Do You Feel Sick?

I think that once people find out that your are expecting, the number one question is: Do you feel sick? Thankfully I am among those who experience almost no morning sickness. Don't get me wrong, I have heart burn like crazy {just thinking about food sometimes gives me heart burn} and I have definitely had my share of fatigue, but no nausea for this mommy to be. I chalk it up to good genes {my sister and mom had limited morning sickness, but both experienced the heart burn}.

Before you get to thinking that I have gotten off scott free in the pregnancy, let me tell you the one thing I have to deal with that most pregnant women do not: I have to give myself daily shots in my stomach.

When I found out at my first OB appointment that this was a possibility I was devastated.  

I HATE NEEDLES. I can't even watch a nurse give me a shot and any time they draw blood I tense up through the whole process.

The reason for these lovely shots goes back to about two years ago when I had a blood clot. At the time my doctor's assumed it was due to birth control. My current OB ordered some additional tests at my first doctor's visit. She wanted to confirm that I didn't have any genetic disorders and we waited to start the shots until 9 weeks when we had the tests back and she did an ultrasound to confirm a heartbeat.

For the last month I have religiously given myself shots in the stomach every night. It has gotten easier but I still hate it. It costs a bundle {almost $1000 per month – we have to pay the full amount until we meet our deductible} and it hurts {though icing the area helps}. So no morning sickness for this baby, but lots and lots of shots to administer through the rest of the year...

Excerpts from my personal journal:

 6 Week OB Visit

March 18, 2011 

We went to our first OB visit. Daniel likes my doctor. A urine test confirmed that I was indeed pregnant. The doctor checked my uterus and agreed that it had grown and that I was about six weeks along. For now she has put our due date as 11-11-11. The worst part about the whole visit was the discussion surrounding my 2008 DVT/PE {i.e. my blood clot experience}. My paperwork from Presby in Charlotte was incomplete and Dr. Adams decided to order me a few additional tests. This meant they drew A LOT of blood. This was a painful experience, but it should be the most blood they draw at any one time. It left me shaky and the nurses treated me to an ice-cold coke. Dr. Adams wants to be proactive and put me on anti-blood clot meds {after we receive the official tests back}. This will most likely mean daily shots. This makes me want to cry. I’m trying to be a grown-up about the whole situation, but it really sucks. I HATE needles. I thought I was past the whole blood clot thing, but history is history and it is better to be safe than have something horrific happen.

We got ice cream from Chick-fil-a after the appointment and then went to Barnes & Noble. Finally we went to The Terminal for dinner. I had a great steak salad and Daniel had his usual Black Bean Burrito. It was hard for me to think of anything other than the needles in my future.

March 19,2011 

I stayed up late last night researching this whole blood clot thing. It was enough to make me scared and upset. The common treatment is daily shots of Lovenox. This means that I would be high risk of bleeding if I were to be in any kind of accident. It also can cause problems with epidurals and c-sections. Very scary stuff. Everything I have read seems to revolve around people that are positive for blood clotting disorders. My doctor says that I am more likely to have another clot since I have already had one, but it has been 2+ years and I have not had any indications that I will have another clot. I don’t want to be high risk. I guess you don’t get to choose that. There is very little information available online for someone in my exact situation – which I find to be frustrating. All of my reading was very upsetting and I had a good cry after we went to bed. I wish someone had clearly told me {before I got pregnant} that I would be high risk and that it would mean taking daily shots. I feel like I went into this whole pregnancy thing uninformed and it is very disconcerting.

 9 Week OB Visit

April 8, 2011 

Today was my 9-week check up. We found out that all of my tests for any kind of genetic blood clotting disorder came back negative. That is the good news. The bad news is that since I have already experienced one blood clot, I am more susceptible to another. So I get the joy of giving myself shots (at $30 a pop) for the duration of the pregnancy. We even had a phone consult from a high risk OB who agreed that this was the best course of action. I have the prescription in hand but it will be a few days before I actually have access to the medication. I guess I will just have to enjoy my last couple of days of freedom from shots. 

Dr. Adams did an ultrasound today just to make sure there was a heartbeat before she started me on meds. It was tiny, but it was there. We go back in four weeks and should be able to see/hear more.

I really like Dr. Adams. She is very direct and to the point. She doesn’t try to scare me. She encourages me to keep on doing what I am doing. She said that I can safely gain anywhere from 10 and 30 pounds. She continues to be ok with me running the half marathon and exercising. So far, so good.