Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Random Highlights From Vertigo World

Still a little too woozy to do a full-blown post, so here's some little snippets of my week, and I'll try to expound further about them later if anyone wishes.
-Refusing to admit to myself that I was really and truly going to throw up until it was too late to get a bucket, and puking all over the bathroom rug and my own bare feet.
-Having the same irritating nurse that I had two years ago with Addy, the one who is incapable of finding fetal heartbeats on the monitor and took literally an hour to get me registered in the hospital's computer, and who cannot do IV's to save her life and sent my blood spurting all over the room. To a patient who was dying to get the IV going and get some drugs into her bloodstream, this lady appeared to move almost in slow motion. I wanted to strangle her.
-Having this same nurse extract a urine sample from me via catheter, and ask me repeatedly if I were allergic to the antiseptic she was applying to my girly bits, since I seemed "so squirmy." "Does it burn? Are you hurting down there?" she demanded. No, Nurse Ratchett, but you're slapping that stuff on like you're rubbing marinade into a chicken. One doesn't have to be sore down there to have sensitive nerve endings.
-Having some sort of vomiting and/or fainting incident every single time I have attempted to shower since last Sunday. The first bath, given to me on Tuesday night by my mother, I shook like a leaf from the effort of sitting up, and then promptly threw up as soon as I got out. Second time was a little better, but I got overconfident, tried to brush my own hair, and then nearly passed out. I sat on the toilet seat, seeing nothing but black and white spots, my face ashen, insisting to my mother that I was actually dying now. "Just look at me and breathe," she kept urging, and I would say in a tiny, high voice, "But I can't SEE you! I can't see; I'm going blind!" Third time was a lot better; I only got woozy and lightheaded at the very end, and promptly climbed out of the shower, still sudsy and dripping wet, and collapsed on the floor onto a towel.
-Being wheeled into the doctor's office for my appointment on Thursday, still unable to walk unassisted and feeling barely human, only to be greeted by an office which had been without power most of the day and had no air conditioning. It helps a lot, when one is feeling nauseous and dizzy, to have to sit in a ninety degree exam room.
-Throwing up macaroni and cheese at two in the morning. I don't think I will be craving that particular dish for a long, long time.
-Seeing what my legs look like when they have gone a full week without shaving. *repressing shudder*
-Having a frail old woman in the lobby of the medical complex accost me the minute I got in the door Monday morning to demand, "Did you see the news this morning?" "Um, no," I managed, swaying dizzily. She grasped me urgently. "They said don't eat fish! If you're pregnant, you're not supposed to eat FISH now, who knew?! Stay away from the fish, okay?" I mean, she literally was telling me this with the intensity I would expect from someone telling me to flee the building because it was set to explode in five minutes. I tried to focus on her face, which was swimming wildly in front of me. "I promise! No fish!"
-Reading all of your kind, kind comments and feeling very grateful. Also wondering if I can still take Swistle up on the cookie offer even though I did not end up getting a shot. Because lo and behold, I AM recovering, slowly but surely. The first four days were pure hell, but on the fifth morning I did feel ever so slightly better, and have been feeling better-ish every day since then. No magical overnight cure as I was wishing for, but I am now able to walk without help, as long as I have a wall or piece of furniture there to grab, and I am not barfing. Now I just have to try and NOT HAVE THIS BABY until I am all the way better!

14 comments:

Mommy Daisy said...

Oh my goodness, you poor girl. Just reminds me of how sick I was at the beginning of my pregnancy. (Trying to shower, then puking afterwards. Yucko.) I'm glad to hear that it's getting a little better. And I'm also happy to hear that your little baby boy is staying put for the time being.

Cookies? You want cookies? Any particular kind? I can sure manage to bring you some yummy deliciousness to ease the nausea.

Mary O said...

I can't believe what you're going through. Hang in there... I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon. =) Thank goodness for wonderful family members, right?

Jennifer said...

I'm so sorry! If I could cast out this nasty sickness from you I would, but alas, my witchy ways are rather pitiful.

Get better so you can have than baby boy and enjoy him.

Swistle said...

If you are willing to let me have your mailing address (I'm always a little squirrelly with mine on the internet, so I'll understand if you are), I will TOTALLY send you cookies!

Also, do you have the first season of Angel on DVD, and would you want it? If not, I will send you that, too. I have it and am trying to unload it on someone, and this seems like a good time in your life to have a hot guy on TV. But maybe not such a good time to have demon-slaying? Let me know (swistle at gmail dot com, or have your mom email me.

d e v a n said...

YIkes!!!! You poor thing!!

Swistle said...

Should have had a closing parenthesis on that.

Also, got so caught up in cookie issue, forgot to comment on incompetent nurse. There's one of those at my hospital, too, and I always wonder why on earth she has not been fired? They MUST know about her, and yet they continue to let her work there. She's been there YEARS and still doesn't know how to set up an IV. She covers up her incompetence by blaming the patients: I have small veins. I must have budged the tube. I keep moving around.

YAY: past 36 weeks!

CAQuincy said...

Oh God. I can't even imagine going through that and being pregnant at the same time. You beat my horrendous kidney stone incident hands down!

Glad to hear you're getting better--and baby boy is staying put!

Anonymous said...

So glad to hear that you're improving and feeling a teensy bit better. How is Addy handling the lack of mommy?

Black Sheeped said...

Geez. I remember when a teacher of mine got an inner ear infection, and him fainting repeatedly while he was teaching. I remember him talking about how he felt like he was dying, as you described, and he wasn't even pregnant. He wasn't even super pregnant! In August! When it is disgusting! I feel terrible for you. I can't believe all the crap you've gone through. Keep on getting better! You're doing great, and we're all sending warm, happy, non-barfy vibes to you. It sounds like the super hard part is over and you're gonna get all healed up before you meet your little guy.

Also: leg hair becomes much less itchy and uncomfortable after about a week and a half. It gets softer! Just saying. :)

Feel better!

Erin said...

Oh, awful AWFUL! So sorry to read about what you're going through. But, way to go on making it through the worst and keeping that baby in. Can you imagine how easy life will seem when you get better?

Anonymous said...

Well, this is certainly worse than my broken leg during birth situation I had last year. I hope you continue to feel better and that the baby stays put until you're back to normal.

Marie Green said...

That sounds horrifying. Please know I am praying you will recover quickly. Uggg!

jen said...

oh my god I can't believe this. I keep watching for a post from you but I had hoped it'd be a little less depressing! I hope you feel better soon, take it easy!

mamashine said...

That is dreadful. I hope you feel better SOON!

And I would send you cookies too, if possible. :) But Swistle's might taste better. Hers sound awfully good.