Today started out badly... very badly. I woke up in a lot of pain at 3:15am, then couldn't get back to sleep for what seemed like forever. When I finally got up, it really hurt to walk. The cyst had gotten bigger - just what I needed...
Getting in the car to go to my OB appointment was excruciating, it had me in tears. I didn't see my OB until about an hour after my appointment time (nothing new there, really) but when she came in she was awesome. I told her my history and explained my current symptoms; she took a look and said the cyst looked to be around 5 cm (2 inches) and I needed it draining at the very least, today or tomorrow at the latest. She knew who to refer me to, and had the receptionist call to make me an appointment. This was at almost 12 noon. Well, my appointment with the surgeon was set for 2:15pm! Awesome! Oh and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat, too - that was a nice little distraction from the pain :)
In the meantime I went to get my prescriptions filled - Keflex and Percocet. I was kind of wary about the Percocet, but my OB reassured me that it would be fine to take temporarily and I was in so much pain that I needed something that would really help. Last night I took one Tylenol and it did absolutely nothing, as I expected.
At the surgery office I filled in a bunch of paperwork, and my appointment was on time. The surgeon was a nice man, he put me at ease and explained my options. Option 1 was to take the antibiotics and see if they helped (he wasn't optimistic about that, and when I had my original cyst they didn't make it clear up so neither was I!). Option 2 was to drain it - I went with that. He explained that he would do it without local anesthetic - yikes - because the anesthetic injection hurts just as bad as cutting the skin to drain the cyst. Based on my prior experience I had to agree - the worst part I remember from my original surgery was the local anesthetic injections (I had to have 2 and they were so painful). The thought of being cut open without anesthetic is pretty horrifying, but I knew it had to be done and I definitely didn't want to leave without having anything done! Let me tell you, the pain when he cut me was absolutely excruciating. He told me I could call him names if I wanted to, haha, but I didn't - I just cussed under my breath a few times. OW! Thankfully the cutting didn't last very long, and then he drained the cyst. It started feeling better almost immediately, because the pressure was released.
The incision is about an inch - it felt about 10 times bigger while he was cutting me, of course! It didn't need to be packed or stitched, I just need to keep it covered while it heals. I'll be seeing the surgeon again on Friday for a follow-up.
I can't begin to tell you how much of a relief it is to have this thing dealt with. It probably isn't a permanent fix, but at least it's good for now. I can sit down again, woo-hoo! I can get in the car and sit normally without yelping or crying my eyes out. Sure, the incision hurts - but nothing like the cyst did. I'm so grateful to my OB for getting me seen today, and I'm also very grateful to the surgeon for fitting me in at such short notice. I couldn't have managed for much longer, and I really didn't want to go to the ER unless I had no other option. Also, if I ever have any problems with the cyst recurring, I know who to go to now - hopefully it will never have to get to this point again! It definitely got huge much quicker than it did last time, I don't think it was ever so painful the first time around. Who knows, though - it's almost 10 years ago, so my memory is probably foggy! :)
I've felt the baby move so much today, even though the Percocet is supposed to make us both drowsy. My OB gave me 40 pills, and I can take one every 4 hours. I'm going to take way less than that, though - I'm thinking 3 a day, max. It'll be good to keep some in case I have another recurrence and have to wait to be seen. It's making me a bit itchy as well, so I don't want to be taking the full amount! I can't believe people take this drug for fun - seriously?! I think I'll sleep way better tonight than I have all week, though!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Please, no!
Back in 2003, I had surgery on a pilonidal cyst. It's basically a cyst that forms at the base of your spine, near your coccyx (tail bone). Well, I'm pretty sure the damn thing is back. I started having pain there on Sunday, and Sunday night I noticed the area was red and a bit swollen. Yesterday I tried to help it by not sitting down much, but it got worse anyway. Last night I didn't sleep well at all, I woke up in pain at 1:30 a.m. and was awake a couple of hours. I sleep on my left side, so I wasn't putting direct pressure on it. I tried using my hot water bottle and that did provide some temporary relief, but not much.
