Well, I did indeed get drunk last night, on a very pretty mix of orange and cranberry juices and vodka. Lots and lots of vodka.
Now, since I'm not bleeding (nor am I hung over) I am trying to catch up on work before the next wave of unpleasantness hits.
What I am NOT doing today is having my blood drawn, thank you very much. Beta was down to 19 on Mon, so I figure I'll go either Thurs or Fri to make darn sure it's down to 0.
*
The upshot of my conversation with Dr. Gorgeous: complete RPL testing (including karyotype, B12, MTHFR, Factor V Leiden, and a whole host of other things I don't remember), doubling my dose of progesterone, a 12 day course of antibiotics, and going back on heparin.
That was the weirdest part of our conversation. She said she spent about an hour going through my old records and can't find any laboratory indication I needed to be on heparin for APA, (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome) though I was clearly diagnosed and treated for it. (The conversation with WFRE in 2003 was that I tested positive for "several" of the antibodies, though I never knew which ones. She ran an exhaustive panel of 15+ not just anticardiolipin and lupus anticoagulant, which are the ones that are usually treated. But that was a clinic that did extensive research on APA.) Despite that, Dr. Gorgeous is putting me back on heparin. (Gave me a prescription for Fragmin, said to see if insurance covers it and if not she'll put me on good old unrefractioned heparin.) Not sure what to think about that.
I mean, I fully understand the risks. I've also done enough reading that suggests that in some women with RPL, even without thrombophilia, heparin can help with pregnancy outcome. There's no way to know if heparin was the reason my pregnancy with LG was successful or, as Dr. Gorgeous put it, that pregnancy was "destined" to be successful. This was not a conversation in which I begged Dr. Gorgeous to put me on heparin. She brought it up, she asked me what I thought. I told her honestly I didn't know. And still, we're going to give it a shot.
I'm glad you and your doctor have such open communication. That is so very important.
ReplyDeleteCrossing my fingers and saying a prayer that this is what it takes to get you through a full term pregnancy.
That drink sounds yummy! And FYI, I didn't start bleeding until six days after I stopped progesterone but my hCG the first day of bleeding was 14. Based on your hCG, I hope that means you will start very soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It is yummy. I'd highly recommend it for anyone in a non-pregnant state!
ReplyDeleteI usually start bleeding 2-4 days after stopping progesterone, so I'm really thinking tomorrow or Friday... I'm stocked up with maxi pads and videos, so bring it on :)
I'm sorry you are going through this again...
ReplyDelete((hugs))
Sorry about your loss....
ReplyDeleteI do have 2 friends IRL who dealt with RPL. One, fellow blogger Jenn, was positive for APA and had high platelets. She had 2 MC and was put on heparin for her third pregnancy- and has a 1 yr old now.http://toinfertilityandbeyond.blogspot.com/
The second friend lost 6 pregnancies. She was negative for her RPL workup, but was put on fragmin as a last-ditch effort for her 7th pregnancy. It worked for her as well. She now has a 17 month old.
Interesting about your friend on Fragmin, Mrs. Spock. Thanks for letting me know.
ReplyDeleteGwinne,
ReplyDeleteAm so sorry you are going through this.
Since my last comment - now I know you have APA. Yes heparin (Lovenox in the US) is the right treatment. But you might have other issues as well. Make sure you get an endometrial biopsy to test for uterine natural killer cells (I have that). I also have low B12 and MTHFR, as well as anti-thyroid antibodies.
Ask your Dr if prednisone might help you.
HTH and thinking of you.