The moment of truth. My first u/s. L came with me, which was nice. Dr. T wanded over my ovaries, which are still full of big follicles, and said, "Oh, thank God, those are your ovaries. I thought there were like 20 sacs in there." Ha ha. Very funny. Then he quicky went over my uterus and I saw 2 dark spots. Then Dr. T said, "Ah, but there are 2 sacs in here." He focused on the one to the left and typed "Baby A" on the screen. He zoomed in and there it was - a tiny pea with a flickering h/b. 102 bpm. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. Then he moved over to "Baby B." Definitely more photogenic than Baby A - the little bean was right in the middle of a perfectly round sac - little heart pumping away at 120 bpm. Both babies measured 6w1d. OMG. This is really happening. I feel so blessed and so excited about these precious gifts!
Next u/s is scheduled for 8/6. I have no idea how I am going to make it until then.
Monday, July 20, 2009
CNL (Crazy Neighbor Lady)
4 times a week, I go straight from work to school and get out at 9:30. Today was no different, only this time I stopped and picked up dinner, so I was finally getting home around 10:15. I pulled up to my house to see my dog, Cash (a 70-pound boxer) standing on the sidewalk, and some lady screaming and throwing rocks at him. Cash was just standing there tilting his head from side to side, and CNL was hysterically screaming and throwing rocks - she probably scared him half to death.
I called him over to me and put him back in the yard, and then CNL started screaming at me. I spent 20 minutes convincing the woman not to call the cops. People assume that he is a vicious dog and are terrified just b/c he is big. God, he'll lick you to death before anything else.
Then, as she was leaving - finally calm - he jumped the fence and chased her cat down the street.
::sigh::
MH was inside playing Call of Duty on Xbox by the way and left the back door open, even though he knows our dog can jump the fence at will. The best part is that he didn't come out once to investigate the screaming. He "didn't hear it." Thanks, hubs. MH doesn't seem to understand that they will take our dog away, whether he is violent or not. Cash can't just roam the neighborhood freely. MH is about to be grounded from the Xbox.Thursday, July 9, 2009
Beta hell
My 3rd and last beta came in at 193 at 16dp3dt, so it pretty much doubled in 48 hours. RE was happy enough with that not to draw a 4th. Of course, when hearing everyone else's betas, I was convinced that this PG wasn't viable. My betas were way too low. And then to have to wait 2 whole weeks for an u/s? Ridiculous. Obviously, I asked a million questions on thebump.com and googled "low beta success stories" 100 times.
PSA: Google is evil.
PSA: Google is evil.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Not again...
My weight shot back up and my girth increased, so I called the RE. They told me to go ahead and come in that day. They said there was definitely a re-accumulation of fluid, and there was a chance they'd have to drain it again, but they'd like to avoid that if they could (yeah, me too!). They also drew a 2nd beta. It came back at 100. Doubling time? 72 hours. The outer-outskirts of normal. Great. This thing is over before it started.
Monday, I went back to work (against Dr. T's orders). Around 11 a.m., I went into the bathroom and thought that my incision was bleeding everywhere b/c my shirt was soaked. Luckily, it was black so no one noticed. But thankfully, it wasn't blood, it was my old friend the straw-colored fluid - the same stuff they just drained 4 days before. I called the RE, and again they had me come in. They ended up stitching the incision closed and this time ordered (didn't advise) me to stay home and off my feet until at least Wednesday. So I went straight home and happily went to bed. Are we noticing a pattern here? I love sleep. :) However, I did go to school, b/c I didn't have any absences left. :( That was awful, then again it always is.
Then, Tuesday, I was back to the RE again. I think they were really getting sick of me. This time it was for my 3rd beta. Again, I was in bed all day until I had to get up for school. RE called at 5 p.m. to tell me that there was a mix-up with the lab and they didn't run my beta. !! The nurse said that they should have it in an hour and they would call as soon as they got it. Finally, right before I was about to go to class they called. 193! So it doubled in 48 hours; Dr. W seemed pleased, and told me to call the next day and schedule an u/s for 2 weeks out. Whew! Still PG. For now.
Monday, I went back to work (against Dr. T's orders). Around 11 a.m., I went into the bathroom and thought that my incision was bleeding everywhere b/c my shirt was soaked. Luckily, it was black so no one noticed. But thankfully, it wasn't blood, it was my old friend the straw-colored fluid - the same stuff they just drained 4 days before. I called the RE, and again they had me come in. They ended up stitching the incision closed and this time ordered (didn't advise) me to stay home and off my feet until at least Wednesday. So I went straight home and happily went to bed. Are we noticing a pattern here? I love sleep. :) However, I did go to school, b/c I didn't have any absences left. :( That was awful, then again it always is.
