This past week will not go down as my favorite week of pregnancy. Last Sunday morning I left church after communion rather than waiting till the end of the service (bad form, I know) and broke lunch plans with Nicole because I felt congested and tired and just wanted to get home and get some rest. Little did I know that was the best I'd feel all week. Oh, and Kevin was still in Seattle so he was halfway across the country while all of the week's events transpired.
I napped much of the afternoon and headed out to meet Jenelle for dinner and the Mavs game with a bit of a headache. I felt a little lightheaded during dinner but thought it was just hunger. But during the game I still felt bad and left after the third quarter.
I didn't feel dizzy on the drive but once I got home I discovered my walls were spinning. In short order, my tummy decided it wasn't getting along with my dinner, or with the crackers I tried to eat after that (which, incidentally, were leftover from the first trimester and rather stale). I crawled up to bed hoping I'd be able to sleep and that this would all go away overnight.
The next morning was even worse. I couldn't even keep down ginger ale, the room was still spinning, and the morning light coming through the windows made my head hurt worse. I called my mom in Austin and asked if she could come up to take care of me. In the meantime I figured since I was supposed to be eating for 2 and I wasn't even keeping down food for one, it was time for medical attention.
I called Marta and she left work right away and within 5 minutes we were off to Las Colinas Medical Center. We started out in the ER then I was moved first to a regular room then to a room on the labor and delivery floor for an overnight stay. Most of the time, I had to have a shirt over my face and the blinds drawn because the light was bothering me. I was hooked up to an IV machine, fetal monitor and a heart rate monitor on my finger. The medical staff decided that between the vertigo, sensitivity to light, nausea, and headache, we were likely looking at a migraine. Imitrex helped immensely and that evening I was successfully able to keep down crackers and juice.
Fortunately through all this Daniel was kicking pretty vigorously. It didn't necessarily feel good being kicked with everything else going on but I was relieved that he seemed to be none the worse for wear. His heartbeat was still strong and he looked okay on the sono they did, though they thought they found a fluid pocket near the placenta. I was concerned when we went to L&D...I didn't recall anyone telling me that we were going to have to deliver early but then I had been pretty out of it so I thought perhaps I had missed this crucial detail. But fortunately they just wanted me on that floor for fetal monitoring and an OB.
Marta stayed with me all day and was joined by Marko around noon. They were awesome, keeping a very worried Kevin informed, giving my mom directions as she drove in, keeping track of what the medical staff was saying and doing. And apparently the room was rather cold, so they were huddled freezing in the dark all day, and I was pretty out of it and sleeping most of the day so I'm sure I wasn't the best of company.
Marta and Marko had plenty of company in the "awesome friends" category that day. Jenelle rented a car to come out and visit me and kept my mom company while they watched a shared favorite show (Castle). Marinda and Elaine both came by with flowers. David Miller, my seminary graduate friend, came by to offer well wishes and a prayer before heading back to Dallas for work. And Lisa went over to the house and fed the cats for me. Countless more friends sent well wishes, thoughts and prayers by phone and email. As craptacular as the whole hospital experience was, the silver lining was seeing how great my friends are. Marko and Nicole and Marko's mother, who was visiting them, even brought us dinner the next night, chicken tacos with homemade tortillas and salsa, even though it meant taking little Alejandro out when he was feeling fussy. Kevin and I are very, very blessed to have such wonderful friends!
My mom arrived Monday evening and stayed overnight in my hospital room on a foldout couch that can't have been too comfy. The constant beeping of my IV machine and interruptions as the nurses came in to check on me didn't make for a restful night for either of us. But finally morning came and I was able to keep down breakfast. Everything but the dizziness was better so I got discharged from the hospital.
And since Tuesday morning I've been dizzy, and it is now Sunday night and the room is still rotating. We went to my primary care doc who agreed that there was likely a migraine but also independent vertigo, caused either by a viral infection or a calcium deposit in the inner ear. Given that I've been pretty congested and tired all week my money's on the viral infection theory. Mom was great, she cooked several tasty meals, cleaned the house, and chauffered me everywhere I needed to go. She even dried my hair for me one day when I was too dizzy to do it. The results were...interesting ;) Aside from the dizziness and hospital unpleasantness it was nice spending the week with her. Kevin got home yesterday morning and has picked up where she left off, minus the hairstyling.
I had to take the whole week off work and it remains to be seen whether I'll be able to go in tomorrow. Sure hope so...tired of sitting at home and burning through all my sick leave. I'm supposed to take a day trip to New Orleans on Tuesday for some trial prep, but it's quite likely I'll have to reschedule that. So, every night I go to bed and hope the next morning will be the one when the dizziness is gone and I'm back to normal. Next week can only be an improvement, right?
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