The kids are sick.
N has some kind of explosive diarrhea stomach cramp issue. Usually very content, he sleeps and screams by turn. The screams are quite disconcerting.
J feels very warm, and he has a cough, runny nose, stomach cramps, and a headache. He's also extremely tired and has no interest in eating (not particularly new, but he won't eat his favourite foods and keeps asking to go to bed instead, which is quite different). He's not even interested in drinking milk. And he's not stalling bedtime, preferring to go straight to bed without snacks, stories, or even being changed into his pajamas. And that's unbelievably weird.
We were set up to babysit I&G tomorrow for L&P. Had to call over there really late, when it became especially apparent that the kids weren't themselves, and tell them the kids are sick. Thankfully, L&P were able to make alternate arrangements. We don't want their kids to get sick. Neither do they. I'm glad we have understanding friends, but I still feel badly about bailing on a commitment at the last minute.
I'm achey all over. Think I'm passing one of the many kidney stones. Hurts, but it's good. Pain means they're leaving my system. I hope they all leave. As long as I don't have to head to hospital for pain meds, it will be just fine.
And of course, my birth mom is fighting pancreatic cancer that is now in her liver. I don't think I've mentioned that on this blog yet. But there you have it.
Fortunately, H feels just fine. We'll all get him yet. Just you wait and see.
Showing posts with label kidneys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kidneys. Show all posts
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
I should have seen it coming ...
... but I didn't.
We went out and bought special "big boy" underwear for J. We bought Spiderman and Hot Wheels underwear. J loves Spiderman. So it stood to reason that J would not want to get his new Spiderman underwear wet. We thought it would help with potty training.
J is protesting potty training with a vengeance. It is getting under my skin more than it probably should.
Today, I put J's new Spiderman underwear on him. I explained to him that he needed to tell me if he needed to go potty and that he couldn't just go. I told him that if he didn't go to the potty, he would get Spiderman wet or dirty. He didn't want to get Spiderman wet or dirty, did he?
J agreed that he did not want to get Spiderman wet or dirty.
J: "Spiderman would be sad if I peed on him?"
I agreed that Spiderman probably would be sad about that. J promised that he would tell me if he needed to go potty. He would not get Spiderman wet or dirty.
And then, he promptly and completely intentionally peed in his pants. Why did he do it, you may ask? Because he wanted to see if the Spiderman faces on his new underwear would change to sad faces if they got wet.
I should have seen it coming.
**********
It was a bad day. N was grumpy and didn't sleep well last night. The kids were on conflicting schedules, so I couldn't function or rest. So I was exhausted and short on patience. J was incredibly rebellious and uncooperative.
J insisted on being treated like a baby. He flatly refused to cooperate with potty training. He wouldn't eat, and he made me feed him. He actually dissected a granola bar, put the different parts into different piles, and then ate only the nuts.
At one point, a phone solicitor received the brunt of my rage. He phoned just as I was getting a breather and bugged me, in order to ask me how often I vacation. He is fortunate that he was at the other end of a phone line, or I might have become physically violent.
As a topper, I received a call from the doc. The CT scan on my kidneys is back, and it reveals that both kidneys are peppered with a bunch of small stones. I see a urologist in October to get assessed. In the meantime, I wait for the stones to pass on their own. And I follow a prescribed regime to try and encourage this. Passing stones hurts just like labour, so this should be a lot of fun.
**********
Friends came by tonight and brought us dinner. It's good to have good friends. I was ecstatic to be able to socialize with them. It was the highlight of my day.
**********
J is in bed. N is sleeping. I'm going to grab the opportunity to catch a few minutes of sleep, before N awakens for his customary nighttime ritual of repeated feedings.
I hope tomorrow will be a better day.
We went out and bought special "big boy" underwear for J. We bought Spiderman and Hot Wheels underwear. J loves Spiderman. So it stood to reason that J would not want to get his new Spiderman underwear wet. We thought it would help with potty training.
J is protesting potty training with a vengeance. It is getting under my skin more than it probably should.
Today, I put J's new Spiderman underwear on him. I explained to him that he needed to tell me if he needed to go potty and that he couldn't just go. I told him that if he didn't go to the potty, he would get Spiderman wet or dirty. He didn't want to get Spiderman wet or dirty, did he?
J agreed that he did not want to get Spiderman wet or dirty.
J: "Spiderman would be sad if I peed on him?"
I agreed that Spiderman probably would be sad about that. J promised that he would tell me if he needed to go potty. He would not get Spiderman wet or dirty.
And then, he promptly and completely intentionally peed in his pants. Why did he do it, you may ask? Because he wanted to see if the Spiderman faces on his new underwear would change to sad faces if they got wet.
I should have seen it coming.
**********
It was a bad day. N was grumpy and didn't sleep well last night. The kids were on conflicting schedules, so I couldn't function or rest. So I was exhausted and short on patience. J was incredibly rebellious and uncooperative.
J insisted on being treated like a baby. He flatly refused to cooperate with potty training. He wouldn't eat, and he made me feed him. He actually dissected a granola bar, put the different parts into different piles, and then ate only the nuts.
At one point, a phone solicitor received the brunt of my rage. He phoned just as I was getting a breather and bugged me, in order to ask me how often I vacation. He is fortunate that he was at the other end of a phone line, or I might have become physically violent.
