We had a bit of a scare last week at the ultrasound. I didn’t mention it because I wanted to know exactly what was going on first.
During the ultrasound, they noticed a couple cysts forming in Taco Supreme’s brain. She said that most of the time the cysts come and go but if they stay that could be a sign of a problem. She said 99% of the time they go away so don’t worry. Nothing can make you worry more than a doctor saying, “I want a second opinion because something looks wrong…but don’t worry, it’s probably nothing.”
The doctor ordered a follow up ultrasound at the hospital where they have better equipment and more specialized neonatal doctors. We were a little shell shocked and never got around to asking any further questions.
The follow up ultrasound appointment ended up getting scheduled for yesterday. After the ultrasound tech did her full baby ultrasound routine, the neonatal doctor came in and did some more ultrasounds spending a lot of time on the head, heart, and hands without saying too much.
Then he had us wait in a consulting room. When he came back he said that there is a portion of the brain the creates the fluid that the brain needs to function properly. That area is full of tiny cysts. When a dominant cyst enlarges and hangs around, that can be an indicator for something known as Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome. Most babies with that condition die before they are born and most of the rest die shortly afterward.
Trisomy 18 is very similar to Trisomy 21 – Down Syndrome. The genes have an extra chromosome. Instead of the 23 from mom and 23 from dad, one side gets a 24th chromosome. With Trisomy 18, the extra chromosome is located at a different location in the genetic sequence then in Down Syndrome and the results are more severe.
Then he finally got around to saying that Taco Supreme does not have Trisomy 18. He saw zero signs of the enlarged cysts that the other doctor saw on Thursday. He also said that there are physical abnormalities that also indicate Trisomy 18 and Taco Supreme has zero of those indicators.
Taco Supreme is completely healthy and he does not need to monitor us to confirm that.
So, how was your weekend?
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Well, it wasn’t as nerve racking as yours to be sure! I’m so glad everything is okay. I don’t care much for medical scares.
Hugs,
Holly
What a stressful time for you. I am so pleased that TS is fine.
In my experience, most doctors need to attend a course in:
a) giving a proper explanation to the patient
and
b) to do this without terrifying them!
Good grief. Can we say “let’s scare the parents to death with what’s NOT wrong before we tell them things are fine”????? sheesh
Glad the news is positive, even if the doctors DID decide to let you know after they saw how badly they could worry you first.
I’m so glad everything turned out well for you! Glad to hear things are going as they should.
At least you’ll have a funny story to tell Taco when you feel it’s the right time (at age 21, perhaps?).
Glad to hear everything turned out OK.
We had a similar scare with Son when he was at about the same stage. Wife had SVT (a somewhat rare heart disorder) as a teenager and her older brother died as an infant with a heart complication, so the docs were very cautious about how our little dude’s heart would develop.
They sent us to a specialist for a fetal echo and everything was fine. But the anticipation and uncertainty leading up to the appointment were brutal.
I am really glad to hear that TS is OK. There is no fear in the world like fear over your kids.
Thanks for sharing the good news.
Thanks everybody. It was much more stressful to us then it probably sounds in the post. And I’m still a little shaken by the whole thing. It reminds me of when Pookie was born and didn’t breath for a few seconds until they puffed him with the airbag a couple times. It is amazing how many thoughts can pass through your head in a matter of seconds.
I am happy that everything is well. Nothing scares us parents than being told anything wrong with our unborn!
My first time here..got to read your other posts but anyway, Congratulations on the baby on the way!
Wow, that’s intense. I’m glad everything is better now for your family. These speculations by doctors drive me insane. One example (of many): My twins supposedly have heart murmurs. This diagnosis resurfaces every other year. One kid has it then he doesn’t. Suddenly the other one has it then he doesn’t. One doctor says there is a minor problem to monitor. Another says it’s nothing, don’t worry. It all adds up to a lot of stress and I have little faith in medical professionals.
Okay, I was worried and anxious during the short read until I found out that there were zero signs. I can’t imagine having to go throught the wait you had to suffer through. Thank God, everything is okay. I pray for Taco Supreme and the rest of the family.
Hi, BAGD! Stumbled upon your blog today and read about the scare. As Jonathan said above, thank God there was nothing to worry about. We are pregnant with our 3rd boy, and every trip to the doctor is a box of chocolates. You pray and pray that everything is ok. We just had our 20 week ultrasound last week and I was studying the tech’s face more than I was the pictures of the baby. Just to see if she would give away a concern or something. Working on #3 and still neurotic…oh well! I wish you guys all the best.
Definitely not as stressful as yours. Glad to hear that everything is okay. Your family are in my prayers.
Allow me to say this is the first of many time TS will try to remind you that she is NOT her siblings. Baby Belaina continues to prove that time and time again.