Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Hawaii & Our 6th Year Wedding Anniversary
I am back! I feel bad that in my last blog post I said that I would do a picture of the day everyday that we were in Hawaii. Well it never seemed to happen. When night time came both Jeff and I were in bed and fast asleep. I am starting to finally get on track again from the time change.
Over the next few days we did many fun things like horseback riding, snorkeling, shopping, and also just driving around the island and finding our own little adventures.
I am on Keiko and Jeff is on Apache
On May 25th Jeff and I celebrated our 6th year wedding anniversary. We spent the morning going to a different side of the island. We had breakfast and then went to a dive shop to rent some snorkel gear (fins, flotation device, and scuba zip up shirts). We then went to two sites for snorkeling. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and I got ready to go get my hair done and Jeff went and did some laundry. We then went and got some pictures before dinner of the sunset of the two of us. Dinner was an experience. Lets’ just say that the more expensive a meal the less likely I am to eat. I do not eat anything that comes out of the ocean. I am more of like a vegetarian except that I will eat chicken and I will eat an occasional hamburger. Other than that my meat intake is very limited. It has more to do with thoughts of the animal and texture than anything else. The concierge at the hotel told us about this place, great atmosphere, good food etc. When I picked up the menu I knew right away that I would be having a salad. I asked if the portions were big and was told yes. So I ordered this fancy tomato salad with onions and some sort of vinaigrette dressing. The salad came in a MARTINI glass. It took me like 8 bites and that was my dinner. I am happier at Subway or getting a slice of pizza. I hate when you pay so much and get so little. There was one item on the menu and it was $80.00 for a steak! WOW is all I can say. I hope they know if that was really one good cow.
Sunset picture
So our Anniversary was a fun day. I will never forget that salad! I think Jeff and I know better now also. Those places make me uncomfortable and the food I could live without really. Cheap date! That is me.
We had a WONDERFUL time. I have to first thank my mom and dad who were so kind and watched the kids for us and did all the duties I normally would do. They put their jobs aside for the kids and Jeff and I are forever grateful. It was harder on Joey than we expected, but we are glad to be home and back into our normal routines again. Already Jeff is out of town on business!
We got to Hawaii and it was later in the evening Hawaii time. It was 4:00am Ohio time when we finally were checked into the hotel and in our hotel room. We were exhausted and welcomed our “heavenly” beds. When we finally got up the next morning we went to the pool and basked in the sun. By mid afternoon I think Jeff and I were both looking at each other like now what do we do? No kids? Relax? No schedule? What is this? So we decided to go parasailing. There was a company right on the beach that was offering it. This was the first time either of us had gone parasailing. I was nervous not because I am scared of heights, but because I was afraid of what would happen if the rope should snap. I am not fond of being out in the middle of the Pacific with whales and sharks. I was told several times that there is nothing to be afraid of because the whales had gone up to Alaska/ Canada for the summer. Anyways it was beautiful. I was surprised that Jeff and I were also able to have a conversation not shouting to one another. It was not loud or windy up there whatsoever. I highly recommend parasailing.
We got to Hawaii and it was later in the evening Hawaii time. It was 4:00am Ohio time when we finally were checked into the hotel and in our hotel room. We were exhausted and welcomed our “heavenly” beds. When we finally got up the next morning we went to the pool and basked in the sun. By mid afternoon I think Jeff and I were both looking at each other like now what do we do? No kids? Relax? No schedule? What is this? So we decided to go parasailing. There was a company right on the beach that was offering it. This was the first time either of us had gone parasailing. I was nervous not because I am scared of heights, but because I was afraid of what would happen if the rope should snap. I am not fond of being out in the middle of the Pacific with whales and sharks. I was told several times that there is nothing to be afraid of because the whales had gone up to Alaska/ Canada for the summer. Anyways it was beautiful. I was surprised that Jeff and I were also able to have a conversation not shouting to one another. It was not loud or windy up there whatsoever. I highly recommend parasailing.
Over the next few days we did many fun things like horseback riding, snorkeling, shopping, and also just driving around the island and finding our own little adventures.
I am on Keiko and Jeff is on Apache
We took a boat ride out to Molokini and went snorkeling and then to turtle town. I had an amazing experience swimming with some sea turtles. They are so gentle and clam in the water. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. We ended up buying our own snorkel masks and then found other places to snorkel throughout our trip. A few other times we saw sea turtles. Of course when I then buy the underwater camera to share this with the kids, we never saw another sea turtle on our snorkel adventures. We did see some amazing fish and coral under water. At one place I was just observing things and was really scared and shocked when I spotted a black zebra moray eel. My fins were moving then. Anything that looks or acts like a snake and I am gone. The eel and I made eye contact and I still get the chills thinking of the thing.
On May 25th Jeff and I celebrated our 6th year wedding anniversary. We spent the morning going to a different side of the island. We had breakfast and then went to a dive shop to rent some snorkel gear (fins, flotation device, and scuba zip up shirts). We then went to two sites for snorkeling. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and I got ready to go get my hair done and Jeff went and did some laundry. We then went and got some pictures before dinner of the sunset of the two of us. Dinner was an experience. Lets’ just say that the more expensive a meal the less likely I am to eat. I do not eat anything that comes out of the ocean. I am more of like a vegetarian except that I will eat chicken and I will eat an occasional hamburger. Other than that my meat intake is very limited. It has more to do with thoughts of the animal and texture than anything else. The concierge at the hotel told us about this place, great atmosphere, good food etc. When I picked up the menu I knew right away that I would be having a salad. I asked if the portions were big and was told yes. So I ordered this fancy tomato salad with onions and some sort of vinaigrette dressing. The salad came in a MARTINI glass. It took me like 8 bites and that was my dinner. I am happier at Subway or getting a slice of pizza. I hate when you pay so much and get so little. There was one item on the menu and it was $80.00 for a steak! WOW is all I can say. I hope they know if that was really one good cow.