As a topper, I received a call from the doc. The CT scan on my kidneys is back, and it reveals that both kidneys are peppered with a bunch of small stones. I see a urologist in October to get assessed. In the meantime, I wait for the stones to pass on their own. And I follow a prescribed regime to try and encourage this. Passing stones hurts just like labour, so this should be a lot of fun.
**********
Friends came by tonight and brought us dinner. It's good to have good friends. I was ecstatic to be able to socialize with them. It was the highlight of my day.
**********
J is in bed. N is sleeping. I'm going to grab the opportunity to catch a few minutes of sleep, before N awakens for his customary nighttime ritual of repeated feedings.
I hope tomorrow will be a better day.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Introducing Baby N
Well ... after months and months of bed rest and ongoing complications, our new little baby is here. It's a boy.
I was being seen in hospital every other day by the end of things. More kidney stones, more bleeding, etc., etc., etc. When we reached 38 weeks, the doctor decided the baby was in good stead and that the pregnancy was adversely affecting my health. With virtually nothing to be gained by continuing the pregnancy to 40 weeks, the doctor decided that I could be induced around 39 weeks to save my own health.
We were scheduled for an induction last weekend. We made arrangements for J to spend time with our friends, L&P and K&K, and their respective children. J had a great time, and we are forever grateful to our friends for taking such good care of our little man. He had his first sleepover ... and with a girl, no less! Us? Well ... all's well that ends well, so we really can't complain. But we will always want to remember how it went. So ... here's how it went.
The hospital was really busy on Sunday. Ordinarily, they call people around 6:00 a.m. and try to get them admitted by 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. But there were so many people admitted in labour through the night that they had no room for us in the morning. We had a wait. Eventually, we were told to head in for 3:00 p.m. They did a non-stress test on the baby, where they hooked me up to monitors to look for contractions and check baby's heart rate. Everything looked fine with baby. No distress. Baby's position was good. I had no contractions, and the cervix wasn't ready. All of this, we already knew. So we were good to go as soon as a bed became available.
Around 5:45 p.m., they got started. They used Cervidil. It's the first step of a two-part process, and is used for "cervical ripening". Once the Cervidil takes effect, they start a drip (usually Pitocin) to bring on stronger contractions. We were told that the Cervidil can take up to 24 hours to work, and may not even work at that point. It may need to be re-applied. Induction is a long and drawn out process when the cervix isn't ready.
Are they sure it's going to take a really long time?
Yes, they're sure.
Ok ... because I want an epidural as soon as things are well under way, and I don't want to miss the opportunity.
It's fine; induction takes a long time, but if the opportunity is missed for whatever reason, they have lots of experience talking women through labour without drugs.
Ok ... yes ... but I want the epidural.
Just wait. It's going to be a long time.
I told H that he should just go home, and we'd call him back in if anything happened during the night. H declined, feeling quite uncomfortable with this suggestion. He decided to use the fold-out bed available in my room. We'd brought a lot of the comforts of home, having anticipated that induced labour can take some time. So H curled up with our portable DVD player and watched some movies until he drifted off. And I slept as much as I could while I waited for any indication that something was happening.
The nurses checked in periodically. Checked with monitors. Baby's heart rate is still good. There are no contractions at all. Nothing is happening.
And then, I started having pain. It didn't feel like the contractions I had with J. The location of the pain was hard to describe. Some in the back, by the kidneys. Some in the front, but only low down in the pelvis. The pain comes in waves, but without a break between. Are these contractions? Or is it something else? I don't know. But it really hurts. So I called the nurse, and she came.
I'm lying on my side, hooked up to monitors. No contractions are visible on the monitor. The nurse can't feel any contractions manually either. A check of the cervix shows it is unchanged. These are not contractions. We don't know what they are.
Could it be the kidney stones again?
Could be. Does it feel the same?
Well, it feels like that in the back. But the pelvic pain is different.
Do you think it's the kidney stones?
If it's not contractions, it's got to be the stones.
We'll give a shot of morphine and gravol to handle the pain.
Kidney stones are always handled with pain control. Same shot of morphine and gravol. It works well. Takes effect quickly, too when the problem is stones. I know a shot of morphine doesn't touch labour pains. But these aren't contractions. Got to be more kidney stones. So I get the morphine.
And then I roll onto my back, and wait for the shot to take effect. It doesn't take effect.
The nurse feels my abdomen as I lie in my new position. And she says "Wait. I think maybe these are contractions". And I shriek as I search for a more comfortable position. I settle on sitting up on the edge of the bed and pushing forward with my hands. At this point, H finally wakes up and wants to know what's going on.
The nurse tells me to get ahold of myself and breathe through the contractions. It's going to be a long time, and it's going to get much worse. This is just early labour. I have a long way to go. Focus. Breathe. The cervix isn't being affected by these contractions. The contractions may not even progress, since the cervix isn't ready. But it's going to take a long time.
T: Just give me a c-section!
H: Honey, you don't want a c-section. You said that.
T: I lied!
A different nurse comes in to join the first nurse. And that's when I hear a pop and feel a gush. "I think my water broke". They check. There may be meconium in the fluid. They're not quite sure. Nurse #2 wants to check the cervix. Nurse #1 tells her the cervix is still not ready, and certainly not dilated at all. Nurse #2 checks anyway. I'm suddenly 6 cm dilated.
