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State of Camp Telophase
To start off, I am now OK. And now that that's been said, my latest news is that I've had a miscarriage and ended up in the ER on Tuesday night due to pain, and throwing up my pain medication. But! as I said, I am OK now (as OK as you can be in the circumstances!).
Much more detail, and possibly way TMI under the cut.
Also, I'm typing this on a Bluetooth keyboard paired to an ipad while sitting on my bed, so I'm likely to typo even more than usual.
Anyway, as I said, I had been 8 weeks pregnant, but it was not to be, it seems, and I started spotting on the 14th. Went in to the OB on that Tuesday, and again on Thursday, when it was clear that I was miscarrying. I had a decent amount of painful cramping on Friday, but nothing that I couldn't handle. The spotting turned into bleeding, and I went back in this Tuesday (the 22nd) for another follow-up.
Tuesday afternoon, I started getting very painful cramps. I took one of the hydrocodone pills I have for my migraines (with the blessing of the OB), but it didn't touch it. By the evening, I was in enough pain--and the bleeding had increased a great deal--that I called the doctor on call for the OB/GYN practice I was going to, who told me I could take 2 of the hydrocodone and 2 ibuprofen, adding that the next step, if that didn't work, was the ER for a shot of painkiller. I took them, and shortly thereafter threw up. Within 30 minutes, I'd thrown up twice more, and it was clear that the pain wasn't getting better, I wasn't going to be able to take the meds, and I couldn't even keep water down.
So Toby drove me to the ER, at a hospital that's about 5 minutes away from us. I managed to get checked in and sat in the waiting room for about 2 minutes before being called (the advantages of a slow Tuesday night, I guess!). I got processed by a nurse, then we were shown to a room, where I got to put on an awesomely flattering hospital gown and lie down on a gurney. And repeat my story about 3 more times, for each new nurse and tech that wandered in to do something. And threw up twice more, which I suppose was good in that it showed them I certainly wasn't lying about that bit!
Eventually, one of the nurses stuck one of those things in my arm that let them take blood out and put drugs in, and after draining me of numerous vials of blood for testing, I got an anti-nausea med, and then morphine. It didn't make the pain go completely away, but at least it dulled it down to very mild.
About that time, another nurse came in and explained that she was in training for sexual assault cases, and needed to do pelvic exams on non-rape patients before she could get certified, and would I give permission for her to do that under the supervision of the doctor? I said sure, because I figure anything I could do to help someone in the future who's raped would be good. So we ended up with six people in the room during that bit--me, Toby, the nurse giving the morphine, the tech who set up the equipment, the doctor, and the nurse doing the exam. Toby was the only male. :)
After that was all done, I got a new, just as uncomfortable, experience because they needed to take a urine sample to test for infection, and they had to do it via a quick catheterization since there was too much bleeding to keep the sample uncontaminated. Let's just say I'm glad I'm not male and undergoing that.
After that, I got to be wheeled on the gurney through the halls to the ultrasound room to be prodded in more uncomfortable ways as they took sonograms to make sure everything was OK. Toby didn't get to go with me for that bit, but I have now experienced that thing you see in all the TV shows when the patient is rolled on a gurney through halls although, alas, all the doors were propped open so I didn't get to slam through double doors.
When I got back, Toby was taking care of the bill--the financial person had a cart with a computer and printer that wheeled into the exam room, and could take credit card payments right there. For you non-USAians with socialized medicine reading this, we paid a bit over $600, and that's AFTER the insurance paid for part of it.
After that, it was a lot of hangning around and waiting for test results to come back. I eventually called a nurse as the cramps were getting bad again, and she was able to give me another dose of morphine. I don't know if the cramps were worse or if it was a smaller dose, but it didn't kill as much of the pain as before. I was still able to function, though.
