Things I Never Thought I'd Say

After a somewhat hectic Sunday, Mark was out the door early (I'm talkin' 4am...uck) Monday morning for his business trip to Minnesota. I got plenty of sleep that morning, thankfully, so I was able to get a few of the more annoying tasks out of the way...our roof is leaking due to a poorly installed satellite dish so I was dealing with those sort of things.

I spent the afternoon chatting with my mom and living vicariously while she cleaned my living room and kitchen. Sweet! She also made me a tasty dinner. Its so nice having someone cook you dinner. I can get used to this pampering.

On Tuesday, mom ran me around to get some other errands done (bank, shopping, lunch, etc) and we headed to Rockford for my ultrasound and consultation. Everything looked great on the ultrasound. I even got a 4D pic of babies chubby face! Oh lord he has the biggest, fattest cheeks ever! And tons of hair according to the technician. He is measuring right on track at 4 1/2 pounds. All good news. I was planning on heading home within minutes when the doctor came in to conifrm all was well.

He started by saying everything looked good, and then he started reading my medical records. Hmmm...his suggestions were similar to the 2nd opinion we had gotten a few weeks earlier. After some more digging, he also indicated there was no way of really knowing what was going on with out additional tests and an exam. He really didn't understand why my current doctor hadn't done these tests, or why she sent me home from the hospital without at least 24 hours of monitoring.

He was excellent, did a very thorough history, exam, etc and then started asking questions about my blood pressure, weight gain, etc. "Well, you just won yourself a stay in my hospital" he says. "Umm...you mean today?" I asked. "Yes."

Ok, wasn't really expecting that. I knew it was a possibility, but I felt great. The strange thing is, I wasn't admitted because of the abruption, I was admitted because of preeclampsia. Oh joy! Unfortunately, it appears I've been teetering on the brink of mild preeclampsia for nearly my entire pregnancy. This is something I was very surprised to hear. These are the high-risk experts so I assume they have a good a idea. I was kept overnight for monitoring since my BP was 160/100! Holy crap. They also said I had protein in my urine through my whole pregnancy (really?), edema, my weight gain could not have been just because of diet, and the pain in my right side (rib pain) had to be examined as it is also a symptom of preeclampsia as are headaches.

Huh?! I had previously told my regular doctor about the pain in my ribs, she said it was just the baby. She didn't even ask where specifically or poke me or anything. I told her I had a really bad headache at my last hospital visit and obvious swelling. She claimed it was because I wasn't drinking enough water. My high BPs had a tendency to drop once I was in bed for awhile and she said I had NO protein in my urine so no preeclampsia.....Somethings fishy here.

In addition to my regular docs obvious lack of concern regarding a potential placental abruption, she has clearly been ignoring what are obvious signs of preeclampsia. My mom was with me and is not to happy with my current doctor, nor is my hubby. More on that at another time.

So I got hooked up to the monitors an settled in my hospital room with absolutely nothing to do. Ugh! I should have at least planned for the worst and brought my hospital bag along. I tracked down some magazines, got some crossword puzzles, watched a TON of TV, and became quite the talker whenever a nurse, cleaning lady, or nutritionist came to the room. :) It passed the time.

Thankfully I was released last night! Woohoo! I have never been happier to be in my own bed. No more complaints about being jailed in my own home. Nearly 2 days in the hospital was enough for me. I don't know how people do it for any longer. Since my problems are 2-fold now, I am on official house arrest. I can no longer even make a sandwich for myself. I am allowed bathroom privledges at least (thank god!) and get to leave the house twice a week to go to the hospital for 2 hours of monitoring. I will go in twice a week for at least 2 hours until the baby is born. If I show any signs of moving toward more severe preeclampsia or other symptoms associated with the abruption, the baby will be delivered and we'll be done with it.

So that's the latest news. I was freaked out for obvious reasons while in the hospital, but after talking to the high-risk doc who released me last night I feel tons better. I only have to hang on until this Sunday, after that I could have the baby any day. All I have to do is stay in bed and I could potential hang in there until nearly 40 weeks! It almost feels like a challenge to hit 40 weeks at this point so I'm determined to remain sloth-like for as long as possible. :)

In the midst of all this craziness, I have uttered sentences I never in a million years thought I would say as an adult. Here are some of the better ones:

"I need more ice for my pee."

"Can we move this thing, my belly button itches?"

"Can I walk?"

"How do I use the bathroom?"

"Yes, I think I understand. So I pee in the hat and dump it in that container, right?"

"Mom, can you bring me clean underwear?"

:)