UPDATE: NT went badly. NT scan tomorrow. Nervous!

[centralsquare]

I'm going in tomorrow for the NT scan. I'm surprised by how nervous I am. This happened before my 8 week appt, too. Like I'm worried that I could find out something really bad, and it would be easier not to know. I know that makes no sense.

I also started throwing up (violently) about five days ago, and a day after that, I started having some light brown spotting/discharge. I'm sure intellectually, it's normal. But I'm nervous nonetheless.

Anything I should know about before going in tomorrow? Any reassuring words? Thanks ladies.

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UPDATE: the NT scan was not good. Showed a measurement of 3.7mm. No nose bone development, although they said that doesn't necessarily mean anything as a) my nose bone is not prominent and b) it's not always there by week 12. 

I am devastated and scared. I swore I wouldn't risk a m/c with a CVS, but I have to know more, rather than live in the unknown for several more weeks. If you have any stories of a bad NT turning out fine, I would sure appreciate hearing them right now. 

[KaraOrNot]

No advice, but know that you are not alone. My appointment is next week and I am terrified. FX and hugs!

[mrspost08]

I was super nervous before mine. I actually cried on the way to the appt. Hugs!

[VillainV]

Have a full bladder -- it helps them to see what they need to see. Otherwise, I understand the nerves -- H and I were like this for every ultrasound (we had an early loss last year). Just do your best to stay positive. Is someone coming with you to the appointment?

[hokiegirl82]

Try and stay calm, focus on all the positives going on right now, and come talk to us! I completely understand being nervous. I'm nervous before every appointment, every u/s, but try to take it one day at a time

[obladi]

Mine is today too! In two hours actually... AND I have to have a colposcopy after it. Needless to say I am very nervous as well. Good luck at your appointment

[Myrrhine]

I felt a bit of that too; I think it's normal. I'm sorry though. The worrying is hard.

[ringstrue]

Purely statistically speaking, the odds are always with you that things will be fine. I don't think they will tell you anything at the appointment anyway - you gotta wait for the results which come to the office later. You just sit there and see your baby on the u/s and then go to another office (usually) and sit and get your blood taken - that's it! GL!

[pinotgrig]

I was nervous before mine too. It was amazing though - it really looks like a baby now! GL - il's sure it'll go great!

[aqualuv]

Good luck! I'm sure it's normal to be nervous. My appointment isn't until April 7th so I haven't gotten nervous yet.

[centralsquare]

Update in original post.

[shekels1222]

Oh hon. I'm so sorry it wasn't the great scan you were hoping for. FX everything is fine with the little bitty. And you get some answers soon.

[VillainV]

First of all, I'm sorry that it was a rough appointment. We had a fairly large measurement as well (3.9 I think) but the blood portion came back just fine, so our overall odds ended up being pretty low. Do you have the results of the blood draw yet?

Could you possibly do one of the other blood tests like MaterniT21/Verify/Harmony? I've read different numbers about the risks of amnio and CVS, so it's definitely worth talking to your doctor or even a genetic counselor about your options and how to interpret the results.

[Myrrhine]

I'm so sorry I hope the next test will give you conclusive and good news.

[D2M]

I can't speak to overall measurement, but my friend was in the same situation about the nose bone development a few weeks ago. Are you by any chance Asian? The nose bone development can vary from person to person and is different for some races (such as my friend -- her doctor confirmed this). She did the CVS test and all is well with her baby. I really hope everything turns out OK for you, too. I ditto Little Moxie regarding feelings about further testing. The risk is small and it is available to really give you solid answers. Hugs.

[centralsquare]

Mar 18, 2014 12:07:42 GMT -5 VillainV said:

First of all, I'm sorry that it was a rough appointment. We had a fairly large measurement as well (3.9 I think) but the blood portion came back just fine, so our overall odds ended up being pretty low. Do you have the results of the blood draw yet?

Could you possibly do one of the other blood tests like MaterniT21/Verify/Harmony? I've read different numbers about the risks of amnio and CVS, so it's definitely worth talking to your doctor or even a genetic counselor about your options and how to interpret the results.