Nurse #2 runs to call the anesthetist to get the epidural going. She returns moments later. The anesthetist is on his way in. He only lives 5 minutes away, so it will be soon. Just hang on. She checks the cervix again. And now, I'm 9 cm dilated.
Nurse #2 calls the anesthetist again. Don't come in. You'll never make it.
Nurse #2 tells me there's no time for an epidural. (She later told me that she thought I was going to leap off the bed and strangle her.) Nothing can be done.
No time for an epidural. The morphine shot hasn't kicked in yet. And I keep forgetting to breathe through the contractions. Laughing gas solves this problem. I can hear my breathing through the mask, and it reminds me to keep breathing through. But the baby is now in distress, and the heart rate has dropped to 50. The intern orchestrating delivery tells me that I have to get mad and push the baby out right away. There is no time to wait.
And so there is no crowning, then the head, then the shoulders ... which are the normal steps in delivery. Oh no. One solid push for all I'm worth, and the baby comes out. No one is ready. No one catches the baby. The baby falls on the bed. Staff recovery is quick, and the baby is scooped up quickly. We pretend that didn't happen.
According to the nursing staff, 40 minutes to dilate from 0 to 10 cm and 7 minutes of pushing. All told, a 47 minute labour, ending at 5:41 a.m.
They clean up the baby, put the drops in the eyes. Weigh him: 6 lbs 14 oz. Measure him: 18 3/4 inches. Baby is healthy and happy. Scores 8 and 9 on the Apgars. Came out crying right away. Nice pink colour. Baby looks very good indeed. My OB (who missed the entire birth) arrives and stitches me up. The nurses give baby to his daddy. And once I am ready, H gives me the baby to hold. The staff leave the room. I get ready to nurse our new son. H starts to make phone calls to give the good news to our families.
I look at my son with pride and joy. And realize that he has turned blue. We call the staff back. They run for all they're worth. The morphine, which did nothing to help me, was absorbed by the baby. He has forgotten to breathe. Baby needs a shot of Narcan and some oxygen. They work to anger the baby to make him breathe. They speak of bagging him. But in the end, they do not have to take this step. Baby begins to breathe on his own again, and he returns to my arms. We are told to pay special attention at certain times over the next day and to hit the yellow emergency button if it happens again.
We are happy and relieved. We phone our families to give the good news. We do not realize until later that the speed of the delivery has resulted in a further complication. The uterus is not contracting as it should, and I am bleeding too much. Blood loss is becoming a concern. Several doses of medication are required to control the bleeding and force the uterus to contract. Thankfully, the medication eventually works. The bleeding is controlled. And we are discharged the following afternoon.
Welcome to the world, baby N. You are a sweet, wonderful little package. And as much as you have put us through, you are totally worth it!
I love you so much, my sweet son.
I was being seen in hospital every other day by the end of things. More kidney stones, more bleeding, etc., etc., etc. When we reached 38 weeks, the doctor decided the baby was in good stead and that the pregnancy was adversely affecting my health. With virtually nothing to be gained by continuing the pregnancy to 40 weeks, the doctor decided that I could be induced around 39 weeks to save my own health.
We were scheduled for an induction last weekend. We made arrangements for J to spend time with our friends, L&P and K&K, and their respective children. J had a great time, and we are forever grateful to our friends for taking such good care of our little man. He had his first sleepover ... and with a girl, no less! Us? Well ... all's well that ends well, so we really can't complain. But we will always want to remember how it went. So ... here's how it went.
The hospital was really busy on Sunday. Ordinarily, they call people around 6:00 a.m. and try to get them admitted by 7:30 or 8:00 a.m. But there were so many people admitted in labour through the night that they had no room for us in the morning. We had a wait. Eventually, we were told to head in for 3:00 p.m. They did a non-stress test on the baby, where they hooked me up to monitors to look for contractions and check baby's heart rate. Everything looked fine with baby. No distress. Baby's position was good. I had no contractions, and the cervix wasn't ready. All of this, we already knew. So we were good to go as soon as a bed became available.
Around 5:45 p.m., they got started. They used Cervidil. It's the first step of a two-part process, and is used for "cervical ripening". Once the Cervidil takes effect, they start a drip (usually Pitocin) to bring on stronger contractions. We were told that the Cervidil can take up to 24 hours to work, and may not even work at that point. It may need to be re-applied. Induction is a long and drawn out process when the cervix isn't ready.
Are they sure it's going to take a really long time?
Yes, they're sure.
Ok ... because I want an epidural as soon as things are well under way, and I don't want to miss the opportunity.
It's fine; induction takes a long time, but if the opportunity is missed for whatever reason, they have lots of experience talking women through labour without drugs.
Ok ... yes ... but I want the epidural.
Just wait. It's going to be a long time.
I told H that he should just go home, and we'd call him back in if anything happened during the night. H declined, feeling quite uncomfortable with this suggestion. He decided to use the fold-out bed available in my room. We'd brought a lot of the comforts of home, having anticipated that induced labour can take some time. So H curled up with our portable DVD player and watched some movies until he drifted off. And I slept as much as I could while I waited for any indication that something was happening.
The nurses checked in periodically. Checked with monitors. Baby's heart rate is still good. There are no contractions at all. Nothing is happening.