Anyway, my lovely hubby called and made me an appointment with my OB for tomorrow morning. They didn't have anything today. He tried our family doctor first, but when he told them my history they said I needed to see my OB. I'm not sure she will be able to do anything either, but I really hope she can. Maybe some antibiotics would help... maybe not. It probably needs to be lanced - I have no idea what kind of doctor would do that. My surgery was in the UK and the healthcare system is very different over there. I just hope someone can help me ASAP, without causing our baby any harm. I don't think surgery is an option while I'm pregnant (at least not surgery under general anesthesia, anyway). Maybe local anesthesia would be OK, though.
Why did this have to happen now? The timing is terrible! I really didn't expect a recurrence almost 10 years after my first bout of this horrid thing, that's for sure. And during pregnancy? It really sucks.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Relief :)
After my OB appointment on Tuesday I couldn't stop wondering about my blood pressure. I was pretty sure my high readings were due to feeling anxious at my appointments, but I couldn't help thinking "what if it really is that high all the time?"
So to ease my anxiety, we went and bought a BP monitor. I used it 3 times last night - all normal readings (in fact one was a little low). I've used it twice today - both normal readings! OK, so I'm fine. Thank goodness! Big sigh of relief over here :)
I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit since last night. Lying in bed last night the baby was very active, I felt lots of fluttering and little jabs. I don't think it can be felt from the outside yet, but hopefully soon! I'm looking forward to my hubby being able to feel it.
In other news, someone may be interested in adopting Lilly & Milo, the foster pugs we've had almost 9 months! I'm excited for them, but I will admit it made me cry a lot thinking about them leaving us. I really want them to get a wonderful home, but they've been with us such a long time (they're our longest fosters - before them, our longest was like 5 weeks!). It'll be hard to let them go, but of course we will when the time comes. Anyway keep your fingers crossed for them, they really do deserve a great forever home! :)
So to ease my anxiety, we went and bought a BP monitor. I used it 3 times last night - all normal readings (in fact one was a little low). I've used it twice today - both normal readings! OK, so I'm fine. Thank goodness! Big sigh of relief over here :)
I've been feeling the baby move quite a bit since last night. Lying in bed last night the baby was very active, I felt lots of fluttering and little jabs. I don't think it can be felt from the outside yet, but hopefully soon! I'm looking forward to my hubby being able to feel it.
In other news, someone may be interested in adopting Lilly & Milo, the foster pugs we've had almost 9 months! I'm excited for them, but I will admit it made me cry a lot thinking about them leaving us. I really want them to get a wonderful home, but they've been with us such a long time (they're our longest fosters - before them, our longest was like 5 weeks!). It'll be hard to let them go, but of course we will when the time comes. Anyway keep your fingers crossed for them, they really do deserve a great forever home! :)
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| Lilly & Milo snoozing :) |
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Update on OB appointment
My appointment this afternoon went pretty well for the most part. I found out I gained a whopping 5 pounds since my last appointment (more than I thought - I figured maybe 3 pounds). That puts my total pregnancy weight gain at 8 pounds so far, at almost 18 weeks. I don't think that's too bad really. My OB didn't say anything about it, so it must be OK.
It took quite a while to find the heartbeat with the doppler; it felt like forever, honestly. I was starting to get worried when suddenly there it was, loud and clear. Thank goodness! Hubby recorded it on my phone and it was about 156 bpm. It sounded great! :)
Now for the potentially bad news: they found white blood cells in my urine sample. I have absolutely no symptoms whatsoever of a UTI, so I was pretty surprised by that. My OB said she'll get it cultured and let me know if I need to be treated. She said it could be nothing to worry about, it could be that some discharge got in there and that's why there are white blood cells there. Gross, I know, and probably way TMI, but there you have it. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about, and if it is a UTI then at least it's been picked up and I'll get treated.
My blood pressure was on the high side again today, which is honestly no surprise to me. I'm sure that it rises when I go for an appointment! It's something I have no control over but knowing that they're going to take my BP makes me irrationally anxious. I try to relax but it doesn't help much. The first reading was 140/70, and they checked it again at the end of my appointment (after telling me about my potential UTI) and it was 140/82. I know that's high, but I'm pretty sure it's not like that when I'm going about my normal business. They'll continue to monitor me since I'm not having any red flag symptoms - terrible headache, blurred vision, lights in front of my eyes etc.
