Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Subchorionic Hematoma

I woke up Monday morning and headed to the bathroom.  I looked in the toilet and it was reddish-orange.  Still half asleep, I asked my hubby if he was peeing blood.  He looked at me like I was crazy.  I realized that I must have gone in the middle of the night and that was my blood in the toilet.  Terrified, I sat down to go again.  When I wiped, I saw dark brown over and over again.

I was 8 weeks, 6 days and up until this moment, had no signs of blood or spotting.  I'm currently between doctors and didn't know who to call...so I called both.  It was only 7am and obviously no one was answering.  When the recorded message offered an emergency number I called that.  This is very unlike me.  I do not like to bog down doctors with a million questions or bother them in any way.  I'm not as assertive as I should be; especially considering all the shit I've been through.  Apparently, when it comes to my babies, all of that changes (go ME!).  I left a message with the answering service and my OB called me within 15 minutes.

This guy is totally new to me but I fell in love within our short 3-minute talk.  He was heading into surgery but wanted me to come by the office to get everything checked out.  He told me not to try not to worry and that most-likely everything would be fine.  He was warm, kind and reassuring.  He's a keeper.

I started to tear up as the sonographer called my name to head back...not knowing what I was about to see.  I hopped up on the table and within seconds, she found baby A.  He/she is measuring 8 weeks, 5 days.  The sonographer clicked on the chest area and for the first time, I heard the most beautiful sound in the entire world...my baby's heartbeat at 181bpm.  She said, "Well this one's a girl if you believe in all that."  I was so relieved but still tense about what might be going on with baby B.  We soon found him/her and he/she is measuring 8 weeks, 6 days with another amazing heart rate of 173bpm.  The sonographer said, "Another girl!"  Oh dear.

Here's a peek at the little guys (or girls).  They're starting to look more like babies:
After seeing my growing babies, the sonographer dug around a little more to see what might be causing the bleeding.  Next to baby A, there was a small subchorionic hematoma.  I asked how concerned I should be and was told it's fairly common and small enough that it should resolve itself within the next few weeks.  My OB said that if the bleeding remains the same, not to worry, but to call him immediately if the condition worsens.

I also had my blood drawn for the bzillionth time.  My estradiol came back at 1444 and my progesterone at 36.8...so, everything looks good.  Whew!    

I'm 9 weeks today and am very grateful to still have both of my babies.  I was given a 5% chance of miscarriage but really struggle to believe that the odds are that much in my favor.  I love these little guys so much and pray they're both my take-home babies.  They sure did give this momma a scare!

CANCER UPDATE:
We have an 8am appointment tomorrow with the best of the best.  She was recommended to us by the president of the Thyroid Cancer Support Group in Dallas.  Hopefully, we love her and can move forward with surgery in the next week or so.  My hubby and I appreciate your words of encouragement and hope.

Please bear with me on the commenting front.  I haven't been reading as much the past two weeks and I feel so behind.  I care for each of you and thank you for sticking with me through the craziness.

 

15 comments:

  1. How scary. I'm glad they got you in so quickly. The babies look great! I have a friend who had the same issue and while always scary, it was the only thing causing blood and eventually healed itself. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am glad all is well - what a scare! And your new OB sounds perfect - exactly what you need. The babies look great! It seems like lots of girls have these SCHs and all goes fine (especially have them with twins for some reason), so hope it clears out soon so that it stops freaking you out.
    Hope all goes well tomorrow, thinking of you 4!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh Lou, thank goodness. It's so reassuring to see those little heartbeats. The same thing happened to me at 12 weeks and it scared the crap out of me. My only request of you, is that you continue to insist on checking in with that hematoma. Unfortunately for me, it was the reason I lost my twins at 20 weeks. That isn't meant to scare you, only to advise you to keep getting ultrasounds to make sure it's gone and not wait a month like I did after the doctors told me it would go away on it's own. Those things can be dangerous, but I also have known many people who have had them and delivered healthy babies. I'll be praying for all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your hubby is on my prayers. Friday I lost an Aunt to cancer. I'm praying for you both. Hope your hematoma clears up on its own.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So scary but glad all is looking up for now. Take good care of yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is always scary to see any blood. I am glad they found the source of your bleeding. As the babies get bigger the clot will appear smaller. Are you going to get weekly monitoring? It helps ease the anxiety. I know they say it shouldn't matter, but I found that strenuous activity (any lifting at all, cleaning the bathroom) seemed to aggravate my bleeding. Get lots of rest and make your hubby do the housework until the hematoma is gone.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm sorry you had a scare, but look at those babies! So glad they're both doing well! I hope your husband's appointment goes well. KUP

    ReplyDelete
  8. I just wanted to thank you for posting this. I literally read it yesterday before my ultrasound today and when they told me I had one of these, I felt so much more prepared (and calm!) having read your account of it!

    Hope the thyroid appointment went well and that you guys have a plan for how to move forward at this point!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Lou - I had something very similar happen when I was 9 weeks along, and ultimately was diagnosed with two subchorionic hemorrhages (though one was asymptomatic.) It took until my 20-week scan to fully resolve - we kept tracking it as ADSchill recommendes - and it was incredibly stressful, but ultimately everything appears to be okay. Hang in there, I know how you feel!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That must have been scary... so glad to hear that all is well with you little gals :)) And thinking of you all for your husband's appt xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Best of luck to you! I have twin boys thanks to IVF (and lots of prayer!) who are 10 months now! They are so much fun!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I hope everything is going well, both with your pregnancy and with your husband's treatment. I am thinking of you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thinking of you and hoping all is going well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I had one and it was gone by 9 weeks I want to say...

    Also, Im having two boys and their heartbeats have been high the whole time - although all babies hb's peak at 9 weeks, then settle into a more normal 120-180.

    ReplyDelete