Wednesday, November 10th:
It was Bob’s 36th birthday… one he or I will never forget. Mattie and I were at the mall hanging out with my friend Christa and her kids Josh and baby Matthew. It had been a good day. The kids played, we had lunch at Pizza My Heart, and then we were at Pottery Barn Kids letting the kids run around. It was there we ran into my friend Carol and her two daughters, Emma Kate and Hannah. Christa had to go due to Josh needing a nap. I was about to head out myself when Mattie all of a sudden pooped her pants. Fortunately, PBK has a bathroom right in the store and I had a change of clothes with me. Mattie and I were in the bathroom when I got a call from my OBGyn, Dr. Rosenberg. He asked if I had a minute… well, when one’s doctor asks if you have a minute the answer is always, “YES!” He proceeded to tell me that the test results had come back from last week’s blood test. My bloodwork indicated that my baby might have a chromosomal defect called trisomy 18. Basically, with the levels of hormones and such in the bloodwork along with my age, there was a 1 in 3 chance that my baby had this issue. I had never heard of trisomy 18. “Was it a risk of downs?” I asked. He explained that this was not Down’s but a chromosomal abnormality that was not compatible with life. My mind was reeling… What?!?... Is this a joke?... I was in total shock. I started asking the doctor lots of questions- I can’t even remember what they are. But I did not cry- it was like I went into task and coping mode. Here I was at the mall with my daughter in the bathroom holding a pair of poopy underwear. Talk about a metaphor. I hung up with the doctor. I had to get Mattie put back together, call Bob, and then call the Obstetrix place (high risk pregnancy specialists) to see if I could move up my appointment that was scheduled for next week. We left Pottery Barn in a daze and my next task was to find a place Mattie could run around that was not too loud so I cold call Bob. We wandered back to Pizza My Heart. There was a hallway just outside the store that had tables and chairs. Just as we got there, the phone rang- it was Carol. She had noticed that Mattie and I were in the bathroom for a very very long time and just wanted to see if everything was OK. Bless her heart! God always provides just when you need it! I told her, “Well, no…” and then I proceeded to explain the news I just got from my doctor. Well, she was at the Disney store with her girls and said that I could bring Mattie down there and she would watch her and her girls so I could make any necessary phone calls. What a gift! That is what I did. I was able to call Bob and explain to him what I could remember from what the doctor had told me (things were such a blur!) Then I was able to call Obstetrix. Because of the Veteran’s Day holiday, the soonest I could make my appointment was a day earlier, on Monday, but I took it! We hung out at the Disney store for a little bit then I ran to one other store and we headed home. I had tutoring that afternoon and decided it would be a good distraction for me. It wasn’t long after getting home from tutoring that Bob came home and then we picked up the babysitter and went out for Bob’s not-so-celebratory birthday dinner. It was nice to be able to take a deep breath and talk things over.
No comments:
Post a Comment