Through a series of unplanned circumstances I ended up with three doctors appointments last week! Usually when I do this, I plan them back to back on the same day, but this was three appointments on three days. This is my quick recap on each appointment!
Monday I saw my oncologist for a follow up. You may recall I happened to find out I was pregnant the night before I was scheduled to see her so she was the first to know I was knocked up! At that appointment she told me she wanted to see me for manual exams every trimester since we can't do the planned MRI's and mammograms during the pregnancy. That is what this appointment was. She was completely happy with me. There are no physical changes of concern and so far the pregnancy has treated me really well. My doctor even mentioned that in preparing for a talk with a group of OBs that she was giving, she reviewed literature regarding pregnancy in survivors, and came across a couple that indicated it had a sort of protective effect in some triple negative survivors. They aren't super reliable studies (the numbers just simply aren't there so they are definitely qualitative evaluations) but both my doctor and I said "we'll take it!". Best of all, she doesn't want to see me again until November, after delivery. Her confidence gives me confidence. I also asked her about the insulin I am taking for the gestational diabetes (more on that in a minute) and she said from the cancer perspective, it is a good thing. So that was a relief! I will still see my breast surgeon next month for a follow up, but I think after this I will be able to get back on track with my twice yearly check ups!
Wednesday I was at my endocrinologists office for my regular check up. I am supposed to see them every two weeks to check in regarding my blood sugar numbers. Now that I have things under control I'm hoping to push it to every three or four weeks providing that things remain the same. With my first pregnancy I was under the Kaiser model which had me call in my numbers weekly, and I never once actually saw an endocrinologist. It is a little strange for me to have to actually see a doctor for such a simple purpose as long as things are going, though I do appreciate the ability to have conversations that are a little more in depth than simply reporting my numbers. Anyhow things are looking good on that end. I've mostly had great numbers and haven't had to change a whole lot in my diet to get them. I was put on long acting insulin (slow released over 24 hours) because my fasting numbers were consistently above where they want them. They want me under 95 and I was between 101 and 95 each morning. It is a very small amount that I am taking though (10 ius) and I am hoping it will be sufficient as the pregnancy goes on. Typically you see a hormone spike happen around 24 weeks so if anything changes that will likely be when it happens. Until then, I will enjoy being easily diet controlled with my little shot each night.
Thursday I ended the week with my monthly prenatal appointment. I thought I was seeing my regular OB but actually ended up meeting the doctor whose practice it is (my OB is the junior associate in the office). So I have now met all three "baby catchers" in the office. The good news is I love all three of them! No matter who delivers my baby I will be lucky to have them. I also had the opportunity to chat with her about their policy regarding when they will deliver me. You may recall from my first pregnancy that it is standard of care to not let women with GD go past their due dates. There is a laundry list of reasons this is the case, but I have no issue with this. Unfortunately with Bella I had the added factor that my blood pressure was borderline high towards the end, and as a result they didn't want me going past 39 weeks. So I was induced at 39 weeks and 1 day. I know my body was not ready. It worked out for the best, but it was a long and frustrating process. Mentally I am much more prepared for anything this time. My gut tells me this baby will likely come before its due date and I have nothing to worry about. But if that isn't the case I am totally ready to handle the challenge of induction this time. The doctor confirmed that they won't let me go past my due date, but her attitude about the induction is very different. I shared the highlights (??) of my birth story with Bella and she was shocked at some of the decisions they made with me. I feel confident that many of the less than ideal moments will not happen this time around, not only because my attitude is different, but also because of how my doctors will handle me.
So it was a week full of doctors but all pretty much good news! I think my next medical update will be our anatomy scan ultrasound! Hooray for that! Phew- was that enough info in one post??? =)
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