TTTS Parent Stories: Dionne Thompson
At my 18 week scan I decided I wanted to know the sex of my babies. Laying in the scanning room the radiographer told me I was having identical twin boys. I must admit a feeling of disappointment did come over me as my partner had hoped for at least one girl. After my scan which had taken one whole hour, I was asked to wait outside as they wanted to review my scan pictures. I had sat outside worrying for half an hour before I was called in to be told they wanted to send me to University College Hospital in London for a more detailed doppler scan of the twins the following day. I was never told why.
When I left the hospital I read my notes and it said "Twin to Twin Transfusion". Obviously I had no idea what this meant. On arrival home I contacted Correen Jackson who organises our local Twins Club as I had spoken to her when I was 12 weeks pregnant about joining the club and I had told her how I was so big for 12 weeks. I told her what they had written in my notes and she didnt sound too surprised. She then explained that she had the same diagnosis with her twins and that was why I was so big and how she had carried the same way.
On asking her to tell me what Twin to Twin Transfusion was she went quiet and then asked me if I was sure I wanted to know. I began to panic. Correen`s twin boys had had twin to twin transfusion and she explained that one of the babies was surrounded by too much amniotic and the other not enough. Also that the share of blood supply was unequal and one baby was getting too much and the other not enough. I could not stop crying the whole time she was talking to me, I was just getting used to the idea having twins and I didnt want to lose them. Correen went on to explain the chances of them both surviving and told me of her own experience in pregnancy, I felt devastated this was happening to me. Her twins had beaten all odds and been among the few survivors at Queen Charlotte's Hospital London. I needed to know more so I telephoned University College Hospital to speak to a doctor in the fetal medicine unit, which is where I was going the following day.
Speaking to the doctor I explained what had happened to me that day and she replied that given I was only 18 weeks pregnant and so big that there was not much hope of a successful pregnancy. Shaking and crying uncontrollably I had no idea what could I do to help my babies.
The following day at U.C.H I had a doppler scan to be told that I did have twin to twin transfusion syndrome, the babies had formed normally but the placenta they shared hadn't. My options were to terminate the pregnancy or to have one of the umbilical cords cauterised to give one baby a chance. I didnt realise until later it meant to kill one baby but to carry the dead baby until I gave birth to the other baby. They gave me until I was 25 weeks to make a decision, how could I sacrifice one baby to keep another as the chances the other baby might die anyway. I was asked to come back every week for scans. At 20 weeks I was asked of my decision and told them that I would carry on and hope for the best for both of my babies. They then told me of a procedure called amniodrainage where they would drain off some of the excess fluid from around the bigger baby. This would relieve some of the pressure as by now I was 40 inches round and having very strong tightenings which were getting stronger as the weeks progressed. My breathlessness and dizziness had also been caused by the build up of fluid.
At 21 weeks I was feeling awfully tired and breathless. They said it would be best to do the amniodrainage now, they said it was similar to an amniocentisis but they may have to take up to 2 litres of fluid away. Also they informed me of the risk of going into labour, and as I was only 21 weeks by law they could nothing to save the babies if they were born this early. I laid there so still while they drained 10ml of fluid at a time, by 700mls I started having contractions so they had to stop. I thought I was losing the twins. After 15 minutes they contractions started to ease up and I felt fine. and was sent home.
After this I went to UCH every fortnight and everything seem to be going fine, at 26 weeks I no longer felt like a time bomb waiting to explode. At 30 weeks the scan showed the smaller baby had only gained a little weight but they had warned me that the babies could stop growing. I was upset and worried but the babies were still moving around, I couldn't wait for my next appointment in two weeks so I telephoned the hospital but they told me not to worry as long as they were moving and I didnt suddenly swell up a fortnight would be fine.
My next appointment was booked for the 3rd July 96 but in the early hours of the 1st July at 3am I started having labour pains, I was 32 weeks pregnant. It was 7am by the time I got to my local hospital and they confirmed I was in labour and 2cm dilated. I panicked and told them I was to have a cesearian section, they telephoned my consultant and were told not to stop my labour because of the small weight gain at the previous scan. At 10.20 my James Tyler was born by cesearian weighing 4lb 3oz and Danny Lewis followed at 10.21 weighing 2lb 13oz. The boys were taken to the special care baby unit where they stayed for 11 days in intensive care then they were moved to the nursery for 17 days and I took them home - Danny weighed 3lb 6oz and James 5lb 3oz.
At five months old they are beautiful and healthy, I feel my decision was right and they and my other three are the best miracles anyone could wish for......
No comments:
Post a Comment