Things I've learned this time around

I have been back working at work since Sept. 15th.  As of today (Nov 8th), I'm back on bed rest.  I'm 35 weeks today (well, 34weeks 7days or 35 weeks 0 days depending on how you look at it).  I have about 10 weeks of stuff to catch you guys up on, whew!

August 27th
August was a hairy month.  I started having weird symptoms all at the same time.  It started out with headaches followed by a rapidly beating heart.  Then my face was getting puffy, and it was really hard to breathe.  Then I started having a sensitivity to light and sound, and seeing black spots and flashes floating in my peripheral vision.  Then they all started coming on at once.  I would lay down, because I just didn't feel good.  I would sleep for like 3 hrs, get up, and my heart would pound really hard for a beat, i would notice my head was hurting, and my heart was fluttering.  I checked my blood pressure and it was fine 109/62, but my pulse was over 100 (not normal for me).  Then I noticed I was sweating profusely and my upper lip area had gone tingly numb.

I ended up seeing the optomistrist, cardiologist, allergist, and ENT.  The heart doctor took a listen and said he couldn't hear a murmur, but wanted an echo just in case (especially since I'd never had one).  He was pretty sure everything was pregnancy related.  Just my heart working harder to pump more blood.  Weird, because my heart had to pump harder to push more blood with kelby and i didn't have these kinds of symptoms.  But, if it wasn't pregnancy related, and I couldn't deal with the symptoms he would consider putting me on beta blockers...but wanted to avoid that at all costs.

August 30
The ENT and allergist agreed that my allergies had gone haywire, but they differed in how to treat it.  The ENT said i was screwed, couldn't take anything, and better invest in a neti pot (wel, i have one of those, and while really awesome, it wasn't about to touch the kind of congestion i had).  The allergist said my symptoms were so bad that i really needed to be taking medicine.  So i started back on zyrtec (without the decongestant), singulair, and rhinocort (a fabulous steroid nose spray approved for use in pregnant women).

I immediately started feeling better, but my heart was still acting a little funny.  Then I went to my echo appointment.  I found out that I have mitral valve prolapse with regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension.  What that means is, my check valves are allowing blood to flow the wrong way in my heart, and because of that the pressure needed to get blood to and from my lungs has gone up.  This very well could be to blame for all of my symptoms.  So, I was put on a halter monitor for 30-days to try and catch the goofy beating.

Sept-Oct
I wore it all of september and into october.  I went two weeks straight without having any symptoms, and during the last two weeks by the time i noticed i was having a symptom or thought "yeah, that was weird", it was too late to push the button.  So of course, the monitor was a flop...didn't catch anything and i was in normal sinus rhythm the whole time...which is technically a plus!

October 23rd
The end of october got a little hairy as well.  The weekend before halloween and we didn't have pumpkins to carve, and we didn't have a costume confirmed.  We went to Indy to costume shop, hit up Stoneycreek Farms, and stop for lunch before we got there.  I ended up with a terrible bout of the runs, but didn't really think much about it. The following week, i just didn't feel right.  So monday, I called the doc and of course they wanted to see me.  I was kinda having contractions, but it looked like it was due to how upset my bowels were.  I didn't know this, but it's possible for your bowels to be so irritated they push on your cervix, and it responds by getting irritated.  Not normally a big deal unless you are pregnant, because it can throw you into labor, especially when you have suspected cervical issues to begin with.

October 25th
Well, monday night I went on to town to supervise chapter, and right before it was time to go in, i noticed that i felt wet in the wrong place.  I went to the bathroom to check and sure enough, I was wet, but it wasn't blood, so i just chalked it up to peeing myself a little.  Just in case, after chapter I called the doc, and they sent me to labor and delivery to double check that my water hadn't broken.  Well, it hadn't, but I had a huge infection.  I wasn't sure how that happened, because I didn't have one when i was at the doctor at 5pm.  Anyway, back to the doc on tuesday.  I was scheduled to have a detailed scan because on monday my bowels were so irritated they couldn't take the measurements they needed to fully assess my condition.  I showed up at the office and my blood pressure was up (for me).  Something like 132/75, and I normally run 110/68.  So out of convenience, the doc sends me back across the street to the hospital to have the scan there, and get some blood work done to rule out pre-eclampsia (my last few office visits had showed a slightly elevated pressure, and with my symptoms of the week, it was something they wanted to rule out).