Sunset picture
So our Anniversary was a fun day. I will never forget that salad! I think Jeff and I know better now also. Those places make me uncomfortable and the food I could live without really. Cheap date! That is me.
Our last day on the island we drove to Hana. Now the road to Hana has 600 curves and 56 bridges. It was insane! The roads were winding for 30 miles. We decided to do this trip at the last minute after a snorkel adventure and we had no clothes to change into. So we did it in our bathing suits and we were out to find some waterfalls. We did see some amazing waterfalls as well as some amazing views and sights. It was a great time!
We are now back in Ohio and ready for summer. Joey has his last day of preschool on Friday.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Hawaii
Jeff and I made it safely to Hawaii!! We had a four hour lay over yesterday in Seattle. We were greeted with a temperature of 55 degrees and RAIN! We went to our favorite restaurant for lunch and then took the taxi back to the airport to get our next flight for Hawaii. We decided to do a picture of the day. We got a new camera before coming here for our anniversary, so we will be taking lots of pictures and playing with lenses, aperture, and flashes etc. This is today's picture that Jeff took this morning while I was still sleeping. Don't worry I will get back to my pregnancy stories soon.
Enjoy these photos. Hawaii is a GORGEOUS state.
Enjoy these photos. Hawaii is a GORGEOUS state.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Am I pregnant?
December 2002
Jeff and I had been trying now for a few months to conceive our first child. I was beginning to have a ‘feeling’ this month that things were different and in fact maybe I was pregnant. (Warning this post is not for the squeamish!)
I was at work one night caring for a patient. I don’t remember why he was there, but it was kind of strange that he was on our floor. In the ICU 90% of the patients are on a ventilator or CPAP machine. This patient was breathing room air just fine and was even ambulatory asking if he could go use the restroom. What he did not understand about the floor he was on was that there are no bathrooms in the rooms. On an ICU floor there is no need for restrooms in the rooms due to the fact that these patients normally have a Foley catheter in place and that they are bedridden. So again, why I had this patient I do not remember, but what I do remember is that he needed to have a bowel movement. He then told me that he had not had a bowel movement in over a week! I got him a bed pan and allowed him his privacy. When I went back to his room to empty his bed pan I about threw up on the floor right there. It was the worst smell ever. I felt like my sense of smell had become stronger by 1000%. I made it in time to the bathroom before I got sick! (Thank goodness) I literally went running out of his room. I later apologized to him. Another thing that I observed was coming home and the smell of coffee in our home. Jeff drinks coffee and just the smell of the coffee grounds made me nauseated. The final clue was that I had not started my menstrual cycle. These are all pretty good signs. I went to the store and bought a home pregnancy test. I was so encouraged by the fact that the box stated “now test up to 3-5 days before your missed period.” I took the test and it was negative.
A few more days passed and I decided to take another home pregnancy test. I still had not started my menstrual cycle. This time if you squinted you may be able to see a very faint line, but then again maybe my mind was doing tricks with me. So I decided to call my OB and have a blood test drawn. When I went into her office on 12-16-02 they drew the blood. I went home and was excited for the following day to find out the results. Instead I got a phone call from my OB office stating that they spin the blood and that my sample did not spin correctly. I then went back to the office to have my blood taken again.
12-17-02 I received a phone call from Dr. H and I was indeed pregnant. My HCG level was 98 making me 1-2 weeks pregnant. I called Jeff and my mom to tell them about the good news. Jeff was so excited. People kept telling me that he started pacing and saying “I am going to be a dad!”
1-3-03 today was the first time Jeff and I got to see our little bean on the big screen. There really was nothing to see, but they did show us the small flick that was our baby’s heartbeat. What an amazing feeling!
1-3----1-13-2003 I do not know the correct date. I was in the shower one morning and when I got out I noticed some blood. I figured I cut myself shaving. I checked my legs over and there was no blood. I then realized that the blood was coming vaginally. I was horrified. I called my mom! I always call mom. She said call your doctor right away. So I called Dr. H and although it was so early in my pregnancy she took a proactive approach. She told me to call off work and go lie down on my left side. So I did just that.
This was a scary time for me and our family. My sister had two miscarriages early on. I was very naïve when it came to this whole pregnancy thing, but I knew that the bleeding was not a good sign. I was lucky that it was light and more or less like spotting. I stayed on bed rest for a few weeks.
1-13-2003 I was referred to the hospital to the maternal fetal specialists to have another higher tech ultrasound done. It was determined that I was around 8 weeks and 5 days pregnant, there was a fetal heart beat, and NO OBVIOUS SOURCE OF BLEEDING was identified. I was still unable to go to work and another letter was sent to my job explaining that I was on bed rest and unable to return to work.
My Dr. also decided that I needed to have some blood work done to determine if I have any thrombophilia disorders. I was lucky in that my sister and I shared the same Ob. After her two miscarriages before her next pregnancy she had the blood work done for thrombophilias. They found that she is homozygote for MTHFR. I was heterozygote for MTHFR, but they found I was homozygote for something called PAI-1. What does this mean? PAI-1 is the primary inhibitor of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in plasma. Individuals (ME) with 4G/4G genotypes have a higher risk for venous and arterial thrombosis. In pregnant women, 4G homozygosity is a risk factor for fetal loss, IUGR, preeclampsia and preterm delivery. The treatment for me is to take a baby aspirin daily for the rest of my life. Also there were some studies at the time for using a drug called Glucapage. This drug is in fact used for diabetes. So it was determined that if I ever got pregnant again they would start me on this medication.
I was allowed to go off bed rest when I had no bleeding episodes for a two week period.
1-28-2003 I made it two weeks with no bleeding. I called my OB to obtain a “go back to work slip”. She agreed and I was allowed to return to work for 3 8hour shifts only. I was not to lift anything heavy either. This made going back to work very difficult! I am constantly turning bedridden patients every two hours so they don’t get skin breakdown. HMM
I was able to get other nurses and aides to turn my patients. Everything worked out.