Eventually, about midnight, the doctor came back in and said that the tests were all fine: I didn't have an infection or anything else; the problem seemed to be that I just had a really thick endometrial lining, and my cervix was swollen, causing a lot of the pain. (Let me say that after all the poking and prodding I endured, that I now know EXACTLY where my cervix is.) I was free to go, and she gave us two prescriptions for uber-hyper hydrocodone and Tramadol, to be taken alternating and NOT at the same time, and a list of 24-hour pharmacies, as the hospital's pharmacy wasn't 24 hours. (I have no idea why not.)
So we ended up driving to a 24-hour Walgreens and getting my prescriptions. Toby reminded me to ask the pharmacist about the morphine I'd been given, if I could take the meds at the same time as it or had to wait. The pharmacist said the Tramadol was OK with it, since it'd been a couple of hours, but not the hydrocodone just yet.
We finally got home about 1AM. I took the Tramadol and we tumbled into bed. I woke up about 3 and stayed awake for over an hour, but by then the cramps had STOPPED and I was enjoying being pain-free so much that I didn't mind. I just listened to my audiobook. I stayed home from work on Wednesday and Thursday, and will probably go in at least part of the day on Friday, as I was bored off my ass on Thursday.
Toby was awesome throughout the whole thing, sitting beside me, holding my hand, and telling me stories about his youthful stupidities to distract me. :)
I'm currently pain-free, and haven't taken any meds since Wednesday. There's still bleeding, but the miscarriage process takes a long time, and it's mild, like a not-heavy period. The original blood tests my OB did on Tuesday should be in by tomorrow, and they'll call Friday or Monday, at which point I expect I'll be arranging another follow-up so they can keep an eye on the hormone levels in my blood. I'm more worried about constipation at the moment, due to all the opiates I've had, so am eating lots of fiber and drinking lots of water.
Anyway. That was the week that was. I am dealing fine emotionally, as is Toby.
(ANd BTW, Toby just said "Be sure to tell them how awesome I was for going out and buying you pads." :) The nurses thought he was a keeper for doing that, although, as he told them, if anyone gave him shit for that he'd just say "Really? Are you 5?")
Aaaand that's enough typing. I'm going to post now.
Much more detail, and possibly way TMI under the cut.
Also, I'm typing this on a Bluetooth keyboard paired to an ipad while sitting on my bed, so I'm likely to typo even more than usual.
Anyway, as I said, I had been 8 weeks pregnant, but it was not to be, it seems, and I started spotting on the 14th. Went in to the OB on that Tuesday, and again on Thursday, when it was clear that I was miscarrying. I had a decent amount of painful cramping on Friday, but nothing that I couldn't handle. The spotting turned into bleeding, and I went back in this Tuesday (the 22nd) for another follow-up.
Tuesday afternoon, I started getting very painful cramps. I took one of the hydrocodone pills I have for my migraines (with the blessing of the OB), but it didn't touch it. By the evening, I was in enough pain--and the bleeding had increased a great deal--that I called the doctor on call for the OB/GYN practice I was going to, who told me I could take 2 of the hydrocodone and 2 ibuprofen, adding that the next step, if that didn't work, was the ER for a shot of painkiller. I took them, and shortly thereafter threw up. Within 30 minutes, I'd thrown up twice more, and it was clear that the pain wasn't getting better, I wasn't going to be able to take the meds, and I couldn't even keep water down.
So Toby drove me to the ER, at a hospital that's about 5 minutes away from us. I managed to get checked in and sat in the waiting room for about 2 minutes before being called (the advantages of a slow Tuesday night, I guess!). I got processed by a nurse, then we were shown to a room, where I got to put on an awesomely flattering hospital gown and lie down on a gurney. And repeat my story about 3 more times, for each new nurse and tech that wandered in to do something. And threw up twice more, which I suppose was good in that it showed them I certainly wasn't lying about that bit!
Eventually, one of the nurses stuck one of those things in my arm that let them take blood out and put drugs in, and after draining me of numerous vials of blood for testing, I got an anti-nausea med, and then morphine. It didn't make the pain go completely away, but at least it dulled it down to very mild.
