Evaluation

I hadn't realized it until today, but I was pretty pleased with myself that I hadn't had to go to the hospital for any unscheduled appointments through the whole pregnancy, despite all the complications I've had to deal with. Two days shy of 35 weeks, I broke my streak today. The good news is that everything is fine.

I woke up feeling pretty rough again today, after also feeling puny yesterday. I had the shakes pretty bad (as in I couldn't even give myself my insulin injection before breakfast), despite my blood sugar being right where it should be, so once I got to work today I went by the nurse's office. My blood pressure was good, though my pulse was a little high. She suggested I call my doctors to be safe, and so did my mom when I called her. My oncologist's office said I should call the OB, and the nurse called me back a few minutes later to say they wanted me to go into Labor & Delivery to be evaluated.

I stopped off at home to grab my chemo bag (because it has games and other things to keep me entertained) and my computer (because I was silly and thought that I'd maybe actually do some work while I was waiting around) and met Kevin at the hospital within the hour.

They hooked baby and me up to monitors and asked me all kinds of questions about what had been going on. My OB was in L&D this morning, so he was the one to come by and check on me. My pulse was still a bit on the higher side, and while my blood sugar and systolic blood pressure were both fine, my diastolic pressure was also a bit on the high side. I also had a little protein in my urine sample. The doctor ordered a bunch of blood work to rule out preeclampsia, check my thyroid, and look for anything else that could have caused my symptoms.

I stayed hooked up for the couple of hours we waited for my labs and such. The exam bed in the triage room is much less comfortable than the actual beds they have where I go for my non-stress tests. Those beds also have actual sheets on them, rather than the plastic mattress with a paper cover.
I got permission to eat, so Kevin went to find us some lunch (if you thought a hospital cafeteria could at least make vegetables appetizing, you'd be as disappointed as I was).

Yes, I was a little uncomfortable and whiny while I was there. What gave it away?

Anyway, we got the all clear just before 2 pm. They aren't sure what caused my symptoms, but everything they watch for checked out, so we got to go home. Kevin and I both ended up taking naps, which was nice. I decided I had enough energy to make dinner, but I overestimated my stamina by a bit and ended up finishing it while sitting on a stool in front of the stove. I guess that's something I should mention to the nurses when I go for my chemo infusion on Friday. It's getting harder and harder to stay standing for even 15 or 20 minutes at a time. It's probably a combination of being nearly 35 weeks pregnant and six rounds into chemo, but it's still pretty annoying. It makes me extra grateful for everyone who has brought us dinner or gift cards for dinner...I love cooking, but I just can't do it like I am used to.

I go back Friday morning for my scheduled NST and doctor visit, and I'll go straight from there to my infusion. Kevin might miss this appointment, since he missed half the day today. He's been pretty amazing at making my appointments throughout the whole pregnancy, but now that we're looking at twice a week appointments, it's going to be harder, especially when they're scheduled for mornings.
Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned how awesome my doctors are lately, my oncologist called while I was at the hospital to check on me and see how I was doing once he heard I'd been sent to L&D.