Annie and I both had medical visits yesterday. Since Dr. Looove and Dr. Risky’s offices are close to each other, and since we live decidedly un-close to both of them, I made Annie’s appointment for 45 minutes before mine…and then checked the clock every five seconds to make sure we’d be out of there in time to make it to my appointment.
Luckily, Annie was only there to get the flu shot so she only needed to see a nurse. She was in rare form. She’s been very into Doc McStuffins lately, which is the cutest freaking show ever. She was singing, “Time for a checkup! Time for a checkup!” in the waiting room, to the delight of probably no one, because every other person in that waiting room had the plague flu. I kept her singing quietly and we were called back fast. Annie was really hoping she’d get to see Dr. Looove, and we ran into her in the hallway. Annie loves her (like we all do), and is excited to spend some time with her in a few weeks when she has her three-year well-baby (well-child?) visit.
She got a bit nervous before her shot, but I reminded her that a) she’s had shots before and been okay, and b) mama gets a shot every night and is okay. The nurse was gentle and Annie whined a bit but – no surprise – a Sesame Street band-aid and a princess sticker made her feel alllllll better. The nurse even let her pick out a toy, and Annie grabbed a car. It’s like she knows she needs to prep for a brother.
After Annie’s shot, she and Mike dropped me off at Dr. Risky’s office (Annie isn’t allowed in the waiting room or office). I for sure scared the crap out of a newly-pregnant woman with my violent puking (she was sitting near the bathroom), and then she was close enough to hear Dr. Risky’s nurses ask me all sorts of unpleasant questions about my weight-loss, vomiting, nausea, diet, and heartburn. Congrats on your pregnancy, terrified woman!
I have an ultrasound scheduled for next week, so yesterday was mostly a visit to check on me, although we did hear The Acrobat’s heartbeat with the Doppler. I am small, but next week they’ll be measuring my amniotic fluid, which can sometimes take a hit in HG moms.
Over the last two weeks I’ve been hit incredibly hard with heartburn, and when I told Dr. Risky she said, “Finally a problem I can absolutely fix!” I’m starting on a prescription antacid because the OTC remedies I’d tried weren’t making a huge dent. My heartburn also made my nausea 1000 times worse, and vomiting with heartburn is hell. Do not recommend.
Thanks to the massive flu outbreak, Dr. Risky specifically told me not to go to the ER for fluids. I’ve had the flu shot but, you know…yuck. She needs to work something out for me, though, because I will need fluids before I hit the Labor & Delivery’s magical 20-week requirement to be treated on their floor.
When I met up with Annie and Mike afterwards, Annie was very disappointed that Dr. Risky didn’t give me a sticker. ME TOO, ANNIE. I need to fill out a comment form.
Becca Masters says:
Can your OB not come to an agreement with the L&D floor about you going there for fluids?
It annoys me that they won’t see women until Hal way through their pregnancy.
Over here at my hospital in West London they won’t see you in the Maternity Assessment until after 18 weeks. Which means before then you have to go to the A&E dept (where you often wait a minimum of 4 hours) and they often don’t have any equipment needed to check on how the baby is doing. (Sometimes Drs and Nurses will also say “I dont know much about pregnancy, so I’m not sure, let me get someone else” and the often they have someone come over from the Maternity assessment unit. Which defeats the point if you ask me.
At 9 weeks pregnant I had awful awful abdominal pains and was told that I could only be seen in the A&E and the doctor who saw me had a feel of my tummy and a listen with his stethoscope and then he said “when was your last period”, so I told him and after about 30 seconds he said “well that was 2 months ago so we need to do a pregnancy test” and I looked at my husband and we exchanged looks and I said “well I already know I’m pregnant, I’ve known for 4 weeks now, it’s the ridiculous pain I’m having, am I starting to miscarry?” And the doctor didn’t have a clue!
Which lead me to panic that I was actually going to have a miscarriage and in the end it was my midwife who told me that the pain was ligature pain as my body started to prepare to grow bigger to accommodate my expanding uterus!
So maybe your OB will be able to get you into L&D. Fingers crossed!
Can’t wait to see your next ultrasound picture!
Mary says:
Alere is a home health company for pregnancy that will come to your house to give fluids, monitor a zofran pump, etc. If your insurance is still Anthem, they will cover it.
