The Results Episode

Okay, before I begin, let me go ahead and say that I'm supposed to begin getting ready for work in 15 minutes.  There, now that I said it, maybe I'll actually stop and do it when it's time.  Sometimes I think being a grown up is overrated. 

After a lovely night with the McCormicks (during which Mrs. McCormick pulled out not 1, not 2, but 3 different homemade dessert options for us!), we got a call from the perinatalogist - she had amnio results.  I called John into the room, put her on speaker, and said about 8 million silent prayers at one time.  Dr. Fines preceded to very calmly - almost nonchalantly - tell us that everything had come back clear.  As in, baby girl does NOT have a detectable chromosomal abnormality.  Wow. 

We were shocked.  Even while we were hoping and praying otherwise, we were expecting the amnio to come back with something to explain what was going on.  The doctors all seemed pretty convinced that a chromosomal problem was the most obvious explanation.  While a chromosomal issue was not necessarily a death sentence, it would certainly complicate her development, perhaps long-term.  But here, for the first time in a while, we got really, really good news about itty bitty.  We almost didn't know how to feel or react.  We knew this was good news, but where did it put us now? 

Unfortunately, we didn't really have the wherewithal (is that a word, really?) to ask doctor what this meant for her diagnosis (or if John did, I was too overwhelmed to even remember it), so we left for the beach that afternoon significantly lightened but a bit confused.  It really took a while for the news to sink in for me.  We had so been in the mindset of taking it a day at a time and celebrating small victories that I didn't know what to do with this big one.  As we spread the news, though, I was struck at how people had a tendency to want to make this the end of the story.  Okay, she's fine then, right?  Nope...but she's got a better chance, and we're thankful for that.  Very, very thankful for that.

On our way to the beach that day I also got a call from the cardiologist's office.  Turns out that the ECHO and the Holter test both came back normal, so I was pretty much released from their care.  What did that mean about my symptoms, then?  Not sure.  But they weren't too concerned about them, so I let it go.  So that was good news there, too (especially since I had a hunch that this could have been the test that landed me on bed rest, which I would be a fan of for about 2 days - not the duration of the pregnancy!).  Again, a positive development that left us mildly baffled, but grateful. 

And that's not such a bad way to start a vacation, is it?  I'd say I spend much of my life mildy baffled, but grateful...and extremely grateful when I get to sit on the beach for a week with good friends.  But more on that later.  Now, I've got to get clean and make myself look like a chaplain for me 8th-to-last day at Baptist.  I know I haven't given you the promised update on yesterday's doctor's visit, but I hope to make it that far in the story soon - but you've probably figured that it's a good sign that I'm sitting at home typing this and preparing to go to work instead of playing the part of patient myself.  But again, more details later.  Thanks again for all the comments!  I'm trying to focus on getting you all caught up on the story instead of responding individually, so I'm sorry for that - but know that I'm not actually ignoring them - just pondering them in my heart (you know, like Mary and all).  ;)