CVS

Yesterday was the dreaded CVS appt. First, Gary & I saw a genetic counselor to discuss our genetic background and to talk about any questions we had about the CVS. One thing that kinda came as a shock was that the miscarriage rate for a CVS is actually 1 in 150 - not 1 in 350 like the previous doctor told us. (We have another appt with her next week and you can bet that I'm going to tell her the correct information so that she doesn't tell other scared families the wrong information!)

The counselor told us that the CVS test is 99.5% accurate. The other .5% is in cases that the cells weren't able to culture. It's also taking into account the very slight possibility of a "false positive." We wanted clarification about the false positive b/c if that's the case we would then need to have an amnio to verify the results. Gary & I figured that we might as well skip the CVS and wait for the amnio if that was the case. However, the counselor said that it's a 1 in 1,000 chance that there would be a false positive, so we decided to go ahead with the ultrasound. I don't know if I could explain the false positive so well, but basically, on those rare occasions, the placenta could have the mosaicism of Down's but the baby could still be ok. If that's the case, the numbers would be so wonky and out of sorts that they would know that something is wrong. One thing that eased my mind is that if they are able to culture the cells they would know for sure if there was something wrong with the baby (unless it's the weird 1 in 1000 case mentioned above). Apparently, there would *not* be a false positive or false negative without them knowing something weird is going on and suggesting an amnio to clear up the question.

We went into another room for the ultrasound and she said that everything still looked normal (the size of the baby, etc). The baby already has definite hands and feet and we were able to see that one baby's hand was near it's forehead and that it's legs were crossed. The ultrasound tech looked at the placement of the placenta so that they could get an idea of which CVS method they would need to use (either with a needle through the belly or a tube through the vaginal canal). I was hoping that it would be vaginally since I've heard that it's less invasive (less pain), however it does lead to more bleeding afterwards.

The dr possibly performing the test came in to talk to us to see if we had any more questions and to see if we had decided to go through with it. Then she broke the bad news..... b/c of the placement of my placenta, the CVS would be the needle through the belly. :( Since I had been through an amnio with the first pregnancy, I was asking about the differences, and the dr said that the needle is bigger with a CVS (b/c they're collecting more than just fluid) and that the needle, once in, is moved around more instead of just straight in an straight out so that they can collect all the stuff that they need. I certainly was upset and very scared, but I didn't let that stop me from going ahead with the test. In addition to the regular stuff they test for, we also consented for them to check for cystic fibrosis, which resulted in me having to give blood after the CVS. Yay - another needle. :(

Gary ran off briefly to find a magazine for me to hold over my face so that I didn't have to see what was happening. During that time, I was being prepped for the test. Basically, I just had to lay on my back and pull my pants down low and my shirt up high so they had plenty of access to my belly and pelvic region. They cleaned me off, put the gel for the ultrasound on one section of my stomach and then I just prayed that it would all be over quickly!

Since I didn't watch anything, I can only tell you what it felt like. The ultrasound technician started her thing so that she could guide the dr to the placenta (which wasn't near the baby). Then a sharp needle prick, which was to make the area numb. The dr inserted a needle in which I thought was the beginning of her taking the sample. However, I was wrong! It was actually a guide needle for the other needle that would be taking the sample. When the main needle was inserted, I felt like a "pop" as it went through something (the placenta? the uterus? I don't know). That was painful and completely took me off guard since I thought that the first needle was already gathering the sample (the dr wasn't telling me what was going on as she was doing things). After the pop, I could feel the needle moving around and it was all so gross and I just kept hoping that it would be over soon. Around the time that I thought I couldn't take anymore, she said "almost done", and then it was over. She looked at the sample to make sure that she had enough. During that time, I was starting to panic and hoped that she had enough b/c I really didn't think I could do that all over again. Thankfully, she had enough and it was all over!! The ultrasound technician then did another little scan and let us hear the baby's heartbeat. She said that some people are reassured by it so that we know that the baby's still there and ok. :)

As they were cleaning me up, I slowly started to shake, my teeth started to chatter and I began crying. I think that I had held in the scared feelings as best I could after she first dropped the bombshell of it needing to be through the belly. Once the whole thing was over, a wave of emotion from all the panic, being scared, and in pain came over me all at once. I felt silly for crying, but I tried to tell myself that I'm allowed to cry b/c I just went through something scary and I'm hormonal! I went to the bathroom (since I had to have a full bladder through the whole procedure) and let myself cry it out for a bit.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the end. I had to wait a while for the lab person to call me back, but thankfully, the blood draw wasn't as yucky as what I had just gone through.

After, we treated ourselves to Cheesecake Factory for lunch, and then I laid on the couch all day watching movies. I didn't have any problems the rest of the day - no cramping (except for minor discomfort) and there was only a tiny drop of blood once when I went to the bathroom. I'm not sure how long it's possible to have a miscarriage afterwards, but they only suggested that I take it easy for 24 hours after the procedure. I definitely did yesterday and today I'm just going home after work instead of going to the gym. I'm keeping an eye on things, but so far nothing out of the ordinary.

Now.... we wait for the results. We won't know anything until the end of next week b/c it takes time for the cells to culture and grow. Hopefully, we'll have good news then!