FEBRUARY 2003 (MEN OR SQUMISH PEOPLE DO NOT READ)
Jeff was out of town one weekend away in another state for a friend’s wedding. He was in the wedding. Because of the problems I was having I did not attend. I will never forget this night for the rest of my life! I went to Subway and got some dinner. My usual 6 inch ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on Italian white. I was feeling great. By the time I got home I just had to go to the bathroom. I was in my scrubs and ready to eat and then get the dogs taken care of before heading to work. When I went into the bathroom I noticed that my underwear was completely soaked red. I was shocked. I felt nothing. I ran to the phone and called my mom. Who told me to get off the phone with her and call my Doctor. The first thing out of her mouth was you can call off work now and get on your left side. I then tried calling Jeff. This was not like the first bleeding episode at all. This was scary bleeding like I am expecting all of my insides to fall out. I changed my clothes and put a pad in my underwear and went to lie down. Back to Jeff he is at a wedding. His phone is off. He has no idea what is going on at the homestead. I felt so bad for him, but at the same time was so angry because I just wanted to talk to him. We just went through bleeding what is going on? I just did an extra two weeks on bed rest and made it with no problems. An hour passes and I am watching some game network channel. I got up to use the restroom and to see how things are going down there. I look on the pad and it is soaked. To top it off this time there are now quarter size pieces of clots dropping into the toilet. I begin to freak out and telling me this is it. This baby cannot survive this. I called Jeff’s phone again. It is still off. I call my mom again. She says go lie down. I am a wreck. Another hour passes and I go through the same thing. Another soaked pad more clots. I call my mom again. I said I am coming to get you we are going to the hospital.
I do NOT like surprises. I wanted to know what was going on. If I was losing this baby I needed to know and prepare myself.
2310 February 8 2003 we arrived at the hospital. I was 12 weeks into this pregnancy now. I was put into a room expecting the worst. When you have vaginal bleeding the last thing you want is a really cute doctor entering your room. That is what happened on top of the fact that I am sitting there with nothing on underneath my gown. He wheels in his ultrasound machine and decides that because I am so early into my pregnancy that he needs to do a vaginal ultrasound. He pulls out a condom and puts it on the tip of the transducer. I take a deep breath expecting to see nothing. Low and behold there is baby. Baby looks like he is swimming the backstroke inside my womb. Baby has a heartbeat! My mom and I both got teary eyes. There was nothing that he could see that was causing this bleeding. My baby was alive. It was back to bed rest I go!
2-24-2003 back to the hospital I go to see the maternal fetal specialists. The ultrasound revealed that I was now 14 weeks 1 day pregnant. Baby had a strong heartbeat and that I had a blood clot on my placenta. Now there was a reason for the bleeding. There was nothing to do, but stay on bed rest and closely monitor this pregnancy.
3-12-2003 I had a blood test taken for alpha fetal protein. (AFP) My level came back at 3.24. This was high. According to the literature “...indicating an increased risk of an open neural tube defect or other congenital anomalies.” I got a phone call from my Dr. stating I was positive for a neural tube defect. Now what? I was then scheduled an ultrasound back at the hospital with the maternal fetal specialists, genetic counseling, and a possible amniocentesis.
3-25-2003 a GOOD day, finally. Today we found out the following during the ultrasound. I am 18 weeks 3 days pregnant. The retroplacental clot is still visible. But the best news is this “THE EXTERNAL SILHOUETTE OF THE SKULL APPEARED TO BE INTACT.” “AND THE CLOT SEEN PREVIOUSLY I SUSPECT IS THE CAUSE OF THE ELEVATED ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN.”
The last thing we found out today was that we were the proud parents of a BOY! This was quite a surprise to me! I had already been buying pink! I just ‘knew’ my baby was a girl. I always babysat girls so in my mind this had to be a girl. I think I said and told the same people over and over “it is boy” kind of like how did that happen? The pink items went back or to new homes with girls and the blue items started coming into our home. As soon as we found out you were a boy we called you Joey from then on out! You were being named after your great grandpa. I had made a promise that I intended to keep as well as wanting to honor the life of grandpa.
We were asked a few more times about making sure that there was neural tube defect and having an amniocentesis. I said no. If this baby came out with a neural tube defect we would handle it. I was not putting the baby at risk to tell me this. I felt confident in the ultrasound that this baby was just fine. I was taking extra folic acid before I even found out I was pregnant. I remember in nursing school teaching about folic acid and wearing a green ribbon to encourage others to increase their folic acid intake to decrease the chance of neural tube defects. I knew in my heart that this was not an issue for us. I was going to trust my instincts.
APRIL~ a new month and new issues. I started to receive letters in the mail from our insurance company. I worked at a good hospital and so both mine and Jeff’s insurance was through my work. The problem was that I was now not working. They wanted us to pay over $1000.00 a month for our insurance. I was bringing in no money and we did not have this ‘extra’ money. This was a big stress to me. So I had to go back to work, if my doctor agreed and I was not allowed to be doing patient care, but I was allowed to do light duty if I could find someone to take me. I talked to the human resources people and they found a spot for me in the quality improvement department. I was working part time to keep my hours. A desk job. I actually really like it. I met some great ladies. Felt a bit like an investigator which is right up my alley. I always tell Jeff I should have been a private eye or a cop. I am nosey and I like to get to the bottom of things.
The order for returning to work said “no more than 4 hours a day and no heavy lifting.” Due to the fact that the pregnancy was the most important thing to Jeff and me he tried to get insurance through his job. This proved to be a cumbersome task. We were denied because I was considered “a preexisting medical condition.” Once I delivered then it was a different story.
Besides that fiasco April proved to be an uneventful month.
MAY 2003~ the month of May was progressing well. It was decided that I would have a follow up ultrasound on the 22nd to check growth and to look at the clot.
5-22-03 I went to the appointment. I was now 26 weeks and 1 day pregnant. The baby was active. They did see some “mild dilatation of the baby’s left kidney” as well as the amount of amniotic fluid was now low. I was told I had oligohydramnios. I was yet again put on bed rest. I was to spend the weekend drinking as much water and fluids as possible and a repeat ultrasound was scheduled for the following week.
