Final Update on My (Margaret's) Health

I believe this post will be the final update, so I guess you could say this was a trilogy.  If you missed the previous posts, you can find it at the following links: Part 1, Part 2.

The doctors originally said that I would have to wait 6 months before Curtis and I would be able to try to conceive again after the partial molar miscarriage.  Thankfully, the doctor changed it to only 5 months!  I have had 2 final blood drawings since my post in February and I have continued to be "negative" (under 5): 

Date - Count
02/22/12 - less than 0.1

03/19/12 - less than 0.1

Because my pregnancy hormone (HCG) levels remained under the count of 5 for 5 months, the doctor has now  given me the green light to begin trying to conceive.  Praise the Lord!  It seemed like this wait would never end back when we first found out in September.  We appreciate all the prayers as we have had loyal friends and family praying for us during this time period.  Although I am still fearful of having my blood taken, I have definitely found the strength through the Lord.  I clung to Psalm 56 each month - "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust.  I shall not be afraid.  What can flesh do to me?" (v. 3-4)

Curtis and I now request your prayers that God would provide us with a healthy baby very soon.  Even though one wait is now over, another wait begins.  We know that God has placed this desire within us to have children.  If you would have asked me even a year ago if I wanted to have children, I would have been cynical about the idea, mainly because of my fears.  Although God does not promise us children anywhere in His word, we have hope that He will give us the desire of our hearts.  "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4) 

Update on My (Margaret's) Health Part 2

If you've been following my blog, you may remember my post in December about my health since the partial molar miscarriage.  If you didn't, here's a link so you can catch up now.  Things have been progressing just fine as my pregnancy hormone (HCG) count has continued to decrease.  A good sign!

I have had 2 more blood drawings since that post and I have continued to be "negative" (under 5):
Date - Count
12/28/11 - 0.4
01/23/12 - less than 0.1

I am now more than halfway there and I think that this break from trying to conceive has been good for me, especially for my walk with the Lord and for my marriage.  It has been incredibly emotional, but we have continued to cling to God's promises for encouragement during this waiting period.  Curtis and I ask for your prayers as we approach Brooks' original due date on February 23.  We are sure that it will be a day of sadness for us, but also one of hope.

Update on My (Margaret's) Health

As you probably have read through our previous posts, I had a miscarriage back in September.  We had a pathology done on the baby's tissue to find out why our baby died.  Our doctor informed us not only that our baby was a boy, but that I had a partial molar pregnancy, something that occurs in 1 out of 1,000 pregnancies.  The genetic makeup of our baby boy was so abnormal that this type of baby never survives.  It was encouraging to us to find that it wasn't something that I did wrong or that could have been prevented.  We also found out that this isn't a genetic condition so the chances of it occurring a second time are very rare.

There is a slight chance that if the baby's tissue wasn't completely removed during the D and C procedure that I had on 9/16, the tissue could invade my body, similar to a cancer.  It is my understanding that I would then have to have chemotherapy to fix the problem.  In order to monitor this, our doctor has told us that we have to wait 6 months from the time that my pregnancy hormone levels reaches a negative count of 5 or less.  This also means that we are unable to try to conceive another baby until this testwork is completed.  As you could imagine, it was very difficult to swallow all the information that we heard.  Six months seemed like an eternity to wait.  Not to mention, I would have to continually go back to the doctor to have my blood drawn.  And if anyone knows me well, I have a serious fear of needles/blood/medical stuff.

This is probably more information than most would like to know, but I'm going to include this for anyone who comes across my blog that may be going through the same thing and would like the details.

Found out I had a miscarriage on 9/14
D and C performed on 9/16
Here are my blood results:
Date - Count
10/10 - 17.8
10/24 - 5.9 (so close!!)
10/31 - 4.1 Praise The Lord - 6 months from now

Now that I have reached "negative," I have to wait 6 months before we can try to have another baby again.  I had my first monthly appointment on 11/28 (count of 1.2).  My next appointment will not be until after Christmas - probably around December 28 or 29.

During this time, we are praying that God would knit together a healthy baby once we do start trying again.  We are finding ourselves encouraged by the Bible - 2 Samuel 12:23, Psalm 56, Psalm 139:15-16, Psalm 147:3-5, Lamentations 3 (especially verses 31 - 33), Isaiah 40-41, Isaiah 43, Isaiah 51, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, to name a few.  Please continue to pray with us as we wait on God's timing.