My Fab. Feb...

I guess it's time to update my blog, although sometimes I wonder why I even write, I don't think many people read it... maybe it's just for me, since I haven't been writing in a journal or anything else either and I know that I will want to look back on this pregnancy experience... Anyway...

So, I was waiting for my Dr.'s appointment that was on Feb.7th to write so that I would maybe have something to write about. Well, besides getting to my appointment and having my doctor leave suddenly (gotta go when the hospital calls, babies don't wait, or so I hear) and being seen by another doctor, everything looked good and it was boring and normal. (Which are good things in a pregnancy...) So, I was going to write about it on Wednesday the 8th, but I didn't really feel like it and then we had a WIC appointment and later that day I had to go to church (I am in the Young Women's Presidency, as the secretary) for our weekly activity. Then later that night Gus and I were sitting on the couch watching tv and I suddenly had pains in my lower back that were sharp. I thought that maybe they were just gas pains and that they would go away in a little bit, so we just kept watching tv... Then they got worse. I asked Gus to pound on my back to see if that would help but it didn't do much. So, Gus was like, "lets go to bed now and see if it will go away..." Well, the pain got really bad and I was making a lot of noise... and Gus was getting worried. So, we called the doctors office and our nurse told us to go to the hospital. Luckily we live right behind the hospital- literally, we are a block away. So, we went and everyone was thinking that I had a kidney infection, which seemed reasonable to me, seeing as how I had already had a few UTI's this pregnancy... Although, the thought did cross my mind that seeing as how I had just been to the doctors the day before, they should have caught it since they do a urine sample every time, but maybe they had missed it in the doctor transition because my doctor was there when we got there but left before she could see me. Also, I had heard that when you have a kidney infection, it is torture to touch the kidney and for me it helped to hit it and kind of try to "jiggle it" if you will. I was kind of jumping up and down (small jumps) to try to make the pain go away. Either way, I was in pain and wanted it stopped!

So, they got me up in to L&D (Labor and delivery), cuz that's where they send all pregnant women, no matter the problem. They got me all hooked up on the monitors to check on the baby. Baby's heart beat was great and I wasn't having contractions. Although, I wasn't worried about it because I was having ZERO pain in my stomach area (yes, I do know that sometimes labor is back pain, but I really felt like everything was ok with the baby, and it was). So the nurse came in and had me pee in a cup and gave me some perkacet (No idea how to spell it...) which I really don't like, it makes me crazy, and I told the nurse that, but she said, "Well, this is what the dr. said to give you." and then told me that the dr. thinks it is a kidney infection and then they gave me a big o'l shot in the butt for the infection. Well, about 2 seconds after I took the pain meds I threw them up and I was still dying of pain.

The nurse left and then came back in and said that they were  going to have to start an IV. I was fine with that because I had never had a problem with needles and such. Well, they tried one spot and couldn't get anything- not a single drop of blood. Then the doctor on call came in and said that they think I might have kidney stones. Oh yay... it runs in the family. My Dad is a kidney stone making machine! Anyway, she tries to get the IV in my arm this time and finally gets it in, but it doesn't last very long (and I STILL have a bruise from it). Luckily it was long enough to get some pain meds in, that took effect almost immediately. I felt dizzy and I laid down and went to sleep. But then they needed to get a new IV in me, so they call in someone special (I honestly have no idea who it was because I was kind of loopy) and she gets a good one in my other arm that lasts the rest of the time. With all the IV solution they are running through me, I now have to go pee a lot and the pain meds only last about an hour at a time. So I was waking up every hour or so to go pee and get more meds for the pain. They also brought in an ultrasound tech to check my kidneys and ureters (the lines that bring the urine from the kidneys to the bladder) and Gus kept saying "wake up Mickell, they need to check you." Well, I liked the drugged/sleepy state I was in better then the painful awake state and wanted to just say "no, you wake up yourself..." haha but I was to tired to even talk and then I heard the tech say that I was just fine and that it was just as good and I thought "hah!" haha but none of that ever left my brain, too much work to say it all... ;)

Well, the tech told me that I might have some "gravel" in there, but she didn't really see a stone. Humm.. ok, well, just let me sleep... ;) But then all the nurses coming in said that they were told that there was nothing there. Well, after I went pee one time, the nurse says "hey, I think I might have found the source of your pain" and shows me a stone. It was a fairly descent size too, especially if you consider the size of ureters... It was probably about the size of the circle of the 9 or 6 on your keyboard, and it is round- not just a flat circle.

