I try to guess from the hit maps based on location, but I'd love it if you let me know you've been to this site....
Please satisfy my curiousity...
Leave a comment on this post with your name and location! I want to know who's reading my blog?!?!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Keeping Busy
During my time at home "taking it easy", I've been keeping busy with an assortment of projects in addition to doing some work from home. I've just finished two of my latest projects.
a crocheted baby blanket
a crocheted baby hat
I'm not very good at sitting still and doing nothing while watching tv. I've also found that if I keep my hands busy while watching tv, it keeps me from mindlessly shoveling food into my mouth.
I'm in the middle of another baby hat, as well as a baby blanket that I started about 15 years ago with some scrap yarn that was laying around. So that'll keep me busy for another few weeks.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Creativity Makes Me Happy.
Rather than buying new furniture for the baby room, we decided to give some old dressers we had in the garage a makeover. I forgot to take "before" pictures of the small dresser before I started, but it looked just like the larger dresser shown here.
And here's what the finished product looks like.
I'm planning to start the larger dresser today. This fits in with my version of "taking it easy" as I sit down the whole time I'm painting, and have been making an effort to keep my feet up at least some of the time while doing it. It also keeps me sane.
Over the past year or so, I've realized that doing something creative, whether it's painting, drawing, stained glass, or any of the other assorted hobbies I've picked up over the years makes me a much more pleasant person. I'm in a wonderful mood after I do these things, and I've realized that they are truly essential for my emotional wellness.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Returning to work!!!
I got the okay from my doc today. She said as long as the specialist was okay with me going back to work, that was okay by her... as long as I sit a lot of the day and be careful. I'm planning to go back 3 days a week starting monday. Still have sofa duty when I'm at home, with no cooking, cleaning, or exercising.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Temporary Break from House Arrest
Today I left the house for the first time since last thursday when I came home from the hospital. My outing was to see our specialist at EJ. Everything looks good. No bleeding for a week now (since last tuesday when the drama started). Cervix is still closed and the blood clot that was visible on ultrasound before is gone. Placenta is still in the same location, and the doctor doesn't expect it to move because of the fibroids, so I'm probably stuck with the placenta previa diagnosis.
She sent me on my way with the good ole' "Take it Easy" prescription. What does this mean???? I asked for immediate clarification. She said I can try returning to work!!!! but only part time, and I have to try to stay off of my feet most of the day. Tomorrow I have another appointment to see my normal doctor, so I'll get the official word from her, but I'm hopeful since she is normally much more laid back than the super cautious specialist. My mom, who stayed an extra week to make sure I was behaving, has decided that "Take it Easy" means no cooking, no cleaning or other housework, no shopping, and sofa duty whenever I'm at home. I pretty much agree, though I still feel lazy every time I ask either her or Jeff to get something for me.
Staying off my feet most of the day at work will be a challenge, but one I'm definitely ready to try. I don't want to use up all of my sick time before the baby arrives, but I'm still worried all of the time. This has been such a rollercoaster, with one scare after another. I'm still having the occasional weak contraction, and still on the medicine to prevent contractions (which hasn't been that bad since they reduced my dose when I left the hospital). But every little twinge I have I'm tempted to rush to the bathroom to see if the bleeding has started again.
As for work, I'm meeting with the boss tomorrow afternoon after my doctor's appointment. He's setting me up with some software on our home computer so I can work from home sometimes. I'm thinking I'll try to work 3 days a week, and the other days either work from home a bit, or just use some sick time. It'll depend on how well I do at sitting down for most of the day at work... a definite challenge working in a lab.
More to come tomorrow after the official word from the Doc.
She sent me on my way with the good ole' "Take it Easy" prescription. What does this mean???? I asked for immediate clarification. She said I can try returning to work!!!! but only part time, and I have to try to stay off of my feet most of the day. Tomorrow I have another appointment to see my normal doctor, so I'll get the official word from her, but I'm hopeful since she is normally much more laid back than the super cautious specialist. My mom, who stayed an extra week to make sure I was behaving, has decided that "Take it Easy" means no cooking, no cleaning or other housework, no shopping, and sofa duty whenever I'm at home. I pretty much agree, though I still feel lazy every time I ask either her or Jeff to get something for me.
Staying off my feet most of the day at work will be a challenge, but one I'm definitely ready to try. I don't want to use up all of my sick time before the baby arrives, but I'm still worried all of the time. This has been such a rollercoaster, with one scare after another. I'm still having the occasional weak contraction, and still on the medicine to prevent contractions (which hasn't been that bad since they reduced my dose when I left the hospital). But every little twinge I have I'm tempted to rush to the bathroom to see if the bleeding has started again.
As for work, I'm meeting with the boss tomorrow afternoon after my doctor's appointment. He's setting me up with some software on our home computer so I can work from home sometimes. I'm thinking I'll try to work 3 days a week, and the other days either work from home a bit, or just use some sick time. It'll depend on how well I do at sitting down for most of the day at work... a definite challenge working in a lab.
More to come tomorrow after the official word from the Doc.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
And the Hospital Tours continue...
So we got a first hand tour/experience of both Tulane Lakeside and East Jefferson Hospitals this week. On tuesday, at 25 weeks and 5 days, I started bleeding again. After a call to my doctor and an immediate call back from the nurse, we were off to Tulane Lakeside, the hospital of choice for labor/delivery when the time came. From 4:00 until 10:00, I had the pleasure of being briefly admitted into one of Tulane Lakeside's fine labor and delivery rooms --- this is an experience I normally wouldn't have gotten to have because I'll likely be having a c-section. I was hooked up to a monitor for baby's heartrate, and another clever machine which told me I was having contractions every 2-4 minutes. Great.