5-27-03 today was another ultrasound down at the hospital. The concerns were to recheck the amniotic fluid as well as the baby’s left kidney. The amniotic fluid level went from 6.6 cm to 17.0 cm. Much better and no longer a concern. The kidney was not dilated and no more concern. Baby was measuring 27 weeks and 6 days.
JUNE
6-6-2003 today was yet another ultrasound. The purpose for this ultrasound was to look again at the fluid levels, kidneys, and baby. The baby’s heart beat was 146 bpm, the amniotic fluid level was 13.9cm, and both kidneys were normal.
At this point RELIEF was all I was feeling. I was thinking that the remainder of this pregnancy now would be smooth sailing until the finish line. Well almost. I have to have a few more scares first.
6-17-03 I am up and on my way to work in the morning. I was backing out the driveway when I felt sick to my stomach. I got out of the car and was leaning over and throwing up in the grass. I felt better after I was done and when I went to get back in the car I felt wet. So I went back in the house and was very concerned that my water broke. I have never been pregnant before and really did not know what to expect. I felt a bit of a gush but not a ton. So I call my mom. She says go to the hospital which I do. I think I may have picked her up or she picked me up. Anyways she was with me. I went to the OB triage and explained what happened and thought my water broke. Well it turns out I wet my pants. Yes, how embarrassing is that. The good thing though is that baby was only 30 weeks along. So I knew he needed more time inside to grow. I was a bit relieved that baby was not coming sooner than we all thought.
There was another time that I went into the OB triage when I was at work. Being that I worked in the hospital I was delivering at and all my appointments were at, there was one day that I just was not feeling baby. By now I was a nervous wreck about EVERYTHING so when I was not feeling much movement one morning I went up to have a nst done. I wanted to just use the Doppler here the heartbeat and be done with it, but they insisted that I lie down and do a NST. Baby was just fine. Good strong heartbeat. I was a bit relieved.
JULY 2003
7-18-03 I worked in the morning and then had a NST at my OB’s office in the afternoon. Jeff was at a company amusement park day in Sandusky which is about 2 hours away. I got the the NST and baby was showing signs of distress and decels. I was told by my OB to go straight to the hospital and have a NST done there. There was concern over her machine as well as if I needed to deliver then I would be at the hospital. I was a bit frantic. Again my mom, dad, Jeff, aunt, uncle, sister, etc were all at this amusement park 2 hours away. So I got a hold of Jeff and he drove up to the amusement park with my aunt and uncle. The three of them jump in a car and start driving probably toooo fast to get to the hospital. It turns out that baby was doing okay...
At this point we are getting farther and farther. I had now formed a pretty good relationship with my OB. I think that she was very proactive, caring, and on the ball with my pregnancy. She and I had felt like we climbed a mountain together. She was not going to have me go 40 weeks. The literature also supported this because of the thrombophilia. We decided on having an induction and she had me go into the hospital on Sunday August 3rd 2003. They would then start the induction process.
I have to admit that when I thought of pregnancy this is not what I ever imagined. When you see the shows on television or movies no one that I had ever seen had gone through so much stuff to carry a baby to term. I was going into this thinking that every mother has a glow and all women look so cute when they are pregnant. I was wrong there too. I had never had acne like I did with this pregnancy. To the point that I had acne on my chest and shoulders as well as my face. I felt like one giant zit. Being on bed rest so much and not exercising I went from being 5’3” and 135 pounds to being 5’3” and almost 200 pounds! I was huge!! I was swollen and when I walked I could fell fluid in my legs. It was a strange sensation. But I was almost at the end of this. I was so excited to see this baby and hold him for the first time. I was so excited to have him out of my ribs. Joey I did not mention was also breech for a long time in this pregnancy. There was talk of maybe a cesarean section because he was breech. He loved to be up in my ribs and he sat high in my chest.
Sunday August 3rd………
Jeff and I had been trying now for a few months to conceive our first child. I was beginning to have a ‘feeling’ this month that things were different and in fact maybe I was pregnant. (Warning this post is not for the squeamish!)
I was at work one night caring for a patient. I don’t remember why he was there, but it was kind of strange that he was on our floor. In the ICU 90% of the patients are on a ventilator or CPAP machine. This patient was breathing room air just fine and was even ambulatory asking if he could go use the restroom. What he did not understand about the floor he was on was that there are no bathrooms in the rooms. On an ICU floor there is no need for restrooms in the rooms due to the fact that these patients normally have a Foley catheter in place and that they are bedridden. So again, why I had this patient I do not remember, but what I do remember is that he needed to have a bowel movement. He then told me that he had not had a bowel movement in over a week! I got him a bed pan and allowed him his privacy. When I went back to his room to empty his bed pan I about threw up on the floor right there. It was the worst smell ever. I felt like my sense of smell had become stronger by 1000%. I made it in time to the bathroom before I got sick! (Thank goodness) I literally went running out of his room. I later apologized to him. Another thing that I observed was coming home and the smell of coffee in our home. Jeff drinks coffee and just the smell of the coffee grounds made me nauseated. The final clue was that I had not started my menstrual cycle. These are all pretty good signs. I went to the store and bought a home pregnancy test. I was so encouraged by the fact that the box stated “now test up to 3-5 days before your missed period.” I took the test and it was negative.
A few more days passed and I decided to take another home pregnancy test. I still had not started my menstrual cycle. This time if you squinted you may be able to see a very faint line, but then again maybe my mind was doing tricks with me. So I decided to call my OB and have a blood test drawn. When I went into her office on 12-16-02 they drew the blood. I went home and was excited for the following day to find out the results. Instead I got a phone call from my OB office stating that they spin the blood and that my sample did not spin correctly. I then went back to the office to have my blood taken again.
12-17-02 I received a phone call from Dr. H and I was indeed pregnant. My HCG level was 98 making me 1-2 weeks pregnant. I called Jeff and my mom to tell them about the good news. Jeff was so excited. People kept telling me that he started pacing and saying “I am going to be a dad!”