So begins my first unpleasant encounter with the labor and delivery staff at Union.  It just went all wrong from the get go.  The nurse wasn't terrible, but she was kinda pushy.  She wanted a urine sample and she wanted it bad.  I told her I had just given two urine samples across the street for the doc, so it might take me a little while to muster up another.  She got a little lippy, but I understood that she must have a specific way to do her job and i was messing it up.  I finally give her what she wants, and she tells me that she'll be back to put in an IV.  What?  I'm just here for a blood draw and an ultrasound.  She says all pre-eclamptic patients get an IV.  I told her I wasn't pre-eclamptic, to which she argued that I must be or I wouldn't be there.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep from the previous nights hospital stay, but I'd had enough.  I asked her what about me and my present symptoms made her think I was pre-eclamptic, especially since i was hooked up to a monitor and it was showing my blood pressure at 121/68.  She wasn't exactly prepared for that, but was able to spout off the textbook definition of the condition.  it was high blood pressure plus one of the following (from a long list of symptoms...none of which i had).  So she checked my calves, and ankles, and lower leg reflexes...amazing...i passed.  so, she finally ordered my blood work, and then decided to type and cross me just in case i needed surgery.  WHAT!?  But, instead of being an ass again, I just decided to think it must be routine to do it.  In the meantime, I went to get my ultrasound.  The tech kept asking me when I was due and when was my LMP.  12/14 due date, and 3/9 LMP.  Are you sure?  Do you think it could be off by a few weeks? No lady, we've been trying for a very long time and those are exact dates.  Well, okay, I need to take this to the doctor.  She comes back and I asked her how big he was.  She said he was approximately 5 pounds 9 ounces.  She also told me that I was much further along than I thought.  Again, not possible, but I let it slide.  She said she measured his head 3 times, his abdomen 3 times, and his femur 3 times, and all of them put me at 35wks 6days instead of the 33wks 1day I actually was.  She started to explain when the dates are that different that she does multiple measurements to make sure she's done the best job she can. "his abdomen and femur length are normal for 33wks, but his head is throwing the measurements off, it's huge".

Great, just great.  Now, for comparison, my doc (regular OB) had tried to do a scan the previous day and estimated his weight to be a little over 4 pounds.  Granted, she's not a seasoned ultrasound technician, and the measurements are estimates...but why the disparity? So, all i can say for certain is he was somewhere between 4.5 and 5.5 pounds a couple of weeks ago.  Back to my room to wait to be discharged...can't leave until the blood work results are complete and it take over an hour to run them.  Nurse crabby comes in to tell me "essentially, all your labs are normal, so we're going to discharge you."  Well, essentially, which labs are not normal?  I guess she could have done without that comment.  Her eyes certinly told me that she could have done without it.  Well, your blood work is fine, but you have an infection, but we knew that last night.  So, I was freed once again.

November 5th
Then friday rolled around.  I got up super early (3:30am) because I just couldn't breathe very well.  I couldn't go back to sleep by 4:30am so I decided to get an early jump on work.  Before I went into work, I stopped and grabbed some breakfast (thank you McDonald's for being open early in the morning).  I went on in to work, and I noticed I just wasn't feeling great.  I was sitting on the production floor, which is white, so are the walls, so are the tables...white white white.  I felt myself getting a headache across my eyes, and I immediately started seeing black spots.  I noticed my heart was feeling funny, so I sat there a little while, not sure when the nurse would be in.  After a few minutes, I still felt crappy, so i decided to go take my own blood pressure if the nurse wasn't there.  When I stood up, I noticed I was sweating heavily and my upper lip was numb.  My face just felt hot.  My pressure was fine, something like 122/74.  I felt super bad, so I wrote my boss a note telling him that after our 8:30am meeting i was going home because i felt very bad.  I left work around 9:15am, and decided to call the doctor on the way home, just in case they might want to see me.  And they did.

I was finally seen.  Hooked up to the NST for about 20 mins (baby doing great), and plopped in a room.  Doc checks me over, everything "fine" (cervix closed, and listed to baby's heartbeat)...and looks at me with a weird concern "how bad do you feel, do you want to go over to the hospital?" Um, no, I feel wiped out, but I think I'm getting a sinus infection. "Are you sure, you don't look good any you're acting off".  I'm just gonna grab these prescriptions and go home and lay down. "are you sure you should drive? do you want to lay down here for an hour or so?"  Now, it's 11:30 and he has office hours at a different location at 1pm, and still has an office full of patients. Nah, I'll be fine. "are you sure?  do you want me to drive you home instead?"  Doc, seriously, I'll be fine.  I'm just going to lay down at home. "well, okay, but only if you call me and let me know how you're doing, here's my number to my cell."

