Spotting, Cramping & Pulling....

A lot has happened since my last entry, shame on me for not updating as I should.

Why is it that crap happens on Friday? I'm just glad that if it's going to happen, it's happening in the morning when I can call Dr B, and not Friday evening when I'm left to fend for myself until Monday. 

Friday June 17, 2011:  I woke this morning and saw a light pink tinge on the TP.  I know that the RE at Duke said that some spotting can't be ruled out during this pregnancy and not to let it worry me too much unless it becomes menstrual-like, but I mean, really!  I've miscarried twice and it really freaked me out to see this light pink.  Needless to say, Dr. B got me right in and sent me for an ultrasound.  The ultrasound went well.  I had the tech that is real nice, but not my favorite.  She said that my fibroid was casting a shadow on baby and made it impossible to hear the heartbeat.  We could see the flashing of the heartbeat on the screen, but we couldn't hear it.  She moved the probe around and finally picked up what she called a static wave that she was able to measure at 171 beats per minute.  Baby was measuring exactly 8 weeks, which was right in line with where he/she should be.  The picture wasn't nearly as clear as the one from Duke.  She also said I had some ovarian cysts. 

Then she sent me to Dr B.  He did an exam and said everything looked fine.  Of course, by the time he saw me, we weren't seeing any pink anymore.  He said that anything can cause the light spotting; strenuous activity, recent sexual activity, and even the fibroid.  He just told me to take it easy and try to relax.  I didn't see any more pink.

Baby at 8 weeks (6/17/2011)

Friday June 24, 2011:  This morning I was rudely awakened by a bad cramping in the low right side of my abdomen.  Every so often, there would be a sharp pulling feeling go across the entire low abdomen area and then go away.  The cramping was bad enough that I wasn't able to get back to sleep or get comfortable.  Finally, I woke my husband.  He tried to reassure me that everything was fine, but I wasn't feeling any better.  I didn't see how I was going to be able to make it to work hurting the way I was, let alone being worried to death that something bad was happening, so I called in.  My husband continued to try to make me relax.  He brought me Tylenol, rubbed my legs, and then got our Doppler.  We bought a Doppler so we could hear baby's heartbeat as time went along.  He used the gel and desperately tried to find a heartbeat other than my own.  We didn't find one.  It's much to early to pick it up on the Doppler anyway, but he was hoping beyond hope that we would and it would help me to relax a little.  I give him tons of credit for trying!

When 8 AM arrived, we called Dr B's office.  They told me to come right in.  When I arrived, my husband and I were told that Dr B was still at the hospital, but they were going to check my urine and send me to ultrasound in the meantime.  It's never hard for me to provide urine, even before I was pregnant.  Then, we waited for ultrasound.  I was relieved when the ultrasound tech that is awesome called my name.  We went in and I got ready.  As they always do, she used the internal ultrasound probe and began to check things out.  My fibroid is still there (not as if I really think it will just disappear, but I'm always hoping it will) and measuring the same.  My left ovary has 2 cysts on it and she didn't see any cysts on the right one.  This made us wonder if maybe I had a cyst rupture which was causing this pain.  She did see baby, and we could see the flashing heartbeat, but just like last Friday, we couldn't see much and couldn't hear the heartbeat.  This tech also said the fibroid was muffling the sounds and reassured us that seeing the heartbeat was always good.  My husband spoke right up and told her that Duke had no problem finding the heartbeat audibly, and their picture was much better.  The tech agreed and said that their equipment is probably much more advanced since they deal with tiny eggs and sperm.  That did make sense.  She measured everything and said baby is measuring 9 weeks and 4 days.  Then, she decided to try external abdominal ultrasound to see if we could see or hear anything better.  To the surprise of all of us, we could see and hear baby very clearly!  The fibroid (or my belly fat) wasn't obstructing this view at all!  We could see baby moving all around, and could even detect his/her little hands and feet!  The heartbeat sounded so strong and steady at 160 beats per minute and was a huge relief for us to be able to hear it.  Again, she measured baby at 9 weeks and 4 days.  Baby is so adorable!!!!  He/she has such a fat little belly - LOL!

Dr B finally arrived at the office right at 11 AM.  I can't get upset, because God knows when I'm in labor, he better be right there with me the whole time too!!!!  He did a bi manual exam and said the cervix was firm and closed and he didn't see any bleeding.  He's fairly certain that the pain I'm feeling is from the fibroid.  He said that as pregnancy progresses, the fibroid becomes swollen and can cause pain and even spotting.  He also shared a recent success story with me.  Another patient recently delivered a healthy baby and she had a fibroid larger than mine.  He did caution that she experienced pain during pregnancy and delivery, but that all went very well.  He said he's still trying to avoid bed rest, but that he does want me to be off my feet while I'm hurting like this.  He doesn't want me to do anything strenuous and said I need to listen to my body.  He said the next few weeks are still critical and we need to keep our fingers crossed and say a lot of prayers.  No problem Doc, that can be done!

Baby at 9 weeks (6/24/2011)

My next appointment is July 11th (in 2 weeks), so please keep praying.  So far, the only bumps in the road have been by this fibroid.  Many prayers that it doesn't cause problems with our baby.  God knows if it does, I'll rip it out with my bare hands!

Many thanks to all of you who check my blog and are always there giving us love and support.  Also many prayers for all of my friends who are still waiting on their miracle.  I love you girls!