Finally we have some good news! I was went to Philly Wednesday for my bi-weekly ultrasound with them and the results were that the tumor hadn't grown since the last visit to Philly. The Dr.s felt this was excellent news and they have decided that due to how far along I am (27 weeks) and the fact that it stayed stable for 2 weeks, that the tumor growth has plateaued. They said they don't feel the need to see me again until 2/6/07, which will be my 32nd week. They would like me to continue to get bi-weekly ultrasounds from Hartford, just as a safety net. At this point they said that if there is no significant changes between now and the 6th of Feb, then I can have the baby at Hartford Hospital via normal birth. The only thing Hartford will need to do is to ensure that the baby is breathing ok when it comes out and they need to do an xray at 6hours post birth to check the lungs. The next hurdle after that will be that at 4weeks old, we will need to take the baby back to Philly to have the tumor removed. I was able to meet with the surgeon who will be doing the operation when I was in Philly on this trip. He explained that we would arrive on a Thursday to have a CT Scan, Friday he would perform the operation, which consists of 3 1/2 inch incisions in a triangular shape on the right side of the baby. He then inserts 3 scopes that he views the lung and lesion to see how fused together they are. If they are fused too much, then he will need to open the baby up to get a better view. His task is to sever all the blood vessels that connect the good lung with the tumor. Then he pulls the tumerous tissue back through the small holes and they leave a chest tube in for approx the rest of that day to ensure that all of the air sacs have sealed. If an air sac doesn't seal, they need to leave the chest tube in until it seals itself, which could take 1-10 days. Once the air sacs have sealed, the chest tube is removed and the baby stays in the hospital for 3-4 more days and after that is released and checked at 6 months and 1 year with CT Scans to ensure that there are no other issues. In addition, they will also do a biopsy on the tumerous tissue to ensure that it is benign. Apparently there have been a few cases, where it was malignant, so they just like to be sure.
So we are feeling much better about the entire situation. It is still stressful, but we have more of a comfort level now that we are past some big hurdles.
From a general how is the baby growing perspective, we were told she weighs approx 2.5 pounds, which is apparently very big for her gestational age. She is tracking 2-3 weeks ahead of her actual gestation age for her size, so anyone hoping for April I think is going to be disappointed. End of March is more like the date. Besides for any of you who have seen me lately, I too look like I am tracking 2-3 weeks ahead... my stomach is huge. She is riding very high and like a basketball. According to the Drs. she is very active during ultrasounds and I can vouch for the activity at all other times. I think we will be busy running after this one.
Thank all of you for your healing thoughts and prayers... they are working.
Next appointment is in Hartford the week of the 15th of Jan for another ultrasound and my regular appointment on the 16th with my OBGYN.
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