Appointments #10: A Dark Day For Mommy And The Follow-Up

Yesterday was the pits. No other way to put it. Just another horrific day in a string of horrific days. I was at work, doing my thing, having a decent and busy day. It was pretty great to be so occupied after two days spent with a son upset by phantom causes (he's back to his old self).

Then out of nowhere, I couldn't see. Or rather, I couldn't read (insert illiteracy jokes here). My computer screen, paperwork, signs. I could make out people and shapes but numbers and letters all began to run together. I was laughing at this point because it was just so nuts. I was rubbing my eyes and shaking my head as if that was going to fix things. I thought I was talking myself into not being able to see. I still thought the whole thing was funny...until it wasn't.

Everything started to get a little blotchy so I headed up to my supervisor's office just to talk about what was going on. She's a friend so I wanted to see if she thought it was weird. She thought it was weird alright, and dragged me right into the boss' office...the boss man just happens to be my dad.

He wasn't laughing about it either and had keys in hand to take me to the Emergency Room. I wasn't going there! They treated me like garbage last time! I wanted my doc! She was on call and off birthing babies somewhere but she communicated to a nurse that she wanted me in the office for a urine and BP check ASAP. Todd left work, picked me up, and we were off. And by this point, absolutely nothing was funny about what was going on.

I got in the car and right away, started to feel car sick. I reclined my seat but Todd's AC is broken, a horrific headache had kicked in, and I was having monster cramps a.k.a. contractions. I figured they were Braxton Hicks and just clutched my guts and my head and quietly cried while Todd rubbed my leg. It was miserable. What the Hell was happening to me???

Hold on to that question because things only get weirder. As we approached the doctor's office, my left hand went numb. As we walked to the building, my mouth went numb. By the time we got to office, my whole face was numb (like novocaine numb) and I was freaking out. The nurse asked me to give a urine sample and I just cried and cried. I was overwhelmed. But she did explain that the numbness was being caused by me and my anxiety, which was more than understandable as it was a scary situation. I was taking in more oxygen than I was letting out carbon dioxide thus, I was numbing up.

On to the urine.

Right off the bat, I was dehydrated. I knew this. I've been feeling sick for 2 weeks or so. But luckily there was no protein present. And my BP was an excellent 105/65. I had the normal amount of swelling in my ankles, the baby's heart rate was 144, and his growth was good. The nurse said everything was perfect with the pregnancy and she felt confident in saying I was having an Ocular Migraine...which causes temporary vision loss. She's had them (even when not pregnant) and said pretty soon I would start having the worst headache of my life but it was already in full gear.

I was instructed to "blow off the rest of the day", go home into a dark room, cover my eyes and relax. It was suggested that I have the TV on or have Todd talk to me so I wouldn't focus so much on my breathing. I was also told to take 2 Tylenol with something caffeinated. Todd brought me up a Pepsi on ice (HEAVEN) and put me to bed as he picked up our son. But I could NOT get any rest.

I was having contractions about every 10 minutes.

Again, these are probably just Braxton Hicks. I'm having the baby in 24 days but my due date actually isn't for 31 days. October 1st. It's too soon. But I was still concerned because the contractions were "measurable", which is something you're told to look for. Every 10 minutes. They never got closer together, they never got more intense, but they also never went away no matter what I did. AND Sullivan has repositioned himself onto a nerve in my leg so that horrific feeling is lingering. No rest for me.

My dad dropped off dinner for us (B-Spot...mmmmm, chocolate banana marshmallow milkshake) and I was right back in the bed where I've been until now. Where I am at this very moment with a sleeping Spencer next to me. My vision has cleared up...or I wouldn't be phone-blogging...which is comforting but my headache has only worsened. I was expecting it to be gone by now. Silly me.

I have an appointment at 1:30 to actually see my OB/GYN so we'll know what's what then. I'm expecting her to say that the baby is fine (most important) and that this is something I may just have to tough out. We'll see in a few hours.

***
My doctor confirmed that I'm having, what she called, an Opthalmic or Retinal Migraine. She gets them herself. There are many triggers...lack of sleep, hormonal changes, chemicals/medications, stress, etc. So basically, any of the above in my case. Usually the vision changes come first and the headache follows for a few days. She wrote a prescription for something safe for pain (which Todd is currently picking up). Hopefully I can get some rest tonight.

And all is still A-OK with Sullivan! I'm
up exactly 1 pound from 2 weeks ago. My BP was 100/60. He measured perfectly and his heart rate was 147. She said to keep track of the kick counts, of course, and wasn't concerned about the contractions. Back we go in a week! I just hope this upcoming week is better than this past week.

Tomorrow, I can say, "I'm having a baby THIS MONTH!"