trying for once a week.

I'm hoping to try and update my blog about once a week, just to keep you appraised of the latest info, as it comes along. Hopefully that will make it easier for you to pray, not to mention, I really like writing when I make the time for it.
So, here is the most recent information:
1. My gastric pacemaker continues to be a disaster. I had it turned off 5 weeks ago, and it continues to do something which feels similar to the sensation of shocking. This could be that even though it's turned off (no voltage running through it), the lead wires are pressing on a nerve in my abdomen and causing pain. It could also be that the wire is partially frayed, or it could be purely coincidental that I'm feeling anything at all. I'm hoping for the latter.
The second problem with my pacemaker is that it's huge (about the size of a carton of cigarettes). I am not huge, and there is not going to be a lot of baby room to begin with. Since I'm having twins, the perinatologists (high-risk OBs) are worried that the babies pushing on the abdominal and the pacemaker could cause constant pain as my uterus expands. This, in turn, could cause preterm labor.
So, I'm still lots of doctors appointments away from this, but there have been two recommendations so far that I have surgery to remove the device and leads once I hit the second trimester.
I'm not really sure how you should pray for this situation. I don't have a clear understanding of what the best course of action is, and I don't feel like there is a clear-cut solution either. There are risks with removing it, and risks with leaving it in. Please pray that God reveals precisely what to do and when to do it.

2. My greatest prayer is that I live through this whole experience (that's not really in question, but I thought I'd cover all the bases); the babies are born healthy and strong after at least 36 weeks of gestation; that I can go through this pregnancy with as few complications and as little pain as possible.

3. I had a phenomenal love of eggs for the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. It seems I have transitioned to bagels and cream cheese, string cheese, and applesauce. It's pretty much all that I want to eat, all day long. I continue drinking lots of ensure, and my weight has increased a little. (I gained a pound!!) I attribute the weight gain to the phenomenally healthy and delicious blueberry muffins that I concocted. I'm pretty sure I ate 12.

4. Overall, things are going reasonably well. I continue to get fluids twice a week in Issaquah. I just graduated slightly from the high-risk OB. I only have to come twice a month for a while! (hooray!) I'm still really sick each night, and my pain is pretty horrific--I pretty much cry myself to sleep each night because it hurts so bad in my abdomen. I know that a certain amount of pain and nausea come with pregnancy in the first trimester, so I'm hoping that mine will get a little easier to bear in a couple of weeks. (just in time for surgery. j/k hopefully)

Anyway, thanks for reading. Mostly, thanks for praying. We trust that God has this all under control, and that as He's knitting these little ones in my womb, we believe that He's in and through my body and there tiny bodies too.

Hugs and love to all.
b