My blood pressure remains too high and is not coming down to a good level even though I’m on loads of drugs. Today I had a lot of protein in my urine. Not a good sign. The preeclampsia is getting worse.
Today’s doctor said he felt I’d be giving birth by c-section this weekend.
Some days the doctors are quite positive and think my blood pressure might settle down, but not today’s doctor. She felt I should prepare myself to be in hospital until I give birth, however long that might be. Hopefully weeks – but they don’t really seem to think so. It’ll be a C-section. Soon.
The doctors have given me Dexametronone, a nippy wee bugger of an injection in the thigh. But scarier than that. An injection to get the baby’s lungs ready for birth. Because the baby is nowhere near ready enough to be born naturally yet, but the doctors might want to get him out soon. Within the next two weeks.
A day in hospital, and basically I am being kept in indefinitely until they can either stabilise my blood pressure (and then maybe send me home for a bit) or deliver me. But a few days in hospital are certain, probably at least a week.
It is very boring and there’s a lot of being poked and prodded at all times of day and night.
So I woke up with a weird rash on my arm that was quite dark and wouldn’t go away.
The husband wanted it looked at so he took me along to the hospital where we could see an out of hours GP (it being Easter Sunday).
The husband thought I appeared a little odd, quiet, not totally normal which was another reason he insisted we seek medical advice. I thought I was OK, but he was probably right.
I had a 9.30am GP check up this morning. That might seem like no probs to most people, but at the moment I’m sleeping about 11 hours per day so that is a bit earlier than I’d prefer. We’d set this time as the husband had thought he’d come along and take me in the car, but as he came to the Consultant yesterday he didn’t come to the GP today. So, first time going to a medical appointment alone in a couple of months… but it was fine. And I got a cab so as not to have to get up too early for a bus.
Got an appointment for a counselling session today (next week) and an appointment for the 20 week scan (13th Feb). So that’s all good.
Had to go into the GP surgery again today for the GP to check on me. The husband came along again, and this time there was a student observing the session. I explained to the GP that this drug combo was the best so far, but that I was having some unpredictable bouts of nausea. I said I was working a couple of hours a day and the GP was pleased. I tried to explain that this was difficult, and unpredictable, and disappointing so not entirely a good thing. Certainly not what I’d hoped for by this point.
Having been given more info on my circumstances my friend the obstetrician advised that “you should expect to feel normal, if you can remember what that is.” Which made me think sod it, I want to feel normal asap. She advised that I should ask to be prescribed metoclopramide in addition to cyclizine, and that I should ask for an urgent referral to an obstetric specialist who should assess and look after my care.
So I phoned the GP at 8.30am today to get an emergency appointment (the only way to see anyone within a week and a half) and I saw a new GP this morning. One I hadn’t seen before.
Set my alarm for 8.30am to phone the doctor for an emergency appointment, and when I got through at 8.35am they had a choice of two left. So, headed on down there for 10.20am. I saw the same GP that sent me to the obstetric triage, which was good. She was sensible, professional and sympathetic. She prescribed me the next tier anti nausea drug, which is prochlorperazine.
The first midwife appointment was today. The husband and I dithered a bit over whether he should come. I asked two friends for advice. One said he should come to show he is supportive, to meet the midwife, and to give his medical history. One said he shouldn’t bother as it is a long appointment which he will be barely involved with. We went with yes, to show willing and because I have been so ill that he wants to be more involved with my care than usual.
So well, it was OK. I liked the midwife enough, she seemed very nice. But the appointment was confusing and it is a good job I already knew what to expect and how the system works because all of that wasn’t explained. She didn’t even explain what a midwife was and what her role would be, for example.
