn AGAIN. We need this titer ASAP.
What does this mean for me and my baby? I know that I will be getting monitored a LOT during this pregnancy.
I know that I will get blood drawn every 1-2 weeks. I will get ultrasounds every
2-4 weeks. My titer needs to stay in check – 1:4 is the highest they want it
go, and that's where it is now. There is a possibility that I will have to get an IUT – intrauterine
transfusion – which is where they give the baby a blood transfusion in-utero.
The chance of this is small, but it’s still a very real possibility. There is also a good possibility that I will have to deliver the baby early. Probably somewhere from 34-38 weeks.
As of right now, I’m trying my best to do what I do. Get up,
go to work, take care of my family, take care of myself, and be better today
than I was yesterday. The more normal I stay with my routine and food, the more control I feel like I have. In a situation where there is NOTHING I can do to control my anti-E, having control over SOMETHING is nice.
So - I'm trying to just do my thing. I'm trying to stay true to myself. I'm trying to be positive. We have another ultrasound on March 3 and an appointment with Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) doctors. This should result in a LOT more answers and some calmed fears.
If you got this far, thanks for listening. If you were thinking you were gonna see a workout/fitness/heath/recipe post - sorry to disappoint. This is what is consuming me right now, so it's what I'm writing about :)
<3,
Kell
