Lovenox - first day of self home-injection

Ryan and I went back to WCG at Blount Memorial first thing.  in the morning today.  We are both so anxious to talk to the nurse regarding the home remedy to help with my thrombophilia case.  So when we got there, I I was expecting that the nurse will give me my first shot.  Apparently, I have to watch the DVD kit first before I go through my first shot.  So to shorten the story, I just go tmy DVD kit and Tammy Thompson, head nurse practitioner, explained how the medication works.  Apparently, LOVENOX is an enoxaparin that it will help prevent DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis or blood clotting that is normally caused by thick blood consistency. So apparently I am a thick-blooded person.

I took the opportunity to ask several questions, first one being is what are the side effects of taking the injections.  She said primarily some may experience drop in their platelet counts just because the medicine is helping with thinning the blood.  There are instances that I might experience heavy bleeding if I get a cut or if I have hemorrhoid.  She also mentioned that the baby is safe and unharmed from any effects of the medication (thank God!).  I was also told that since this is a hereditary thing, there is nothing I can do in my lifestyle to really cure this.  In the event that I get pregnant again, I have to take LOVENOX daily.  It's just a condition that I have to live with.

She did say that there are medication that I can take after giving birth that will eventually help my blood condition in the long term and that is something I can take up with my physician.

So, after learning all these, I got my DVD kit to learn more about LOVENOX and how to use the self-injection, and got my first set of syringes from the pharmacy today.  When we got home, i asked Ryan to give me my first injection, which should be on either my left or right love handles (good thing I have an abundant amount of those haha).  So we were standing under the bright light of our bathroom.  Ryan crouching down prepping the syringe, and me pinching my right love handle to be ready for my first shot.  You see I do not really care about injections and not in the least bit scared of it.  I guess it is different if you are not a doctor or nurse and you are the one giving the injection.  Ryan's nerves are all over the place.  He was holding the syringe for about 5 minutes pulling back and forth with hesitation to hurt me with the injection, hahahaha.  I have to yell at him to get on with it coz the syringe is getting exposed too long!  It was pretty funny. :)  Finally I got my first shot at 1045 in the morning.  And I have to do it daily at that same exact time, alternating my left and right love handles.

It's pretty scary thinking that I am taking medication on a disorder that has alot of health risks.  Then again, I am trying to stay positive and still continuously educating myself about Thrombophilia and DVT.  I got a long list of questions to ask my doctor about it because I read somewhere that there are higher risk of blood clotting during delivery, so I wanted to learn more about it when I talk to the UT medical obstetrician this coming Wednesday.

Ryan took some shots when I was getting my first injection and I realized that I should've taken a video because it would've been a 5-minute video of Ryan pulling back and forth on the syringe haha.  It's not too bad at the end of the day.  So we will see! :)

For more information, I have been reading about DVT and Lovenox from these websites:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_vein_thrombosis
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000156.htm
http://www.lovenox.com/consumer/default.aspx

First scare - Thrombophilia Panel

It was 3PM of February 11th 2011 when I received a call from Women's Care Group (WCG).  From earlier visit with Dr. McAmis this week, he mentioned that one of the test conducted for me is the Thrombophilia Panel.  The reason for the several vials of blood extracted from me is to test me for Thrombophilia.  Anyway, he also mentioned that the WCG will contact me in the event that they have any urgent news regarding the results.  

So when my phone rang and saw that it's WCG, I freaked out a little.  And I freaked out even more when th eytold me they have to call me to let me know that they are prescribing another medication for me, because they found some abnormalities in my thrombophilia panel.  As I have no idea of all the details of Thrombophilia Panel, nurse Melissa explained to me that it is a type of blood disorder that forms blood clots, which is usually the common cause of unexplained fetal loss, repeated miscarriages and difficult pregnancies.

I thought I am going to pass out, but they tried to calm me down by explaining to me that it's not life threatening but needs to be addressed immediately with medication to avoid any future complications.   I was told that I need to drop by the WCG this coming Monday, Feb 14 (yay what a great Valentine's day!) and get a DVD kit they prepared for me so I would fully understand what Thrombophilia is, and the head nurse Tammy Thompson will show me the medication I need to take daily to address the blood disorder... WHICH!  I am a little jolted to hear that the medication I need to take is a self-injection drug (faining a little)!  First thing I asked the nurse is what possible effects can this disorder cause my baby.  I was kinda relieved when she said that it will not cause any birth defects whatsoever.  Then again, we have to address the potential risks and danger of keeping the baby alive and healthy during my pregnancy.

So this coming Valentine's Day, Ryan and I will be swinging by WCG at Blount to get my DVD kit and get a demonstration on how to do the self injection.  Is that great or what?

 Right now I am trying my best not to think too much about it, but sometimes it is just difficult.  The past keep flashing before my eyes because who knows if the reason why our little Joaquin died is because of some ugly blood clot that I have. 


To ease my mind a little, I have been doing extensive research over the last 24 hours about Thrombophilia and learned several important facts:

• The thrombophilias are a group of disorders that promote blood clotting. Individuals with a thrombophilia tend to form blood clots too easily, because their bodies make:
• Too much of certain proteins, called blood clotting factors or
• Too little of anti-clotting proteins that limit clot formation
• A thrombophilia can be inherited or acquired later in life.  Studies shows that it is mostly hereditary.  This kept me thinking about several family members from my mom's side who has a history of miscarriage or fetal loss... intersting...
• Most women with a tendency to develop clotting have healthy pregnancies. However, these pregnant women may be more likely than other pregnant women to develop deep vein clots and certain other pregnancy complications.
• The thrombophilias also may contribute to pregnancy complications including -
• Repeated miscarriage, usually occurring after the tenth week of pregnancy
• Stillbirth in the second or third trimesters
• Placental abruption, a condition in which the placenta peels away from the uterine wall, partially or completely, before delivery. This can cause heavy bleeding that is dangerous for mother and baby.
•  Health care providers believe that these problems may be caused by blood clots in placental vessels that reduce blood flow to the fetus.
• Not all women with a thrombophilia need treatment during pregnancy. A woman and her health care provider should discuss her individual risks of blood clots and pregnancy complications and the severity of her thrombophilia before deciding whether or not she needs treatment.  

It's a little creepy thinking how I am learning a potential cause to a problem that I had almost a year ago with my first pregnancy.  Whilst we did not have the opportunity to get thrombophilia panel back in Manila, some of the things I have been learning about this case is reminiscent of certain past events -

• several members of the family from my mother's side has history of miscarriages and unexplained fetal loss
• I had blood clot allergies on my legs when I was on my first trimester, which apparently the tallergologist and OB told me it could have been a bad allergic reaction to my prenatal medication.  Now I am thinking maybe those are blood blots
• My baby is not growing as fast as it should be.  At week 24, the baby only weights 19-20 weeks old

At this point, I am just doing as much research as I can about Thrombophilia, listing down every question I have that I need to ask Dr. McAmis and Dr. Hennessey from UT Medical, and continuously keeping my head up and faith intact that everything will be fine. 


I know it will. I will continue monitoring my health and how this new twist in my mommy journey will pan out.  It's really hard because I really want a stress-free pregnancy this time. And I will keep on trying.  At the end of the day, only HAPPY THOUGHTS and LOVE for our little guy inside my tummy is most important.
 


Sources: 


http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/complications_thrombophilias.html
http://www.stoptheclot.org/News/article114.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrombophilia
http://www.victoriafertility.com/content/8/downloads/TheThrombophiliasandPregnanc1.pdf
http://www.i-am-pregnant.com/encyclopedia/Pregnancy/Thrombophilia