Cardiologist!

Apparently, a resting heart rate of 130bpm followed a few days later by a blood pressure of 149/98 is enough to get me in to see a cardiologist next Friday.

This was the first time I was immediately ushered into the room where they check your blood pressure, after walking in from my car, instead of having to sit in the waiting room for 15-45 minutes. So I'm thinking that had something to do with my blood pressure. After sitting down for 5 minutes, it went down to 138/89, and my heart rate dropped to 108. This is the first time I can remember having abnormally high blood pressure. It's usually on the low side of normal.

They're going to set me up with a 24hr Holter Monitor, hopefully before I see the Cardiologist, so she can look over the results.

After being on a waiting list for a cardiologist for over 2 years (and who says Canada has great Health Care?) I'm finally going to see one, and only because I'm pregnant.

Anesthesiologist Consult

I saw a really cute doctor today!

And he was really smart, too!

Gotta love it when that happens, eh?

I went into my consult expecting to spew out all of the EDS-relevant facts, figures, and information I've found through years of research, and talking to other EDSers. And guess what? I didn't need to tell him anything!

Not a single thing!

All of my little tidbits were already in his pretty little head (seriously, the guy was gorgeous). I was pleasantly surprised.

He went over the 3 different ways of anesthetizing someone for a c-section, and all of the inherent risks/benefits for otherwise healthy people, as well as the EDS-specific risks/benefits, as well as the POTS-specific risks/benefits, and the EDS & POTS-specific risks/benefits.

As I said, very well versed!

He performed a poor-man's tilt-table-test on me (lay down for 10 minutes, check blood pressure and heart rate, then stand up quickly, and re-check blood pressure and heart rate... Keep standing until a specific interval has passed with heart rate not going back to normal), and he agrees that I most likely do have POTS, even though it effects my heart rate much more noticeably than my blood pressure.

It seems that the most likely way they'll anesthetize me, is with an epidural. This way they can more safely leave a catheter in my spine, and push more medication as necessary. With the POTS, they would also slowly work up to the dose, to avoid blood pressures and heart rates going wonky. He was worried that having a spinal block, which is a one-shot deal, could become problematic if the anesthetic wears off too quickly. It's also easier on mom, and baby if it's done under a regional anesthetic, as opposed to a general.

The baby date is getting closer, and I'm getting nervous!

Bad Night

Last night was horrible.

I had to get up to pee 3 times, even though I quit drinking anything long before I went to bed, and made sure to pee right before bed... My bladder is a punching bag, apparently, and a trampoline, and it's frustrating.

Also, last night I had the misfortune of dislocating my hips, shoulders and ribs multiple times. I was unable to lay on my back, as it was hard to breathe, and I had to switch from my right side to my left side, and back again, about every 15 or 20 minutes, as I dislocated the shoulder and hip I was laying on.

My tiny little Tummy Monster is also beating relentlessly on my sciatic nerves, causing searing lightning-bolt pain, and numbness in my legs. And she's got herself wedged into my pelvis in such a way that my stupid pubic symphysis is separated almost constantly. Same goes for my stupid tailbone, on both sides. And my stupid SI joints. Basically, it feels like my pelvis is jello. Painful, painful jello.

All this to say, I got no more than an hour of sleep last night - total. I'm fairly sure I'm capable of functioning with little to no sleep, as it's been the norm for me due to insomnia for the past umpteen years, but I really would like to be able sleep sometimes.

I've reached the point in my pregnancy where putting on socks and shoes is extremely uncomfortable. So is just about everything else. I've only got 4 or 5 more weeks, though, before she's on the outside, and I'll have my body to myself again (don't laugh, I know she'll be pretty much attached to me still).

Oh, and as if I hadn't enough to deal with... I'm twitching like a crazy person again.

Odd Moments

Today would have been my father's 52nd birthday.

Would have been.

If he hadn't died ,unceremoniously, without warning, and for no apparent reason, 6 years, and 3 months ago.

So, for the past 6 years, and 3 months, I have been having a dream. It's got different details, but the broad strokes are always the same:

He shows up, unannounced, and says "I'm sorry I faked my death, can you ever forgive me?"

Usually, at this point, I either hug him, and start crying, or I punch him in the nose, and scream at him (and then hug him and start crying).

The frustrating thing is, though, that the dream will continue, and I will spend a week or more catching up with my dad, telling him about all the horrible things that have happened since he died, and feeling like I might be able to forgive him for leaving, because his reasons (though never the same) were good enough.

Every time I have this dream, I wake up expecting it to have been real. I wake up expecting my dad to be alive. I wake up, and reach for my phone to call him.

Then the dream shatters, and reality comes crashing down. And I have to live through his death all over again.

Pregnancy hormones cause dreams to be much more vivid.

It sucks.

