We've got so many appointments lined up that I've decided to use a notation system to refer to them. This is our first appointment since reaching 34 weeks yesterday, so today's visit is 34-1. On Monday, we'll have our second appointment of this gestational week (34-2). Next Friday will be 35-1. We hope to at least reach 36-1.
Vitals
Same weight and good blood pressure for me. Emmie's heartrate was a solid 140. My fluid was only a tiny bit higher but still at the low end of normal.
BPP
She breathed for the entire BPP, way more than was necessary. She had to be prompted to move around a little. Apparently, morning is breathing time. She passed the BPP, but we went to the hospital for the NST anyway.
NST
Emmie's heart was fine, but she was not as reactive as they wanted, so I ended up being on the monitor for two hours instead of 30 minutes. After they let me eat some lunch, she became much more reactive, and we got to go home.
TORCH
The TORCH panel is the blood test they ran on Tuesday to see if I have any infections: Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes Simplex. Unfortunately, in addition to the herpes we already knew about, I tested positive for toxoplasmosis. I have no symptoms, but adults don't usually show symptoms of toxoplasmosis infection. The question is whether Emmie has it.
We don't know much from our doctor yet. He thinks I've caught it fairly recently because the test differentiates between current infection (IgM) and antibodies formed from previously having the parasite (IgG). My IgM test was positive, and my IgG test was negative. Since Dr. Reynolds just has one set of test results that he got today, he can't be sure of much yet. He is going to consult with some other doctors to figure out the best thing to do now. He said he'd call when he knew more.
Matt and I have done some googling to get a better idea of what my results could mean. Here are some options:
Positive IgM, Negative IgG can indicate a false positive, so I might not have toxoplasmosis. (Unlikely, but possible.) Further testing is likely in my future.
Or Positive IgM, Negative IgG can mean I was infected, probably in the last six months.
However, positive results can occur up to a year after infection, so we don't know for sure when I got it. And timing really matters.
If I had it long enough before Emmie was conceived, then she may not have it at all. (Unlikely, but possible.)
If I had gotten it in the first trimester, she would probably be dead already or showing serious malformations, which she hasn't, so that's highly unlikely.
If I got it in the second trimester, the chances of her catching it from me are low, but the damage if she does have it would be serious. She could have calcium deposits in her brain or liver.
If I've caught it in the third trimester, then she has a good chance (at least 60%) of catching it from me, but the damage would be less severe because most organ formation was already done by then.
If she has it and appears normal at birth, she may eventually have hearing loss, vision loss, motor development delays, and/or cognitive delays due to congenital toxoplasmosis. Patients with congenital toxoplasmosis may develop eye lesions as late as age 30. Matt's googling indicated that problems often present in the teenage years.
The good news is that the doctor tested me and knows Emmie might have it. They normally don't test for it, so it was her small size and family history that prompted the testing, which found this possible problem. I may receive antibiotics, which would also help treat Emmie. Emmie can be tested via amniocentesis or after birth and receive treatment for her first year, which would lessen the severity of the damage.
So what we know is that I've tested positive for toxoplasmosis. We don't know what that means for us yet. It could mean nothing if Emmie doesn't have it. Or it could mean that my gardening caused my daughter to lose vision or hearing or to have physical or mental disabilities. (Toxoplasmosis is spread through cat feces. I don't like cats, but cats like gardens and sandboxes; so I could have caught it from my garden or Lucy's sandbox--although I've seen no evidence of feces in either place--or from under-washed produce.)
LUCY
Although we were gone for 5 hours, Lucy had a good time with Erin Steele. Erin goes to our church and is one of Matt's students. Her mom reads my blog (Hi, Alice!) and her parents let her know we needed help with Lucy. So Erin emailed Matt to offer to watch Lucy today. That was a godsend. We were scrambling to find someone to watch Lucy for an indefinite amount of time on short notice. As it so happened two of Erin's classes today were cancelled because they were Matt's classes, so that turned out well. :) Erin and Lucy played outside and inside and watched Shaun the Sheep. We asked Lucy if she would like Erin to come over and play again and got an enthusiastic YES! Erin came by later to return our keys, and Lucy cried when she left. She told me, "Me sad friend Erin go." And Erin liked it well enough to be willing to do it again sometime.
We changed our 35-1 appointment from Thursday at 8:30 to Friday at 10:30 so that Matt wouldn't have to cancel Thursday classes again next week. We were lucky they could fit us in. Erin said she could watch Lucy after noon. Now we just have to find somebody for 10-noon.
Between Tuesday and today, we spent at least 11 hours getting medical care for Emmie. We certainly hope future appointments are less dramatic and time-consuming.
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