And then, I started having pain. It didn't feel like the contractions I had with J. The location of the pain was hard to describe. Some in the back, by the kidneys. Some in the front, but only low down in the pelvis. The pain comes in waves, but without a break between. Are these contractions? Or is it something else? I don't know. But it really hurts. So I called the nurse, and she came.
I'm lying on my side, hooked up to monitors. No contractions are visible on the monitor. The nurse can't feel any contractions manually either. A check of the cervix shows it is unchanged. These are not contractions. We don't know what they are.
Could it be the kidney stones again?
Could be. Does it feel the same?
Well, it feels like that in the back. But the pelvic pain is different.
Do you think it's the kidney stones?
If it's not contractions, it's got to be the stones.
We'll give a shot of morphine and gravol to handle the pain.
Kidney stones are always handled with pain control. Same shot of morphine and gravol. It works well. Takes effect quickly, too when the problem is stones. I know a shot of morphine doesn't touch labour pains. But these aren't contractions. Got to be more kidney stones. So I get the morphine.
And then I roll onto my back, and wait for the shot to take effect. It doesn't take effect.
The nurse feels my abdomen as I lie in my new position. And she says "Wait. I think maybe these are contractions". And I shriek as I search for a more comfortable position. I settle on sitting up on the edge of the bed and pushing forward with my hands. At this point, H finally wakes up and wants to know what's going on.
The nurse tells me to get ahold of myself and breathe through the contractions. It's going to be a long time, and it's going to get much worse. This is just early labour. I have a long way to go. Focus. Breathe. The cervix isn't being affected by these contractions. The contractions may not even progress, since the cervix isn't ready. But it's going to take a long time.
T: Just give me a c-section!
H: Honey, you don't want a c-section. You said that.
T: I lied!
A different nurse comes in to join the first nurse. And that's when I hear a pop and feel a gush. "I think my water broke". They check. There may be meconium in the fluid. They're not quite sure. Nurse #2 wants to check the cervix. Nurse #1 tells her the cervix is still not ready, and certainly not dilated at all. Nurse #2 checks anyway. I'm suddenly 6 cm dilated.
Nurse #2 runs to call the anesthetist to get the epidural going. She returns moments later. The anesthetist is on his way in. He only lives 5 minutes away, so it will be soon. Just hang on. She checks the cervix again. And now, I'm 9 cm dilated.
Nurse #2 calls the anesthetist again. Don't come in. You'll never make it.
Nurse #2 tells me there's no time for an epidural. (She later told me that she thought I was going to leap off the bed and strangle her.) Nothing can be done.
No time for an epidural. The morphine shot hasn't kicked in yet. And I keep forgetting to breathe through the contractions. Laughing gas solves this problem. I can hear my breathing through the mask, and it reminds me to keep breathing through. But the baby is now in distress, and the heart rate has dropped to 50. The intern orchestrating delivery tells me that I have to get mad and push the baby out right away. There is no time to wait.
And so there is no crowning, then the head, then the shoulders ... which are the normal steps in delivery. Oh no. One solid push for all I'm worth, and the baby comes out. No one is ready. No one catches the baby. The baby falls on the bed. Staff recovery is quick, and the baby is scooped up quickly. We pretend that didn't happen.
According to the nursing staff, 40 minutes to dilate from 0 to 10 cm and 7 minutes of pushing. All told, a 47 minute labour, ending at 5:41 a.m.
They clean up the baby, put the drops in the eyes. Weigh him: 6 lbs 14 oz. Measure him: 18 3/4 inches. Baby is healthy and happy. Scores 8 and 9 on the Apgars. Came out crying right away. Nice pink colour. Baby looks very good indeed. My OB (who missed the entire birth) arrives and stitches me up. The nurses give baby to his daddy. And once I am ready, H gives me the baby to hold. The staff leave the room. I get ready to nurse our new son. H starts to make phone calls to give the good news to our families.
I look at my son with pride and joy. And realize that he has turned blue. We call the staff back. They run for all they're worth. The morphine, which did nothing to help me, was absorbed by the baby. He has forgotten to breathe. Baby needs a shot of Narcan and some oxygen. They work to anger the baby to make him breathe. They speak of bagging him. But in the end, they do not have to take this step. Baby begins to breathe on his own again, and he returns to my arms. We are told to pay special attention at certain times over the next day and to hit the yellow emergency button if it happens again.
We are happy and relieved. We phone our families to give the good news. We do not realize until later that the speed of the delivery has resulted in a further complication. The uterus is not contracting as it should, and I am bleeding too much. Blood loss is becoming a concern. Several doses of medication are required to control the bleeding and force the uterus to contract. Thankfully, the medication eventually works. The bleeding is controlled. And we are discharged the following afternoon.
Welcome to the world, baby N. You are a sweet, wonderful little package. And as much as you have put us through, you are totally worth it!
I love you so much, my sweet son.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Because the pregnancy needed more drama
As most of my readers will know, I've been on bedrest since early November for bleeding in the pregnancy. I've had severe nausea and vomiting, which has resulted in weight loss and dehydration. I've continued to spot throughout the pregnancy. There seem to be some placental issues that are causing this. Just like when I was pregnant with J, I have to stay still. It's tougher this time, because it's for a longer period. It's also tougher because I have J and have a harder time staying still. But I do my best.
I keep having to go to the hospital. Every episode of bleeding or spotting, and off we go. We spend a good portion of time at the hospital these days.