Last piece of news - our anatomy ultrasound is scheduled for January 2nd! I'll be 20 weeks 6 days along by then, so the tech should be able to get a good look at everything they need to see. I was hoping to get the ultrasound a week earlier, but there wasn't anything available. Waiting an extra week won't kill me, though! So 3 weeks tomorrow we'll see our baby again. So exciting! :)
It took quite a while to find the heartbeat with the doppler; it felt like forever, honestly. I was starting to get worried when suddenly there it was, loud and clear. Thank goodness! Hubby recorded it on my phone and it was about 156 bpm. It sounded great! :)
Now for the potentially bad news: they found white blood cells in my urine sample. I have absolutely no symptoms whatsoever of a UTI, so I was pretty surprised by that. My OB said she'll get it cultured and let me know if I need to be treated. She said it could be nothing to worry about, it could be that some discharge got in there and that's why there are white blood cells there. Gross, I know, and probably way TMI, but there you have it. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about, and if it is a UTI then at least it's been picked up and I'll get treated.
My blood pressure was on the high side again today, which is honestly no surprise to me. I'm sure that it rises when I go for an appointment! It's something I have no control over but knowing that they're going to take my BP makes me irrationally anxious. I try to relax but it doesn't help much. The first reading was 140/70, and they checked it again at the end of my appointment (after telling me about my potential UTI) and it was 140/82. I know that's high, but I'm pretty sure it's not like that when I'm going about my normal business. They'll continue to monitor me since I'm not having any red flag symptoms - terrible headache, blurred vision, lights in front of my eyes etc.
Last piece of news - our anatomy ultrasound is scheduled for January 2nd! I'll be 20 weeks 6 days along by then, so the tech should be able to get a good look at everything they need to see. I was hoping to get the ultrasound a week earlier, but there wasn't anything available. Waiting an extra week won't kill me, though! So 3 weeks tomorrow we'll see our baby again. So exciting! :)
OB appointment later today
It's finally 12/11, the date of my next OB appointment. Right now I'm feeling kind of anxious to hear our baby's heartbeat again. Sometimes I wish I would've just bought a freakin' doppler earlier in my pregnancy. Alas, I convinced myself it could turn into some kind of obsession or could even cause more anxiety if I couldn't locate the heartbeat for some reason. Thus, no home doppler for me. I'm still tempted to get one at times, but I'm almost 18 weeks and will hopefully be feeling the baby move soon.
I think I've been feeling flutters every now and then, which would be reassuring if I could be certain they were the baby moving! I'm fairly convinced that it is the baby I've been feeling, but because they're small movements and not obvious kicks, I'm going to feel more reassured when I hear the heartbeat again this afternoon. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt that everything is fine, but I'm still looking forward to hearing that little galloping noise! :)
I get to schedule our anatomy scan today, too! We're looking forward to having a date for that, because it's always exciting to see our baby and we're hoping to get good news that everything looks great. Also, we'll hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl! :) Neither of us has a preference, we'll be thrilled either way. It'll be nice to find out though!
Lately I've been experiencing some kind of lower back/hip pain. It's not constant, it feels like it's probably muscular in origin because it only happens when I do certain things: getting out of the car, standing up from sitting, shifting position in a chair, those kind of things. I don't think it's sciatica, but I'll mention it to my OB anyway. I wouldn't want to take anything for it, but maybe she can suggest some exercises or stretches that might help. We took the pugs for a long walk yesterday and it did seem to help a little. Now that it's finally actually cold here in the desert (high of 66 today, yay!) we can get out and about with the dogs more often. Granted we only took 2 of the 5 yesterday; our newest foster just had surgery last Wednesday (spay, nostril widening and soft palate shortening - to help with her incredibly loud labored breathing). She needs to rest a little longer before being too active, so she gets to stay home. We used to walk all 4 (our 2 plus our 2 long-term fosters) together, but recently it hasn't been so appealing! The last thing I need is to be pulled in 2 different directions while my center of gravity is shifting, haha.
