This has been a very challenging week for me. Saturday I went to a spa and had a pregnancy massage. I was super excited (and so was ManCram because he had purchased it for me for Valentines Day). I didn't have a great experience. The massage felt "good" until I got up from the table and had a horrible but recognizable pain. I realized later that it was because my body wasn't properly supported and a lot of my weight and the baby's weight pressing on my lower back. It was the EXACT same pain I had before my two herniated disc surgeries. I tried to tell myself that my muscles (and nerves) just needed some time to relax since they were just massaged. Well, 6 days later I am now on "modified bed rest".
Sunday (the day after the massage) I was in a good amount of pain but I was able to rest often so it didn't affect me very much. Monday at work the pain was excruciating. I called my OB's office but they were closed because it was President's Day. The doctor on call said that because of my past back/spinal surgeries there was nothing anyone in the practice would be able to do for my pain and that I would have to go see my surgeon to see what he said. I called the surgeon's office who has preformed my previous 2 microdiscectomy surgeries. I was told that he now practices in BOSTON. Ugh. I made an appointment with his partner who still practices here for Wednesday but I wasn't happy about it. I was in a LOT of pain for the next two days until my appointment with the surgeon. At the appointment they did an exam and that was all they could do. I can't have an MRI (which would tell the surgeon whether I had another herniated disc) and I can't take any narcotic pain meds. So long story short, because of my amount of pain and the fact that does think the pain probably being caused by another disc herniation, she recommended "modified bed rest". She wrote a note for my work stating that I should not work until my pain "goes away" or I deliver the baby. My work and I worked out a plan where I can still work from home while resting which is good because being out of work (and money) for 2 months before a baby comes is never a good thing.
As if horrible sciatic pain wasn't a crappy enough way to spend my week, yesterday I went for my OB appointment and I measured small when my OB measured my belly. She scheduled me for an ultrasound to make sure James is growing correctly. ManCram met me at the hospital and the ultrasound started right after we got there. It was great to see James again because we were sure we wouldn't get to see him again until I had him. When it was over, the tech said that all of the measurements looked good and that as far as she could see, James was growing fine. We got a good picture of his face (he is so flucking cute) and we went home. About 20 minutes after walking in the door I got a call from the ultrasound tech. She asked me to come back so that she could recheck my fluid levels because the ultrasound doctor (who writes the dictation for the OB) wanted to see more pictures of it. She assured me that everything was fine but I was still SUPER freaked out. I went back to the hospital and the tech measured each quadrant of my fluid. She had me wait this time to make sure the pictures were enough for the doctor to read and evaluate. She came back in and said that I could leave but then she started telling me a story about her friend that had low fluid and had to deliver at 37 weeks but "her baby was fine". I made a confused face and then she said, "but your's looks fine I think". WTF? I left angry and confused.
I called my OB's office on my way home from the hospital asking them to put a note on my chart for my OB to call me as soon as she got the ultrasound results because I was so freaked out. I didn't get a call from her the rest of the day yesterday and didn't hear anything this morning. At around 2:00PM I couldn't take it anymore and called the office back. The nurse said that she didn't have the ultrasound dictation but she said that my doctor had written "baby measuring good" in my chart yesterday and that she had probably looked up my ultrasound pictures on the hospital system. I asked to please have my OB call me anyway because I still really wanted to talk to her about the ultrasound.
Anyway, this week has sucked and now I getting used to working from home as well as not being able to do much without being in extreme pain. :( 8.5 weeks to go!
How far along?: 31 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gained/lost?: 24.4 pounds as of today. I can only imagine the gaining will happen exponentially from here on out since I'll be sitting/laying down for the next 8 and a half weeks.
Stretch Marks?: More purple squiggles and some new white stretch marks on my back and hips.
Sleep?: I have been taking one Tylenol PM a night before bed just to get through the night with my back, leg and hip pain.
Best Moment of Last Week?: This past week wasn't a particularly good one. The only part of it I actually liked when putting my Mamaroo Swing together. It's pretty awesome.Sunday (the day after the massage) I was in a good amount of pain but I was able to rest often so it didn't affect me very much. Monday at work the pain was excruciating. I called my OB's office but they were closed because it was President's Day. The doctor on call said that because of my past back/spinal surgeries there was nothing anyone in the practice would be able to do for my pain and that I would have to go see my surgeon to see what he said. I called the surgeon's office who has preformed my previous 2 microdiscectomy surgeries. I was told that he now practices in BOSTON. Ugh. I made an appointment with his partner who still practices here for Wednesday but I wasn't happy about it. I was in a LOT of pain for the next two days until my appointment with the surgeon. At the appointment they did an exam and that was all they could do. I can't have an MRI (which would tell the surgeon whether I had another herniated disc) and I can't take any narcotic pain meds. So long story short, because of my amount of pain and the fact that does think the pain probably being caused by another disc herniation, she recommended "modified bed rest". She wrote a note for my work stating that I should not work until my pain "goes away" or I deliver the baby. My work and I worked out a plan where I can still work from home while resting which is good because being out of work (and money) for 2 months before a baby comes is never a good thing.
As if horrible sciatic pain wasn't a crappy enough way to spend my week, yesterday I went for my OB appointment and I measured small when my OB measured my belly. She scheduled me for an ultrasound to make sure James is growing correctly. ManCram met me at the hospital and the ultrasound started right after we got there. It was great to see James again because we were sure we wouldn't get to see him again until I had him. When it was over, the tech said that all of the measurements looked good and that as far as she could see, James was growing fine. We got a good picture of his face (he is so flucking cute) and we went home. About 20 minutes after walking in the door I got a call from the ultrasound tech. She asked me to come back so that she could recheck my fluid levels because the ultrasound doctor (who writes the dictation for the OB) wanted to see more pictures of it. She assured me that everything was fine but I was still SUPER freaked out. I went back to the hospital and the tech measured each quadrant of my fluid. She had me wait this time to make sure the pictures were enough for the doctor to read and evaluate. She came back in and said that I could leave but then she started telling me a story about her friend that had low fluid and had to deliver at 37 weeks but "her baby was fine". I made a confused face and then she said, "but your's looks fine I think". WTF? I left angry and confused.
I called my OB's office on my way home from the hospital asking them to put a note on my chart for my OB to call me as soon as she got the ultrasound results because I was so freaked out. I didn't get a call from her the rest of the day yesterday and didn't hear anything this morning. At around 2:00PM I couldn't take it anymore and called the office back. The nurse said that she didn't have the ultrasound dictation but she said that my doctor had written "baby measuring good" in my chart yesterday and that she had probably looked up my ultrasound pictures on the hospital system. I asked to please have my OB call me anyway because I still really wanted to talk to her about the ultrasound.
Anyway, this week has sucked and now I getting used to working from home as well as not being able to do much without being in extreme pain. :( 8.5 weeks to go!
How far along?: 31 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gained/lost?: 24.4 pounds as of today. I can only imagine the gaining will happen exponentially from here on out since I'll be sitting/laying down for the next 8 and a half weeks.
Stretch Marks?: More purple squiggles and some new white stretch marks on my back and hips.
Sleep?: I have been taking one Tylenol PM a night before bed just to get through the night with my back, leg and hip pain.
Food Cravings?: Anything spicy and mangoes!
Gender?: BOY!
Labor-Signs?: Not since I've been resting so much.
Bellybutton in or out?: Still stretching but I don't think it's going to pop.
What I miss?: This week I starting missing alcohol again. I really want a giant glass (bottle) of white wine.
What I'm looking forward to?: 35 weeks/35 days.
Milestones?: None really this week. I guess growing out of the rest of my clothes? lol.
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