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| "The first time I saw your face..." |
It started as Hydrocephalus
In the "Our Story" section of the blog, I sort of glazed over a lot of details about our prenatal visits and I would like to give an account of our experiences mainly because so many parents get such dire prognoses that it is hard to find hope in the middle of such bad news. Many doctors have poor bedside manners and others take the time to explain difficult medical technology. I just want others who are going through this to know they are not alone in their experiences so, I will be chronicling a few of the appointments and experiences.It is by divine appointment that we found out about Lily's condition. I went to the doctor for a normal check-up at around 28 weeks of pregnancy and as I waited to see the doctor my friend (who is also the sonogram technician at my doctor's office) stopped in the waiting room to see how I was doing. She asked if I had had my 3D sonogram yet and I told her no, that I thought it would be scheduled for much later on in the pregnancy. She then checked her appointment calendar and discovered that she could do the 3D right then! So, I called my husband and he rushed over to the doctor's office with our two other children.
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| Sweetest baby feet! |
We all crowded around the monitor as my friend scanned pictures of Lily and pointed out her features. We watched her suck her thumb and grab her feet. Lorelei and Lucas were extremely excited to see their baby sister! I did notice that during scans of the head that my friend took sometime to measure dark spots in the head area, but she never let on that anything was out of the ordinary. In talking to her later, she said she saw the enlarged ventricles, but tried her absolute best not to become alarmed or attempt to scare us. She was holding out hope that what she saw and measured was a mistake. What incredible courage she had to treat the situation with dignity and professionalism! She calmly printed pictures of the concerning areas and escorted us to the exam room so we could meet with the doctor. The whole time she remained positive and did not cry, although she later expressed her desire to come into the room with us and hold my hand.
In the exam room, our doctor explained that something concerning showed up on the scans and that he felt we should go see a specialist to get more information on the images. He readily admitted that he did not have enough knowledge about enlarged ventricles to make a diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan. He encouraged us not to worry and that we would find more answers at the specialist's office.
Both of these medical professionals explained the situation with courtesy and concern, making sure not to worry us. I felt they truly cared about our situation and encouraged us to call them if we had anymore questions. My friend told me everything would be fine and that worrying would not be good for me or the baby. She said many times poor image quality was often to blame for misdiagnosis. They both said they would be praying for good news and a continued healthy pregnancy.