1-3-03 today was the first time Jeff and I got to see our little bean on the big screen. There really was nothing to see, but they did show us the small flick that was our baby’s heartbeat. What an amazing feeling!
1-3----1-13-2003 I do not know the correct date. I was in the shower one morning and when I got out I noticed some blood. I figured I cut myself shaving. I checked my legs over and there was no blood. I then realized that the blood was coming vaginally. I was horrified. I called my mom! I always call mom. She said call your doctor right away. So I called Dr. H and although it was so early in my pregnancy she took a proactive approach. She told me to call off work and go lie down on my left side. So I did just that.
This was a scary time for me and our family. My sister had two miscarriages early on. I was very naïve when it came to this whole pregnancy thing, but I knew that the bleeding was not a good sign. I was lucky that it was light and more or less like spotting. I stayed on bed rest for a few weeks.
1-13-2003 I was referred to the hospital to the maternal fetal specialists to have another higher tech ultrasound done. It was determined that I was around 8 weeks and 5 days pregnant, there was a fetal heart beat, and NO OBVIOUS SOURCE OF BLEEDING was identified. I was still unable to go to work and another letter was sent to my job explaining that I was on bed rest and unable to return to work.
My Dr. also decided that I needed to have some blood work done to determine if I have any thrombophilia disorders. I was lucky in that my sister and I shared the same Ob. After her two miscarriages before her next pregnancy she had the blood work done for thrombophilias. They found that she is homozygote for MTHFR. I was heterozygote for MTHFR, but they found I was homozygote for something called PAI-1. What does this mean? PAI-1 is the primary inhibitor of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) in plasma. Individuals (ME) with 4G/4G genotypes have a higher risk for venous and arterial thrombosis. In pregnant women, 4G homozygosity is a risk factor for fetal loss, IUGR, preeclampsia and preterm delivery. The treatment for me is to take a baby aspirin daily for the rest of my life. Also there were some studies at the time for using a drug called Glucapage. This drug is in fact used for diabetes. So it was determined that if I ever got pregnant again they would start me on this medication.
I was allowed to go off bed rest when I had no bleeding episodes for a two week period.
1-28-2003 I made it two weeks with no bleeding. I called my OB to obtain a “go back to work slip”. She agreed and I was allowed to return to work for 3 8hour shifts only. I was not to lift anything heavy either. This made going back to work very difficult! I am constantly turning bedridden patients every two hours so they don’t get skin breakdown. HMM
I was able to get other nurses and aides to turn my patients. Everything worked out.
FEBRUARY 2003 (MEN OR SQUMISH PEOPLE DO NOT READ)
Jeff was out of town one weekend away in another state for a friend’s wedding. He was in the wedding. Because of the problems I was having I did not attend. I will never forget this night for the rest of my life! I went to Subway and got some dinner. My usual 6 inch ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on Italian white. I was feeling great. By the time I got home I just had to go to the bathroom. I was in my scrubs and ready to eat and then get the dogs taken care of before heading to work. When I went into the bathroom I noticed that my underwear was completely soaked red. I was shocked. I felt nothing. I ran to the phone and called my mom. Who told me to get off the phone with her and call my Doctor. The first thing out of her mouth was you can call off work now and get on your left side. I then tried calling Jeff. This was not like the first bleeding episode at all. This was scary bleeding like I am expecting all of my insides to fall out. I changed my clothes and put a pad in my underwear and went to lie down. Back to Jeff he is at a wedding. His phone is off. He has no idea what is going on at the homestead. I felt so bad for him, but at the same time was so angry because I just wanted to talk to him. We just went through bleeding what is going on? I just did an extra two weeks on bed rest and made it with no problems. An hour passes and I am watching some game network channel. I got up to use the restroom and to see how things are going down there. I look on the pad and it is soaked. To top it off this time there are now quarter size pieces of clots dropping into the toilet. I begin to freak out and telling me this is it. This baby cannot survive this. I called Jeff’s phone again. It is still off. I call my mom again. She says go lie down. I am a wreck. Another hour passes and I go through the same thing. Another soaked pad more clots. I call my mom again. I said I am coming to get you we are going to the hospital.
I do NOT like surprises. I wanted to know what was going on. If I was losing this baby I needed to know and prepare myself.
2310 February 8 2003 we arrived at the hospital. I was 12 weeks into this pregnancy now. I was put into a room expecting the worst. When you have vaginal bleeding the last thing you want is a really cute doctor entering your room. That is what happened on top of the fact that I am sitting there with nothing on underneath my gown. He wheels in his ultrasound machine and decides that because I am so early into my pregnancy that he needs to do a vaginal ultrasound. He pulls out a condom and puts it on the tip of the transducer. I take a deep breath expecting to see nothing. Low and behold there is baby. Baby looks like he is swimming the backstroke inside my womb. Baby has a heartbeat! My mom and I both got teary eyes. There was nothing that he could see that was causing this bleeding. My baby was alive. It was back to bed rest I go!
2-24-2003 back to the hospital I go to see the maternal fetal specialists. The ultrasound revealed that I was now 14 weeks 1 day pregnant. Baby had a strong heartbeat and that I had a blood clot on my placenta. Now there was a reason for the bleeding. There was nothing to do, but stay on bed rest and closely monitor this pregnancy.
3-12-2003 I had a blood test taken for alpha fetal protein. (AFP) My level came back at 3.24. This was high. According to the literature “...indicating an increased risk of an open neural tube defect or other congenital anomalies.” I got a phone call from my Dr. stating I was positive for a neural tube defect. Now what? I was then scheduled an ultrasound back at the hospital with the maternal fetal specialists, genetic counseling, and a possible amniocentesis.
3-25-2003 a GOOD day, finally. Today we found out the following during the ultrasound. I am 18 weeks 3 days pregnant. The retroplacental clot is still visible. But the best news is this “THE EXTERNAL SILHOUETTE OF THE SKULL APPEARED TO BE INTACT.” “AND THE CLOT SEEN PREVIOUSLY I SUSPECT IS THE CAUSE OF THE ELEVATED ALPHA-FETOPROTEIN.”