I think I've been feeling flutters every now and then, which would be reassuring if I could be certain they were the baby moving! I'm fairly convinced that it is the baby I've been feeling, but because they're small movements and not obvious kicks, I'm going to feel more reassured when I hear the heartbeat again this afternoon. I have no reason whatsoever to doubt that everything is fine, but I'm still looking forward to hearing that little galloping noise! :)
I get to schedule our anatomy scan today, too! We're looking forward to having a date for that, because it's always exciting to see our baby and we're hoping to get good news that everything looks great. Also, we'll hopefully find out if we're having a boy or a girl! :) Neither of us has a preference, we'll be thrilled either way. It'll be nice to find out though!
Lately I've been experiencing some kind of lower back/hip pain. It's not constant, it feels like it's probably muscular in origin because it only happens when I do certain things: getting out of the car, standing up from sitting, shifting position in a chair, those kind of things. I don't think it's sciatica, but I'll mention it to my OB anyway. I wouldn't want to take anything for it, but maybe she can suggest some exercises or stretches that might help. We took the pugs for a long walk yesterday and it did seem to help a little. Now that it's finally actually cold here in the desert (high of 66 today, yay!) we can get out and about with the dogs more often. Granted we only took 2 of the 5 yesterday; our newest foster just had surgery last Wednesday (spay, nostril widening and soft palate shortening - to help with her incredibly loud labored breathing). She needs to rest a little longer before being too active, so she gets to stay home. We used to walk all 4 (our 2 plus our 2 long-term fosters) together, but recently it hasn't been so appealing! The last thing I need is to be pulled in 2 different directions while my center of gravity is shifting, haha.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
29
It's my birthday today, I'm 29 :) So far it's been a nice day, we went out for some breakfast and we'll go out for dinner somewhere tonight.
The pugs (we have 5 right now, our own 2 and 3 fosters) got me a cute little plush pug and a funny pug card. Well, I'm sure they didn't go to the store, LOL; my hubby got them on their behalf!
The pug photo-bombing the last pic is our new foster, Kineta. She's super cute and sweet. She was at a shelter in Kingman, AZ (about 3 hours north of us) and was due to be euthanized this past Monday because her time was up. Thankfully one of the other pug rescue volunteers went and got her out. She's only 3 years old and the funniest little girl. She's not spayed yet, and she also needs palate surgery because she struggles to breathe well, so she'll be getting that done soon. She's scheduled for surgery on Wednesday 12/5, but I'm waiting to hear if we need to postpone it because she just started a 2 week course of antibiotics on Thursday. I'm sure she'll be adopted very quickly once she's all fixed up!
I'm currently 16 weeks 2 days pregnant, and feeling pretty good. We've started making lists of potential baby names - thankfully there are a few that we both like, so it shouldn't be a complete disaster when it comes to naming the baby!
I've really been neglecting this blog recently, partly because I don't want to constantly harp on about my pregnancy. I know how difficult it is when you're still TTC and it seems like everyone else is pregnant. I'll never forget how I felt while we were struggling, even if we go on to have 3 kids. I'm sure I've lost a few readers since I got my BFP, and that's OK; I totally understand. It's just a struggle sometimes to think of things non-pregnancy related to write about.
The pugs (we have 5 right now, our own 2 and 3 fosters) got me a cute little plush pug and a funny pug card. Well, I'm sure they didn't go to the store, LOL; my hubby got them on their behalf!
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| Silly pug card :) |
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| Pug plush |
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| See the resemblance?! |
I'm currently 16 weeks 2 days pregnant, and feeling pretty good. We've started making lists of potential baby names - thankfully there are a few that we both like, so it shouldn't be a complete disaster when it comes to naming the baby!
I've really been neglecting this blog recently, partly because I don't want to constantly harp on about my pregnancy. I know how difficult it is when you're still TTC and it seems like everyone else is pregnant. I'll never forget how I felt while we were struggling, even if we go on to have 3 kids. I'm sure I've lost a few readers since I got my BFP, and that's OK; I totally understand. It's just a struggle sometimes to think of things non-pregnancy related to write about.
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