I have now developed kidney stones, just to add to the situation. Kidney stones and kidney infections can bring on early labour. I was already at high risk for that before. Age, past pregnancy, and complications to date had already made a preterm baby fairly likely. So I've now received steroid shots to mature Baby's lungs, just in case.
Kidney stones hurt. And they can take a long time to pass. We can't really do a lot about it until after Baby is born. So I'm just drinking a lot of water and trying to flush them out of the system on my own. I spent last weekend in the hospital, getting rehydrated and trying to flush them. They let me go home once the pain had passed. But it returned in a different spot after I'd gotten home. There's not much that I can take for pain relief, because I'm pregnant. And it really hurts.
But at least it doesn't hurt in my back any longer. And it's no longer causing vomiting, so that's good. It's just causing some infection and a lot of pain.
I really wish these stones would pass so I could get on with the day-to-day chore of lying still, without so much pain.
Oh, the pain!!
I keep having to go to the hospital. Every episode of bleeding or spotting, and off we go. We spend a good portion of time at the hospital these days.
I have now developed kidney stones, just to add to the situation. Kidney stones and kidney infections can bring on early labour. I was already at high risk for that before. Age, past pregnancy, and complications to date had already made a preterm baby fairly likely. So I've now received steroid shots to mature Baby's lungs, just in case.
Kidney stones hurt. And they can take a long time to pass. We can't really do a lot about it until after Baby is born. So I'm just drinking a lot of water and trying to flush them out of the system on my own. I spent last weekend in the hospital, getting rehydrated and trying to flush them. They let me go home once the pain had passed. But it returned in a different spot after I'd gotten home. There's not much that I can take for pain relief, because I'm pregnant. And it really hurts.
But at least it doesn't hurt in my back any longer. And it's no longer causing vomiting, so that's good. It's just causing some infection and a lot of pain.
I really wish these stones would pass so I could get on with the day-to-day chore of lying still, without so much pain.
Oh, the pain!!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
A J never sleeps
J has decided that he wants cuddles before bed. He's suddenly developed a fear of the dark, and he doesn't like being left alone for bedtime.
J doesn't enjoy bedtime. He argues about it. He delays it. He demands cuddles and a sippy-cup of milk. J hasn't had a sippy-cup in many months, but we've had to dig this old relic up once more for his new night-time ritual. Usually, he wakes up several times a night and wants cuddles.
Last night was particularly dreadful.
I'd spent the weekend at the hospital. Everything is pretty well fine, but I've added kidney stone to the list of pregnancy problems, and I needed to spend some time at the RAH. It was not a great weekend. But they released me Sunday afternoon and let me come home. I'm trying to stay hydrated and rested, and hoping to manage this at home. But if the nights are like last night, ... well ...
J awoke.
"I wanna cuddle for a little bit"
"Upp-ie!"
"I wanna cuddle!"
"I WANNNNNNAAAA CUUUUDDLLLE FOR A LITTTTTLE BIIIIITTTTT!!!!"
Minutes pass ...
[Sing-song]
"Soccer ball, soccer ball
Soccer ball, soccer ball
Soccer ball, soccer ball"
Minutes pass ...
"Froggie is stinky. Poopie Froggie? It's ok, Froggie. I'll change your bum."
Narration of the diaper change being performed on J's stuffed Froggie ensues ... followed by a diaper change on Cow ... and one on Big Bad Wolf, who was presumably so poopie that he needed toilet paper ...
Minutes pass ...
"Mommy, can you turn on Treehouse?"
"Shrek the Third?"
"Treehouse?"
Minutes pass ... Mommy gets up for her ritual 3:00 a.m. hurl ...
"Mommy's vomiting in the big potty. She's vomiting in the big potty"
Followed by narration ...
"She vomits ... again ... and again ... and again ... and again ..."
Minutes pass ... J falls out of bed ... We put him back in bed ...
"Can you cover me up, Mommy?"
Mommy obliges. Minutes pass ...
"Can you cover me up, Mommy?"
Daddy responds ...
"No! Mommy!! Can you cover me up, Mommy? I WANT MOMMY!!!"
An argument erupts over whether or not Daddy is as good a cover-upper as Mommy ...
Eventually, J went back to sleep. I am tired. But I must stay up and drink lots and lots of water. There are still kidney stones to flush out of my system. Fun for the whole family!
J doesn't enjoy bedtime. He argues about it. He delays it. He demands cuddles and a sippy-cup of milk. J hasn't had a sippy-cup in many months, but we've had to dig this old relic up once more for his new night-time ritual. Usually, he wakes up several times a night and wants cuddles.
Last night was particularly dreadful.
I'd spent the weekend at the hospital. Everything is pretty well fine, but I've added kidney stone to the list of pregnancy problems, and I needed to spend some time at the RAH. It was not a great weekend. But they released me Sunday afternoon and let me come home. I'm trying to stay hydrated and rested, and hoping to manage this at home. But if the nights are like last night, ... well ...
J awoke.
"I wanna cuddle for a little bit"
"Upp-ie!"
"I wanna cuddle!"
"I WANNNNNNAAAA CUUUUDDLLLE FOR A LITTTTTLE BIIIIITTTTT!!!!"
Minutes pass ...
[Sing-song]
"Soccer ball, soccer ball
Soccer ball, soccer ball
Soccer ball, soccer ball"
Minutes pass ...
