Wednesday, June 9, 2010

A little peace at 13

if i have talked to you within the last 24 hours you probably dont need to read this post because your already aware of all the details, unless you wanting to see what clever little one liners i can throw into a story  you already heard once =)


So, as you know for the last 7 or so weeks I have been throwing up everyday, pretty much anything I eat or drink, anytime of the day.  My doctor had been suggesting I go to the ER to get some fluids/IV a few times but I wasn't feeling "dehydrated" so I kept putting it off. Until yesterday that is.

Monday was a bit of an emotional day for me, I was so frustrated with being sick and having such a hard time about being "happy" about having a baby when i'm spending most of the time with my head in a toilet. Thankfully, I work with some amazing women who are sooo good about listening to me and offering such sweet suggestions, making going to work for 40 hours a week a little bit easier. That same night danny and i ate at Red Lobster with our friends The Vaculiks, for Amanda's birthday. I love going out to eat and i love red lobster, its probably one of my favorite "chain" restaurants, their wood fire grilled shrimp is just a little slice of heaven in your mouth. Well, less than 30 minutes after eating that so called slice of heaven, it ended up being a huge pile of vomit on the side of a dirt road. Luckily, danny always knows random back roads and short cuts so when i told him I was about to throw up, he basically said "no problem, heres a good place." And he was right. And then I didnt stop throwing up. So when Tuesday rolled around I started wondering if I was dehydrated, so I called my doctor and she told me to go to the ER. So we went.

Yes, my sweet husband took off work 3 hours early to come to the hospital with me and I'm so glad he did because I ended up being there for over 5 hours. Apparently I was very much dehydrated and had a urinary tract infection due to being dehydrated.  My blood pressure was pretty low, i had lost 6 pounds and my hormone levels were crazy high, causing the constant vomiting. I was diagnosed with  hyperemesis gravidarium, which is basically a severe form of "morning sickness" and usually doesn't go away until 16 to 20 weeks and will probably still hang around the entire pregnancy, just not as aggressive.
Heres a really attractive picture of me in the hospital (that was sarcasm):

Theres just something about receiving a diagnosis. I dont know of its pride or a sense of peace. A since of pride of thinking "i'm not crazy everybody, this isnt your typical morning sickness" or peace "finally some answers with a plan on how to alleviate the symptoms." Either way of thinking works for me I suppose. "The plan" is to continue to take Protonix for acid reflux, eat 3 to 4 bites of food every hour to 2 hours, do not drink while eating, eat mainly carbs, receive fluids when necessary and sleep propped up. Receiving an IV is known to relieve the symptoms temporarily, im hoping it stops the throwing up for good. There are medications that is usually prescribed but I've already tried 3 out of the 5 that are usually given, so I've sort of given up on medicine.
Heres a picture of what the side of my bed looks like right now, propped up by a phone book, a plastic bag in case of sudden vomit, and yes a lot of reading material on "having a baby!"

I havent thrown up at all today, but I admit I feel like i need to pretty consistently, and right now i'm not feeling too "hot". But overrall, throwing up maybe once is a lot better than 10 times. Maybe this 3 bite diet thing is working, but keep in mind i am starving. I'm making some banana bread right now, which should be a good source of carbs =) Next week I may attempt zucchini bread!

So today, I'm 13 weeks! The baby is the size of shrimp and weighs an ounce, which is funny since we just talked about throwing up shrimp! umm so anyway, Thank you to all who called, texted, emailed or facebooked me to see how I was doing!! I really do have such sweet friends and family!

13-medium-shrimp.jpg

2 comments:

  1. Amber, I'm so sorry to hear about all of this. :( I know that I would have so many of the same feelings you have if I were pregnant at this stage in my life. And to be so sick on top of it is awful. I love your honesty and openness, but I especially love your faith. God has a wonderful plan for you (I know you know this), but it's so true, and I'm excited to see what he will do through you and Danny as parents. Praying for you!!!!!

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  2. glad you got a diagnosis, you poor thing!! hope you start feeling better soon. do you feel up to doing the pictures tomorrow?? don't worry one bit if you need to cancel, even if it's last second. just let me know. :) all we are doing around here is eating, sleeping, and pooping.

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