Sunday, March 14, 2010

Yuckiest Saturday Ever

I realize that this blog may contain TMI, but I really don't feel like relaying this information to everyone and reliving it a hundred times over.

So, yesterday was such a pretty day. We had Ciera and her brother Alex, and we decided we'd go out to the Flea Market at Expo New Mexico at about 2pm. I'd just told Ciera that I was pregnant (yes, I realize I hadn't blogged about it yet...hey, I put it on facebook last week!). We were getting ready to head out, and I made a bathroom run. I freaked out when I realized I was spotting a little.

At first I told Pete I'd just lay down, and he and the kids could go on without me. He said I should at least call the 24-hour nurse hotline that our insurance provider offers. I called, and she told me that I should take a trip to the emergency room to be on the safe side.

Luckily, our good friend, Travis, was with us. He took the kids back to their dad while Pete and I headed over to the Lovelace Women's Clinic that's just up the street from our house. Travis met us there, but ended up taking Maya home so she wouldn't get sick from sitting around an emergency room.

After a few hours, we finally got into a room. They had me pee in a cup and put on a hospital gown, and then we waited.....and waited.....and waited and waited and waited and waited.

I was sitting on the stupid stirrup bed the whole time, and it was so uncomfortable. I'm really glad I brought a book. The TV in the room only got one channel, which was Food Network. ??! Luckily, Pete loves food Network, so he watched Iron Chef while I read my book. I was trying to relax, but the bleeding just persisted the whole time.

Finally, the doc came in to tell me that the pregnancy test was negative. I told him he better check that puppy again, because I know I'm pregnant. He had the gall to tell me that I must have had a false positive on my home test, because I wasn't. I asked Dr. Genius how a false positive was even possible, since it reads human growth hormone, which isn't present in your urine unless you're pregnant. He said maybe I should call the manufacturer, and it happens all the time (no it doesn't). So, I'm already annoyed because I've been waiting around for four hours or so, and now my Dr. is a hack. He goes out to re-check the test, and lo and behold when he returns (45 minutes later), it's positive. Butthole. He comes back in and says that I must be only three weeks pregnant, not five. My confidence in his medical knowledge and abilities plummet again, because you measure the age of the fetus from one's last menstrual cycle, not from the date of conception. From a conception standpoint, I was three weeks pregnant, but by medical terminology I was five weeks. If this guy doesn't know that, then he is a gynecological retard.

So, he says since I'm still bleeding he needs to do a pelvic exam, and I need an ultrasound. He goes away for another hour or two, then returns for the pelvic exam. He gives me no feedback, and then leaves for good. His shift was over. THANK GOD. He sucked so bad. I still don't know what the point of the pelvic exam was, or what his findings were.

The nurse comes in and tells me to let her know when my bladder is full so I can get wheeled in for the ultrasound. I tell her a little early, since I figure I'd be waiting around, which was just what happened. It wasn't too bad, though, and by the time I was wheeled in, my bladder was ready to roll. They did an external and internal ultrasound, and then I was wheeled back to my room. Now we had to wait around for the radiologist to look at the ultrasound and tell us what the deal was.

At this point, I'd pretty given up all hope that this pregnancy would stick. About seven hours had elapsed, and nothing was different. I was upset, but not too terribly since I wasn't all that far along. I just wanted an answer one way or the other. So we waited...again.....

The new doc came in, and I loved him immediately. He explained in great detail the situation. When I came in, my levels of human growth hormone that they'd tested for was in the 160 range. When they tested the blood they'd drawn about four hours later, it was in the 40's. The baby was most likely gone.

It was good to know an answer one way or the other, and I was ready to just go home when he hit me with the blow that really freaked me out. He told me that the ultrasound revealed that the fetus was in my fallopian tube (an ectopic pregnancy). I knew exactly what that was, and started to freak out a bit. If the baby had stuck around, it could have done some SERIOUS damage to my reproductive bits and pieces, would have hurt like hell, and would have had to be surgically removed. It wouldn't have lived anyways, and would have wreaked havoc on me in the meantime. The doc made an appointment for me to have a follow-up with an OBGYN on Monday, and said we'd be discharged shortly.

The nurse came back in to give me a shot in the butt that they give to ladies with ectopic pregnancies. I also got two prescriptions to fill in the pharmacy, and was discharged at about 10:45pm.

Pete and I hadn't eaten since 11:00am, and we were both tired and hungry. We stopped by Del Taco, which was the only thing open nearby this late. I got my tacos right when the shot really kicked in, and I got all nauseous and really crampy. Eating was the last thing I wanted to do. So, Pete took me home and put me to bed, and then he went out to fill me prescription. Poor Travis spent his entire day off watching Maya for us. What a hero!

We are both really upset that there will be no November baby, but more than anything we're thankful that it happened now and not two months from now when we'd be more emotionally attached, and a LOT more damage would be done to my body. We were both notably upset last night, but we're doing OK now. The prescription I got makes me really crampy and pukey, but Pete is going to take the day off work tomorrow, and I'm calling in sick so I can finish off the bottle before I have to chase after kids.

We're taking a month off trying again because I don't want a December baby, and then we're getting right back on the horse! No worries. Baby number two will come eventually!

2 comments:

Erica said...

I'm so sorry that you had to go through all of that. But you are right in your perspective that this pregnancy wouldn't have been good for your body, or baby's. Best of luck to your trying again (and good call on not having a December baby! I feel the same way.)

And I hate that dumb doctor for you! How did he ever pass med school?!

Ken and Julie said...

Laurie and Pete I'm SO sorry about all of this! I lost a baby also between you and Melanie and it SUCKS. Hang in there and I love you guys big time!
And yeah Erica, somebody had to graduate at the bottom of his class. Apparently it was that doc.