I leave, thinking how cute it was that he was concerned.  I got to the pharmacy, and they didn't have one of the scripts.  I was hungry, so I grabbed something to eat, but noticed I was feeling worse, and now I was concerned that maybe it could be bad...because why else would the doctor be so concerned?  I texted him a few times, and he tells me to go to the hospital for an EKG.  I do, but admitting wouldn't let me in without written orders.  by now the doctors office is out for lunch, so i just decided to try to make it home and lay down.  On the way home is the other office that he was at for the afternoon, so i decided to stop and have my BP checked.  It was elevated, he wasn't there, so the girls made me stay.  He tells them to send me to labor and delivery, orders are in.  So, i was admitted around 4pm.

That's when I met nurse 1-stick.  She was all about my left arm.  I thought i'd head her off by telling her I had better veins on my right side.  she politely brushed me off and kept feeling around my left wrist (below my thumb).  she nailed it, that's for sure.  i couldn't tell if she was shooting pool or playing bocce ball, either way it friggin hurt.  She did however only need one stick to get the blood work vials, and hook me up to fluids. "my name is amy, and when you get your little paper in the mail, make sure you tell them what i good job i did with your IV." yeah, can't wait to let them know.

my heart was still being funny, so when the doc came to see me he ordered a 24-hr halter monitor.  I got it around 8pm (already had my EKG and it was normal).  Mr. smokey fingers, was really nice, but i almost puked from the cigarette smell on his hands, and worse it seemed to be rubbed all over the wires and cables from the monitor...so i got to smell it for 24 hours.  I tried really hard to get some sleep.  I was warned that they would be coming in every 4hr to monitor me and every 8hr to monitor baby.  at 1:30am they decided to move me.  they needed my room.  I'm pretty sure I heard 3 babies being born around me.  i was glad to get moved, the bed was bigger, room was quieter, and the TV was from a decade in time I was familiar with.

Now, I thought i was getting out saturday morning...mainly because the doctor said i was getting out saturday morning.  That silly little halter monitor changed everything.  I couldn't leave the hospital with it, so i was stuck until at least 8pm saturday.  The doc came and checked on me again, and told me no matter what to get that monitor off and read before 5pm, because he wanted the results.  Well, after he left the cardiologist came to see me, and he was all kinds of confused.  He was in the ER, and doesn't normally see pregnant women...especailly one's who are still pregnant and in a room in the postpartum ward.  He and my current nurse (Ms. Jenny, who was fantastic, and at the end of her shift told me it was her last day there...i almost cried) decided it was dumb to take it off.  Doc comes back to see me and says, just stay til it's over and we'll let you go home in the morning.  As of that time, I still looked like crap, and despite having nearly 4 bags of fluid, I still wasn't peeing regularly.  I'd also had the sweats off and on, and my heart while better was being a little funny off and on.  I agree and doc says I'll get out sunday morning.

Then the real fun begins.  I managed to fall asleep from 2p-6p.  My nurse was fantastic and never woke me up once.  The nurse in charge of getting my vitals wasn't so awesome.  I got good at just sticking my arm out for the blood pressure cuff, and pretty much staying asleep.  when i finally woke up, Nurse fantastic asked me how i was feeling, with this weird look on her face.  I said, as a matter of fact, my belly really hurts a lot, and i've been sweating really badly.  she says "well, you've been contracting."  I guess for 10 minutes straight, i was having pretty decent regular strongish contractions.  After that, I had after shocks for another 4 hours.  It was weird, because i couldn't really feel my whole stomach tightening (like a contraction).  It felt more like someone was trying to rip my pubic hairs out one by one.  I felt really bruised right over my pubic bone.  Of course it was shift change, but I ended up back on the monitor, and was showing "irritations".  Whatever happened, my uterus was pissed off about it.

well, sunday morning rolls around and i'm not out.  The doc comes to see me (the other doc in my regular doc's practice), and I walk her through the past few days, and she tells me how terrible i look, and that my face is swollen.  she gets my urine tested, checks me over, and orders me some prescriptions.  I think she's convinced I'm a pre-eclamptic waiting to happen.  I'm glad she's proactive and thinking about my health, i just can't make the connection logically.  The only thing I have had consistently is elevated pressure (headaches and spots).  But my pressure hasn't been high enough to be called "high BP".  I am concerned, however, that 7 bags of fluid down and my pee still reeks and it's nice and yellow...not clear like I expected.

