Bump in the Road

If you haven't read my previous post, you might want to.  It will go back and explain some of the things I've been going through over the past several days.  I could stretch this out and make it a long story, but I will do my best to condense and get to specifics.  Stick with me here...

So I had a normal appointment today.  Blood pressure was fine...110/60.  I wondered if something was up when baby's heart rate was in the 130s.  And that is NOT a bad thing, just not normal for us.  Baby has ALWAYS been in the 150s.  Always.  So the fact that he was down a little bit was confusing, but I really didn't think a thing about it.  Especially since he was active and moving around.  Like I said, totally normal and of no concern whatsoever...just slightly eyebrow-raising considering what has always been of norm.

She came in and measured my belly and asked me how I had been feeling.  I said, "Eh, not very good over the past week.  I've actually felt really horrible."  I continued to explain all my symptoms (headache for the past week that has NOT gone away, no matter what I take, sleeping 4-5 hours a night, shortness of breath, nausea, pain under my ribs, faintness, paleness, not being able to eat, etc.) and told her about my episode on Friday (once again, see previous post).  She got very serious and just stared at me.  She asked me to sit up and she pulled up my pant legs.  She looked at my swollen legs and feet and checked my reflexes.  I thought I was normal and fine.  Until she said, "I'm not liking what you're telling me and I'm not liking what I'm seeing.  We need to have some blood work done."

She said my reflexes were alarming to her.  Something about how when she would push on me, my feet would push back at her twice.  Don't really know what that means, but she didn't like it, haha.  She is concerned about me possibly have toxemia.  She told me about a number of tests and appointments I need to have set up and I asked her if I needed to just take the next 2 days off work and she looked at me and said, "Uh, you're not working until at least Monday.  And then, depending on your test results and how you handle bedrest, you may be off until you deliver."  I think my jaw dropped at that point, my lip started to quiver, and my eyes welled with tears.  I asked her, "Well, what happens if I DO have toxemia?"  She said, "Unfortunately, the only cure for toxemia is delivery."  As you can imagine, I completely freaked out in my head.  Kyle spoke up and said, "You NEED to tell my wife this.  She works herself too hard and unless you tell her she needs to stay off her feet, she's going to keep on working harder than she should."  And then I admitted, "It's true...I'm a bit of a workaholic and push myself.  So unless you say I'm on bedrest and need to take it easy, I'm going to keep on doing what I do and think I'm invincible."  She just stared at me again and told me I HAVE to be on bedrest and take it easy.  No questions.  She was dead serious.  And I actually believe her.

So what now?  Well, first of all I went back to the school to get stuff ready for a sub for the rest of the week.  I called my assistant principal to let him know I'd be out the rest of the week and would need a sub.  Then I called my principal to update her and let her know what was up.  She was kind enough to send out an e-mail to the staff to let them know what was going on.  Then I called a fellow team-member from across the hall to update her so that she could inform the rest of my team and keep a look out for my room and sub.  Ahhh...I panic about not being there, haha.  I'm learning to LET IT GO.

Tomorrow morning I have to head the lab to get a urine kit (that sounds weird...lol...).  I will have to collect a urine sample for 24 hours straight.  That will be fun, I'm sure.  Thursday morning I head back into the lab first thing in the morning for a blood test and to "turn in my sample."  They are checking my liver enzymes and some other things which I don't know what they are (if any of you are nurses or know anything about all this, they're taking blood to check: CBC/Platelets (diff.); Routine UA w micro; 24 Hr. Urine Creat Clear; 24 Hr. Urine Protein; Amylase; Lipase; Uric Acid; Albumin; Total Protein; Alk. Phos.; SGOT; SGPT; T. Bilirubin; Dir. Bilirub....don't know what ANY of that means...).  Thursday afternoon I go back to the OB to go over the test results.  Monday I will be re-evaluated to see how I handled bedrest and what steps to take next.  Whew.

Needless to say, I'm a bit freaked out.  I was shaking for a good hour as everything set in.  But Kyle and I KNOW that God has me and baby protected and that He will work all things out for good.  Things may not be exactly what I had planned or what seemed right, but goodness knows He knows WAY better than I do.  He's NEVER let me down and I have no reason to believe He would now.  That's not His character.  That's not who He is.  Am I nervous?  Yes.  Am I afraid?  I can honestly say, not really.  I think I'm more freaked out that this path I was on has a big bump in it and has made things a little off-course.  But I'm not scared.  Just holding on tight.

I will post again Thursday night at some point to give an update about the blood test results.  Until then...