toxo update

i saw the high-risk ob on monday.  they did an ultrasound, and so far everything looks ok, but the doctor was careful to remind me that it's still early. 

i had a long talk with the ob, and he told me that my initial blood work was positive for the igm toxoplasmosis marker, which is the one that indicates a newer infection and raises a red flag.  so they took additional blood work that they will send out to the specialty lab out in palo alto, ca.  this is the only lab in the country that analyzes blood work for toxo.  the ob told me that if the test comes back positive, they will continue to monitor with ultrasounds.  they will also treat me with antibiotics to try to help prevent transmission to the baby.

while meeting with the ob, he also told me that due to a leep i had back in 2001 to remove precancerous lesions from my cervix, i am at risk for incompetent cervix.  incompetent cervix basically means that my cervix may be weakened from the surgery, and may begin to dilate without me knowing it.  a regular pelvic exam may not catch it because the top of the cervix may begin to dilate even though the bottom appears normal.  so i will have to get transvaginal ultrasounds every other week from now through 26 weeks to monitor my cervix.  if after 26 weeks it is ok, they will back off on the ultrasounds. 

after i finished with the ob, he sent me up to the maternal-fetal medicine office to do the paperwork for the lab work.  the nurse told me that they will overnight the blood work to the lab in palo alto, and that i should have the results in about a week.  i was thrilled with a week - being that this is the only lab in the country that does this sort of thing, i was expecting 3-4 weeks.  i had to pay out of pocket for the lab work, because the lab doesn't work with insurances.  so i put $658 on my credit card and will submit the receipts to my insurance for reimbursement.  definitely not something i was expecting, but i'm willing to do it for the baby.

after we finished the paperwork, it was back down to the lab to get my blood drawn.  finally, after about 2 hours (total, not just in the lab), i was able to go home.  as soon as i left the lab, i was choking back tears, and once in the car, i was a mess.  i mean, really, it was mostly good news.  and i am glad that they are going to continue monitoring me and staying on top of any potential issues.  but it was a lot, especially with the unexpected incompetent cervix thrown in, and after 2+ hours, i was just tired and overwhelmed.  so i just broke down.  i got myself back together to call matt and then called my mom.  i held it together for most of that phone call, until telling her about the picture the ultrasound tech took (coming up).  i couldn't even finish the sentence until i started sobbing.  it was brutal.

i am scared and nervous but trying to stay positive.  during the ultrasound, the tech took a picture that was just the baby's hand.  it was fully-opened, so you could see all 5 fingers.  the tech typed "hi mom" underneath the picture.  every time i look at it, i try to remind myself that it was the baby telling us "hey guys!  i'm ok in here!  don't worry about me!" 

toxoplasmosis

i got a call from my ob yesterday saying she needed to talk to me about some lab results.  i called her back immediately and she told me that my test results came back with a positive screen for toxoplasmosis.  she told me that i needed to call the high-risk ob at my hospital and schedule a consult asap, which would include additional blood work to be taken and sent out to california.

of course, i immediately turned to dr. google to try to get some more information.  it looks like there are two toxoplasmosis markers - igg and igm.  positive igg indicates that you have antibodies for toxoplasmosis, and it is unlikely to cause harm to you or the baby.  usually you have toxoplasmosis antibodies from a previous infection and are now immune to it.  igm means that you have a more recent infection, and puts mom and baby at a higher risk.  for mom it means a higher risk of miscarriage or other complications, and for baby it means a higher risk of neurological defects after birth. 

i am definitely nervous since padfoot had toxoplasmosis shortly after we got her. so unless i have an old infection and antibodies from our cat growing up, this is a relatively new infection.  from what i've read, it takes 6 months to 2 years to build up the antibodies.  we're looking at a time frame of about 2 months from padfoot's infection to me getting pregnant.

i have an appointment scheduled for monday at the high-risk prenatal care office.  they will do the additional blood work and send it out to the special lab in palo alto, ca.  they will also do an ultrasound to check for any developmental issues in the baby. 

i'm trying to stay positive and convince myself that this is just antibodies that i must have developed a thousand years ago from our cat growing up, but it definitely has me on edge seeing as how padfoot just had the infection.  hoping the ultrasound looks ok and the blood work comes back a) quickly and b) negative.  i'll be sure to keep you guys posted on everything and on our experience!

sources: here, here, here