May 31, 2013

Day 31- lions and tigers and MRIs...

MRI with dye of me-- 32 weeks 6 days pregnant.
This picture is looking down cutting across my stomach.  See that big baby in there?!
AMAZING!
Yeah, my MRI was hard!  One of the hardest things I've done so far.  Who knew?
(Sorry if you think these pictures are a bit too revealing.  I like the whole world looking at my cervix.. ha!)

This is another picture of my baby-- see his brain?
My placenta is down along the front of my stomach, I think.
I wasn't worried because I'm not claustrophobic.  But!  I didn't plan on one hour of pain.  Pregnant, bed resting mothers have a hard time laying flat on their back with a 50 lb (probably less) weight pushing down their pregnant belly.  Ouch!  That nerve...  

I couldnt wear any metal- no bra.  But, I did wear my clothes.  They hooked my central line up to an iv line to insert a metal dye into my blood.  They used a controversial dye (grenadine?) so they could see better.  I could taste metal when it went in, but it didn't hurt.  They also gave me a blanket, but I wish I didn't have it because I sweated so much laying there.

The radiologists and nurses were all so nice.  I'm sure it wouldn't have been bad if I didn't have such an aching back.  They kept telling me to hold my breath and I couldn't hold as long as they needed me to.  Probably because I was a bit freaked out.

MRI's are really loud.  Lots of beeping, my baby was going crazy kicking.  I kept contracting (because of the heavy thing on my belly) and I honestly thought I might hemorrhage right there inside the MRI machine.  Wouldn't that have been funny?  Ha!

I had to use my best mind control efforts to breath and not push my little alarm button.  I was completely still, because anytime I moved one leg I'd get that shooting pain up my back.  

When they finally let me out, I almost passed out.  (i pushed the alarm button on my way out- just because i wanted to so bad.)  It took me a few minutes to figure out how I could stand up... My back hurts just remembering.  

Finally, I just rolled off the table a bit dramatically.  I was so quiet and still during the scan I think everyone was surprised how much pain I was in when it was over.  Blah.  I hated that.

I know that my MRI rendition seems a bit dramatic-- but it was hard.  Glad it's over.

Doctors just showed me the results this morning.  I do have Percretta.  The tip of my bladder is involved and my cervix.  My bowels don't seem to be involved!

I love the pictures!! They are so cool-- I'm showing you an iPhone picture of the computer showing me the MRI.  You can see the fuzzy line where my placenta mixes with my bladder in the picture where you can see the Dr's finger pointing...  They still don't think it is through all the layers of my bladder- and not near my ureters.
Here the doctor is pointing to the specific spot where my placenta is invading my bladder.
I'm fasting so my bladder is the white, smashed, rectangular thing at the bottom (under her finger).
My placenta is the big, kind of speckled, white oval taking up most of my stomach in this picture.
They are looking for crisp lines versus fuzzy lines.
The fuzzy lines at the top of the bladder suggest that the placenta has grown into the lining of the bladder.
Can you see that fuzzy spot where the bladder seems to be combining with the placenta...
THAT, my friends, is a lovely Percretta.
There should be a crisp, clean uterus boundary between my placenta and my bladder.  
My surgeon is coming to talk to me today.
A resident got a text this morning from my fetal medicine doctor saying, "I told Jen already that she would still have great sex even without a cervix."  Ha!  Even I blushed a bit at that one.  The residents were all laughing.  

6 days till d-day!!
Today I'm 33 weeks pregnant!!
I'm sure I will never have another MRI while pregnant.  !!!!
Happy Friday!

5 comments:

Jennie Plastow said...

Oh my goodness, that is such great news! Ok, not the part about the pain or the weight. On your belly. Ouch! But the fact that your intestines might not be involved. Oh boy oh boy that is great news! I love the part about the text! Awesome! Yep, it will still be great. It .sounds like everything involved is a lot like mine. Just my cervix and tip of bladder. They said they just had to scrape it away from my bladder, it wasn't so invasive. Just make sure that they put in an old school catheter without the balloon and you won't have all of the issues I had afterwards. I can't tell you. How much less stressed I am. I know like that matters, lol. But, no re construction of bowels and bladder is huge!! 6 days. You can do it!!

Unknown said...

MRIs are horrible. I had one at 20something weeks & will have another on Monday at 32 weeks. My MFM doctors didn't think I needed another one, but the oncology surgeon requested it on Friday. Good to hear your bowels aren't involved! For now mine aren't either, only my bladder & cervix. Praying for you & your family. Thanks for your blog. It's added support to know you're going through the same thing with such a positive spirit.

jenifer said...

I know!! This MRI was really good news... We'll see what happens. Everyone around here seems a bit more hopeful!!
I've mentioned your catheter thing and they think I should be fine because the catheter will be inserted before they start surgery... I'm a bit freaked about catheters after your experience!!

jenifer said...

Good luck!! They did tell me that I could have laid on my side-- maybe I should have taken them up on that.
All this stuff will be worth it!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi. My name is Milissa. I've stumbled across your blog while trying to find information regarding accreta. I'm so glad I did. I'm 26 weeks pregnant with my 5th baby and was diagnosed with accreta at 20 weeks. It has been a wild roller coaster especially considering my first four pregnancies were so easy (with the exception of a breech baby #4). I've seen many different drs and it's kinda a whirl wind of information. I won't lie, I'm scared. But so incredibly thankful it was found. This post caught my attention because my MRI is scheduled for this Thursday. I'm nervous about it but not for fear of the closed space but more just because of the unknown. I'm thankful again to be reading your experience, it gives me hope. I'm still not sure how I'll handle possibly losing my uterus because the thought of never having another baby is devastating but the thought if losing my life is even more so, so I know we'll do what has to be done and be thankful that in the end I'll be here for the 5 babies I do have. It's just so much to take in. I know this is an old post so I hope you see it. Any advice for the next several weeks would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.

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