Health Update

So, I was a complete wreck on Wednesday after a phone call from my doctor's office.  There are two doctors at the office I go to and I normally see one doctor but the last two times I've been in they scheduled me with the other doctor.  Anyway, the doctors had a mis-communication of some kind and long story short, my regular doctor had not been being properly informed about what I had been telling the other doctor (somehow the things I was reporting in my appointments and the advice I was getting from the doctor to rest was not in my file???).  So that led to a my doctor's assistant saying something to me over the phone about having no record of my pain in my file (whaaaaat?!?!?!?!?) and ... ugh... I was beyond frustrated yesterday.  I just felt like I wasn't being taken care of or followed up with which was super concerning since I'm a first time mom having a not-normal pregnancy and I need help!  I was already having a bad day because it was like my first trimester showed up all over again and I was dry heaving and nauseous all day long in addition  to all my pain and I had no appetite at all - I was miserable!  So adding all those things with feeling totally not taken care of really pushed me over the edge and I was an emotional wreck.  My parents were great about talking me through things on the phone, and when Aaron got home he went with me to get pie (because pie makes everything better - true story)  :)
Anyway, my doctor called me this morning as soon as she talked to her assistant and was very concerned when she heard I was still in so much pain.  She asked me to come in so we could figure things out.

So I went to my doctor (accompanied by my awesome friend, Brenda!) and she said that I should not still be in this much pain because contrary to what the other doctor said, it was not normal at this point.  So she thinks there has to be something going on beyond ligament pain and ovary issues.  As we were talking she leaned forward and poked me on the right side of my belly and asked if it hurt.  She had hit right where I've been having the most pain and I was surprised she zeroed in right where I've been hurting most!  She said that was right about where my gallbladder is.  Awesome.  (By the way, I had told the other doctor that's where it hurt and she said that was just normal ligament pain.)  My doctor said she knew where to check because she noticed I was sitting completely on my left side and not putting any weight on the right side, which she said told her a lot about what was going on.  So we talked more and she's ordered another ultrasound to check things out, but at this point she thinks I have either gallstones or hydronephorsis (fluid/inflammation around my kidneys).

Good news:  neither one hurts baby!  Yay!  So basically at this point we're just waiting for the ultrasound to see what exactly it is.  But either way she said we can't really do anything about either one because it's not worth the risk to the baby.  She said she'd suggest narcotics for pain but she already knows I'll refuse so she wasn't going to bother.  It's nice seeing a doctor who knows me :)  Oh and the best part is that she said she thinks our risk of pre-term labor has seriously decreased and she said she thinks the baby will go to full term as long as we keep me healthy, because baby is plugging along just fine.  YAY!!!!

*insert celebration dance here*  :)

At this point my limitations are to basically do what I need to do rest-wise to manage the pain and not push myself.  She wants me to get connected with a pre-natal chiropractor or pre-natal massage therapist to help with the pain, and if that doesn't work she wants to try physical therapy.  Her concern is that since I'm not putting any pressure on the painful areas, I'm compensating with my back and that's causing increased back pain and additional problems (ding ding!  I hadn't even told her yet about my increasing back pain).  Oh and she suggested I get a belly band to help relieve some pressure, so I just ordered one on Amazon, hope it helps!  I asked her if I could just take my "suck it up and push through it" approach like I would totally do if I wasn't pregnant, but she said absolutely not because the pain management is also for the baby.  Apparently when my body is stressed I'm releasing stress hormones that hurt the baby, so that needs to be avoided if at all possible.  Boo.  I was kind of hoping I could start cleaning my house more or even go in to work sometimes, or do something to get my life back.  But it looks like lying on the couch and working part time from home will continue to be my new reality for the next few months.  And that's okay.  Whatever it takes to get my healthy baby in my arms, I'll do it.

My doctor did reiterate that travel was not an option right now, so I guess I need to finally get around to cancelling those plane tickets... I was secretly hoping that I'd magically get better in time to go on our trips.  Wishful thinking I guess - can you blame me??  Luckily I used my Southwest points so it's refundable anytime :)  Also my doctor had been planning to follow up on my low-lying placenta at 28 weeks but she moved that follow up date to 24 weeks because she's anxious to peek at baby again and check on the progression of things sooner than later, all things considered.  So hopefully the placenta is moving up and we can hope for a natural birth, otherwise we'll have to plan on a c-section if it hasn't moved.  I'm fine either way, there are pros and cons to both delivery methods and in the end I just want my baby to get here.  But I think it will move and my doctor is optimistic that it will move as well - it's a fairly common issue that generally resolves itself.

Oh and needless to say, I asked the front desk not to schedule me with the other doctor anymore.

So stay tuned for the official diagnosis, but that's the news so far.  It feels so good to be getting answers finally, regardless of what they are!  I just hate not knowing!  It makes a huge difference to be with a doctor who is familiar with me and my situation and actually takes the time to help me and find answers and solutions.  And it was also very helpful to bring a friend to help make sure all my questions were answered and help me remember everything the doctor said - thank goodness for fireball friends who are willing to drive you to the doctor at the spur of the moment and have your back at the appointment!!

And I'm love LoVe LOVING that we might go full term!!!