And We Have A Winner!...

Yep, that's right folks!  It has taken 2 months and a lot of blood, but I now know what my problem is.  My doctor called today with the news.  Before I go further I just have to say that I love my gynecologist!  She is the most wonderful doctor I have ever dealt with and I may not have any answers today if she wasn't such a wonderful doctor.  She ordered several strange blood tests for me a few weeks ago and I had an appointment to discuss the results with her set for next week.  Well, she called me today to let me know she knew what the problem was and I don't need to see her in person to talk about it.  What I need is a Hematologist.  Yep, I have a blood disorder.  It's called protein C deficiency.  She said mine is more than a deficiency though.  I pretty much have no protein C at all.  She said it barely registered and she had to consult with 3 different specialists before she was comfortable talking about it with me.  Apparently a person with protein C deficiency has a problem with blood clots.  So, both of my pregnancies started out normally, but then when the placenta tried to form it couldn't because I was clotting so much.  The really good news is there was no genetic abnormalities there.  If I didn't have this clotting problem I would have had a perfectly normal, healthy baby.  I have been really busy and haven't had any time to do research on this problem, but my wonderful sister looked up some things for me.  She tells me that all I have to do in order to have a normal pregnancy is get a heparin shot EVERY SINGLE DAY for my entire pregnancy.  Did you get that?  I need a shot EVERY DAY!  That will really suck.  Of course, that sounds like a very simple solution, and I am absolutely willing to do it if that's what it takes.  I would get used to it pretty quickly.  Its much better than having some problem where we would have to go through invitro fertilization or something drastic like that.  I can do the shot thing.  Of course, that's just preliminary Google research.  I will still need to wait and see what the specialist says.  This diagnosis explains some things though.  I have had knee problems for several years now, and I have a lot of leg pain.  A clotting disorder would definitely explain both of those things.  It means I have really poor circulation which causes my pain.  Its a big comfort to have a reason for something that has bothered me for so long.  I also think this explains why people have a hard time drawing my blood.  It just doesn't flow like it does for normal people.  I am at a much higher risk for blood clots though, so I need to be careful and keep the circulation in my legs going.  That's all I have for now.  I will update again after my appointment with the specialist.  If anyone reads this who has more knowledge on the subject, please feel free to let me know.  I'm very interested in any information I can get.

I guess I have to say something

I hate that this happened again.  I hate even more that I had to go back to the hospital for another D&C.  I have no clue what's wrong, and its really hard to believe that we are having trouble having a baby.  You see and hear about people who have problems, but you never think it could happen to you, especially when there is absolutely no history of fertility problems in the family on either side.  Its even harder when I see shows like Maury Povitch.  I'm a big fan of those DNA paternity testing shows, but they are hard to watch this week.  How is it that all these complete idiots and trashy people can have babies with absolutely no problems, and I can't?  I am perfectly healthy and I do nothing wrong.  I wouldn't even drink caffeine or take any medication at all because I didn't want something to go wrong.  I know its beyond my control.  Its hard for both of us.  Darren seems a bit more discouraged than I am.  I hope he doesn't want to give up quite yet.  Even with all the pain I am hopeful.  We are going to do some investigation into what the problem is, and go from there.  Most of these problems can be easily fixed and I don't want to say we are out of the game until we know more about the problem.  The first step is to do a chromosome analysis on the placenta.  It should take 4 to 6 weeks for an answer.  If that comes back normal there are several other tests that can be performed, mostly easy blood tests.  Even if we never end up having a baby I would still like an answer, so I will do whatever tests the doctor wants to do.  It may take a while.  I'm not sure.  For now we are just going to live life like we have been.  We have lots of plans for the next few months to carry us through the summer, and then we will see what happens after that.  I will update things as test results come in.  I know there are lots of other people out there who have problems like us.  I guess most just never talk about it.  We are definitely not like most people.

Again

Again
By: Darren Byrd

Here I sit in this waiting room
My wife has been taken away
People peek in every now and then
No windows in the room….not sure if it’s night or day

Going through this the first time
We were told it shouldn’t happen again
Again we drove to the hospital
Faint smile I try to pretend

That it doesn’t tear me apart
For my wife I have to appear strong
Starring off in the distance
I thumb through my MP3 player for another song

Is it too much to ask for a normal pregnancy
Literally millions have done it before
Flipping through the same miscarriage pamphlet
I let it fall from my fingers….to the floor

“Everything went smoothly,”
“Your wife is doing well”
“Gather your things and follow me,”
I felt horrible…but you couldn’t tell

Time to put my game face on
I enter the room and fake a smile
She slowly opens her eyes
The nurse says she’ll be back to check in a while

Initial here, Initial here, Sign
She is released and I leave to get the car
I know my way around this place too well
I take a short cut….three turns…not too far

Will we try again?
Right now I am not so sure
The pain of going through this twice is enough
A third time??? I’d rather not endure

Gonna sit out for a while

Well we struck out again. Kelli went to the doctor Friday. During the sonogram the yolk sac measured for someone at 5 weeks while we were at 9 weeks. We went in again today to confirm everything. The D&C will be performed tomorrow. The doctor will then run test on the placenta to see what's going on. We will be taking a break and sitting on the sidelines for a while. At least for the rest of 2008. Will we try again? Dunno. Worst case scenario we can be the coolest Aunt and Uncle on the planet.

1577846.3 minutes

As of today we have been married for 1577846.3 minutes (not 65700....there is a reason the US in behind in math!) .....or 3 years. If someone told us 3 years ago we would be preggo now....I would have laughed at them and then sucked down a beer. My how things change.

So maybe Kelli isn't crazy

I wasn't sure where to post this. I was going to put it on my flying site but it didn't totally fit. It could have gone on stillageek.com....but it's more about us than me....so here it will sit.

I flew with my first woman captain today. Very nice lady who was in the CRJ training class after mine. I had met her in the crew room a few times but never flew with her. Today was the day. I got to work early and was eating breakfast in the crew room. We were the only ones there and soon figured out we were flying to Kileen and back. Short flight. I thought "wow for a Captain she sure is a sloppy dresser," as she had her shirt untucked. I sipped my coffee and looked again....it was a maternity shirt! Fast forward to the plane. She started talking about her pregnancy and I let her know about Kelli being pregnant. Turns out she is just as fanatical about stuff as Kelli. No caffeine, lots of healthy food (Kelli does ok in this arena), no medications for pain and so on. She took the leg down to Killeen and made a buttery smooth landing. As we were rolling down the runway she sighed and commented that she was glad it was smooth to avoid the breast pain from a rough/normal landing. She jokingly scolded another first officer for landing a little rough. Now the pressure was on. My leg was next. Seeesh. The flight back we discussed all sorts of pregnancy related topics and how kids are the best thing in the world. On final for 18R at DFW I was bringing down the plane of 70 passengers + 4 crew +2800 pounds of cargo equaling 65000 lbs as slow as possible. Around 50 feet I started to bring the power out. At 20 feet I got a little updraft and I could see the Captain tensing up out of the corner of my eye. A smooth wrist move and I slowed the descent. Butter smooth. She exhaled. I then applied full reverse and slowly slowed down.

The Captain was very nice to fly with. She has a great personality and is able to take charge in a fair and balanced way. I looked forward to flying with her again.....after the pregnancy....too much pressure on my landings. HA!

Well traveled baby

Our child has already crossed the border. For my birthday we took an overnight trip to Niagra Falls, Ontario Canada. I love my benefits!