One Clue at a Time

Keeping in line with the doctors' orders, I went and saw one of the OB's in the practice I go to today.

I ended up with a lot more information than I thought I would!!

First of all, everything is fine.  The product on the CT scan from Saturday is all within normal limits for being under a week postpartum. Radiologists aren't obstetricians, so I suspected that might be the case, but I wanted to go in since both the radiologist and the OB on call had said the same thing: go in Monday.

What I was not expecting was the final surgical pathology report on Jackson.  The autopsy is done and I have a copy of it for our records.

Dr. Justice, the ob/gyn I saw today, pointed out each line in the "Diagnosis" section and attempted to simplify it for me.  Most of the diagnosis was normal: negative for quite a few things, the umbilical cord was a normal trivascular cord, and no signs on infections.

The part that I'm eager to learn more about is where the report says, "2nd trimester placenta with villous, perivillous fibrin deposits and villi with accelerated maturation."  According to Dr. Justice, the deposits and accelerated maturation aren't a problem in a 3rd trimester placenta, but shouldn't be in a 2nd trimester placenta.

So we have our first clue.  The placenta Jackson relied on for life had a problem.  I don't know exactly what villous, perivillous fibrin deposits and villi with accelerated maturation means, but you can bet I'm going to be asking that question at my next appointment unless I can find something definitive elsewhere.

I did do a Google search.  'Cause you, know, who wouldn't?!?!  I discovered that a handful of things kept coming up in conjunction with this 2nd trimester placenta problem: Protein C Deficiency, pre-eclampsia, and on one site, a reference to antiphospholipid antibodies, also known as antiphospholipid antibody syndrome.

Oh, wait, APS!  I realize this is a long stretch, but there is a chance, however small, that my APS is partially to blame. Fully to blame?  I will know more once Dr. Justice has had a chance to talk to my hematologist and my maternal-fetal-medicine doctor. She seems determined to help me find the cause for Jackson's death and for that I will always be grateful.

So now I wait and ask questions in a few weeks when I go back in.

Edited to add: I have since learned that "fibrin deposits" are " white insoluble elastic protein formed from fibrinogen when blood clots: forms a network that traps red cells and platelets" 

In other words, the fibrin deposits are from blood clots.  I am now MORE convinced that my APS is to blame and my Lovenox dosing wasn't sufficient to maintain placental health.