"Froggie is stinky. Poopie Froggie? It's ok, Froggie. I'll change your bum."
Narration of the diaper change being performed on J's stuffed Froggie ensues ... followed by a diaper change on Cow ... and one on Big Bad Wolf, who was presumably so poopie that he needed toilet paper ...
Minutes pass ...
"Mommy, can you turn on Treehouse?"
"Shrek the Third?"
"Treehouse?"
Minutes pass ... Mommy gets up for her ritual 3:00 a.m. hurl ...
"Mommy's vomiting in the big potty. She's vomiting in the big potty"
Followed by narration ...
"She vomits ... again ... and again ... and again ... and again ..."
Minutes pass ... J falls out of bed ... We put him back in bed ...
"Can you cover me up, Mommy?"
Mommy obliges. Minutes pass ...
"Can you cover me up, Mommy?"
Daddy responds ...
"No! Mommy!! Can you cover me up, Mommy? I WANT MOMMY!!!"
An argument erupts over whether or not Daddy is as good a cover-upper as Mommy ...
Eventually, J went back to sleep. I am tired. But I must stay up and drink lots and lots of water. There are still kidney stones to flush out of my system. Fun for the whole family!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Updates 'n' stuff
J can say "Love you" now, among many other things. Sometimes, we can tell what he's saying, and sometimes it's so mangled we have no idea. But in time, we'll be able to understand it all. I can't wait! His chatting is really sweet, and we really enjoy all the talking. But while his speech is improving, he still doesn't eat well. At least, not for us; however, daycare says eating is his favorite passtime. I'm just glad he's getting nourishment somewhere! At least we know he'll always eat grapes.
J is rather accident-prone these days. He currently has two fat lips, from falling at daycare while reaching for various toys. At home, he'll run headlong 'til he falls down. He's a tough kid, though, and is never down for too long.
In other news, my car is still not working. But I am hopeful that it will be returned to working order shortly and I'll be able to get around a bit better.
H's foosball table (which ended up costing us only $15; score!) is assembled in the basement now. It's red with black legs and black and white graphics, and it has a beautiful high-gloss playing surface and the cool old-fashioned red and white foosball table rods, featuring players with faces and uniforms. What an amazing find!
I have had a headache for 3 days now. Tonight, I also have a sore shoulder and stomach/back pains. The back pain thing is starting to feel more normal now, and I suspect it will continue periodically until the whole kidney-stone extravaganza is done. But as to the rest, I blame the blizzard. We have a whole lot of snow, and really cold temperatures/wind-chills expected. And my body always responds negatively to weather fluctuations, so it's no wonder I feel a bit miserable just now.
I hope the weather stabilizes soon. Preferably, it will stabilize at nice balmy temperatures!
J is rather accident-prone these days. He currently has two fat lips, from falling at daycare while reaching for various toys. At home, he'll run headlong 'til he falls down. He's a tough kid, though, and is never down for too long.
In other news, my car is still not working. But I am hopeful that it will be returned to working order shortly and I'll be able to get around a bit better.
H's foosball table (which ended up costing us only $15; score!) is assembled in the basement now. It's red with black legs and black and white graphics, and it has a beautiful high-gloss playing surface and the cool old-fashioned red and white foosball table rods, featuring players with faces and uniforms. What an amazing find!
I have had a headache for 3 days now. Tonight, I also have a sore shoulder and stomach/back pains. The back pain thing is starting to feel more normal now, and I suspect it will continue periodically until the whole kidney-stone extravaganza is done. But as to the rest, I blame the blizzard. We have a whole lot of snow, and really cold temperatures/wind-chills expected. And my body always responds negatively to weather fluctuations, so it's no wonder I feel a bit miserable just now.
I hope the weather stabilizes soon. Preferably, it will stabilize at nice balmy temperatures!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Mishmash
H, who has been a very good boy all year long, is getting a 42" foosball table from Santa. This will be very handy. The basement is going to get finished this year, and the foosball table will go down there. Obviously. Between that and my dartboard, we should be able to set up a handy little games area. Cool!
Did I mention how much I love sales? It was one of those blue-light specials, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to grab it for $25!
**********
On a less positive note, I have another kidney infection. The doctor actually thinks it may be a stone. In any event, bring on the antibiotics. This is most icky. Hurts quite a bit.
I've also had a muscle spasm in my neck and a resultant headache for several days. Feels awful. Pain meds aren't touching it, 'cause the muscle spasm has to go away first. Muscle relaxants haven't touched it either, though. Just tried a nice jetted bath, and I'm going to relax on the wet heating pad to see if it will ease this terrible knot out. It feels like a big lump in the neck right by the base of the skull. No wonder my head hurts.
**********
On to other things. I've started my next course. Economics is not particularly riveting, but I'm doing my best. Working on a multiple choice quiz:
If A and B are substitutes, what will an increase in the price of A lead to?
(a) A positive cross elasticity value for the two products
(b) A negative cross elasticity value for the two products
(c) T falling asleep over her Economics textbooks
(d) T gouging out her eyes with her pen so she has something else to do
I hope this gets a little better as the course progresses. It's hard enough to find motivation to study when the material is really interesting. This is just a bit dry. But at least it's relevant ... unlike that silly course I took in spring! So at least this is a bit better than was that one.