So after 2 shots of something to stop contractions and make me feel like I had just taken several hits of Meth (or what I imagine this would feel like) and six hours of monitoring, I was released.
As it happened, I had an appointment already scheuled for an ultrasound with our specialist at East Jefferson in the morning, which in retrospect is probably the only reason Tulane Lakeside released me. But in my recently optimistic state, I thought everything was fine.
So yesterday morning, we went to the specialist for our ultrasound. Mom and Dad are in town (having flown in tuesday morning just in time for the drama) and came with me to the doctor's appointment. I thought it would be fun for them to see an ultrasound and get to peak at the baby. Well, there was none of that. The ultrasound was all business, focusing on what I then found out was placenta previa, or my own fibroid demented version of it. And then came the big moment... we're admitting you.
"What?!? You can't admit me! My baby shower is tonight!"
"Cancel it"
Instant tears.
So along came the wheelchair and off I went to labor and delivery at East Jefferson -- the current hospital of choice for us. I spent the night hooked up to the same clever machines, which beeped, alarmed, thumped and made every other inconvenient noise possible throughout the night. My sweet, sweet husband spent the night on the expandable couch next to my bed ... sleeping like a baby while I tossed and turned. I got another shot of the "meth drug" which is actually called Brethine and makes your heart race and makes you all shaky, and then they started me on Procardia (an oral blood pressure medicine which stops contractions) and also makes me feel like complete crap because I already have low blood pressure --- now I have low blood pressure, headaches, nausea, and shakiness. During the night, my blood pressure was actually 82 over 47 (or almost dead), but the nurse didn't seem too concerned.
In the morning, my specialist checked me out again, and said I could go home (thank god!) But here's the kicker... home is the only place I can go. I'm done with work for the next 4 weeks. Done with exercise, done with walking, done with everything. Complete bedrest. Only up to eat, drink, pee or shower. They'll re-evaluate again after 4 weeks and I might - "might"- get to go back to work until the baby comes.
So I missed my own baby shower (which Jessica, Becky, and Sun spent lots of time and effort planning). Though in their neverending sweetness, Becky and Jessica brought flowers, balloons, my shower cake, and food up to the hospital for me, and even dropped some off at my house for my parents and Jeff. Thanks girls! And Thanks for understanding... I feel awful about all of this.
I guess if nothing else, we found out that East Jefferson is where we want to be. Both my normal doctor and specialist say that the doctors and care there for a premature baby will be much better than at Tulane Lakeside, and I was much more impressed with the care I received at East Jefferson as opposed to Tulane. I guess not everyone gets to try out their labor and delivery choices before the actual event.
So if you all have any movie, book, magazine, or in-active entertainment ideas, send 'em my way! I'll be sitting on my butt and eating ice cream for the next 4 weeks.
So after 2 shots of something to stop contractions and make me feel like I had just taken several hits of Meth (or what I imagine this would feel like) and six hours of monitoring, I was released.
As it happened, I had an appointment already scheuled for an ultrasound with our specialist at East Jefferson in the morning, which in retrospect is probably the only reason Tulane Lakeside released me. But in my recently optimistic state, I thought everything was fine.
So yesterday morning, we went to the specialist for our ultrasound. Mom and Dad are in town (having flown in tuesday morning just in time for the drama) and came with me to the doctor's appointment. I thought it would be fun for them to see an ultrasound and get to peak at the baby. Well, there was none of that. The ultrasound was all business, focusing on what I then found out was placenta previa, or my own fibroid demented version of it. And then came the big moment... we're admitting you.
"What?!? You can't admit me! My baby shower is tonight!"
"Cancel it"
Instant tears.
So along came the wheelchair and off I went to labor and delivery at East Jefferson -- the current hospital of choice for us. I spent the night hooked up to the same clever machines, which beeped, alarmed, thumped and made every other inconvenient noise possible throughout the night. My sweet, sweet husband spent the night on the expandable couch next to my bed ... sleeping like a baby while I tossed and turned. I got another shot of the "meth drug" which is actually called Brethine and makes your heart race and makes you all shaky, and then they started me on Procardia (an oral blood pressure medicine which stops contractions) and also makes me feel like complete crap because I already have low blood pressure --- now I have low blood pressure, headaches, nausea, and shakiness. During the night, my blood pressure was actually 82 over 47 (or almost dead), but the nurse didn't seem too concerned.
In the morning, my specialist checked me out again, and said I could go home (thank god!) But here's the kicker... home is the only place I can go. I'm done with work for the next 4 weeks. Done with exercise, done with walking, done with everything. Complete bedrest. Only up to eat, drink, pee or shower. They'll re-evaluate again after 4 weeks and I might - "might"- get to go back to work until the baby comes.
So I missed my own baby shower (which Jessica, Becky, and Sun spent lots of time and effort planning). Though in their neverending sweetness, Becky and Jessica brought flowers, balloons, my shower cake, and food up to the hospital for me, and even dropped some off at my house for my parents and Jeff. Thanks girls! And Thanks for understanding... I feel awful about all of this.
I guess if nothing else, we found out that East Jefferson is where we want to be. Both my normal doctor and specialist say that the doctors and care there for a premature baby will be much better than at Tulane Lakeside, and I was much more impressed with the care I received at East Jefferson as opposed to Tulane. I guess not everyone gets to try out their labor and delivery choices before the actual event.
So if you all have any movie, book, magazine, or in-active entertainment ideas, send 'em my way! I'll be sitting on my butt and eating ice cream for the next 4 weeks.
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