Never a dull moment...long

TiaS16

Never a dull moment in my life...

So, at 5am Thursday morning I woke up, hit snooze and got up 5minutes later. I noticed I wasn't feeling normal, but just took it to be the fact that I'm tired, pregnant and well, I'm tired!! As I was getting ready I noticed baby wasn't as active as usual at 5:20am, but I hadn't eaten so I blamed it on that.

I made myself have some cereal, and about 3 sips of coffee as nothing tasted good. When I was ready to go, I woke up my hubby to say bye, made a half comment about feeling well, and he just said to rest more.

About 20 minutes into my hour long commute I notice the right side of my back and stomach are hurting...blaming it on the car or whatever I wiggle around until it doesn't hurt as bad. I have a bad back, so the fact that I've had random lower back pain for months doesn't send a red flag for me at all. I get to work around 7, and it's painful to get out of the car, again, nothing abnormal when you drive a small car and you have to climb out of it at 8 months pregnant.

I get through the next hour noticing that the pain on right side of my stomach is increasing, but I decide I'll just be a lazy teacher today and sit as much as possible. Another teacher notices me rubbing my stomach and she asks if I'm hurting, I say yes...she offers to get my students but I decided walking might be good for me and I so I say no and I get up to go get my group of 1st graders. 3/4 of the way there the pain doubles, I get into the GYM and can barely stand.

Now, the pain is all the way across my lower abdomen, I'm a FTM with high risk issues so I click into panic mode. The next 30minutes is a blur...they get me in chair, then a wheel chair and out of the way of the kids, parents and staff. The next thing I know I have my purse, keys, phone, I've called the doctor and am calling my husband. Now, my hubby is a great man, however, he is not a man who reacts quickly to much. He is like my older sister who needs time to process, think it through and then react...not the response I was wanting...

So I call him to tell him I'm in a lot of pain, I don't know what's wrong but I need to get to the doctor. To which he asks, 'well, what's wrong?' Again, I say, 'I don't know, I'm hurting and can't stand up or walk.' To which he begins to explain what all is on his plate for the day and he would come get me in a little bit. Now, I'm having pain, panicked and am pissed. I snap at him and tell him that I'm being taken to the doctor and if this is not a priority of his, then I'll take care of it and find my own damn way home. I hang up, and there stands my principal, 2 secretaries, the school nurse and a parent. Thankfully they are are women and mothers, so when I roll my eyes and say MEN! They all laugh and go with it.

So, I'm high risk and live in the middle of nowhere, so I am a couple of hours away from my doctor. One of the secretaries drove me to my doctors office. She put on the flashers and the speedometer never dipped below 100mph. Not the safest move, but we made it in one piece and no crazy driving.

My doctor gets me right in and get me on the monitors. My panic attack has started some contractions...my blood pressure and pulse are sky high but baby is just fine. I'm still hurting, and they can't figure out why in the clinic, so they are sending me to the hospital. About 15 minutes later my husband walks in...he must have flown the whole way as I had an 80mile head start...

I'm admitted to Labor and Delivery around 11 on Thursday...they have surgeons, high risk doctors and my regular OB checking on me frequently. I'm poked constantly, they keep the baby on the monitor and I have the sonograms on every organ in my body and a few on the baby too.

About 10pm, they decide I'm not having the baby (Thank God) but they give me steroid shots for his lungs anyway. They move us to a regular room for the night...with equipment that beeps and makes me crazy all night. I finally get to eat a sandwich when they put us in the regular room. 

Friday morning...I learn lots of things. My kidneys are dilated (swollen and not draining) which annoys my bladder. My gall bladder has sludge, and the walls a thickening. Now, both of these things could be caused by baby and the pressure he, and my uterus, are putting on everything. Or they could be messed up on their own, no real way to tell until after he is born...in the mean time I'm on a bland diet and am instructed to drink MORE water. The semi-scary part is that my placenta is starting to seperate from the uterine wall. Something that shouldn't be happening at 33 weeks. It is also, not something that should be happening without bleeding...but every once in a while there is a "silent abruption" where this happens and there is no bleeding, just pain... This is being blamed on my 12+ hour days at work and the 6cm cyst hanging out in my uterus...

My doctor is fond of reminding me that strange things happen to me, so she wants me cutting my work day down to 7-8 hours with me sitting 98% of the time, no exercise walking or anything that is not absolutely necessary...However, I teach 1st grade, and it's a 70mile, one way, commute for me to go to work. She, my doctor, has threatened me with hospitalized bed rest if I don't take it easy. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do this. She obviously doesn't know how I'm going to do it, or that I'm going to, and she wants me in twice a week to be checked out.

 I get home and hubby is trying really hard to take care of me and everything...but he's used to me doing most of everything...it's just my nature. But he is really cute when he asks where this or that goes...or why the little dog won't eat that.

They release me and I'm home by 3pm on Friday afternoon. Life has been pretty dull since then...but I'm praying it stays that way. I might have an EDD of 12/25, but I'm praying I make it to 12/1 at this rate...

hope everyone else is having a MUCH more boring 8th month... 

Stillharbor

You're right.  A very exciting month, I hope the rest of your pregnancy is much more dull and boring.  GL!

savannat421

bless your heart! i had problems with my gallbladder about three weeks ago. got super sick, had a high fever, and was in a LOT of pain. now i'm also on the low-fat diet and have been told to drink water. i couldn't imagine going through all that you have!

i hope everything goes well for you! i'm due 12/28 and understand the fear that your LO might have to come early. GL!

mama2many

Oh my gosh - prayers going out that everything calms down, you can figure out a way to reduce your stress/activity/schedule & little guy stays healthy.

sugargal

Wow, that's quite the ordeal. Glad to hear you are at home safe and baby is still in there cooking.  Just remember, as I'm sure you know and don't need to be told, that your health is more important and hopefully work will be kind to you and try to lessen your hours and such.  

minervacullen

Well that just sucks. And you must live out there to be that far from everything. What a great coworker you have. I hope you get it all figured out and get the rest you need.
With DS I had hydronephrosis of my kidneys and it was very painful. I can just imagine how bad it is with all of that.

jp03

mama2many:

Oh my gosh prayers going out that everything calms down, you can figure out a way to reduce your stress/activity/schedule amp; little guy stays healthy.

I completely agree I really hope it works out for you, and he keeps on cooking!

LittleFish1

I know how hard it is to let go of some of the control in the classroom and ask for help, but it sounds like you are at that point. Can you get some parent volunteers into your classroom so they can be the ones up and moving around? Also, first graders are old enough to bring their work to you to check it rather than you going to them. What about having some upper grade students who are responsible be "volunteers" who can walk the class in and out of the building for recess, lunch, before and afterschool.

Also, can your site or district give you a temporary reassignment? Maybe there is a resource teacher they can pull in to teach for you while you do their paperwork ... I have read about this being an option in my district on occasion when there is a temporary medical reason.

Also, have you talked to your principal since the other day when you got a ride from the office staff member? He or she might have a suggestion or idea about how to keep you seated ... would have a vested interest in preventing another emergency situation from arising.