The last thing we found out today was that we were the proud parents of a BOY! This was quite a surprise to me! I had already been buying pink! I just ‘knew’ my baby was a girl. I always babysat girls so in my mind this had to be a girl. I think I said and told the same people over and over “it is boy” kind of like how did that happen? The pink items went back or to new homes with girls and the blue items started coming into our home. As soon as we found out you were a boy we called you Joey from then on out! You were being named after your great grandpa. I had made a promise that I intended to keep as well as wanting to honor the life of grandpa.
We were asked a few more times about making sure that there was neural tube defect and having an amniocentesis. I said no. If this baby came out with a neural tube defect we would handle it. I was not putting the baby at risk to tell me this. I felt confident in the ultrasound that this baby was just fine. I was taking extra folic acid before I even found out I was pregnant. I remember in nursing school teaching about folic acid and wearing a green ribbon to encourage others to increase their folic acid intake to decrease the chance of neural tube defects. I knew in my heart that this was not an issue for us. I was going to trust my instincts.
APRIL~ a new month and new issues. I started to receive letters in the mail from our insurance company. I worked at a good hospital and so both mine and Jeff’s insurance was through my work. The problem was that I was now not working. They wanted us to pay over $1000.00 a month for our insurance. I was bringing in no money and we did not have this ‘extra’ money. This was a big stress to me. So I had to go back to work, if my doctor agreed and I was not allowed to be doing patient care, but I was allowed to do light duty if I could find someone to take me. I talked to the human resources people and they found a spot for me in the quality improvement department. I was working part time to keep my hours. A desk job. I actually really like it. I met some great ladies. Felt a bit like an investigator which is right up my alley. I always tell Jeff I should have been a private eye or a cop. I am nosey and I like to get to the bottom of things.
The order for returning to work said “no more than 4 hours a day and no heavy lifting.” Due to the fact that the pregnancy was the most important thing to Jeff and me he tried to get insurance through his job. This proved to be a cumbersome task. We were denied because I was considered “a preexisting medical condition.” Once I delivered then it was a different story.
Besides that fiasco April proved to be an uneventful month.
MAY 2003~ the month of May was progressing well. It was decided that I would have a follow up ultrasound on the 22nd to check growth and to look at the clot.
5-22-03 I went to the appointment. I was now 26 weeks and 1 day pregnant. The baby was active. They did see some “mild dilatation of the baby’s left kidney” as well as the amount of amniotic fluid was now low. I was told I had oligohydramnios. I was yet again put on bed rest. I was to spend the weekend drinking as much water and fluids as possible and a repeat ultrasound was scheduled for the following week.
5-27-03 today was another ultrasound down at the hospital. The concerns were to recheck the amniotic fluid as well as the baby’s left kidney. The amniotic fluid level went from 6.6 cm to 17.0 cm. Much better and no longer a concern. The kidney was not dilated and no more concern. Baby was measuring 27 weeks and 6 days.
JUNE
6-6-2003 today was yet another ultrasound. The purpose for this ultrasound was to look again at the fluid levels, kidneys, and baby. The baby’s heart beat was 146 bpm, the amniotic fluid level was 13.9cm, and both kidneys were normal.
At this point RELIEF was all I was feeling. I was thinking that the remainder of this pregnancy now would be smooth sailing until the finish line. Well almost. I have to have a few more scares first.
6-17-03 I am up and on my way to work in the morning. I was backing out the driveway when I felt sick to my stomach. I got out of the car and was leaning over and throwing up in the grass. I felt better after I was done and when I went to get back in the car I felt wet. So I went back in the house and was very concerned that my water broke. I have never been pregnant before and really did not know what to expect. I felt a bit of a gush but not a ton. So I call my mom. She says go to the hospital which I do. I think I may have picked her up or she picked me up. Anyways she was with me. I went to the OB triage and explained what happened and thought my water broke. Well it turns out I wet my pants. Yes, how embarrassing is that. The good thing though is that baby was only 30 weeks along. So I knew he needed more time inside to grow. I was a bit relieved that baby was not coming sooner than we all thought.
There was another time that I went into the OB triage when I was at work. Being that I worked in the hospital I was delivering at and all my appointments were at, there was one day that I just was not feeling baby. By now I was a nervous wreck about EVERYTHING so when I was not feeling much movement one morning I went up to have a nst done. I wanted to just use the Doppler here the heartbeat and be done with it, but they insisted that I lie down and do a NST. Baby was just fine. Good strong heartbeat. I was a bit relieved.
JULY 2003
7-18-03 I worked in the morning and then had a NST at my OB’s office in the afternoon. Jeff was at a company amusement park day in Sandusky which is about 2 hours away. I got the the NST and baby was showing signs of distress and decels. I was told by my OB to go straight to the hospital and have a NST done there. There was concern over her machine as well as if I needed to deliver then I would be at the hospital. I was a bit frantic. Again my mom, dad, Jeff, aunt, uncle, sister, etc were all at this amusement park 2 hours away. So I got a hold of Jeff and he drove up to the amusement park with my aunt and uncle. The three of them jump in a car and start driving probably toooo fast to get to the hospital. It turns out that baby was doing okay...
At this point we are getting farther and farther. I had now formed a pretty good relationship with my OB. I think that she was very proactive, caring, and on the ball with my pregnancy. She and I had felt like we climbed a mountain together. She was not going to have me go 40 weeks. The literature also supported this because of the thrombophilia. We decided on having an induction and she had me go into the hospital on Sunday August 3rd 2003. They would then start the induction process.
