My Health

We've had a lot going on in our world the last few weeks, so I wanted to share that...here's an email I sent out...


Dear Friends and Family,

I'm writing to explain the story of what's gone on with my health this past week, as some of you know some of the story (or maybe all) and some don't know at all. I thought it would be best if I sent an email so you could all hear it 'straight from the horse's mouth'.

As many of you know, Greg and I have been trying for a long time to have a second child. 2.5 weeks ago, on Wednesday, I finally had a positive pregnancy test. I went in that day for a blood draw, to test the level of pregnancy hormone in my body. The number was 38. I was due to go back in on Friday; they check this number twice in 48 hours, as they want it to double. I went in on Friday, and got the results back when we were on our way to Sunland...120. More than tripled! We were thrilled, and so excited that the number was so much higher, knowing that it was a good sign.

A little over a week ago (Thursday, 2/10), I got off work early and was in a lot of pain in my lower left abdomen. I talked to my friend Jessica, who is a medical assistant at my OB's office, and she thought it was possible that I was rupturing an ovarian cyst. This isn't uncommon during pregnancy, and not anything to be concerned about. But on Friday, they wanted me to come in for an ultrasound to make sure that was all that was going on. As I lay on the table, with Greg holding my hand, we saw TWO black dots in my uterus....twins! They also said there was some fluid in my abdomen, but not a large amount, suggesting that I had indeed burst a cyst, but that the fluid would be reabsorbed by my body. We left the office shocked by the news of twins, but also excited. They were measuring small, but the Dr said he was optimistic. We were then scheduled for a follow-up ultrasound the next Friday (2/18).

On Tuesday, very early morning (just after midnight), Cameron woke with an asthma attack. We called 911 and he was taken to Evergreen Hospital by ambulance. Greg went with him, and I followed in the car. After a few hours there (along with nebulizer treatment and steroids to open his lungs), we were sent on our way. We settled in to bed around 4am and tried to get some sleep. Decided to keep Cameron home from school that day so we could all rest.

I woke up Tuesday morning in pain again. It wasn't as bad as Thursday, but still uncomfortable. Since I was pregnant with twins, Greg and I decided that I should lay low and rest. He had his brother and sister-in-law come get Cameron so I could rest, and Greg left for the airport (headed to CA overnight for work). About an hour after they left, I was in immense pain again. I called the Dr's office, and they wanted me to be there in an hour for another ultrasound. I called Heather (my sister-in-law) to have her take me to the Dr, while Cameron stayed with Uncle Jason. I called Greg, and he canceled his trip and met us at the Dr's office. My pain had subsided by this point, but was still there. l

They took me in for ultrasound, and we saw that the twins were still in place. They hadn't grown much at all from Friday, but they said that wasn't much to worry about. They continued to look around, and saw that there was a LOT of fluid in my abdomen, from the left side all the way over to the right. The Dr came in to look at the screen with the u/s tech, and he decided right then that he was taking me for emergency surgery to see where the 'fluid' (I learned at this time that 'fluid' means blood) was coming from. My u/s appt was at 4, and by 4:45 I was in the pre-op room at the hospital getting my IV. To say I was scared is a big understatement. I was terrified of surgery. Of being put under. Of dying, and leaving my son without his momma, my husband without a wife, my parents without their oldest daughter. But I put on a brave face (or at least tried to), and off we went. I don't remember leaving the pre-op room. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery, and my first thought was "thank God I woke up".

Greg and Heather were still there when I woke up. Also there were my parents, and my dear friends Jessica and Lacey. After getting settled in my room, my OB came in to tell me what he'd done. He told me that I had 3 incisions...one in the belly button, one near my right hip, and one near my pelvic bone. They took a camera in through the belly button and found that my left fallopian tube had been ruptured by an ectopic pregnancy. So I had originally been pregnant with 3. Two in the uterus and one in the tube. They had to remove that fallopian tube, and a lot of blood, but everything else looked good. They did another pregnancy hormone test on Wednesday morning to make sure the twins still looked okay. Wednesday's number came back a little low, but we were waiting for Friday's results to see what was really going on.

I spent Tuesday night in the hospital, and Greg stayed there with me. He was amazing. Helping me to the bathroom, getting me anything I needed, etc. We came home late on Wednesday morning, and Greg's mom came over to watch Cameron (who had stayed at Jason and Heather's house the night before). Pat was also a great help to us, offering groceries, playing with Cameron, etc. Thursday afternoon my mom picked Cameron up from school and brought us dinner. My friend Melissa came over with her daughter, Maddy, on Friday morning to watch Cameron while Greg and I went back to the Dr for my blood test, and then my mom came in the afternoon.

We got the results of the final blood test Friday, early evening.....and they were low. I'm currently miscarrying the twins.

We've had such a roller coaster of emotions this past week. Excitement, anticipation, nervousness, fear, concern, sadness. And also thankfulness. I'm thankful for all of you, for your support through all of this. For the fact that my Dr caught this in time, and was able to perform a relatively easy surgery, without complication. For my husband, who has been amazing through this whole process. I'm truly blessed.

I want to share this with all of you so you know exactly what happened. I'm not looking for sympathy, or anything else...I just don't want you to have wrong information. Please feel free to share this with anyone else who I may have missed.

Thank you for reading, and for your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate them more than you know.
With love,
Stef