Not only do I miss my dad, and feel bad that he's never going to meet his granddaughter while I'm awake; I also spend time with my dad, being excited about the baby, and even having some dreams where I can see the two of them playing together, which I have to wake up from.

Happy Birthday, Dad. I miss you.

No News is Good News

I have my third ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to see my little Monster's face again!

As of last week (at 31.5 weeks gestation) I had gained a whole 8.5lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. Nobody seems concerned that this is too little at this point, so I'll keep doing what I've been doing (which is eating lots, and lots, and lots of fruits-as well as pretty much anything else that comes close enough to my mouth to be devoured...).

I've found that Tums, and a glass of milk about an hour before bed keeps the reflux/heartburn at bay overnight (and it helps me get my Calcium). Yay!

I still can't sleep much. Getting a few hours a night, between EMERGENCY PEE RUNS. It's crazy... I'm laying there, with no notion that I've got anything in my bladder, then suddenly my bladder is kicked, punched, or head-butted, and it feels like I won't have time to make it to the bathroom. Add to that the part where sitting up to get out of bed requires some of the same muscles as peeing, and I'm surprised I haven't wet the bed.

My pelvis is still loose, and dislocatey. My shoulder is still ridiculously loose, and unstable. My arm randomly goes numb, or tingly from either nerves or blood flow suddenly getting smushed.

I went to the optometrist last week, because my vision has been time-to-get-new-glasses fuzzy. I've been wearing glasses for 20 years, so I know when fuzzy is fuzzy enough to require a new prescription. But apparently, I'm totally bonkers, as my vision was 20/20 when he checked it on Thursday, and the only reasonable explanation is that the oils, and other liquids on my eye are not properly balanced, causing fuzziness (which apparently goes away if I blink 47 times in a row).

Where'd my toes go?

I have to lean over a bit to see my toes now. If I don't lean, all I see is boobs and belly.

I'm waddling quite nicely now. Somewhere between a duck waddle, and a Quasimodo waddle-shuffle, depending on how much/which things hurt.

I've got some lower back pain from my tummy throwing me off-balance, and I have to stand, and rock myself back and forth to fix things. It's amazing how many things are fixed by rocking... Lower back pain, dislocated tailbone, dislocated pelvis, constipation, gas pain, and restless baby... Gently rocking for a few minutes gets everything back to where it should be, and convinces my little monster that my ribcage should not be her hideout.

On another note, I'd like to find the person who smuggled steel-toed boots, a pointy helmet, and a sledgehammer into my womb. Okay, not quite, but it's amazing how strong she is in there.

I'm getting a shiny new car this week, because my current car is crap, and I don't think I'd feel safe having a baby in it.

I think my appointment with the High Risk Pregnancy clinic next week is finally going to get me an OB/GYN. Amazingly, at 6 1/2 months, I still don't have one.

My appointment last week with the Chronic Illness & Pregnancy clinic was interesting. For 2 hours I had a nurse, an intern, and a doctor asking me question upon question, and writing notes.

Weird part, though, is that they knew enough about EDS that they told me, "we're not concerned, because you don't have the vascular type." Which is great, they know that Type IV is the most problematic when it comes to pregnancy complications, and such... But don't sit there and tell me that I'm going to be fine, especially after I've detailed the extreme dislocations, the extreme pain, and the scary-as-hell near-syncope events I had all through my first trimester, coupled with the ever-looming possibility that this pregnancy may end with me in a wheelchair. Telling me that "at least it's not type IV" doesn't earn you any brownie points. It doesn't make me feel better.

Oh well. At least they knew some things.

Tummy Monster is Kicking My Butt

So, I just passed the 6 month milestone in my pregnancy. I also finally got back to my pre-pregnancy weight, after losing 20 pounds in my first trimester.

My pelvis now dislocates in up to 4 places simultaneously.

My intestines seem to be doing their job again, since I started eating a lot more fruit.

The tiny little person I'm growing can stretch to amazing lengths already, poking me in the ribs on both sides, as well as just above both hip bones, at the same time. It really is one of the strangest sensations I've ever experienced.

I am exhausted, all the time. I still can't get much sleep, but I am getting some.

My geneticist has referred me to 2 different high risk pregnancy centres, and I'm still waiting to hear back from them about an appointment.

I saw my chiropractor yesterday, about the 4 wobbly bits in my pelvis, and he adjusted them (which really hurt) and they felt so much better afterward, for about an hour and a half. I had to break out my cane. He also gave me the number for a place in town that sells braces, and told me to see if they have any pelvic braces to help stabilize me.

Also, my husband spoke to my prolotherapy doctor, and he seems to think we'll have to wait 3-6 months after baby is born to start prolotherapy again. I am really distressed by this, as I can barely walk for 10 minutes now, and I seem to be getting worse almost daily. Once I know his reasons for waiting that long, I'm either going to try to convince him he's wrong (if I think he is), or try to convince him to do it a different way, if it's the drugs/breastmilk he's worried about.