Strange Doctor Day

Friday was a "strange doctor day" for me. I already had an appointment for 3:15, and the doc was booked that day. Meanwhile, they asked me to come in first thing a.m. for a blood draw for a fasting blood glucose level. Sort of a baseline for a gestational diabetes test.

So, because I couldn't eat I went in all nauseated but didn't get sick or faint when they took blood at 9:30 a.m. Then they gave me the bottle of orange-flavored dextrose to take and report back in an hour, but there was confusion about whether I could eat anything. I thought I was supposed to stay fasting. The nurse didn't make any sense and seemed really uncertain. So we went home, and then called back for clarification. The bottle had fasting instructions. So anyway we got someone else who called the nurse-midwife who wrote up my instructions in the file originally, and they got back to us (I'm totally limp on the couch at this point) with the clarification that they used to do it fasting but as long as I didn't eat sugar I could have something w/ protein, like a scrambled egg. So Ben made me a scrambled egg w/ cheese in it. After that, I could take the sugar drink, and the countdown began.

And what do you know but that's when Tyler decided he really needed his nap. So I went back in by myself and they pricked me just a quarter of an inch from where they had pricked before, and drew two vials this time, one for the glucose test and one for the hemoglobin test (if I have the right word there) for a spectrum of sugar intake over the past weeks. So of course since I'm on my own this time I got sick. I'm not a good blood-giver. So they gave me grape juice (isn't that more sugar?) and a corn muffin top, which was yummy, and I got better and went out.

I felt so good--some kind of weird high maybe--I drove by and stopped at this plant nursery called Good Earth in River Forest nearby, and bought some geraniums and star creepers to plant. It was so sunny, breezy, and beautiful! And all annuals were 50% off!

So I got home to eat lunch and by this time a headache was growing. Not surprising, considering the bad eating and sugar intake and blood loss of the day! So had a good lunch w/ Ben and Tyler, who got up at the last minute, and then before we knew it I was due back for my real doctor appointment.

By this time I was crashing and really wanted to nap. I was exhausted. We went in and the staff were all saying "hey, we just saw you!" Which they'd said the last time. Heh. So finally to the doc who explained the protein results of the blood draw portion of that test I took on June 2nd (with the ultrasound) for downs syndrome and trisomy 13/17. Anyway, my PAPP-A protein levels are one percentage point beyond the allowable limit, which puts me in 1/155 chance of having a downs baby. The HPG levels were normal, and my age not so terribly advanced in MY mind anyway(!), and the ultrasound turned up no excess fluid on the neck spine, so I really don't think I'm in so much danger. But the doc keeps asking us how far we want to go with testing and how important is it to really know 100%, meaning, if we would want to terminate, we should test the heck out of me. Then there's all this talk about the dangers of amniocentesis. How do we answer that??? Jeez.

I'm doing one more blood draw for another protein at 16 weeks along to test in a new way for downs syndrome and also for spina bifida. She offered to take the blood right then and I said no way was I giving any more blood! Three vials already! But Ben and I are leaning toward "no" to the amnio test. I'm leaning toward no more testing at all! My family is worried, tho. Who can blame them. My poor mom. All this talk, all these tests, eat at her as much as they do me and Ben! We do have a 20-week ultrasound scheduled, however.

Best and weirdest part was hearing the heartbeat for the first time. I laid back and the doc got out the doppler. I have felt the baby move, at night while I'm trying to fall asleep, but just little movements. But man, she/he was really bouncing around, and the doc had to chase her all over my abdomen to get the heartbeat. We heard the woosh woosh of the placenta, and the galloping ba-thump-a-ba-thump-a of the heartbeat, which was wonderful and reasurring. Also I could feel her move as the doc chased her (I'm calling her a "her" for now, hoping it is true!), which was just wonderful.

Tyler, however, was very concerned about the procedure. He really worried about Mom-Mom and called out to me repeatedly and wanted to know if I was going night-night since I was laying down, and he really didn't like the doctor putting the staticy sounding doppler on my tummy, and he didn't understand the heartbeat, and he cried and said I was "broken" and the doppler was broken too. (Tyler has learned the word and concept of "broken" and is anxious about broken things in his world.) After we recorded the heartbeat and some of Tyler's comments in the background, I sat up and reassured him Mom-Mom was okay (he knows the word "okay" too) and he calmed down, but was still worked up and Ben took him outside for a stroller ride while I talked to the doc about my irritable bowel syndrome and other things. Fun fun fun.

Next time we're getting Tyler a baby-sitter. Even tho the doc said he is more than welcome to come to the ultrasound and see the baby on the TV. Maybe my mom would like to come. She's never seen one of my ultrasounds.

After the appointment I went home and crashed on the couch while Ben took Tyler to the park. I could have slept through the night from then on!