Rebecca says:
I had severe HG through both of my pregnancies, and wanted to asked if anyone had talked to you about your teeth (I feel like I sound like a door-to-door sales man making a sales pitch.. lol!) I never even thought about them, given the 10 times a day puking bouts, but it ended up being a full 18 months of stomach acid on my poor teeth and not once did any of my doctors recommend anything ‘extra’ for my tooth care (and yep, I brushed after almost every single puke- minus the few times of ‘puking in the gas station in the middle of nowhere’s bathroom’. Oh, and my biggest wish for you, and every other HG woman, is to -never- experience the JOY of puking in an automatic flush toilet… UGHHH)
Anyways, my poor teeth are paying for it seriously now. I now have the mouth of an 80 year old, complete with 5 missing teeth and I’m the not-so-proud owner of a new partial. Did I mention I’m only 28? Yeah. SUCKS.
I found out that I could have opted for an extra-fluoride toothpaste during the pregnancy to offset some of the effects. I know some people aren’t fans of fluoride, but (for me) if I could have saved even one of my poor teeth, it’d have been worth it. lol
Good luck! And your baby bump is ADORABLE!
Leslie says:
My daughter is probably at about the same stage of her pregnancy as you are ( due early to mid June). she has been given IV Pepcid during some of her hydrations. Then on rx after. Worst permanent problem with the hyperemesis has been damage to her teeth, caused by the acid.
This is the third time … They are hoping for a boy after two girls. Your baby boy is giving them hope, lol.
TracyKM says:
Heartburn sucks. It caused my nausea, but took until my third pregnancy to find out that was the cause. Rx meds did help.
However, since going on a low carb/high fat (gluten free) diet, my non-pregnancy heartburn has disappeared. Being low carb will help prevent GD; you’ve mentioned wanting to avoid that this time, have you adjusted your diet yet? I wish I had known about LCHF while I was pregnant!!
Heather says:
Ugh, it’s such a double0dged sword for me. Right now I just need ANY calories, but usually those are also high in carbs (fruit smoothies and such). My OB wants me to just EAT ANYTHING. So I will likely get the GD again, although maybe I’ve lost enough weight that it will skip me this time. Who knows?
Shauna says:
Sticker? You deserve a whole book of stickers and probably some diamonds or something too. You are a ROCKSTAR. I hope your symptoms let up, like now!
carrie says:
If you can avoid the flu, by all means, do it! I’m currently 15.5 weeks pregnant with my 4th and I sailed into my second trimester happy as a clam with minimal sickness. I was feeling smug and happy until I got the flu 3 weeks ago. I am STILL feeling the effects! Totally worn down, barfing up most foods, and other “fun” intestinal issues. So much that I lost my first trimester weight in 4 weeks. When I went to my last appointment my ob told me that it was just going to linger and to take it easy (ha! 3 boys ages 6, 4, and 20 mos. With no immediate family nearby, you do the math). But, I did get to find out we were having amother boy, so that was a plus!
Lisa Noell says:
I had severe HG requiring a picc line and TPN, and in the beginning of my pregnancies I would go to the area of the hospital where chemo patients go to get administered their IV meds and fluids. It called something like the IV Infusion center. Worth asking around or seeing if there anything similar to that there.
Rachel says:
I second the suggestion for Alere. I had to do 17P shots, but the nurse said that she does all sorts of in-home care. I was supposed to have a co-pay with every visit, but they worked something out with my insurance.
Katrina says:
Love seeing your baby bump! So cute!
My due date just got pushed up to May 22 (from May 29) after our 20 week scan on Tuesday. I look more like I’m 7 months along rather than just 20 weeks, though. And THAT has nothing to do with the baby’s size! It’s ALL me, I just know it. Thanks to my super stretched over-used uterus, lol. People look at my stomach and say, “Just twenty weeks along? Is it twins?” I just smile and say, “No twins. Just baby #10.”
AmyG says:
Incredibly excited for you all! Glad she was able to get you some meds for the heartburn. Stay healthy! You’re in our prayers!
Annalisa says:
Now, that’s a problem I can relate to, heartburn. I had heartburn from the first few weeks of my pregnancy all the way to my 8th month. No puking, just nausea and heartburn. All. The. Time.
