Unlucky 13

Well the number 13 lived up to its reputation.. at least in our pregnancy.

The Wednesday after we went public about being pregnant, Lindsey was awoken from her sleep with abdominal pain. It was acute pain not cramping. So we called the OBGYN and were waiting for a call back. She was 3 hrs into it when her pain went from a continuous 6 (1-10 scale) to a 9. She said she felt like she was being stabbed. Well that was all I could take, I called our Emergency help line through the insurance and they said a trip to the ER would be prudent.. they suspected her appendix. I was getting Lindsey up to go when the pain abruptly stopped after 3.5hours. About this time we were deciding to go on anyways b/c if it was the appendix the pain would return. Finally the OBGYN's office called back and asked a lot of questions. She surmised it was just gas and not to go to the ER unless the pain returned. Lindsey felt better and was really hungry afterward.

She stayed pain free until Saturday, August 5. Then it happened all over again. Except this time we did not wait and went right in to the hospital. It is a good thing we did b/c this time was far worse. The pain was the same, continuous 6 and then about every 45mins she would have an attack that lasted about 15 mins where she was a 9. Lindsey has not cried but a few times since I have known her, and I have never seen her cry from pain. So when I watched her face start to contort, then cry and almost pass out... I felt helpless just watching. This time it lasted for almost 10hrs! The ER ran tests and also believed it was her appendix. She was admitted into the hospital to the surgical floor and she was all ready for the appendectomy and/or laparoscopic surgery. Little did we know it took so long to get sent upstairs out of ER was b/c the surgeon was only going to operate on a pregnant person unless it was 100% appendix and it was emergency surgery. He explained, when we got up there, that she did not have fever, and she did not have the exact pain. He felt that what she may be experiencing was growing pains... But since her white blood cell count was up something was going on and they were going to keep watching that. Poor Lindsey, I don't know how many times they came in and kept getting blood, but it was more than I could have taken.

To make the long story short, via continuous blood work, ultrasounds, and a few doctor visits they ruled out everything but a problem in the GI tract. To figure out where or what in the GI meant testing that they just couldn't do with her being pregnant. It was a tough pill to swallow after being in the hospital for 58hrs. We waited to see the GI doc for 23hrs and to have him come in and say he just couldn't do anything that his hands were tied. We know what it is not (life threatening) and try to stop eating nuts, seed, and any fruits with skins (blueberries, grapes, cherries, etc.) He also said it could be many things that will come back up, but once we have the baby, if the problems persist, then he can figure it out.

Good news, the ultrasound revealed the baby was just fine, unaffected, and not the direct cause of Lindsey's suffering. So please pray that this doesn't happen again and the dietary changes help prevent this monster from coming back, b/c unfortunately there is just not a lot the doctors can do or are willing to do when you are pregnant.

Sort of Funny Side Note: When we were leaving that morning to go to the ER I noticed something looked different in our yard. It became apparent that someone 5 fingered out "Home For Sale By Owner Sign." Why would you steal a sign? Also Lindsey was still with it enough to notice that our patriotic wind ornament from our front porch was also gone... Some people, I swear...