Update on The Burrell Family

Thank you for praying for my friends, The Burrells. Here is an update, as many of you have requested.

Update on Doctor’s Appointment
Darin and I spent four hours at the specialist’s office today and returned home hurting and full of questions. This dr. was extremely intelligent, counseled us on all aspects of triploidy, mentioned that he has written a published paper on the disease, and spent an hour and a half with us answering our questions and performing an ultrasound. We did not receive a vast amount of new information, but we did receive more confirmations of our situation and a new outlook on the possible risks to my life.
The doctor did confirm that the amnio results were the most conclusive proof we have of the disease. While performing the ultrasound, he showed us that Savannah does have hydrocephaly, fluid on the brain. He was also able to see the omphalocele, the parts of Savannah’s intestines that are outside of her abdominal wall. According to his measurements, Savannah is measuring a week behind in growth. However, just as before, Savannah’s heart was beating strongly and she was very active. For that, we are thankful and give God all the glory.
The doctor expressed concern over the large numerous cysts covering both of my ovaries, caused by the enlarged placenta and the triploidy. He was surprised that I have not currently been experiencing pain from them, and he predicted that I would in the future. He said that the cysts could grow even larger requiring intervention on my behalf. He also stressed the risks of them rupturing, causing debilitating pain for myself, and loss of blood and tissue. This was new information to us as the other doctors did not stress the risks of these cysts. We were thankful for that information as well as his opinion that a c-section would be the safest way for me to deliver to avoid severe bleeding caused by cysts rupturing during a vaginal delivery.
At the conclusion of the appointment, he summarized by saying that signs of triploidy are evident in both of our bodies already. The signs in my body currently are the numerous cysts, the enlarged placenta, and the hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). The signs in Savannah’s body are outlined above as seen in the ultrasound.
We walked out, unsure what to say, what to think, or what to feel. The depth of the hurt, I cannot put into words (not just from today’s appointment but from the past 3 weeks). Although we know that almost all triploidy cases end in fetal demise while in the mother’s womb, we wonder whether the risks to my life are on the rise thus requiring action on our part. We so desperately want God to take this out of our hands, and to make the decision for us-one way or the other. Of course, our greatest desire remains for our dear Savannah to be healed completely.
Our prayer pager has been going off all day, and that has been a comfort for us. Thank you so much to all of you who are praying-we truly believe that God is sustaining us through the prayers and love of our family, friends, and people we don’t even know. We are both emotionally a mess right now-grieving and desperately searching for peace and direction. We CRAVE God’s presence and especially His voice right now. The days seem to pass slowly, our hearts hurting more each day. It is very hard to go through the day acting as if everything is okay when it hurts so much inside. We want to hear God speak to us; we want to know what His will for us is; and we especially want His peace in the midst of this awful storm. Thank you for your support and prayers. Our next dr. appointment is with our regular obgyn on Friday. Please keep praying as we keep Waiting on the Lord.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31