**********
Can't wait for Christmas. I hope J likes all his presents!
Did I mention how much I love sales? It was one of those blue-light specials, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and was able to grab it for $25!
**********
On a less positive note, I have another kidney infection. The doctor actually thinks it may be a stone. In any event, bring on the antibiotics. This is most icky. Hurts quite a bit.
I've also had a muscle spasm in my neck and a resultant headache for several days. Feels awful. Pain meds aren't touching it, 'cause the muscle spasm has to go away first. Muscle relaxants haven't touched it either, though. Just tried a nice jetted bath, and I'm going to relax on the wet heating pad to see if it will ease this terrible knot out. It feels like a big lump in the neck right by the base of the skull. No wonder my head hurts.
**********
On to other things. I've started my next course. Economics is not particularly riveting, but I'm doing my best. Working on a multiple choice quiz:
If A and B are substitutes, what will an increase in the price of A lead to?
(a) A positive cross elasticity value for the two products
(b) A negative cross elasticity value for the two products
(c) T falling asleep over her Economics textbooks
(d) T gouging out her eyes with her pen so she has something else to do
I hope this gets a little better as the course progresses. It's hard enough to find motivation to study when the material is really interesting. This is just a bit dry. But at least it's relevant ... unlike that silly course I took in spring! So at least this is a bit better than was that one.
**********
Can't wait for Christmas. I hope J likes all his presents!
Monday, October 16, 2006
Urgent. Urgent. Emergency
Well, so much for the thought that I'd caught the bladder infection in time.
Last night around 11:00, we had to get someone to come and look after J for us while H drove me to Emergency. I was in so much pain I couldn't get up off the floor. It was unbelievable how much my lower back hurt. It radiated around to the front, and my abdomen was extremely tender. I was in so much pain, I was throwing up from it. I never thought anything would hurt more than labour. But this honestly did. I couldn't believe the amount of pain I was experiencing.
I couldn't drive, and I didn't want to wake J. I tried to just get someone to drive me to the hospital so H could stay home with J. But my dad (bless him) wouldn't hear of it, and he looked after J for us while H took me to Emerg.
Just getting me into the car was an adventure. I couldn't stand up straight, and I walked into Emergency bent double at the waist. The triage nurse got me a wheelchair and a heating pad, and things started to improve. H gave her my medical history; I was busy vomitting. We jumped the queue for priority sequence, and I was looked after pretty quick.
I have a kidney infection.
Take the new antibiotics. Drink lots. Stay off work for two days and rest (I particularly hate that direction, but will comply). Take heavy duty pain pills for the next two days (they'll make you sleep; really, don't go into work). I got a shot of morphine and gravol while we waited for my results and, upon being discharged, I was even able to walk out of the hospital, standing erect and without puking.
I'm glad it's just a kidney infection. I thought I was dying.
So I will be home resting for the next two days. I certainly don't want to play around with something like this. I don't want it to get worse (though my little brain can't quite wrap itself around that concept).
The good thing about the trip into Emergency is that I got a doctor's note for work. So I can feel justified about staying home. The bad news? I have deadlines at the office, and I need to be there!! I'll have to get some stuff reassigned so no deadlines are missed.
Took my pain medication, and I'm going back to bed now. The pain is returning, so I guess sitting up is not okay.
Last night around 11:00, we had to get someone to come and look after J for us while H drove me to Emergency. I was in so much pain I couldn't get up off the floor. It was unbelievable how much my lower back hurt. It radiated around to the front, and my abdomen was extremely tender. I was in so much pain, I was throwing up from it. I never thought anything would hurt more than labour. But this honestly did. I couldn't believe the amount of pain I was experiencing.
I couldn't drive, and I didn't want to wake J. I tried to just get someone to drive me to the hospital so H could stay home with J. But my dad (bless him) wouldn't hear of it, and he looked after J for us while H took me to Emerg.
Just getting me into the car was an adventure. I couldn't stand up straight, and I walked into Emergency bent double at the waist. The triage nurse got me a wheelchair and a heating pad, and things started to improve. H gave her my medical history; I was busy vomitting. We jumped the queue for priority sequence, and I was looked after pretty quick.
I have a kidney infection.
Take the new antibiotics. Drink lots. Stay off work for two days and rest (I particularly hate that direction, but will comply). Take heavy duty pain pills for the next two days (they'll make you sleep; really, don't go into work). I got a shot of morphine and gravol while we waited for my results and, upon being discharged, I was even able to walk out of the hospital, standing erect and without puking.
I'm glad it's just a kidney infection. I thought I was dying.
So I will be home resting for the next two days. I certainly don't want to play around with something like this. I don't want it to get worse (though my little brain can't quite wrap itself around that concept).
The good thing about the trip into Emergency is that I got a doctor's note for work. So I can feel justified about staying home. The bad news? I have deadlines at the office, and I need to be there!! I'll have to get some stuff reassigned so no deadlines are missed.
Took my pain medication, and I'm going back to bed now. The pain is returning, so I guess sitting up is not okay.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Why so dumb, chum?
I fed J some apple pieces the other night. He decided that he only likes the juice, and he spat out the chewed up pieces once he'd gotten the yummy juice out. Then he tried to give them to me in a most unpleasant way, resulting in a new episode of "Things You Never Thought You'd Hear Yourself Say":
"Mommy does not want to eat your regurgitated apple bits.
