Who I am: I am the Righteousness of God by the Blood of Jesus. Need I say more?

Friday, May 9, 2014

How much is too much?

2 weeks post op.

I feel like it's been years since I found out that our baby no longer had a heart beat. I also remember the silence hanging in the air like it was just moments ago. It all seems like just too much.

I'm almost feeling quite comfortable in the dark pit I find myself in. I'm not quite lonely, I'm not discontent. The heaviness has really become consistent enough that it's nice to know I can rely on something.

I've watched these weeks fly by and crawl at snail like speed and I am certainly so amazed, once again, that when my world stops to a screeching halt, every one's life keeps moving on. Friends are announcing pregnancies, completing their 9 long months of pregnancy, moving on. I am finding that I am having a hard time keeping up. Like I am running after the passed moments trying to catch up. Just the thought of keeping up, and moving on myself, seems like it's all just too much.

My prayers lately have often sounded similar to this...." Lord, enough is enough..", "How much is too much?"

I had an Ah-Ha moment yesterday as I sat in a waiting room full of pregnant bellies and smiling faces I was dreading and anxious for the next hour that would pass. Today felt like "Freedom Day", today was a day for answers... or so I thought.

As I checked I gave the receptionist the "I'm back, again..." smile, and took a seat. Thankfully it wasn't long until I was called back and pushed into a tiny little room. The same room where silence crushed every dream and vein in my body. I sat with my giant list of questions on my lap and swung my feet back on forth while I sat on a table. Waiting.

It was a great appointment. My doctor was filled with compassion, remembered to bring tissues, and was welcoming my questions with open ears and no time constraints. I had her full attention for 2 hours. Not only was she thorough but she was sensitive to the fact that my entire life just changed. So here's the minor run down, and don't worry if you don't understand it, because quite frankly, I don't either!

We did not receive any news on genetics yet for our baby. This should come back at any time. It's just a waiting game for now. We (myself, my husband, and my doctor) have decided that we are going to run some tests. They call this a RPL (Repeat Pregnancy Loss, also known as a habitual aborter, nice right?) panel. We are also adding in a few tests of our own as well as genetic mapping, or Karyotype. The Karyotype will be done on both me and C (my husband).

Here are some (not all because I can't remember them all, and one name includes like 5 or 6 different tests?) of the names of the tests we are doing...

All Autoimmunity disorders
Lupus
Thyroid
Prothrombin
Antithrombim
Protein C
Protein S
MTHFR
Homocyseine
Vit D
Factor V
Prolactin
All Antibody tests
Blood clotting disorders
Some type of active diabetes tests

I know some fall into the same categories but there were so many that we talked about that I was shocked. I just know as I read over that list I am forgetting so many. When I walked out, I felt like I was on information overload. Like I said, My husband and I are both doing Karyotyping. This is basically going to show exactly what my genetic make up looks like and if I have any mutations on any set of chromosomes that could cause issues or be passed along to a growing baby and cause issues. They will then look at my husbands and determine the same. What I think is really cool is they will also compare our two and also determine if when our genetic make up mixes together (sperm meets egg) it would even ever create a viable pregnancy! How cool is that? The great news is we got lab results on my uterine tissue and so far that indicated that everything was normal. This immediately ruled out any acidity issue and determined that there was no need for an endometrial function test. My doctor does suspect I just might have a blood clotting disorder. Because I had some major complications following the D&C, that should have never happened, and she mentioned that it could indicate an underlying issue. Obviously this will be proven or dis-proven with the tests. Because of her suspicion she does have a few recommendations. That being: a Baby Aspirin Protocol upon the next positive pregnancy test as well as switching from oral(sublignual) progesterone to a vaginal suppository form.

