To Hell and Back

Guests had been by all day, and I had told them the promising news the doctor had passed along to me. If all went well over the weekend then I would be able to go home on Monday. Needless to say my hopes were up.

By Friday evening it was as if I had entered a completely different world. It was around dinner time when I began to get the most horrible pain in my right side under my boob. It was like nothing I have ever felt before in my life. It was a mix between a stabbing and ripping feeling. I tried waiting a few minutes to see if maybe it was some kind of weird cramp from laying in bed for so long. When it didn't pass I called for the nurse. She entered and asked the usual questions, " How do your rate your pain?" and so on. There is no number that would have rated my pain at that time. Not really knowing what to do next the nurse called my doctor.

It was apparent, when she returned, that my doctor didn't realize how bad the pain truly was. The nurse came back with constipation medicine and milk of mylanta. I took they trying not to doubt my doctor. They didn't work. When things continued to worsen, more nurses entered my room to put their two cents in. My IV had been taken out earlier that day, and they needed one now. At this point the pain had grown significantly worse. It was so horrible I began to black out. Patches of consciousness leaked through. I remember nearly six different nurses attempting to get an IV in my arm. Later I found out they had to get someone for the lab to finally get one in. While all of this was going on a lady came in to get an EKG. All I remember from her was the fact that she had no idea what she was doing. She continually asked me to stay still when the even thought of moving made the pain peak to an unbareable level. She eventually gave up and left.

After this commotion began to die down the doctor finally came in to assess the situation. He had no idea what could be causing all of this pain. Because it was the middle of the night by now, there weren't really any tests that could be performed. He ordered some pain medication to get me through the night and we would try to find out the problem in the morning.

The next morning at six the hell began. The phlebotomist came in to take blood for labs. It was difficult for her to find a viable vein to use so it took her a little longer than usual. A little later the doctor came in to explain the plans of finding the pain culperit. He listed the many different tests that would be perforemd and then I was taken to the first one of the day. Each of these tests had to be handled with care to be sure there wasn't any harm done to the baby. When all of the tests were done and there still was no answer I began to worry. These people were doctors how could they not have the answer. I couldn't be like one of those people on Mystery Diagnosis, could I?

By that evening blood work was done again. The results were returned quickly and they provided bad news. The doctor came to explain. She said an indicator of infection is a lowering in white blood cells. From the labs my count was considerably low. She further explained what the plan of action was going to be. I was to be transfered to a triage room and my cerclage was to be removed. After this it was unclear exactly what was going to happen next. It was for sure that I would be going into the delivery process, but how fast or slow was still unsure.

Because the baby was still so small I only had to dialate around eight inches apposed to the usual ten. As the time progressed we realized it could be quite a while before it was time. An anestesiologist came in after a little while and administered the epidural. Contrary to the rumors I had heard it really wasn't that painful. The medicine began to kick in and I was able to get a little rest in. Occassionaly the nurse would enter to check my vital signs and check my dialation. Things seemed to be progressing slowly.

I had fallen asleep, my mom had gone to the waiting room to get some rest, and my fiance had just turned out the lights to get some rest as well before the nurse entered for another assessment. When she woke me up something very unusual was happening.

I asked her to check my dialation because it felt as though it was time. She checked and sure enough the baby was ready to go. I yelled at my fiance to wake up and in his disoriented sleepy state he ran to get my mother. The nurse called for the doctor who had spent the night and a multitude of other nurses were called in as well. As the room began to fill I felt as though the baby was going to fall right out. The doctor barely had her gown tied, my mom and fiance had just entered the room, and the nurses had just barely had their things ready to go. It was time.