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June 12, 2003
Jaida’s EEG Results 6/12/03
The test went off without a hitch and Jaida was cooperative. She didn’t fuss much when Martha hooked up all the electrodes. It did take an eternity for her to fall asleep though. By the time it was over, my legs were nearly asleep too from sitting in the folding chair in the corner of the closet-like room. Luckily, I had an appointment to get adjusted right after the test. We had a few minutes to kill so we went to a children’s store near the chiropractor’s office and I found the cutest light blue and yellow linen dress for Jaida. It was on sale for $21 and Jarod already had a yellow jumper to match. It seemed to be a lovely afternoon. Unfortunately, the lack of a good nap made that evening a real chore to get through. By bedtime, Jaida was coming apart at the seams. So we put her to bed early to spare us all the torture of a meltdown.
Dr. Corbier’s receptionist called the next day to tell me the results were only “mildly abnormal” and he didn’t feel we should make any changes in her treatment plan for now. Well, it’s on to my next project then. I really need to find a psychologist to help us with the behavior issues. I can’t explain why I’ve been dragging my heels on this. Maybe I don’t want to admit there is something about parenting that I can’t figure out for myself. My last attempt at this failed miserably and I felt the doctor was blaming me for all the behavior problems. I guess I am in an emotionally fragile state right now and I don’t think I can handle criticism, even if it is constructive. I mean, if I open myself up and another so-called expert shoots me down, what then? I might crack under the pressure. But I need to address this before the baby comes and we are in even more upheaval.
A Strange Twist of Irony
Jarod saw his pulmonologist on Tuesday. Normally this doctor uses an outpatient clinic at a local hospital here since he travels from another city. On Friday, there was a note from him in the mail saying he would now be seeing patients in a new office. I looked at the name and the address of the new location and almost fell over. He will be sharing the offices of our first pediatric practice! I swore I would never set foot in that place again and I guess I shouldn’t have said that. I also swore we weren’t having any more kids and you see where that got me, ahem. Let this be a lesson, you should never say never.
Anyway, I was more than a little nervous about going back there. I was sure we were bound to see one of the other doctors in the halls. Talk about awkward! I didn’t exactly part of amicable terms. I was anxious to see Nurse Missy again. She had been the nurse for my pediatrician when I was a baby. She also worked with Steve’s grandmother years ago before I was born. She remembers when my FIL was in grade school! I always rejoiced when she was our nurse at checkups. But, with arthritis and bad knees, she was often on phone duty when we went during Jarod’s early infancy. She was the one person I missed at that place.
I shouldn’t have been nervous because everything went very well. Dr. Grad said Jarod sounded great and we should continue with everything he’s taking. We’re seeing him again in November and that should be interesting. Speaking of interesting, we did say hello to Nurse Missy before we left and I caught a glimpse of our former pediatrician from across the way at the nurses’ station. I don’t think she saw me or recognized me either. Missy was glad to see us and she said Jarod looked just like my FIL. I filled her in on what the last two years have been like and she told me to say hi to Steve’s grandmother. We were in and out in no time.
Jaida’s Dentist Appointment
If you recall, I chose to wait last month and see if Jaida’s tooth would fall out on its own. Surprisingly, it was still there this week, a lot looser but not going quietly. The dental assistant told me that if it was still there when the date for her next cleaning came, they could go ahead and pull it then. I called last week to let them know they should plan on what they call a double booking and the receptionist expressed her concern. Jaida’s cleaning was scheduled for 12:30 and normally, they don’t like to do extractions on kids her age that late in the day.
I assured the receptionist that her tooth was pretty loose and she said sometimes, they could pop it out with floss if that was the case. I told her we had been “working” it every night after applying the topical anesthetic they gave us around the gum line. I really didn’t want to schedule another separate appointment for that pesky tooth. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t pull it because it was still firmly attached. That explains why it bleeds every time we get forceful with the wiggling.
28 Weeks—Muscle Spasms, Sciatica and an OB Visit
Last Friday night, I had the worst sciatica episode yet. It started on Thursday when Dr. Tom wasn’t there and Dr. Yolanda did my adjustment. She does one heck of a job on my neck but she can’t crack my lower back like he can. Dr. Tom was in Colorado attending a conference and I sure did miss him. I thought I was okay but on Friday morning I could feel the difference. I limped around the office all day and was scared I wouldn’t be able to pick Jaida up. I didn’t think I could get out of the van but I made it. I had to move slowly and walk gingerly. I was a mess. By the time we got home, I was wincing and sucking in my breath with each step. Steve was working a little later than usual and Mom had to go out. Just when she was thinking of staying home, Steve got there.
