Appointment in Anchorage

Our trip to Anchorage started out really nice. We left Monday night, had a good flight, got the rental car and got to stay at the Sheridan Hotel for $50...thank you priceline.com! The room was so nice, Rikk's favorite was that there was a 42" flat screen at the end of the bed! He wanted to live there forever.

We got to the doctor's on time and filled out 5 sheets of paperwork. The took us to the ultrasound room and got me ready. The doctor was actually the same one that delivered Kyler and knew who we were, so it was comforting to know we were in good hands.

The doc had the ultrasound machine on for all of two seconds and said, "This isn't good." Not the first thing you want to hear from a doctor. She talked with us throughout the ultrasound and when it was over. The twins have Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) which isn't good.

What is TTTS? TTTS is a serious complication where the babies share the same placenta. Blood from one baby can mix with the blood of the other baby through small blood vessels in the placenta. If this blood is not shared equally between the babies one becomes swollen (recipient twin) with too much blood and the other becomes small (donor twin) and underfed because of not enough blood. In severe cases, the donor twin tries to make up for it's blood loss by stopping urine production. The amniotic fluid is basically fetal urine. The lack of urination causes a decrease of amniotic fluid around the fetus. Eventually there is a complete disappearance of amniotic fluid. This fetus gets "stuck" at the edge of the placenta where it is held by the collapsed amniotic sac. Without treatment, this donor twin is at high risk of death or brain handicap because of lack of oxygen, blood and other nutrients. One a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, we were told we are at a 10. Not very comforting news.

There are 3 main options for treatments. The choices are pregnancy termination (so not an option), aggressive serial amnioreduction (stick a needle into the uterus every week or so and drain fluid from it to give to the smaller baby, more risks with this one) or laser photocoagulation (we are going with this one). LP is only done in Washington, California and Florida. LP is the use of a laser light to close the blood vessels on the surface of the placenta so that the babies' blood is no longer shared. In 80% of the cases, one twin survives; in 70% of the cases both survive; and less than 5% of surviving twins have brain damage. With the other treatments survival is lower and the brain damage risk is higher.

So, now that you have some info on this stuff we will tell you what we will be doing. I have to go back in three weeks for another ultrasound to see if things are the same or progressing. They said that if it is the same, I will more than likely go home to pack to (as they put it) move to Anchorage to be monitored until the twins' birth. If it has progressed, I will be on a plane, they hope to Seattle to have the LP done. Depending on how the LP takes I may be able to come home after a couple days (to Anchorage), stay for a few weeks and head home, or stay until I give birth and the twins are okay to come home.

The doctor said that I am too big in the belly right now because of all the extra fluid and that if I get bigger before my appointment to call them and I will be heading to Anchorage early. They said they have seen ladies who's bellies are as big as mine go to bed and wake up the next morning looking full term...WHAT?! Rikk is now measuring my belly everyday.

Not only that but the placenta is on my cervix which isn't good. Poor Rikk...he was gone for 8 months last year and was told by the doctor that we couldn't have certain physical contact with each other...he was sad!!! If we did we would rupture membranes, cause all kinds of bleeding and harm the babies. Oh, and I am on semi bed rest, which will end up full time.

But we did get some good news today. Rikk went to work and explained everything that is going on and just wanted to go over what possibilities he would have for some leave to go with me to Anchorage and other places if needed. They told him not to worry about it, that he could get put on orders to be with me and that it didn't matter if it was weeks or months. So that was such a relief to know that he and the boys can be with me wherever we go and that it is paid leave!

So, when we got home last night we had my dad give Rikk and I both blessings and we are both feeling comforted in knowing that we can make three weeks to the next appointment. There are some other things that we just aren't ready to disclose yet about the twins except with family, but when we are ready we will let you know. We both know that this is a part of our Heavenly Father's plan and even though we don't understand why, there is a reason for all this to happen. We would just like to ask for you to keep us in your prayers.