Thursday, March 18, 2010

Feeling discouraged

It was a long day today.

We left for the University of Chicago at 9:40 this morning for our 11:30 doctor’s appointment. We were in his waiting area about 20 minutes before our appointment. We waited until about 12, when Lisa asked if they wanted her to start the glucose test. They said she should get that sugary drink from the lab. She did, and an hour later (about 1) they took some of her blood to test it.

Still no doctor’s visit. =(

It was his turn to read the ultrasounds today, so his scheduler said that he would see us after our scheduled 2 pm ultrasound. We agreed to that, and Lisa had her vitals taken around that time. We asked the nurse if it was normal for this office to be so far off schedule, and she said, “I’ll be honest – yes. Even if the doctor doesn’t have time to see someone, if they NEED to see him, he’ll make time for them.” On the one hand, that’s good – that shows how compassionate our doctor is and shows how generous he was in allowing us to see him. But on the other hand, it makes for a long day for each of our weekly visits.

Our ultrasound started a little after 2:30, and finished around 3:30. We waited about an hour before we saw the doctor. He said that the MCA levels were still normal, so that was good news. We were quite discouraged, however, about the amniotic fluid levels. As long as the levels are above 2 cm, they’re okay – and the last visit showed that each twin had about 4 cm. Today, twin B had 2.5 cm and twin A had 1.5 cm. Not good. We didn’t find out any other information – including the size of the twins (and the reassurance that they’re still growing well). The doctor didn’t really explain what – if anything – could be done about the fluid levels. He basically said that we take a week at a time.

Needless to say (and as you might be able to tell from the tone of the update), we’re feeling discouraged. From the time we left home until the time we arrived home, we had a 9 hour day… and we feel like we know less now than we did this morning. It’s all such a rollercoaster – the scare of contractions Friday, the assurance that the twins had grown so well on Friday night in the delivery wing of the hospital, the good results yesterday from the amniocentesis (finding out all 46 chromosomes were well-formed and each had two x chromosomes, virtually eliminating the possibility of any major syndromes), and now today’s news and wondering what it means. We’re hoping to get on the phone first thing in the morning to find out more from the doctor.

In the meantime, we pray. And cry a little, too. A wise person once told me that it’s okay to cry. It is. So we will… but we’ll also pray for the following –

1. More information from the doctor tomorrow.

2. Increased fluid from each of our girls.

3. Measurable growth.

4. Patience until next Thursday’s doctor appointment/ultrasound.

We’re encouraged to know that you’re praying for us, too. God’s with us on frustrating days like today, and that makes all the difference in the world. We sigh, we pray, we cry, and we cling to the truth that God is good, all the time.

~Jeff

6 comments:

Maribeth said...

Praying and crying with you tonight ~

Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa and Jeff. You and your family are the last things I think about each night I say my prayers. You are both SOOO faithful. It is encouraging to me to hear how much faith you both have. Don't lose it, stay strong! I hope the doctor has good news for you tomorrow. Or, at the very least, encouraging news! God's Blessings Always, Kristie

Crisc said...

Thinking of you guys

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear that news. We will keep praying:( I can't imagine how difficult this must be!

Katie and Wilson

Jen said...

May you have a strong sense of God's face turned toward you, and the peace that comes from knowing that He sees and feels each of your cries and pains. Praying specifically that He will be your strong Fortress.

--Jen Rozema

Jane Klein-Bondy said...

Hi again. This is Jane, a member of Pastor Rick and Brittany's church. Just to let you know we also used to wait 10hr days for our Dr/Surgeon and the one conclusion I came to was that "You wait for the best"....

I know its hard waiting but at least you get to see them on the screen for the Ultrasound. Are they moving around quite a bit? And you get to see them a lot more than a normal single pregnancy so for that it is really good! Don't worry too much about the fluxuation in amniotic fluid, we had the same thing, but then it levelled out. Blessings and strength to you both!