I couldn’t even finish Jaida’s dinner. My leg couldn’t bear any weight and I was dragging it around the kitchen like Quasimodo. By 7:30, I decided a warm bath would help. Heather at the chiro clinic had always said ice was better but I was hard-headed. As I lowered myself into the water the pain melted away. But after I got out, the spasms started. I got an ice pack from the freezer and that seemed to help but it was too little too late. About an hour later, I was almost in tears as I tried to get to the den. I was also in the middle of an allergy attack and I had left my saline nose spray in my purse. Steve was sound asleep, so I inched down the hallway and moaned softly with each step. I was right outside the kids’ bedrooms and I could not risk waking them up. By the time I got to the kitchen, I was barely able to stand without leaning on a wall or a chair. It was truly pitiful. I was in excruciating pain and snotty to boot, so I barely slept.
Saturday morning, Steve let me sleep until 9:00. Then he woke me up and said he needed to go to the office for a little while and he would take the kids if I got them dressed and medicated. I sat up slowly and stood up even slower to see what would happen. I still had to limp but I could manage much better. After they left, I ate breakfast and went back to bed. They got back at nap time and I tried to get up and see if I could function. My cousin was having a baby shower and I really wanted to go. Mostly, I wanted to gorge myself on finger sandwiches, fresh fruit and deviled eggs. The other grandmother-to-be made a red velvet cake and I definitely didn’t want to miss that. I was able to have a good time and eat to my heart’s content before I felt the twinge that signaled it was time to get home. Oh yeah, my cousin and I measured exactly 13 squares of toilet paper. She’s due on July 17 and I’ve got three months to go! :O We were pg together last time and we both had boys. Now it’s happening again!
Sunday, my MIL took the kids to church. I was much worse than the day before so I spent most of the day in bed. I tried to do some laundry but unloading the washer made me wince one too many times. I’m so short, I have to lean over into the machine on my tiptoes to get everything out and my back let me know how much it did not appreciate that. I took my butt back to bed with an ice pack after that. It seemed to be more of a hip pain by that evening so Steve tried to see if he could manipulate it back into the socket. It worked and I was only in minor pain until my adjustment on Monday. I was so glad to see Dr. Tom and he put a workout on my left hip that had me all better in no time. I hope he doesn’t go anywhere until after I deliver. This is really starting to get scary. I can’t help but wonder if I need to get everything done that much earlier. I may be in a wheelchair by August!
I am only a few days shy of 28 weeks. While I am feeling like September is so far away, it is quickly approaching. I saw Dr. D to today and we discussed lots of things. I have been having some anxiety lately that is hard to explain. When bedtime approaches, I actually panic a tiny bit about going to sleep. I have no idea why and it really sounds stupid but I don’t know what the deal is. He said I could use the Ambien prescription he gave me a few months back but no more than twice a week. I think I’ll stick to the hypno tapes and surfing the net for now.
My blood pressure was ridiculously low, for me anyway, at 120/60. Dr. D said that was a very reassuring sign that all was well with my placental function and low blood pressure at this point in pregnancy is considered normal. I remember reading something about that in my Sears’ pregnancy book the other night. But for the life of me, I can’t remember what that means. I will keep my fingers crossed and see what happens. Other than my physical complaints, I feel a hundred times better with this pregnancy than with the other two.
I go back in two weeks and then at 32 weeks, I start weekly visits to keep a close watch on my B/P. My fundal measurement was perfect and Lambchop had a steady heartbeat in the 130-140 range. I had only gained a half a pound much to my surprise and I was thoroughly pleased to hear that. My GTT score was 119, well below the 140 I needed to be under to avoid the three hour test. I contribute all these things to taking whole food vitamins that Jeanette suggested. She said her midwives told her they saw huge differences in the B/P and iron levels of their patients that took whole-food vitamins and those that used synthetic ones. I can definitely say they’ve made a difference for me.
Well, I should go now since I’m starving. I added a few new pics to our site. I took the kids to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival a few weekends ago and there are some cute shots of them admiring the ducks and swans. There are also a couple of them dressed for church last Sunday.
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/n/nowucme
Until next time,
Kim, Jaida, Jarod & Lambchop
PS~ I would appreciate any tips on making bedrest more bearable. My best friend started to dilate and she is only 20 weeks. Her doctor has ordered her to only get out of bed to use the bathroom and come to doctor appointments. The boys need to make it to 28 weeks or better to have a good chance of doing well outside the womb. TIA!
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