I have to admit that when I thought of pregnancy this is not what I ever imagined. When you see the shows on television or movies no one that I had ever seen had gone through so much stuff to carry a baby to term. I was going into this thinking that every mother has a glow and all women look so cute when they are pregnant. I was wrong there too. I had never had acne like I did with this pregnancy. To the point that I had acne on my chest and shoulders as well as my face. I felt like one giant zit. Being on bed rest so much and not exercising I went from being 5’3” and 135 pounds to being 5’3” and almost 200 pounds! I was huge!! I was swollen and when I walked I could fell fluid in my legs. It was a strange sensation. But I was almost at the end of this. I was so excited to see this baby and hold him for the first time. I was so excited to have him out of my ribs. Joey I did not mention was also breech for a long time in this pregnancy. There was talk of maybe a cesarean section because he was breech. He loved to be up in my ribs and he sat high in my chest.
Sunday August 3rd………
This picture was taken about two weeks before I delivered. My face tells it all. I can't believe that was me. My husband looks so young!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Joseph Frank
Although my blog starts in the past and is working towards the present day, I need to add this post which makes my blog out of order. I feel that for my kids this is an important post. Growing up I am sure we all have people who enter our lives that we look up to, admire, or feel have made a big impact on our life. The person that I admired growing up was my grandpa. His name was Joseph and he went by Joe.
I have many fond memories of my grandpa. Growing up he came to our home once a week for dinner. He also would go to my other aunt/uncle homes once a week for dinner. Whenever he came he always came with a half gallon of Friendly’s ice cream in hand. Our freezer always had at least three to four flavors of ice cream at any given time. He taught us about the “clean plate club” and made sure we never looked too thin. Whenever he was asked what type of ice cream he wanted after dinner his standard answer was always “whatever you want to get rid of.”
He attended all of our sporting events. Not just mine and my siblings but my cousins also. He was always at the swim meets, gymnastic meets, field hockey games, track meets, basketball games, baseball games, and football games. His nine grandchildren became his pride and joy besides his dogs.
My grandpa always had a four legged friend in his home. He took a love to any and all dogs no matter the breed or size. He often would make himself a sandwich for lunch and at the same time make one for his dog(s). He ate ice cream and the dog(s) helped lick the spoon and the bowl.
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I was very close to my grandpa. I enjoyed his company. I was one of his “brats”. Not all nine of us were brats, but in the end I think it was a good thing to be one of his brats. He was at times feisty and very funny. He would get frustrated and say “damn” and the next thing out of his mouth was always “oh excuse me all to hell.” I love the fact that he never remarried and the memories of my grandma were always in his mind. He lived a simple life and was always kind and considerate of others. As he got older the fact that he lived alone started to show. My aunt (youngest child) and her husband and daughter moved in with grandpa. They lived and cared for him the remainder of his life. I know for all of their sacrifices I am grateful. Had my grandpa went into a nursing home or assisted living I think it would have changed him. He was a Badgers fan. Many of my cousins went to Ohio State. This always made the Ohio State vs. University of Wisconsin fun games to watch.
In March of 2000 my grandpa was getting sick. I was with him when we went to the hospital and found out that he was in kidney failure. He was soon put into hospice. He was given a few weeks and we were lucky to have an extra 4 weeks with him. We were there every day. We were able to spoil him with frostys from Wendy’s, back rubs, visits with the dogs.
This was when I was first starting to date Jeff. I was lucky that Jeff got to meet him one time. This was important to me. I always wanted my grandpa and dad to walk me down the aisle. So to have Jeff meet him when we first started dating was a good thing. We just wish the circumstances were different and the he had not been so sick the first time they met. Besides saying “hello” they really had no other conversation. I can only tell Jeff what a wonderful man he was.
My grandpa was born on 3-13-1914. He was born in Milwaukee and moved to Ohio after his graduation from the University of Wisconsin. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering. He used his degree by working at the Chemical Division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. for 43 years. My grandpa married and had 4 kids. I never met my grandma. She passed away when my dad was only 16. My dad was the third child. My grandpa never remarried and he was able to care for four kids and send them all to college on his own. He was a wonderful father.
I have many fond memories of my grandpa. Growing up he came to our home once a week for dinner. He also would go to my other aunt/uncle homes once a week for dinner. Whenever he came he always came with a half gallon of Friendly’s ice cream in hand. Our freezer always had at least three to four flavors of ice cream at any given time. He taught us about the “clean plate club” and made sure we never looked too thin. Whenever he was asked what type of ice cream he wanted after dinner his standard answer was always “whatever you want to get rid of.”
He attended all of our sporting events. Not just mine and my siblings but my cousins also. He was always at the swim meets, gymnastic meets, field hockey games, track meets, basketball games, baseball games, and football games. His nine grandchildren became his pride and joy besides his dogs.
My grandpa always had a four legged friend in his home. He took a love to any and all dogs no matter the breed or size. He often would make himself a sandwich for lunch and at the same time make one for his dog(s). He ate ice cream and the dog(s) helped lick the spoon and the bowl.
I was very close to my grandpa. I enjoyed his company. I was one of his “brats”. Not all nine of us were brats, but in the end I think it was a good thing to be one of his brats. He was at times feisty and very funny. He would get frustrated and say “damn” and the next thing out of his mouth was always “oh excuse me all to hell.” I love the fact that he never remarried and the memories of my grandma were always in his mind. He lived a simple life and was always kind and considerate of others. As he got older the fact that he lived alone started to show. My aunt (youngest child) and her husband and daughter moved in with grandpa. They lived and cared for him the remainder of his life. I know for all of their sacrifices I am grateful. Had my grandpa went into a nursing home or assisted living I think it would have changed him. He was a Badgers fan. Many of my cousins went to Ohio State. This always made the Ohio State vs. University of Wisconsin fun games to watch.
In March of 2000 my grandpa was getting sick. I was with him when we went to the hospital and found out that he was in kidney failure. He was soon put into hospice. He was given a few weeks and we were lucky to have an extra 4 weeks with him. We were there every day. We were able to spoil him with frostys from Wendy’s, back rubs, visits with the dogs.
This was when I was first starting to date Jeff. I was lucky that Jeff got to meet him one time. This was important to me. I always wanted my grandpa and dad to walk me down the aisle. So to have Jeff meet him when we first started dating was a good thing. We just wish the circumstances were different and the he had not been so sick the first time they met. Besides saying “hello” they really had no other conversation. I can only tell Jeff what a wonderful man he was.
