December 2015

The next two appointments were serious in tone, but when I reflect on them, it doesn’t feel right to write about them in a negative space. So, I will share the positives!

December 3, 2015 : first appt with OB Specialist

Even though I am still adjusting to living in a new city, I am very blessed with the healthcare I am receiving. When I left this appt, I wanted to give the Dr. a hug. He put a lot of my fears to rest.

The big things that came out of this appt:

I explained my history (of the last 10 months) and shared that when I wasn’t having a period, I assumed it was a delayed side effect of chemo. And he agreed that I had every right to think that. 

But I got pregnant at the perfect time, from finishing chemo to when the CT Scan tools place.

A huge concern for me was that I had a CT Scan and unlike in March when I made them take a blood pregnancy test, I just didn’t think I was pregnant. And turns out a CT scan is all or nothing. It will terminate  the pregnancy or not effect the baby at all. 

Chemo: turns out that there is a lot of studies of pregnant women on the type of chemo I was on in the second and third trimester, but none in the first. The good news is that it doesn’t show to harm the baby in later trimester. And the better news is that the pills are in your system for about 45 mins and the infusion for about 16 days. So, by the time I conceived, I should have been in the clear. Although it is possible small amounts of chemo were in my body.

Baby aspirin: I was taking a baby aspirin once a day for my port. I stopped around 8 weeks per my oncologist suggesting but the OB said no big deal. Larger doses of aspirin are what is to cause concern.  And I was terrible at remembering to take it, so that made me feel better.

The biggest concern is what steps do we take if the cancer or if there is a reason to believe the cancer has returned. There is a lot of evidence that there are safe scans to have in the second and third trimester. And overall, what do we do to treat it if it is back. 
December 17: 12 week ultrasound. 

This appt checked for how the baby was growing, checking the spine and brain other fluids around the baby and placenta. When the dr walked in, he gave me a thumbs up and a smile. He said everything looks like it is growing as it should be and we will meet again on January 28 for the anatomy scan and to see if it’s a boy or a girl!!
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