To compensate for his giggles, James treated me to a massage at BodyWorx Spa last week. The massage was fabulous, but somehow it actually made the problem worse. I have tightened up so badly that I literally can not take a deep breath without pain shooting down my back and tears filling my eyes.
And since I'm on the topic of pregnancy discomfort, can I just say that I've also (ahem...) observed, that I am covered in black bruises, I can't sleep, I have to pee every ten minutes, I have unidentified fluids pouring out of my nether-regions, I'm eating Tums and Colace by the handful, I'm so tired that I can hardly walk straight, and I have medicine coming out my eyeballs.
But again, I'm not complaining. I am blessed to be with child.
Adding to my super-fun experience this week are Braxton-Hicks contractions. They have started already. Dr. Garcia says not to worry at this point (doesn't he know by now that "Worry" is my middle name?) ..... I'm just praying that my cervix holds up. I'm trying to stay off my feet as much as possible, which is hard with Thanksgiving approaching. And drinking 60+ ounces of water each day is not helping my frequent-pee problem, but I digress ....
My second set of injections is scheduled to start next week. They are giving me 17-alpha-hydroxy-progesterone, 250mg injections, once per week. This treatment is fairly new ... it's given to women with previous preemies, and is thought to reduce your risk of preterm birth by up to 30%. These are intermuscular injections (unlike my lovenox which is just subcutaneous), so I am unable to do them myself. So they are sending a high-risk obstetrical nurse to my house each week to administer the injections and monitor me for pre-term labor. Once again, thank GOD for insurance.
Matria, the home healthcare company, sent all the injections to me this week via FedEx overnight express. I made the mistake of opening the package and inspecting everything. With much trepidation and horror I report to you that I *observed* .... those needles are freaking gigantic. Probably 4-5 times the size of my Lovenox needles. Apparently the medication is compounded in castor-oil, so it is very thick (almost looks like vegetable oil!) .... and giant needles are necessary to push it through. The home nurse called this week to arrange everything, her name is Sharon. She seemed nice on the phone, but even still I keep picturing her chasing me through my living room with a 40-foot needle. I'm terrified of her already.
I am blessed to be with child. I am blessed to be with child. I AM BLESSED TO BE WITH CHILD .......
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