I then basically just slept and peed the rest of the night/morning away. (we went in at about 10:30pm on Wednesday night). I was still in a lot of pain though. At the change of shifts around six I was ready for more pain meds but the nurse said that it wasn't time yet and that she would let the next shift know that I could have it in like 15-20 min. I said ok and then went back to sleep. Well I woke up about 40 min later and was in a lot of pain. So I told Gus to go get the nurse and the new one came in and I told her that I needed my pain meds and that they were suppose to have given them to me awhile ago. She said "well, we don't just give the pain meds out, you have to ask for them." What? I had! I told her and she was like, "well no one told me and we have to do an assessment on you first." So she hooks all the monitors back up to check the baby and everything was just the same, and then she listed to my heart and such and then left. I was in so much pain. I was rocking and crying and made Gus go back out there to get someone to give me my meds and finally they came back in and gave them to me and I went back to sleep. When the new on-call doctor came in around 9am he said that they were just going to watch me, but if I didn't progress then they might have to send me up North to a bigger hospital... oh great. Around 11 they told me that they were going to move me to the regular floor. I was so happy because I had just been in like a triage room this whole time and the bed I was on was made for being able to deliver babies, so the bottom part kept sliding off and it was so uncomfortable.

I was moved around one and the room was so nice, but the nurses weren't as good. Well, so that this post doesn't get too much longer, because I know that I have a tendency to write long posts, I''ll just say that I basically slept and peed the rest of the time while trying to get help from the nurses. I was released around 11 on Friday afternoon. (after they discussed sending me back to L&D because they were short staffed there and L&D was slow) I was sent home with antibiotics (which they said that I would have to take for the rest of my pregnancy) and painkillers. I spent Friday basically sleeping.

Friday night though I didn't feel very good. I felt so bloated! But the weird thing was, it was clear up in my upper stomach area. We just kind of figured that the baby had decided to expand because he has been in my lower ab area this whole time. I went to bed and kind of felt better Saturday morning, but then it just got worse. Sunday morning I went to church, but just felt horrible! My friend who is a nurse at the hospital in the nursery (and the one who actually brought me home from the hospital because Gus and my Mom were still at work) called one of her friends and told me to take some things and call my doctor. Well, I went home and called my doctor, who just happened to be on call. She told me to take some Milk of Magnesia. I hadn't went the bathroom (#2...) since before I had went into the hospital and she said that all the pain meds I was on had backed me up. Which, at this time, is also what I was thinking, but I didn't know what to do about it. Gus ran to the store and bought me some and I felt a small relief almost instantly. But because of how my system works and how backed up I was, I only really felt better on Tuesday when everything was able to leave... Which is actually kind of a long time if you think about it...

Now, lets add to the story just to make it fun... ;) So, on Tuesday my doctors office called and said they had heard that I was in the hospital and they wanted to know what meds I was on. So I told them that they had put me on an antibiotic- a strong dose for a week and then a lower one for the rest of the pregnancy, and then my pain medicine. She said ok, and that she hoped I was feeling better. Well, about a half hour later, my actual doctor called, not just the nurse, and told me that the antibiotic they had given me was one that my body doesn't respond too and that she needs to give me a different one. Oh great... the kicker was though that this one had to be taken 4 times a day for a week, and then 2 times a day after that for the rest of the pregnancy. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate waking up in the middle of the night? I know, just getting me prepared for having a baby... So, besides the times I wake up now to go pee, I have to set my alarm to wake me up to take my meds every 6 hours. Luckily last night was the last night of that and now I just have to take it every 12 hours... Oh, and a side effect of this medicine? Diarrhea.... great, so now I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum... ;) And the info packet said not to take anything for it unless you talk to you doctor first. Fun...

Well, now that I've just told you all more then you probably wanted to know... At least everything seems to be going good with our baby. He's kicking and moving around and getting bigger- and my stomach actually did kind of "pop" during all this and the baby has moved up, so now I actually look pregnant and not just fat. I can actually feel my stomach stretching. I know when a growth spurt is happening. Haha. It's kind of exciting, but a little uncomfortable at the same time... ;) We are getting so excited to meet our little guy. I am now officially 6 months, as of Monday, 24 weeks. 16 more weeks to go!

Also, hope you all had a Happy Valentines Day. That day marked 2 years since Gus and I's first date. We didn't do much because I wasn't feeling to good and that Tuesday Gus had classes all evening. But, it was still nice and I love my husband more then ever. He is my best friend and I am so glad that I get to be his wife! and I know that he will be an awesome Daddy! He truly is the greatest and I am so lucky!!!