Seeing life and making our own decision
March 10, 2010
Week 14
It's been two weeks now since the endometrioma, a.k.a. chocolate cyst, was found and drained. Today (Thursday, March 4th) is not a check on this, though I'm sure it'll be a main topic of conversation with the doctor. Today is my 14 week ultrasound.
Since I'm an at-risk pregnancy due to medical history I need a 14 week ultrasound to measure my cervix. Since 2006 I've battle with abnormal paps for which I underwent a LEEP, a Cold Knife and hospital stays. I've had two abscesses that needed treatment, one in 2005 and the most recent in July. All of this, plus multiple colposcopy biopsies, may have damaged my cervix. Today I will find out how well the cervix has healed and, if it hasn't healed well, it will indicate the future of my pregnancy.
My husband is here with me and we wait for the ultrasound technician to start. Finally we start. We start with my very first obstetric ultrasound; you know, the jelly on my belly and a use of imaging probe to see baby.
And there moving around quite a bit is our baby! My husband and my fingers find one another and we hold hands as we watch our baby move. We can clearly see the spine and all the limbs. It looks like the baby has the hiccups!
The tech has only good news. All the measurements on the baby are good. The heartbeat is strong.
Then the tech changes to a transvaginal ultrasound so he can measure my cervix. I also told him about the cyst and asked if he could see it or any others. Again only good news. My cervix look fine, with a good length. A longer cervix helps in carrying the baby full-term with less complications, like bed rest.
Next was the search for the cyst. I had no idea most of the time what the tech was pointing out and looking at, I mean how could he tell that one blob area is my bladder? It was crazy to see my insides like that! When he showed me my urethra all I could think, "pee goes out that canal, weird." haha! In the end though, the cyst could not be seen. NO other cysts were found either! Good news indeed.
The tech handed us our baby pictures and said he needed to make notes for the doctor while I dressed. The moment the door closed, my husband grabs me from behind in a huge bear hug and just holds me. We were both so astonished and amazed by seeing our baby. Love filled us, for each other, for our family, and for our growing baby.
From there we went to the doctors office. She looked over the pictures, measurements and notes. She smiled while reading. Seeing that smile instead of a frown was all I needed to know she was as happy with the results as the tech was.
Of course she also needed to check the cyst. For the second time today my nerves shook a bit. As she examined the area she told us that it was still there, still filled, but had actually decreased in size from last week. She said the cyst must have drained a little on it's own. "This is good!" she said. "Now we have options."
She went on to explain that there's a chance the cyst would continue this through the rest of the pregnancy, where it grows and drains on it's own. More likely it will fill like it had before again. Now, however, we had the opportunity to ask questions, weigh options and make a decision together instead of just being told surgery is the only way.
After we talked we decided the best course of action was to go ahead and remove the cyst in the next few weeks. We decided the risk of it filling and causing major problems urinating in the 3rd trimester when we have no options of help, outweighed the risk of waiting and seeing. The doctor explained the procedure again. It's tentatively scheduled in early April. The doctors office has to make arrangements with my insurance and book time for the surgery.
We left the office holding hands and comforted in how we were able to come to this decision.
It's been two weeks now since the endometrioma, a.k.a. chocolate cyst, was found and drained. Today (Thursday, March 4th) is not a check on this, though I'm sure it'll be a main topic of conversation with the doctor. Today is my 14 week ultrasound.
Since I'm an at-risk pregnancy due to medical history I need a 14 week ultrasound to measure my cervix. Since 2006 I've battle with abnormal paps for which I underwent a LEEP, a Cold Knife and hospital stays. I've had two abscesses that needed treatment, one in 2005 and the most recent in July. All of this, plus multiple colposcopy biopsies, may have damaged my cervix. Today I will find out how well the cervix has healed and, if it hasn't healed well, it will indicate the future of my pregnancy.
My husband is here with me and we wait for the ultrasound technician to start. Finally we start. We start with my very first obstetric ultrasound; you know, the jelly on my belly and a use of imaging probe to see baby.
And there moving around quite a bit is our baby! My husband and my fingers find one another and we hold hands as we watch our baby move. We can clearly see the spine and all the limbs. It looks like the baby has the hiccups!
The tech has only good news. All the measurements on the baby are good. The heartbeat is strong.
Then the tech changes to a transvaginal ultrasound so he can measure my cervix. I also told him about the cyst and asked if he could see it or any others. Again only good news. My cervix look fine, with a good length. A longer cervix helps in carrying the baby full-term with less complications, like bed rest.
Next was the search for the cyst. I had no idea most of the time what the tech was pointing out and looking at, I mean how could he tell that one blob area is my bladder? It was crazy to see my insides like that! When he showed me my urethra all I could think, "pee goes out that canal, weird." haha! In the end though, the cyst could not be seen. NO other cysts were found either! Good news indeed.
The tech handed us our baby pictures and said he needed to make notes for the doctor while I dressed. The moment the door closed, my husband grabs me from behind in a huge bear hug and just holds me. We were both so astonished and amazed by seeing our baby. Love filled us, for each other, for our family, and for our growing baby.
From there we went to the doctors office. She looked over the pictures, measurements and notes. She smiled while reading. Seeing that smile instead of a frown was all I needed to know she was as happy with the results as the tech was.
Of course she also needed to check the cyst. For the second time today my nerves shook a bit. As she examined the area she told us that it was still there, still filled, but had actually decreased in size from last week. She said the cyst must have drained a little on it's own. "This is good!" she said. "Now we have options."
She went on to explain that there's a chance the cyst would continue this through the rest of the pregnancy, where it grows and drains on it's own. More likely it will fill like it had before again. Now, however, we had the opportunity to ask questions, weigh options and make a decision together instead of just being told surgery is the only way.
After we talked we decided the best course of action was to go ahead and remove the cyst in the next few weeks. We decided the risk of it filling and causing major problems urinating in the 3rd trimester when we have no options of help, outweighed the risk of waiting and seeing. The doctor explained the procedure again. It's tentatively scheduled in early April. The doctors office has to make arrangements with my insurance and book time for the surgery.
We left the office holding hands and comforted in how we were able to come to this decision.
Posted by Misty Montano. Posted In : Being Pregnant
