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| lil' pumpkin for the Pumpkin :) |
Some people have wondered why I have to be induced. Basically, my treatment team would like me to move to the next step of treatment as soon as possible, which involves 12 weekly rounds of Taxol, a chemo drug that is unsafe for baby. Chemo is more effective when it's administered consistently and in a cumulative manner. If we waited until I was full-term, too much time would lapse between treatments, which is no bueno. Not to mention, my cancer is stage 3 and pretty f***ing aggressive, so we need to keep this train moving so I can get on with living!
Therefore, I'll be induced on November 18th, allow some time for recovery, and then immediately start the Taxol. Babies born at this gestational age tend to do fairly well, and though there's a possibility that he might spend a day or two in the NICU, it's just as likely that he won't need to go there at all. The plan is to have a normal delivery, though obviously a c-section will be the back-up plan if there are any complications.
Here are some highlights from the past couple weeks:
10/20/14: Today Jeremy had the day off, so I tagged along with him to his appointment with our primary care physician. He wanted to get a flu and T-dap shot, which are recommended for anyone planning to be around infants in the near future. It was weird to not be the patient for once! Due to chemo, I'm not able to get these vaccines until I get clearance from my oncologist. Last time Jeremy was here, he passed out like a sack of potatoes after they did bloodwork, so today the doctor and his office staff didn't hesitate to jokingly remind him about it. He's kind of a legend there now. Our doctor also provided a good recommendation for a local pediatrician, where he personally takes his own children. Lately we've been so concerned just managing our day to day lives that we haven't given as much thought to all of the things that need to be done once the baby is actually here. We gotta get into parenting mode, quick...
About an hour later, we headed to another appointment, this time my OB. They set me up for something called a non-stress test. This is a simple procedure that's used to monitor the baby's movements and heart-rate. It's called a "non-stress" test because it doesn't bother the baby at all. But I have to say that it was a little stressful for me! First, they place a monitor on your belly to listen to baby's heartbeat, and another monitor to check if you're having contractions. Then, they give you a hand-held clicker (like the buzzers on Jeopardy) and instruct you to press the button every single time you feel the baby move. Ideally, baby's heart-rate should accelerate with each movement, which would indicate that they're getting enough oxygen. The nurse leaves the room for twenty minutes or so and the pressure is on! With every little movement, I had to decide...was that the baby moving, or just my stomach growling? At times, Jeremy would try to talk to me and was quickly shushed. If this was a test, me and the baby were going to get an A+, dammit! After 20 minutes, the doctor came in and reviewed the data. She was able to see a few accelerations of the heart-rate that correlated with when I pressed the button, and was satisfied with the results. I'll be getting this test done twice per week from now on, to ensure that things continue to go smoothly.
10/21/14: I had a call from the OB's office, saying that they'd like me to start checking my blood pressure daily. They also sent in a script for a 24-hour urine test, which detects if there are elevated proteins that indicate blood pressure problems. Apparently, my blood pressure was slightly elevated when she checked it yesterday, so she decided to take a few extra precautions to make sure I'm not developing preeclampsia (simply put-high blood pressure during pregnancy). Not sure why all of this was brought up after the fact and not during my office visit? Guess my bodily fluids are in high demand these days.
The next issue was trying to figure out when I could feasibly take this test. You basically have to fill a jug with your urine every single time you go, for 24 consecutive hours. It has to stay refrigerated. It has to be dropped off at the lab as soon as the 24 hours are up. You then have to stay at the lab for complete bloodwork. Looking at my parade of appointments over the next week, not to mention the weekend, when the lab is closed, there weren't any days where I could take this test. And with another chemo coming up soon, I wondered if those medications would alter the results of the test. So many variables to consider, it makes my head spin.
10/22/14: Today was another ultrasound with the maternal-fetal-medicine specialist. Jeremy and my dad came along this time, who had never seen an ultrasound before. He spent most of the day in anxious anticipation (love you, dad!). The ultrasound was great and we got good news all around from the doctor. Currently, baby's weight is estimated to be about 4lbs, which is right in the average range. We also discussed my glucose screening results from a few weeks ago. Instead of sending me for a 3-hour test, she suggested that I simply start checking my sugars at home 4 times per day. Though this might seem more inconvenient than a one-time test, I feel more comfortable tracking things this way, so she wrote a script for a home testing kit. She's curious to see how the chemo drugs and steroid medications will affect my sugar; she hypothesized that my sugars will increase, so she's kind of using me as a guinea pig to see if this will be the case.
10/25/14: All of this testing business was put aside for the weekend, as it was time for our baby shower! My mom, mother-in-law, sister, and brother all worked together to create a really special day for Jeremy and I. Words can't express how bittersweet it was that so many people took time from their busy lives (and drove from near and far...and some from very, very far) to show their support and love for us. It was a rollercoaster of emotions as we celebrated one of the happiest times in our life, in conjunction with the biggest challenge we've ever faced. Our baby boy has absolutely everything he needs, and already knows how much he is loved. To those of you who were able to share this special day with us...thank you. And thanks to the many of you who were there in spirit <3
10/28/14: I got the all-clear to go ahead with my 4th chemo treatment, yay! This will be the last one for Sweet Potato to endure. I'm so proud of him for staying strong and going through this with me. I truly believe that somehow we've managed to protect each other from all of the crazy things that chemo can do to you. Side effects haven't been nearly as rough as I expected them to be and though a part of me keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop, overall I feel very lucky.
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| Hooray for baby's last chemo! |
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| My view for the day. |
My blood pressure has been perfect since I started tracking it about a week ago, usually averaging around 115/76. And so far, my sugars have been on track as well (once I figured out how to correctly use the testing kit). Ain't nobody got time for gestational diabetes! However, now that I've just completed a chemo treatment, the levels are expected to fluctuate for a couple days.
So there you have it. "Sweet Potato" officially has a name. Benjamin David, we are counting down the days to finally meet you.
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