Most pregnant women I knew at the time told me how lucky I was about not puking, but I almost wonder if I wouldn’t have felt better afterward had I been able to puke stuff out instead of always being nauseous and having my esophagus on fire.
Heather says:
well, speaking for myself, puking with heartburn has been the worst. The acid going over my bleeding throat/esophagus has been a particular kind of torture.
Auntie_M says:
Oh Heather!!! Brutal!! Poor honey!!! I hate that you’re going thru this! And now I’m worried about your teeth in addition to your esophagus & fluids!!
twingles says:
I got IV fluids at home with my first pregnancy. Not ideal with a toddler in the house but since Mike is home with you it can work.
The heartburn used to make me throw up too. Ugh – you should start feeling better soon. Really.
Shannon B says:
My first pregnancy, they set me up with the Infusion Therapy Clinic, so I didn’t have to go to the ER for all the IVs. The second time, they set me up with home health care. Hopefully you can find an option that works for you, because not getting an IV? Not an option!
Alice says:
Incredibly excited for you all, and I’m happy she was able to get you something for the heartburn! I’m guessing it’s something to do with a young immune system, but I was just wondering, why isn’t Annie allowed in Dr. Risky’s office?
Heather says:
I think because not only is it a high-risk office, but they share a waiting room with gynecological oncology. There are signs evvvvverywhere that say to not bring your kids. So I am respectful of that!
Katherine says:
My abdomen looks like that after dinner. I am not pregnant, I haven’t had a baby for three years, and I exercise…
Expat Mom says:
Heartburn SUCKS! Something I do before puking if I have the time (I know it surprises you during pregnancy!) is pop a TUMS. It turns the acid to foam, makes it easier to vomit without burning out your throat and even if it doesn’t work for the heartburn, they are handy for that. You’re probably showered with advice, so feel free to ignore mine. It will all be worth it when that gorgeous little boy comes into the world, so hang in there!
Kathi says:
I second the idea about an infusion clinic – I work for an outpatient cancer center, but we do IV hydration with a dr’s order very easily. It’s super clean with no sick people because we mainly do chemo…
Good luck! (And congratulations – so excited for you!!!)
Sunny says:
Just wanted to comment on the flu shot. I’m an RN, work ER and had my flu shot back at the end of September. I’m stuck at home with the flu right now.
Please, please, please help spread the word that unless you are having complications from influenza–Difficulty breathing (NOT a stuffed up nose, BTW), a fever that CAN NOT be controlled with ibuprofen and/or tylenol, etc, STAY HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have had whole families come into the ER with upper respiratory symptoms. Instead of making an appointment with their primary and having ONE person go to the doctor and then requesting tamiflu for the whole family, people would rather bring their entire families in, small children, etc. Small children who can’t understand why they have to wear a mask and/or small children that the masks don’t fit. People who have had symptoms for three days, want to know why they are not better, and people who NOW want Tamiflu. Tamiflu needs to be started within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. I was exposed to multiple strains, and probably saw 80-100 patients in the ER and/or med-surg floor who were positive for influenza A or B.
Despite the shot and my best diligence wearing a mask and hand hygiene, I’m very sick. I’m at the tail end now, and I think and do not intend on leaving my house for at least another 48 hours. I don’t want to spread this to anyone else.
So again, STAY HOME if you hare having upper respiratory symptoms!! They make it worse for people like Heather who need to get help in the ER for real problems.
Another vote for an infusion clinic. My hospital (very small town) has pts. come up from the clinic to the chemo/infusion area to get fluids if needed. After hours and on weekends when that dept. is closed, we’ll do it on the med/surg floor. Still a chance of being exposed to flu, but less likely than in the ER. Maybe Dr. Risky can hook you up.
Katie b says:
I also had HG and heartburn and saying it was brutal is such an understatement. I now know why our preemies who have reflux clamp down after an episode – it’s truly excruciating! Unfortunately, my nausea and vomiting lasted until two months AFTER I had my son. He definitely made sure he is the last baby. Never ever can I go through 10+ months of heartburn, reflux and vomiting. So sorry Heather, hope it goes away very soon! And your baby bump is too cute