High-Risk Pregnancy
lystie9
member
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Pregnancy after DVT and scoliosis fusion surgery
lystie9
member
My husband and I (both 31) are in the process of speaking to high risk OBs and others that can help us during our (hopefully soon) upcoming pregnancy. I had a DVT in 2012, was on Lovenox for 1 week and Coumadin for 4 months. Other than complications due to post-thrombotic syndrome (swelling and minor pain at times) I have had no other DVT issues. Original DVT has been attributed to birth control and 7 hr car trip. I have tested negative for genetic clotting disorders.
We have just begun the task of talking to high risk OBs during pre-conceptual visits and I have to say i'm more worried now than before. I have been doing research on the Lovenox injections that will be needed during the duration of my pregnancy and although I know it won't be fun I know I can handle them. I am however very nervous about the "what-ifs" for both my health and the baby's. I'm terrified of the possibility of another DVT or worse (PE, etc) and the complication that can arise with blood clots in the placenta, et. To complicate issues further I also had scoliosis surgery when I was 10 and have a complete spinal fusion and bi-lateral rod placement and will not be able to have an epidural. The knowledge of that on top of my DVT issue has me very concerned.
The one high risk OB we have talked to did not discourage us from trying to conceive but did say "we've (the clinic) done it before, but it definitely won't be easy for you". Can anyone offer any insight, suggestions, success stories, "been there, done that" advice, etc. that might help me to feel more comfortable about this situation? This will be our first child. Thanks in advance!
Laurie
We have just begun the task of talking to high risk OBs during pre-conceptual visits and I have to say i'm more worried now than before. I have been doing research on the Lovenox injections that will be needed during the duration of my pregnancy and although I know it won't be fun I know I can handle them. I am however very nervous about the "what-ifs" for both my health and the baby's. I'm terrified of the possibility of another DVT or worse (PE, etc) and the complication that can arise with blood clots in the placenta, et. To complicate issues further I also had scoliosis surgery when I was 10 and have a complete spinal fusion and bi-lateral rod placement and will not be able to have an epidural. The knowledge of that on top of my DVT issue has me very concerned.
The one high risk OB we have talked to did not discourage us from trying to conceive but did say "we've (the clinic) done it before, but it definitely won't be easy for you". Can anyone offer any insight, suggestions, success stories, "been there, done that" advice, etc. that might help me to feel more comfortable about this situation? This will be our first child. Thanks in advance!
Laurie
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Re: Pregnancy after DVT and scoliosis fusion surgery
Laurie, I can't give insight in to your medical concerns but as a mom to be with type 1 diabetes I can speak to general "what if" worries. My pregnancy wasn't planned. DH and I were just starting to talk about trying to get pregnant knowing I need to get my diabets under control first when we found out that we were already expecting.
Needless to say I spent a lot time and stress on what ifs. Educating yourself on your risks is definately the way to go but try really hard to keep in mind how common it is for thoses risks to manifest. My OB and endo were both really good about framing a 20% risk of something happening as an 80% risk that it won't. Still not ideal odds but looking at things both ways helped me realy evaluate what I was facing.
Ask if there are any local support groups or other women who have been through pregnancy in your area that would be willing to talk to you. My endo hooked me up with another patient of hers that had been through an almost identical situation. While she couldn't technically release either of our information to the other she did manage to get us scheduled for appointments back to back so she could introduce us to each other at the office. Of course online forums like this are another great place to find resources.
Sorry I can't offer anything specific to your situation and I really wish you the best on your journey