Somehow, I was sure that being in the hopsital on a weekend meant there wasn't really that much traffic.  I expected to have the urine checked right away, and the meds to be delivered right away.  about and hour goes by with nothing, so i rang the nurse.  i wasn't in the system to have my urine tested, and "it can take up to half a day to get meds from the pharmacy".  I lost all hope of getting out in the "morning".  A while later, Nurse paula deen walks in with some meds.  Here's your claratin and your flonase.  What? the doctor ordered zyrtec and rhinocort.  Well, this is what the pharmacy gave me, so here you go.  I tried to break the uncomfy ice by telling her claratin wasn't worth a crap, and she told me it was the only allegy medicine the pharmacy had.  I then told her I wasn't going to take the flonase.  Why not? it's not approved for use in pregnant women. what are you a nurse or something? no. i'm a chemical engineer.  rhinocort is the only class b nasal steroid approved for use in pregnant women. hmm, i'll be back.  she comes back a while later with a book, and reads the section for pregnant women under flonase. "only to be used when the symptoms outweigh the risks"...I guess you were right.  Yeah, I know, I'm not taking that.  The symptoms aren't that bad.

I texted all this to my doc who decided he needed to come see me again.  Around 3pm, I was feeling better and it was the first time in 2 days he said that i looked good. so we all agreed it was time to go home.  I finally got released...and a week of bed rest.  I'm worn out as I can be, and I can still feel the braxton hicks.  they're very minor, but a tad painful nonetheless. 

back to the title of this post "things i've learned this time around"

~as cliche as it sounds, every pregnancy really is different. 
~I most certainly need to make myself a maternity hospital gown, because the sliver of fabric they gave me never had a chance of covering my backside, and
~I really need to wash little dude's clothes, because it's become apparent that he could arrive at any moment, and I really need to pack my hospital bag (and travel with it).  I was in the hospital all weekend, and hadn't showered since thursday night.  I was hooked up to monitors and an IV so there wasn't a chance to shower...and I had the smell to prove it.  I was embarassed...but everything seems to be fine.  it seems as though the sinus infection and dehydration started all of this, and the rest can be explained away as late term pregnancy fatigue (oh, and i should be feeling braxton hicks right now).

5 weeks and counting...hopefully the next post is more "birth announcement" like :) My nesting instincts have gone into overdrive, and exhausted as i am, i am about to take a toothpick and a q-tip and clean behind the baseboards :) I know crazy, and i'm not going to do it...but the desire it there.  As a preview, here's what crazy things I've done so far (or plan on doing):
~completely rearranged all kitchen cabinet contents (grouped by food type and use, and placed in the most logical place to grab them when actually needed).
~cleaned truck inside and out (vacuum, windows, new mats, leather polished, and all plastic parts cleaned and sparkly. (this is a story in and of itsself, resulting in a new battery and arguments with 4 different "mechanics" over a dead battery or a busted starter).
~cooked 3 different meals and have them frozen already (and thinking of at least 3 more i'd like to make and freeze).
~found the shower too dirty to stand in, which resulted in scrubbing the bathroom top to bottom including places that no one can see inside the toilet.

I also plan on:
~dusting the house from top to bottom (ceilings, baseboards, celing fans, vents and returns, and our front dor stoop...spiders have taken a liking to that area and it's driving me nuts to see all the crap stuck in the webs), and cleaning all the windows
~finishing all outstanding baby related sewing projects (car seat and canopy, crib bumper, and numerour bumper...now add maternity hospital gown)
~finishing the details on kelby's princess castle loft bed
~bleaching the bathrooms top to bottom
~painting the baby's room (crazy, i know...you would think that 3 months of bed rest would have proved ample time to get some of these things done)
~and my most favortie task...preparing for thanksgiving (gotta get the dining room cleared of all my sewing projects so we'll have a place to eat...that should provide ample leftovers to freeze for the first few days after delivery...mmm