Then, Tuesday, I was back to the RE again. I think they were really getting sick of me. This time it was for my 3rd beta. Again, I was in bed all day until I had to get up for school. RE called at 5 p.m. to tell me that there was a mix-up with the lab and they didn't run my beta. !! The nurse said that they should have it in an hour and they would call as soon as they got it. Finally, right before I was about to go to class they called. 193! So it doubled in 48 hours; Dr. W seemed pleased, and told me to call the next day and schedule an u/s for 2 weeks out. Whew! Still PG. For now.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Busting out
I finally got out of the hospital on Friday, July 3rd. When I woke up, they drew more blood and weighed me and I was down 10 pounds from when I was admitted. That is a lot of fluid! Then, I ate the same breakfast as the day before, and it came back up within 20 minutes. I don't know if it was the PG hormones, or the morphine, but it was awful. I got to get a shower for the first time in 3 days, which felt wonderful, and then L picked me up and took me home. Dr. T gave me a note and told me to rest and not go back to work until the following Wednesday. I slept most of the day I went home, too. I know, my life is so exciting.
On the 4th I did some cleaning and L and I went over to a friend's house. They were grilling out and there were a lot of friends there that we hadn't seen for awhile, so it was fun. I was popping Percocet and anti-nausea meds the whole time, but it was honestly nice to be out doing something. Plus, there was pasta salad, which I had been craving constantly, and still am.
On the 4th I did some cleaning and L and I went over to a friend's house. They were grilling out and there were a lot of friends there that we hadn't seen for awhile, so it was fun. I was popping Percocet and anti-nausea meds the whole time, but it was honestly nice to be out doing something. Plus, there was pasta salad, which I had been craving constantly, and still am.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
5.2 liters
My first night in the hospital was the best night's sleep I'd had in over a week. That morphine is a gift from God. :) I woke up at 6 a.m. to 2 very nice nurses coming to draw some blood. The saline drip overnight must have done something because they got 2 tubes out of my right arm relatively easy. My friend, K, works at the hospital where I was admitted, so she came and sat with me for an hour in the morning while I ate breakfast, which wasn't bad by the way. Another one of my REs, Dr. W, came around 7:30 a.m. with the results of my beta. 51 @ 11dp3dt. Perfect. Damn weak hospital urine PG test - making me worry all night. I immediately called L and told him, since the negative the night before really upset him.
Dr. W and Dr. T came back around 9 to do a procedure called "paracentesis," where they drain the fluid from my abdomen. L and K were both there, as well as 3 doctors, so it was interesting to have a room full of people in the room while this was being done. They gave me 2 shots of Lidocaine to numb my upper right abdomen. Then Dr. W made an incision - all the way through my muscle - and inserted the tube. Then she hooked the tube up to a 1-liter vacuum container. The first container was quickly filled. She just kept switching out containers; the whole process took about 20-30 minutes. After it was all said and done, they had drained 5.2 liters, which was a new hospital record! I felt so proud. :)
I don't really remember what I did the rest of the day after that. I had a couple of visitors, and L and my mom both came over for awhile. I slept A LOT. And I felt so good.
Dr. W and Dr. T came back around 9 to do a procedure called "paracentesis," where they drain the fluid from my abdomen. L and K were both there, as well as 3 doctors, so it was interesting to have a room full of people in the room while this was being done. They gave me 2 shots of Lidocaine to numb my upper right abdomen. Then Dr. W made an incision - all the way through my muscle - and inserted the tube. Then she hooked the tube up to a 1-liter vacuum container. The first container was quickly filled. She just kept switching out containers; the whole process took about 20-30 minutes. After it was all said and done, they had drained 5.2 liters, which was a new hospital record! I felt so proud. :)
I don't really remember what I did the rest of the day after that. I had a couple of visitors, and L and my mom both came over for awhile. I slept A LOT. And I felt so good.
I hate you, OHSS (cont'd.)
Where was I...
Okay, so yesterday, K drove me to the hospital, and L followed us. As we're registering in the ER, I had to run to the bathroom and actually vomited for the first time. Red Gatorade. Yum. I only had to wait 20 minutes or so; my admission Dx was "abdominal pain." Yeah, to say the least. They took me back and had me pee in a cup first thing.
My mom showed up as they were trying to start the IV. I have bad veins as it is - I have 1 good one inside my elbows on each arm. Thanks to the OHSS, which causes the fluid in my veins and blood vessels to seep into my abdomen, I had no veins. I suggested they try inside my left elbow first, so they did. No go. So then they tried the other arm. Nope. How about the left hand? Uh uh. After 3 failed tries, they finally called IV services. They got the IV in my left forearm first try. However, when the hooked up the saline drip, the IV infiltrated, so all the saline just started pooling up in my arm. Not pleasant. So they took that out. Brought IV services back. They tried in my right hand, then my right wrist. Finally, they ended up putting in my left foot. Yes, in my foot. Awesome.
