BIG day today

The appointment with our OBGyn went very well yesterday. She was very reassuring and optimistic about our situation which is exactly what we needed. I told her about the relatively pessimistic numbers I had come across regarding the surgery and she seemed to think that those were too low and had a much more optimistic idea of the success rate. Many of the questions we asked she deferred to the perinatologist but she was very patient and answered almost everything we threw at her.

One concern of hers is the possibility of delivering the babies early. The goal is to make it to 28 weeks (we're at 22 weeks, 6 days today). With our next appointment with her in two weeks, she is going to begin shots to help the babies lungs develop quicker so they'll be ready for an early exit if necessary. We'll find out more today of course but one concern is this window between the surgery and earliest delivery time. I believe the latest we can have the surgery is at 25 weeks but the earliest we can deliver is 28. So if the surgery happens it will be tomorrow or next week. With the surgery, it should buy us enough time to make it to 28 weeks...and beyond hopefully.

After our appointment, one of my concerns is regarding our babies "maximum vertical pocket" of amniotic fluid. What I've learned is that surgery will be more seriously considered once the MVP is over 10cm or under 2cm. I asked and as of last Wednesday they were at 9.6cm and 2.3cm. To me, that seems to indicate that surgery is inevitable. Certainly there is a chance that with bedrest these last couple of days, the levels could have remained the same or maybe improved but it really doesn't leave much room to maneuver.

With that news, we are preparing ourselves to head to Seattle today. I may have said Portland in a previous post but it's really Seattle. I'm working night shifts this week so the boss has put someone on call for tonight. Our neighbors said they would be happy to watch after Madison (our dog for those of you who don't know). So we'll be going to the hospital at 2pm and will probably know within the first couple of minutes of the appointment.

Now for the good news. The response that we continue to get from our family, friends, and strangers has been so uplifting. We are amazed every day at the response we get in emails and phone calls. Thank you so much! It is really helping. I actually printed out a lot of the emails yesterday and took them with us to the hospital so we could read through them again to remind us of all the people praying for us. We are NOT alone! Thank you!

One response I got yesterday was from a woman who under similar circumstances, had the surgery done in Seattle with great results. That was the most comforting news we've received throughout this process...someone who had the surgery in Seattle, made it to 34 weeks, and delivered two very healthy babies. It is very uplifting to hear that kind of story right now, I can't explain how much that helped. I think Lisa's response was, "THAT'S what I'm talking about!!!!"

I have also emailed Dr. Julian DeLia who is a pioneer with this procedure. From what I've read, he continues to be involved with MANY cases and would most likely be able to consult on our case. Unfortunately, we may be running out of time but hopefully I'll hear back from him today before we are forced with any decisions.

One more thing, I came across this article that is a very good summary of TTTS and what we're up against. article

I'm sorry this is kinda wordy but I wanted to update everything just in case we're in Seattle tonight and can't post.

I will certainly post, email, and call the minute we know what's going on. Please continue to pray for us today.

A & L & the girls