About that time, another nurse came in and explained that she was in training for sexual assault cases, and needed to do pelvic exams on non-rape patients before she could get certified, and would I give permission for her to do that under the supervision of the doctor? I said sure, because I figure anything I could do to help someone in the future who's raped would be good. So we ended up with six people in the room during that bit--me, Toby, the nurse giving the morphine, the tech who set up the equipment, the doctor, and the nurse doing the exam. Toby was the only male. :)
After that was all done, I got a new, just as uncomfortable, experience because they needed to take a urine sample to test for infection, and they had to do it via a quick catheterization since there was too much bleeding to keep the sample uncontaminated. Let's just say I'm glad I'm not male and undergoing that.
After that, I got to be wheeled on the gurney through the halls to the ultrasound room to be prodded in more uncomfortable ways as they took sonograms to make sure everything was OK. Toby didn't get to go with me for that bit, but I have now experienced that thing you see in all the TV shows when the patient is rolled on a gurney through halls although, alas, all the doors were propped open so I didn't get to slam through double doors.
When I got back, Toby was taking care of the bill--the financial person had a cart with a computer and printer that wheeled into the exam room, and could take credit card payments right there. For you non-USAians with socialized medicine reading this, we paid a bit over $600, and that's AFTER the insurance paid for part of it.
After that, it was a lot of hangning around and waiting for test results to come back. I eventually called a nurse as the cramps were getting bad again, and she was able to give me another dose of morphine. I don't know if the cramps were worse or if it was a smaller dose, but it didn't kill as much of the pain as before. I was still able to function, though.
Eventually, about midnight, the doctor came back in and said that the tests were all fine: I didn't have an infection or anything else; the problem seemed to be that I just had a really thick endometrial lining, and my cervix was swollen, causing a lot of the pain. (Let me say that after all the poking and prodding I endured, that I now know EXACTLY where my cervix is.) I was free to go, and she gave us two prescriptions for uber-hyper hydrocodone and Tramadol, to be taken alternating and NOT at the same time, and a list of 24-hour pharmacies, as the hospital's pharmacy wasn't 24 hours. (I have no idea why not.)
So we ended up driving to a 24-hour Walgreens and getting my prescriptions. Toby reminded me to ask the pharmacist about the morphine I'd been given, if I could take the meds at the same time as it or had to wait. The pharmacist said the Tramadol was OK with it, since it'd been a couple of hours, but not the hydrocodone just yet.
We finally got home about 1AM. I took the Tramadol and we tumbled into bed. I woke up about 3 and stayed awake for over an hour, but by then the cramps had STOPPED and I was enjoying being pain-free so much that I didn't mind. I just listened to my audiobook. I stayed home from work on Wednesday and Thursday, and will probably go in at least part of the day on Friday, as I was bored off my ass on Thursday.
Toby was awesome throughout the whole thing, sitting beside me, holding my hand, and telling me stories about his youthful stupidities to distract me. :)
I'm currently pain-free, and haven't taken any meds since Wednesday. There's still bleeding, but the miscarriage process takes a long time, and it's mild, like a not-heavy period. The original blood tests my OB did on Tuesday should be in by tomorrow, and they'll call Friday or Monday, at which point I expect I'll be arranging another follow-up so they can keep an eye on the hormone levels in my blood. I'm more worried about constipation at the moment, due to all the opiates I've had, so am eating lots of fiber and drinking lots of water.
Anyway. That was the week that was. I am dealing fine emotionally, as is Toby.
(ANd BTW, Toby just said "Be sure to tell them how awesome I was for going out and buying you pads." :) The nurses thought he was a keeper for doing that, although, as he told them, if anyone gave him shit for that he'd just say "Really? Are you 5?")
Aaaand that's enough typing. I'm going to post now.
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