Can't Sleep So I'll Blog :)

Well today (actually yesterday since it's 2...) was a very interesting day. I will back up a couple of days for you all so this whole story makes sense... sorry there are not going to be any pictures lol it's going to be a boring one!

Monday, I started swelling in my legs - I have had swelling before... but this was at a whole new level than I have ever experienced. I was no longer able to wear the shoes I had been wearing the entire pregnancy! I was wearing my boots because they zipped up on the sides and when I would swell a little they would unzip so I had a little bit more breathing room. Well my feet swelled up so big I was no longer able to stick socks on or fit my feet into the bottom of my shoe - so I had to come up with an alternative and started wearing sandles.

Tuesday, the swelling in my feet and legs was gradually getting worse - it started hurting when I would walk anywhere because everything was so tight it was just too painful. And, no matter WHAT I did the swelling would not go down! I tried putting my feet up - I tried walking around but nothing helped they were just huge. Well, I know this is a sign of Preeclampsia (for those of you who want to learn more https://health.google.com/health/ref/Preeclampsia) so I was watching it closely. I had Edema with Addi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edema once again for those of you who don't know or want to learn) and so I was really not completely concerned just watched how much water I was retaining and if it was going in my hands or not.

Wednesday, just a normal day my feet were still the same - maybe a little bigger - not much else was swelling I was just pretty uncomfortable - I was watching my sodium intake and drinking alot of water to make sure that my system was being flushed of the toxins.

Thursday, a normal day again - went to bed that night & Addi had a hard time sleeping - we went out to the couch to cuddle for a minute so I could get her back to sleep - we both dozed off on the couch and when I woke up 2 hours later I didn't feel right. I packed Addi to bed and went to the bathroom and I took one look in the mirror - it was something straight from a horror movie. I LOOKED AWFUL!! My face was so swollen I could barely see out of my eyes - my lips & tongue were so swollen that when I was talking my words were slurring. I looked exactly like someone who had, had plastic surgery the day before and their whole face was swollen due to "enhancements". Well, I took a picture of it and could not go back to sleep after that - I waited until about 6 AM when I knew my mom was awake and sent her the picture and asked her if that had ever happened to her. She text me back and said "That is NOT normal, you need to call the Dr." Well I had already been up for about 3 hours at that time and so the swelling had gone down - I didn't want to prematurely call the Dr if it was just a one time freak thing. My dad asked me if it was an allergic reaction to something - I knew that it wasn't I had more swelling on my right side than on my left and I could feel it was all fluid - plus I had not been around, ate or drank anything out of the ordinary that day. My menu consists of the same food every day because of my heartburn. So I told my mom - I will wait if I wake up with a swollen face again on Friday I will call the Dr.

Friday, I woke up again to a swollen face - not nearly as bad as Thursday morning but bad enough I was concerned. Edema in the face is one of the biggest early signs of Pre-E so I knew I needed to be concerned in case my kidneys were failing. I packed my bag - the baby's bag & Addi's bag and got ready to head to Cedar. I knew when I called my Dr at the very least he would want me to come into his office to be looked at. Well we headed over to Cedar & on my way I called my Dr's office - I got a hold of the nurse told her what was going on she said she would talk to Dr Sanders and see if he wanted me to go to the office or into Labor & Delivery. She called back and said head straight over to labor and delivery to be monitored. So, I called my mom and made arrangements to meet her there so I could be on the monitors - she called my Gramma and had her come up to watch Addi while we hung out at the hospital. I thought it was going to be fairly routine - a blood panel, a urine test and on the monitors for a couple of hours - boy was I wrong!! They hooked me up to the monitors and started going through the motions asking me all of the questions they needed to ask & filling out my information. I had all of the symptoms of Pre-E except high blood pressure - which is typically the first indicator. My blood pressure is typically very low - in the 80's or 90's / 60's normal is up to 120/75 and my blood pressure has been running normal - so it's high for me but not enough of a concern for them. I have had a few spikes where it has been high - but it has come back down. Well the charge nurse there (whom I loved) said even though your blood pressure is normal that does NOT mean you don't have it - and the stuff that is going on with you sounds like you either have it or are getting it. I told her I just came in because I would much rather be safe than sorry! I know the baby is healthy - but it's my health that I've been concerned about. So, she called my Dr and they figured out the blood panels & tests I needed to have done while I was there to rule it out and make sure I didn't have it. They drew my blood, had me pee in a cup and sent me down to Radiology to get an ultrasound to check my fluid levels around the baby.

