Monday, May 19, 2008

I'm still here!!!

Yes, I'm out of the blogging contest (well, at least the one that existed in my mind, lol).

Here's my story as to why (be prepared for some long boring rambling)

So Saturday was the funeral, which sucked. It sucked because obviously all funerals suck, and especially a funeral for a friend, but it sucked cause I was in so much pain. It hurt to stand up and I was having contractions and cramping. I thought it was just 'cause I was stressed and upset, but it just continued getting worse. After the reception (or whatever that is when everyone gathers after the funeral for a meal) I finally had to tell my friends to take me home (we had driven together). I tried resting for a while so that I could go back out that night to a bonfire my friend was having (we wanted to get together to remember the good memories and sort of celebrate Christina's life, if that makes sense). Well, after 2 hours of laying on my left side and drinking fluids, I was in excruciating pain. I called the OB, who essentially told me that he couldn't tell me anything over the phone (and gave me some indicators as to when I should go to the ER), and then called my friend to cancel. Two hours after that I couldn't even find a comfortable position to sit/stand/walk/sleep, etc, so I had my mom bring me to the ER. As soon as they heard I was pregnant, I was ushered off to L&D (very cool that I didn't have to sit in the crowded waiting room). They ran blood work and a urine test and hooked me up to monitors. The good news was that the baby was fine, consistent heart rate, and that my cervix was completely closed and my uterus and placenta were all placed properly. I was having contractions, but apparently they weren't changing my cervix, which is obviously good. However my pain was more localized on the right side (tender to the touch) and my urine came back with excess sugar and my white blood cell count came back high (indicating I was fighting some sort of infection/inflammation). They determined I was dehydrated and I was then on IV fluids the rest of the night. The pain seemed like it was located in an area that could indicate problems with my ovaries, kidney, appendix, or gall bladder. They did an ultrasound of those area and determined (I think) that my gall bladder was fine and that everything was okay with the ovaries. Unfortunately they can't see the kidney or the appendix during pregnancy since they sort of shift and hide behind other organs. However my pain was starting to subside, so eventually they ran some more blood work and urine tests. They were confident that I was rehydrated enough to be discharged and my blood counts were going back down (indicating that any infection/inflammation was subsiding). 9.5 hours after being admitted (and having NEVER slept), I was finally released around 9:00am. Soo, long story short, it MAY have just been round ligament pain that was exacerbated by the dehydration and stress, so much so that the ligament actually became inflamed. However, they aren't convinced that it's not my appendix or a kidney stone. Apparently in both cases the pain can sort of come and go for a while before it become acute enough to be diagnosed definitively. So, please keep your fingers crossed that it was just this ligament crap because I googled "appendicitis while pregnant" and did NOT like what I found.

Not only did I miss the bonfire, but I also missed brunch the following day. We saw quite a few old friends at the funeral and we wanted to get together since it seemed inappropriate to "catch up" in a funeral setting. So, there were about 20 of us that were going to go have brunch at The Lite Bite (where my friend Christina, and a few others, worked during high school). We were supposed to bring our kids (the few of us that have them). I was really looking forward to it. But after having not slept all night, and getting home too late to shower and get out the door, I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to go. Plus, I'm supposed to be "taking it easy" (that general term that means so little to me).

So, here I am, at home at my parents house. I'm trying to "take it easy". It still hurts to walk a little bit, and it still hurts to touch the upper right side of my stomach, but it's significantly better than it was on Saturday. I'm drinking my water. And thankfully I finally got some sleep. Tyler's napping, so I just thought I'd take this opportunity to catch everyone up.

8 comments:

Working Mama said...

Well I'm glad you are feeling better physically today, Heather. I can tell you personally having had "mystery" excruciating pain during both pregnancies (and multiple episodes may I add) that it AIN'T fun. Keep in mind that since they don't want to do excessive nuclear testing on preggo women and since they rarely can see all your insides while preggo...they are just throwing out stuff. All of those conditions have vague similar symptoms and they considered ALL of those same ones with me. Of course my pain had gotten to the point I was vomiting uncontrollable due to the pain. Don't fret too much - rest and listen to your body...don't overly worry, it won't help.

Melodie said...

Well, Heather, you sure do know how to make at trip memorable, don't you? I hope you're feeling better soon. Dr. Melodie says drink your water, get lots of sleep, and take advantage of your parents helping out with Tyler.
Oh, and my definition of "take it easy" is "don't do anything that you don't absolutely have to do." Is that clear enough for you?

Karen said...

I was wondering if you were ok. I just figured you didn't post because of the funeral. It never occurred to me that you were having problems physically. I'm glad you're ok. Take it easy.

Holly said...

Take care, and get lots of rest. Let Grandma and Grandpa have fun keeping Tyler entertained.

Scarlett said...

Oh gosh, Heather. Please please please try to rest. Here's how I take it when they say, "take it easy" - feet up, remote in hand, water by your side, snacks readily available, mom and dad taking care of kidlet. Just rest. And no worrying. Not until you have something concrete to worry about! Take care of yourself, and let your mom and dad help you as much as possible. That's what they really love to do anyway. No matter how old we get, we're still their babies.

Debbie said...

I hope you are feeling better, getting some well-needed relaxation. Let other people help you...you are in the perfect place with your family and friends that have been with you for quite a few years...

Melodie said...

Well, Heather, I hope that now that you're "out of the blogging contest" you won't stop updating us often. I was really counting on you to give me something new to read everyday.

Kandee said...

I had contractions with my last two pregnancies and ended up in the hospital both times. I was dehydrated with no labor...same as you. I hope it isn't kidney or apendix related. Get some rest. My sister had pain in the last trimester and it ended up being the gall bladder. She had emergency surgery 2 weeks after the baby was born. Not fun.