At that point, I was crying. All I wanted was a damn drink of water and they wouldn't give me one. Then, to make things even better, someone mentioned to my mom that my urine PG test was negative. Really? FML. Then the ER doc finally came in and said, "Oh, let's see if we can figure out what's wrong with you." Really, fucker? I already told you what's wrong. I have severe OHSS. Apparently OHSS is very specialized, and people outside the RE field aren't familiar. I just kept telling him, "Call my RE, call my RE." And what do you know? When they got ahold of Dr. T, he told them to admit me, put me on pain meds and anti-nausea meds and they'd see me first thing in the morning. I love you, Dr. T.
Okay, so yesterday, K drove me to the hospital, and L followed us. As we're registering in the ER, I had to run to the bathroom and actually vomited for the first time. Red Gatorade. Yum. I only had to wait 20 minutes or so; my admission Dx was "abdominal pain." Yeah, to say the least. They took me back and had me pee in a cup first thing.
My mom showed up as they were trying to start the IV. I have bad veins as it is - I have 1 good one inside my elbows on each arm. Thanks to the OHSS, which causes the fluid in my veins and blood vessels to seep into my abdomen, I had no veins. I suggested they try inside my left elbow first, so they did. No go. So then they tried the other arm. Nope. How about the left hand? Uh uh. After 3 failed tries, they finally called IV services. They got the IV in my left forearm first try. However, when the hooked up the saline drip, the IV infiltrated, so all the saline just started pooling up in my arm. Not pleasant. So they took that out. Brought IV services back. They tried in my right hand, then my right wrist. Finally, they ended up putting in my left foot. Yes, in my foot. Awesome.
At that point, I was crying. All I wanted was a damn drink of water and they wouldn't give me one. Then, to make things even better, someone mentioned to my mom that my urine PG test was negative. Really? FML. Then the ER doc finally came in and said, "Oh, let's see if we can figure out what's wrong with you." Really, fucker? I already told you what's wrong. I have severe OHSS. Apparently OHSS is very specialized, and people outside the RE field aren't familiar. I just kept telling him, "Call my RE, call my RE." And what do you know? When they got ahold of Dr. T, he told them to admit me, put me on pain meds and anti-nausea meds and they'd see me first thing in the morning. I love you, Dr. T.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
I hate you, OHSS
Work at this point had become pretty much unbearable. I actually ended up calling in sick again today b/c the pain after sitting down for any considerable amount of time was just unbearable. I hadn't been able to button my pants for over a week. I was using the rubber-band trick with jeans, but that doesn't work so well with tab-waisted dress pants. Ugh. Keep in mind that, in addition to work, I had class from 6:30pm to 9:15pm 4 nights/week. Despite leaving early and calling off of work, I had still been attending class b/c you can only miss 3 classes. Anymore and you automatically fail. But when I got home from work on Wednesday, getting to class was pretty much an impossibility.
My friend K, who is a nurse, came over in the morning. Always brutally honest, she told me I looked like shit. Thanks, K. :) I pretty much laid in bed all day, b/c laying flat on my back was the most comfortable position. I had been taking Vicodin for pain, but it made me nauseous. So then I would take Phenergan, which was some help.
By 5:30, when it was time to get up and go to school, the pain had become pretty severe. Having an extended conversation was hard b/c of the SOB. The nausea made it almost impossible to eat. I called my mom and she didn't answer. I sent L out for some Gatorade, and then called K. I told her what was going on and she immediately headed over to my house, even though I told her not to. Thanks again, K. :) I also paged my RE, who told me to take an extra Vicodin and keep drinking the Gatorade and she would see me for my appointment in the morning.
When L came home I was writhing around on the bed, trying not to let him see that I had been crying. I didn't want him to worry, but of course he immediately freaked out. K came over and said, "We're going to the ER." I told her my RE said to wait, and she said, "Well, she isn't looking at you, I am." And so we went to the ER.
My friend K, who is a nurse, came over in the morning. Always brutally honest, she told me I looked like shit. Thanks, K. :) I pretty much laid in bed all day, b/c laying flat on my back was the most comfortable position. I had been taking Vicodin for pain, but it made me nauseous. So then I would take Phenergan, which was some help.
By 5:30, when it was time to get up and go to school, the pain had become pretty severe. Having an extended conversation was hard b/c of the SOB. The nausea made it almost impossible to eat. I called my mom and she didn't answer. I sent L out for some Gatorade, and then called K. I told her what was going on and she immediately headed over to my house, even though I told her not to. Thanks again, K. :) I also paged my RE, who told me to take an extra Vicodin and keep drinking the Gatorade and she would see me for my appointment in the morning.
When L came home I was writhing around on the bed, trying not to let him see that I had been crying. I didn't want him to worry, but of course he immediately freaked out. K came over and said, "We're going to the ER." I told her my RE said to wait, and she said, "Well, she isn't looking at you, I am." And so we went to the ER.
+ on FRER
Taken 9dp3dt. Followed by another + 10dp3dt. Thanks, First Response! This is the first + I've ever seen. Beta set for Thursday, July 2, 2009.
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