**********
I went to the doctor last Monday. I said that I appeared to have developed a bladder infection. A urinalysis showed nothing. I was on antibiotics for the bronchitis, so shouldn't have developed a bladder infection. I was told to drink cranberry juice and go back to see them on Friday if I still didn't feel better.
I decided that this meant I had developed a severe case of hypochondria. There is nothing wrong with me. And if I simply ignore it, it will go away.
Friday.
Saturday.
And on Sunday, I was in such tremendous discomfort that I could no longer ignore the situation. It's real, dang it! I went back to the doctor. But if it's real, and it's not a bladder infection, what could it be?
I had roughly three hours to ponder that while I waited in the doctor's office for it to be my turn. I was not bored, for I got to run to the bathroom every ten minutes. I was even given a little cup by the nurse so that they could check in the office rather than sending me out to a lab. "But it's not a bladder infection" I thought inwardly; "we've already established that". Confident that my urinalysis would reveal nothing, and that it wasn't all in my head either, I waited to discover just what the heck else might be causing the symptoms I'd been exhibiting.
Saw the doctor.
It's not all in my head. I should have known that. Because it appears that there is nothing in my head.
I have a severe bladder infection. It's resistant to the antibiotics I was taking. I needed new antibiotics. Five-day course. And if it's still like this at the end of the treatment, I will need to take an anti-spasmodic drug to finish the job.
It hurts. A lot.
I feel foolish. I should have trusted myself. Shouldn't have waited so long. Should have persisted after the first test showed nothing. Probably should have just made them redo the test. But I did none of these things. And now, I will have to endure this intense discomfort for a longer period of time.
At least I went back before it worked its way up into my kidneys. That's a good thing, right?
"Mommy does not want to eat your regurgitated apple bits.
I went to the doctor last Monday. I said that I appeared to have developed a bladder infection. A urinalysis showed nothing. I was on antibiotics for the bronchitis, so shouldn't have developed a bladder infection. I was told to drink cranberry juice and go back to see them on Friday if I still didn't feel better.
I decided that this meant I had developed a severe case of hypochondria. There is nothing wrong with me. And if I simply ignore it, it will go away.
Friday.
Saturday.
And on Sunday, I was in such tremendous discomfort that I could no longer ignore the situation. It's real, dang it! I went back to the doctor. But if it's real, and it's not a bladder infection, what could it be?
I had roughly three hours to ponder that while I waited in the doctor's office for it to be my turn. I was not bored, for I got to run to the bathroom every ten minutes. I was even given a little cup by the nurse so that they could check in the office rather than sending me out to a lab. "But it's not a bladder infection" I thought inwardly; "we've already established that". Confident that my urinalysis would reveal nothing, and that it wasn't all in my head either, I waited to discover just what the heck else might be causing the symptoms I'd been exhibiting.
Saw the doctor.
It's not all in my head. I should have known that. Because it appears that there is nothing in my head.
I have a severe bladder infection. It's resistant to the antibiotics I was taking. I needed new antibiotics. Five-day course. And if it's still like this at the end of the treatment, I will need to take an anti-spasmodic drug to finish the job.
It hurts. A lot.
I feel foolish. I should have trusted myself. Shouldn't have waited so long. Should have persisted after the first test showed nothing. Probably should have just made them redo the test. But I did none of these things. And now, I will have to endure this intense discomfort for a longer period of time.
At least I went back before it worked its way up into my kidneys. That's a good thing, right?
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
What is with this stupid bug???
Well, it started over two weeks ago now. It started with major muscle spasms. And then it turned into stomach trouble, combined with major muscle spasms. Then I developed a twitch in my right eye. Next came the sore throat. Then the runny nose, and then the bronchitis cough. And that's when I lost my voice completely.
I said enough. I went to the Medicentre. I got drugs to help fight this.
My voice is starting to return, and my eye has finally stopped twitching (knock wood). I'm still getting some muscle spasms and some stomach trouble, but it's not as severe as it was, and I am hopeful that it will go away soon.
But now, I have apparently added a urinary tract infection to my woes. And it hurts. A lot. It kept me up from around 3:00 on last night. It came accompanied by chills. It was not enjoyable in the least.
I've called in sick from work for the day. I almost never do that. But it's that bad.
How did this happen? I'm on antibiotics! This should not have happened!
I am hoping that my regular doctor can see me today. If not, then maybe someone else in his clinic will be available. I need to get whatever the heck mutant viral pest thing is causing this awful condition out of my system once and for all. I just don't know how to do that.
I said enough. I went to the Medicentre. I got drugs to help fight this.
My voice is starting to return, and my eye has finally stopped twitching (knock wood). I'm still getting some muscle spasms and some stomach trouble, but it's not as severe as it was, and I am hopeful that it will go away soon.
But now, I have apparently added a urinary tract infection to my woes. And it hurts. A lot. It kept me up from around 3:00 on last night. It came accompanied by chills. It was not enjoyable in the least.
I've called in sick from work for the day. I almost never do that. But it's that bad.
How did this happen? I'm on antibiotics! This should not have happened!
I am hoping that my regular doctor can see me today. If not, then maybe someone else in his clinic will be available. I need to get whatever the heck mutant viral pest thing is causing this awful condition out of my system once and for all. I just don't know how to do that.
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