In radiology I got to see baby briefly - head down position definitely ready to come out lol :) and the Ultrasound Tech measured my fluids. She said everything looked great and baby had plenty of fluid so back to my room I went. They put me back on the monitors to watch me while they waited for all of my test results to come back - basically I was just waiting to be discharged because I had a feeling it wouldn't be anything TOO serious (but like I said better to be safe than sorry) well not long after I got hooked back up to the monitors I started really feeling contractions. They were a lot different than the braxton hicks I have been having for so long - these ones were all in my back and talk about PAINFUL! I started watching the monitor and it was going off like crazy they were one on top of the other - my mom started timing them and I was having to breathe through them. The nurse came in with my test results and my discharge papers. She proceeded to tell me that the "acid" in my urine was elevated which means I am most likely transitioning into the early stages of Pre-E and I needed to do a 24 hour urine collection. Well, she noticed I was having a hard time focusing on her and had tears on my face (I was not histerically bawling just in pain enough that they were coming automatically) and she did a quick glance at the monitor. Then she did a double take and she said WOAH are you feeling those? DUH!! :) I was in pain & a LOT of it I said yeah I'm feeling those bad - they hurt like crazy (I was trying to be tough but my heck labor pains HURT). She started scrolling back through my strip and she said wow those are really consistent, I think you might be in active labor. I of course am sitting there thinking you think!! At this point in time my contractions were a minute apart and a minute long and it was definitely LABOR. She said she was going to go call my Dr and ask if he wanted to have a labor check done - he said yes do a labor check. So she checked me and I was the same as last time dilated to a 1 and 50% efaced. I was starting to thin out more but wasn't dilating - I told her I didn't dilate past a 4 with Addi and that they had to "force me" to call it a 4. She told me that she wanted to keep me on the monitor for another hour to see what happened.

The contractions stayed the same, 1 minute apart, 1 minute - 2 minutes long and they were getting more intense by the minute - I was even ready for a pain killer! She came back in and knew I was definitely in active labor - she called my Dr back but by this time he had gone home and there was another Dr on call for his office. He told her to stop my contractions because I was 4 days shy of 36 weeks. (Cedar's hospital policy is to not deliver a baby before 36 weeks UNLESS it is a DIRE emergency) So she came in with a shot of Tributiline (spelling?) and a shot of Morphine to take the edge off of the pain. She said I would get 3 shots in 20 minute intervals - and that it would basically give me the fight or flight response and I would get really shaky & my heart rate would increase. Well let me tell you - that was BY FAR the scariest thing I have experienced I didn't think I was going to make it - I was sure my heart was going to stop and my whole body just started shaking like crazy. My mom held me because she could tell I was scared to death - I told her I felt wrong REALLY wrong and I didn't like it at all - then I apparently hypervhentalated (spelling again?) and my hands on top of shaking really bad started tingling as well as my calves & the oddest thing... my teeth. This happened right after she gave me the morphine shot so I thought it was due to that - I asked her if that was normal and she absolutely not - she went and got me an oxygen bag to breathe into because my heartbeat was racing so much that I was breathing too rapidly. So there I sat with my mommy and my oxygen bag not really sure what was going to happen. I scared the crap out of that poor nurse - she went and called the Dr and told him what kind of a reaction I had had to the shot - he told her not to give it to me again and give me a pill instead. (The pill works exactly the same way it's just not as fast or direct as the shot) So she gave me a couple of pills it took me a good 2 hours to quit shaking and my contractions didn't go away. We waited for quite a while for the Dr on call to make his rounds to see what to do - they decided to discharge me and give me a prescription for the drug to stop the contractions.

So, here I am :) 3 AM and my contractions are back - it's hard to think that if this would've happened on Tuesday instead of today - they wouldn't have made me stop. I know it's in the baby's best interest but it's extremely hard to see it that way when you're in this much pain! I can only take the pill once every 6 hours - so if they do not stop within the 6 hours and I have more than 6 in an hour I have to go back to L&D where they will most likely take the baby. I am definitely anxious to see how this will play out, I know everything will be good and I know the baby is healthy - just hard to play the waiting game!

I will try to keep everyone posted on what is going on - I really appreciate everyone's support through all of this & through my pregnancy. It has really been a rough one on me & it has taken it's toll on my body! I know it will all be over soon enough - but exhaustion makes you think there is no light at the end of the tunnel! I am grateful for my mom - oh my gosh I would be a lost little girl without you!!!! If she wouldn't have been there today when I got that shot - I'm not sure what would've happened I really needed my mommy that is for sure. And it is so nice to know that no matter what both of my parents are ALWAYS there for me - my poor dad has also been carrying the weight of worry around on him & I know that him & my mom pray for me daily - and I know ALOT of my comforting feelings come from their prayers - straight from their hearts! Ok I totally turned into a sap right there :) sorry everyone lol just expressing my love for these amazing people in my life!!

And I want to give a thank you to all of you who have always had encouraging words and helped me stay positive. Even when it may not have seemed like I have been all that positive - I know it could've been a lot worse!