Snake Tongue, Indiana, Mount What???

Our surgery for Twin-To-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) was scheduled for 7:30 AM Saturday, October 18th.  All of the surgeons and nurses came in on a Saturday just for our babies, which was so humbling.  After I was prepped for surgery they let me walk into the operating room because it was going to a long time before I walked anywhere again.  They also let me pick out the music we would be listening to in the operating room.  I chose Lady Gaga...just kidding! I was supposed to be at the spa with my BFF that day (ah, the best laid plans...) so we went with spa music.  The nurses were so bummed out for me about the missed spa day that they gave me a massage - seriously! Then they poked me with needles, but still, they treated me like royalty!

I had an epidural similar to my two previous c-sections, but I promised to keep my hands to myself so I didn't have to be strapped down.  I asked for two doses of "happy" medicine (you know, one for each baby) and closed my eyes to rest.  It wasn't full anesthesia so I could come in and out of consciousness almost at will, kinda like when you hear your alarm clock ringing and you choose to ignore it and go back to sleep.

At some point I heard, "Snake Tongue, Indiana, Mountain." We're climbing a mountain of snakes in Indiana? What?? Weird dream, I thought.  Then it was repeated and I felt the slightest sensation of vibration inside of me, three rounds of it.  It didn't hurt, it didn't tickle, it just vibrated and pulsated.  I opened my eyes and there was a blue sheet over my face and I mean literally over my face.  I could feel myself starting to panic because at this point I realized it wasn't a dream, I was witnessing my own surgery first hand! (Again, it wasn't full anesthesia so nothing to be alarmed about.) But I didn't trust myself not to go into a full blown panic attack nor did I want to distract them (keeping this part of the surgery under 5 minutes is crucial for the survival of both babies) so I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to go back to sleep on demand.  It worked and I woke up after the surgery was over (no blue sheet this time).  The nurses were shocked I had woken up during the surgery, apparently they were not aware of anyone else being cognizant during the actual procedure.  The words "snake tongue", "Indiana" and "mountain" were labels they had given the blood vessels they were targeting because the shapes of the vessels resembled a snake's tongue, the State of Indiana and a mountain. There were actually 10 in all but I was only awake for the first three.

Once I was transferred to my recovery bed I pretty much slept the rest of the day.  The doctors came in and talked to my husband; everything appeared to have gone well, but we were still in a critical window so only time would tell.  When I finally woke up much later in the day I couldn't believe how much smaller my stomach was! Even with evening the fluid out between both babies there was still excess amniotic fluid so they removed a liter of it from Baby B's sac.  A whole liter! I had contractions for a while following the surgery since my uterus had to shrink around the now much smaller sacs.   My belly was sore and bruised but the incision was so much smaller than I had expected.

It's much easier to be patient when you sleep the day away...

God kept both babies safe in the palm of His hand! Twenty-four hours following the procedure both babies still had heartbeats! ....But because the surgery was performed so early in the pregnancy they discovered that the membrane surrounding the babies separated substantially from my uterus; a complication that put us at even higher risk for pre-term labor.

The first 24 hours was the most critical, but afterwards I was still stable so we were discharged to a nearby hotel for rest and recovery and, yes, that meant 5 days of waiting to determine if the procedure was effective.  They say you should never pray for patience because if you do God will put you in a situation where your patience will be tried.  Next time I pray for patience perhaps I should be a little more explicit in my expectations!

In all seriousness, although it was difficult, I also felt a tremendous amount of peace from constant prayer and from all of the prayers from our friends and family - so thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you God for your peace and protection!

If you find yourself in a similar situation just remember, all of the worrying in the world won't make time go by any faster and it certainly won't make your problems go away.  It is your choice how much you allow yourself to suffer; God is there to help, all you have to do is ask.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Inspirational Quote:

"No matter how steep the mountain, the Lord is going to climb it with you. ~Helen Steiner Rice

My Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for answering my prayers! Thank you for keeping my babies safe in the palm of Your hand during this surgery.  Thank you for sending angels to comfort us and thank you for helping me become a more patient person in the process.  May the glory be all yours! I know we have not reached the top of the mountain yet, but I love you and I trust you to guide us and protect us - all of us - throughout this journey. Amen.