Thanks, VillainV, that is helpful to hear. 

I haven't gotten the blood portion, but they suggested moving forward with the cvs, given the limited timeframe since I'm already 12 weeks. I think we'll just feel better knowing for certain at this point.

CVS is 1:200, but my understanding is that the number likely skews high b/c of the number of 1st tri spontaneous m/c that would have occurred naturally.

We already talked with the genetic counselor, who said cvs (if we're interested) is the very logical next step with results like mine. I think even if teh bloodwork came back fine, I might want the peace of mind. I've heard very good things about the doctor, so I am hopeful.

This is so stressful and awful. It will be Monday most likely before we even have preliminary results.

[centralsquare]

Mar 18, 2014 12:13:33 GMT -5 D2M said:

I can't speak to overall measurement, but my friend was in the same situation about the nose bone development a few weeks ago. Are you by any chance Asian? The nose bone development can vary from person to person and is different for some races (such as my friend -- her doctor confirmed this). She did the CVS test and all is well with her baby. I really hope everything turns out OK for you, too. I ditto Little Moxie regarding feelings about further testing. The risk is small and it is available to really give you solid answers. Hugs.

I'm not Asian; mostly Irish. But I don't have a prominent nose, and my sister & mom's are even smaller. Thank so much for the encouragement.

[rbp]

(hug)centralsquare (hug2) I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Sending you tons of good thoughts for good CVS results!

[Alwaysabridesmaidf]

I have no advice but wanted to offer hugs. I think if the testing gives you comfort and a difinitive answer, then go for it. No one would fault you.

[ringstrue]

hugs - ditto the bloodwork bit. Isn't 3.7 right on the cusp?

[mrssandro]

I am sorry you are dealing with this.

[centralsquare]

Mar 18, 2014 12:21:26 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

hugs - ditto the bloodwork bit. Isn't 3.7 right on the cusp?

My tech said you want it under 3.0mm.

[gretchenindisguise]

Ugh, I'm sorry to read your update from today. I would go forward with the CVS so you have the answer. I'm a very big answer person though.

[anaps28]

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. I personally would go ahead with the additional testing. The results outweigh the risk for me.

[purrbox]

I'm so sorry about the results. I really hope you can get some answers soon.

[dana2006]

Hugs and I'm sorry for all the anxiety you're going through. I had a bad NT scan too. The tech got progressively quiet during the scan and rushed out of the room to fetch the MFM doctor, who came in and said in a grave manner that the risk factor was high, not only for trisomies, but for potential heart problems (I'm 39 and the NT was 3.1 mm). She wanted me to get the cvs right away, since I had a very narrow window too. I said no. She then forcefully pushed amnio and again I said no. Her whole demeaner was very fear mongering in my opinion (perhaps for liability issues). I requested the Panorama test and got that the same day. Of course I was shaken up, but went home and googled the heck out of NT scans and found an overwhelming number of stories of bad NT results turning out to be false alarms. That helped calm me down somewhat.

I got the result of the blood test that accompanied the NT scan back 4 days later and my risk for trisomy 18 was 1 in 55, and 1 in 95 for the other trisomies. I took comfort in the fact that the elevated result was primarily driven by the NT measurement, as my blood test portion was around normal. 10 days after the NT scan I got my panorama results and the risks went down to 1 in 10,000 for all three. The MFM still wanted me to see a fetal cardio specialist, so we scheduled one for the same time as my anatomy scan. Everything looked fine. The majority of bad NT results do turn out to be nothing. My OB wasn't too keen on the test in the first place b/c of all the false positives, and I only took it b/c it's covered by insurance and I couldn't figure out how to get a Panorama test w/o getting this first.

[mannah]

Sending best wishes and good supportive thoughts your way!

[jene]

Sending positive thoughts your way!

[SJ]

I'm sorry, but glad to hear others here have had good results after bad NT scans.

[Odonata]

I'm sorry. I hope things turn out OK. I know it's hard follow the advice of "try not to stress, it could be nothing" but that's probably the best thing to try and do.