Before my grandpa passed away I had a talk with him alone. I was able to tell him how much I loved and admired him. I told him that if I ever had a son I was going to name him Joseph after him. In typical grandpa style he said “what would you do that for?” He was a wonderful man that I miss dearly.
After the funeral the following day my cousin had a base ball game. Many family members were there and during the game the Good Year blimp circled above the sky. This would turn out to be our own personal family sign of grandpa. This blimp is ALWAYS showing up on days when you need it, or days that are meaningful to our family.
When I’m gone
When I come to the end of my journey
When I come to the end of my journey
And I travel my last weary mile,
Just forget if you can, that I ever frowned
And only remember the smile
Forget unkind words I have spoken;
Remember some good I have done.
Forget that I ever had heartache
And remember I’ve had loads of fun.
Forget that I’ve stumbled and blundered
And sometimes fell by the way.
Remember I have fought some hard battles
And won, ere the close of the day.
Then forget to grieve for my going,
I would not have you sad for a day,
But in summer just gather some flowers
And remember the place where I lay,
And come in the shade of evening
When the sun paints the sky in the west.
Stand for a few moments beside me
And remember only my best.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription. ~Val Saintsbury
Fall of 2002
I began a new job now that wedding was over and we were settled into our new home. I started working in the ICU. The unit has two wings to it, the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). Starting a job in the ICU was ironic in many ways. When I was in nursing school I wanted to be an OB nurse. That was my major goal until I had my first clinical rotation in the OB unit. I was in a major Cleveland hospital and was not accustomed to the many things I witnessed. My whole rotation which was one semester in length I had ONE couple that was a married couple. The majority of the patients I cared for were single moms, (no dad in the picture now that the mom was pregnant), many of the patients had a substance abuse problem, and sexually transmitted diseases. One day I had a patient that was 12 and just gave birth. Yes, I typed that right, 12! When I went into her room for postpartum care she was watching cartoons and someone had brought her some coloring books that she was coloring in. As I observed her I then noticed the precious baby that she had given birth to moving around in her bassinet. I was so sad for both of them. I tried to picture myself in her shoes and I was unable. At 12 years old I did not even know what sex was. At 12 years old I was still playing with dolls and Barbie. I then tried to imagine telling my mom that I was pregnant at 12 and again this was hard to imagine, because I was not even into boys at this age.
When faced with these situations as a nurse all you can do is be there for the patient and try very hard not to be judgmental. I was not there to judge these individuals, but was there to learn. Therefore I learned that I was not meant to be an OB nurse. After this experience I decided that I really wanted to go into critical care and be an emergency room nurse. So working in the ICU was a great way to get some experience. The ironic thing though is that in nursing school I was so scared in my critical care clinical. I avoided a ventilated patient as long as possible. The tubes, beeping, IV lines, ventilator, etc. all contributed to sensory overload for me. I took the job and after a week or two all of the “stuff” used to keep that patient’s alive became just that. Something not to be afraid of, but something that you know is helping this patient to live. It is knowing how everything works that calms you.
The patient who taught me more than he will ever know:
I was at work one night. When we got to work we went to a dry erase board to pick the two patients that we would care for. I picked my two and then went to rounds. One thing I loved about the ICU is that because the patients are so critical the ratio of nurse to patient is much lower than on other floors. For us it was one RN to 2 patients. I learned in report that the patient I was caring for was in his late 20’s very early 30’s. He was here because he suffered a horrific fall. He was a roofer and he was at work and putting a roof on a house. This house had skylights. He forgot about the hole for the skylight and apparently walked backwards and fell through the skylight hole. He suffered a broken arm, and horrible brain damage. The first 48-72 hours after a brain injury are the most critical. He ended up doing okay throughout the night. There were no major changes in his status.
I went to work the following evening and again had this patient. I now had met some of his family members. He was newly married (celebrating his one year anniversary the following week) and his wife was very pregnant. They did not know the sex of the baby, because they wanted it to be a surprise. Today when I got report there were no significant changes, but some concern over the patient’s vital signs. As the night progressed the patient started taking a change for the worse. He had an Intracranial Pressure device in his head. (ICP) The monitor started registering larger numbers than where it was prior. His vital signs also started to increase. I spent the majority of my night on the phone with the resident Dr. He was also now coming to the floor to check the patient again. I was crying, family members of the patient were crying, and the resident was calling other Dr.’s even at other hospitals to seek advice on any medications that could be given. We tried everything we could. I had never seen a patient have a systolic blood pressure number of 230 and not respond to medication. At one point the ICP hit in the 100’s. These are all very severe signs that things are not going to turn around for the patient. I called his wife in and talked to her. She spent some time with her husband before calling the remainder of the family. That night we gave him Morphine and as peacefully as possible let him pass away.
This story is important to me in many ways. First of all it does not matter how young or old you are. It can happen to me and it can happen to you. The fact that the patient was so young and newly married was something that I could relate to. He went to work and that ended up being a place where he would suffer a fall that would later kill him. The next lesson I learned was to be a bit more spontaneous. I decided that I did not want to wait the next 2 years or 5 years to make sure all my ducks were in a row before trying to have children. What were we waiting for? We will never have ‘enough’ money in the bank. Why put our hopes and dreams on the back burner while we plan? We are a loving couple that is married and have a great deal of love to give.
When I got home that morning Jeff had not left for work yet. He knew how much this patient had affected me and he was there to give me a big hug and kiss when I walked into the door. It was after this patient that Jeff and I sat down and started talking about kids. We knew that we both wanted kids so what was it exactly that we were waiting for when it came to trying to get pregnant?
I bought a few fertility books and Jeff and I started trying to conceive. I found out I was pregnant in December of 2002.
Wordless Wednesday
May or June? of 2007. I miss my longer hair. Gabrielle started the funny faces and Joey joined in.
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