The crazy thing is that it is said that 30% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage and only a small 5% of woman experience RPL. I am that 5% and it kills me. To be placed in the RPL category you must have lost 2 consecutive pregnancies. I have now lost 3. She was very realistic and said that unfortunately my odds of having a successful pregnancy will only keep going down, but for now we still have just above a 50% chance. Above 50% is still pretty good.... I'll take it. If we end up with any more losses that percentage will just keep dropping. I really appreciated her honesty and reality of our situation. And I am fully aware that in my particular beliefs I know that God is big enough to change that. From her medical stand point it was great to just have someone level with me and not candy coat and give me wishy-washy answers or try and make me feel better right now. I think she realized that's not what I need nor what I want. I am very aware of the hope I have in a God who is bigger, and fully aware of His healing nature.

There ya go! That is a slightly scattered version of what went down in a 2 hour appointment. Back at square one. Ouch!

Obviously she educated me some, and tried to explain what's what and how it's all going to play out. We talked about my emotional health and physical recovery and lifted my physical restrictions. You could say that I am about 75% physically healed. I am still waiting for my HCG hormones to reach 0 and I find my physical pain is steadily decreasing. So we finished our conversation and said she's hoping for a better outcome next time and some answers with our testing.... Me too, Doc. Me too.

Off I went to the lab. This is where my Ah-ha moment came.. I climbed into the chair making small talk with the phlebotomist. I hate getting my blood taken. I glanced over at the tray, she asked for my name and DOB... blah blah blah... I glanced again and asked her if those vials were all for me? Yes, she said. You guys, I am almost certain she drained ALL of my blood.

After the 8th or 9th vial, extra long and extra large vial mind you, I asked..." How much is too much?" I had reached my maximum for pain and heartache, and now you are taking all my blood! As my palms began to sweat and my face drained of color, and I played with my hair whooshing a breeze around my neck, she giggled and reminded me that my body is fully capable of restoring what was lost.

My Body IS CAPABLE of Restoring what was lost.

So every time I shake my fist at the sky and spout off in confusion at a silent God and scream,

"How much is too much?"

How much more am I to endure....? How many more nights will I cry, how many more mornings will I wake and wish I didn't...? How many more times will I desire to flee into my old ways and drown myself in wine and narcotics? How many more questions will it take to assure you I have had enough.... Enough is enough... This is certainly TOO MUCH...I desperately wanted to rip that vial out of her hands and demand she not take any more from me. I needed that. I feel half dead already, stop taking from me!!

In my panic, and moment of fear that I would fall over any second, I remembered my previous seasons. I remembered His promises. I remembered that He is a God of healing. He is capable of restoring. No matter how much I have lost. No matter what I say, what I do, He is capable of restoring all that was lost. Just like how he designed my body to know how to restore what was taken.

And just like that I felt a brief moment of hope. Just like it takes time for my body to reproduce the blood that was taken, it's going to take time until I can see the physical and emotional and spiritual benefits of God placing what was lost. He's reproducing in me the things that were lost, restoring what I can't see. It's another season of Restoration. And I am oh so tired. I can't help but plead that this journey is almost over. Beg for new circumstances. Bargain and make promises I can't keep.

I was reminded while driving to work yesterday before my appointment, in quiet whispers: Although its dark and its heavy and your chest constantly feels like it's been crushed over and over, I (God) have been silent because I am doing something.

While I wait, I'll take each step, I remind myself to keep breathing. I will remind myself that He is silent because He is doing something. To me, something means anything. I am content with that. I am freed from having to work, because He is doing the work for me. I'll sing to keep me alive. I'll focus on songs that resonate in me, and encourage me that this too shall pass. As I wait in darkness and wait in silence I'll sing...

Out of This Darkness
Into your Promise
You will Deliver me.
Eternal Savior
You stand forever
You are My Victory.

I'm surviving something I felt I couldn't survive.


10 comments:

  1. I know from reading your blog that you are a strong and remarkable person. You will make it through these dark times.

    Your doctor sounds truly amazing and I wish that every doctor was that caring and compassionate. After all that we go through, it is nice to have someone just sit back listen and offer suggestions on helping.

    I know for us personally the RPL and karotyping is the part where our journey started in a new direction. After all the testing etc is when I started researching and found Dr. Kim. I didn't see the ANA test on the panel, do you know if it was listed? If not, I suggest you are tested for that also. I am hoping for the beginning of some answers and that leads to solutions. So many times people don't keep pushing for answers and get suck in a rut of just doing the same treatments over and over and expected a different result. We have to be our advocates and really push for something more.

    As always thinking of you and hoping your miracle is right around the corner. I have such respect for the way you handle a bad situation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful.

    When you get through this, you will find that you are the strongest person you've ever known.

    As an RPL person, I can say that I am so glad you are getting all of those tests done. It's the best next step. You will continue to narrow down the problem and know what actions to take.

    Much love to you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am crying just reading this. God IS a God of restoration and I love that you were able to have that aha moment. Still praying for healing, continued restoration, and hopefully some answers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are a pretty amazing person. Your strength astounds me. Hugs and prayers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amen, Morgan, he will redeem this! I remember feeling exactly how you felt, especially after my third miscarriage in just 9 months time (that was back in 2012). It was the worst time in my life. When you wrote that the days pass by with snail like speed, my jaw just dropped because I wrote in my private journal these words just a month after my 3rd miscarriage: "It has been one month since I had the miscarriage. It feels like so much longer. The days pass by with turtle-like speed and I hate it. This pain is so difficult to deal with. There are times when I am okay and then other times when I feel horribly angry, hurt and completely and totally hopeless. And in the times when I feel hopeless, I can feel a spiritual battle around me. I begin to question and doubt God, I feel angry with him for not saving me from this pain, and I cry out in sorrow for answers." I can remember walking through those first few months of grief just thinking that the pain would never end. My heart breaks for you to know that you're walking through that right now. I wish I could snap my fingers and motion the clock to move forward to a much happier time for you and I both. Just know that I'm praying for you and trusting that God's going to give you grace each and every day to work through this, slowly but surely. You are stronger than you know, and you are an inspiration of faith for many. Hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are amazing. Trusting God is going to give back everything the enemy has tried to kill and destroy. As far as the testing, so glad you are looking into it. I'm not saying AT all that this is what you have had - but I have had 2 friends have 3 miscarriages each, all to find out they had a blood clotting disorder and needed shots (when they got pregnant) ta-da! They both have sweet healthy babies. Remember it's just a statistic they give you - in God's eyes you are not a statistic - you are purposefully made xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love that you recognize your own strength and give yourself credit for it. Yes, you are surviving something you thought you couldn't. Amen! I'm glad you are having the RPL and karyotyping done. We had the same things done and if we hadn't I would have never learned I had 4 underlying genetic issues/blood clotting disorders. Those things can also cause late term pregnancy losses, so knowing this info. is why I have to take aspirin and Lovenox. Many women find out they have clotting issues the hard way, with 2nd and 3rd trimester losses and subsequently testing to find them. My point is that it's REALLY GOOD you are having all the tests run now, despite what it took to prompt doing them. Knowledge is power and if there is something there, you will be better equipped to prevent a loss in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Praying you get some answers very soon and the next pregnancy will be your beautiful take home baby. I just feel so confident that God has plans to reward your faithfulness to Him. I love that you can feel Him working in your life and restoring, even if you don't know exactly what He is doing. It is so hard to relinquish complete control over to God, even though we know He is sovereign and He has our best interests at heart. I know you don't know me, but I think of you and check on your blog often. I pray for you. Sending you lots of hugs!! XO

    Mel @ Thereisahigherhope.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is so hard to see the positive in these situations but "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose" Romans 8:28. I am so glad to hear you are having all of that testing done and pray that God will restore in your life. Also praying that you are blossed with a beautiful healthy baby soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I got chills reading your last sentence. It's true. All of what you said. I am lifting you up in prayer for God to bear this pain for you. I'm so sorry. I've been there and it sucks the hope out of you. Thank you for this beautiful post.

    ReplyDelete