bad blogger!

OK, so I apparently stink at this.   I am still a victim of morning to all-day sickness, I am usually sick at least once a day, and this weekend it was up to 3 times in the day.   Oy.  I feel a lot better after lunch typically and so far I've only lost it at work once :)  And, I am definitely seeing a bigger belly than I would usually tolerate.  Clothes still fit, but only because I like them roomy anyway.  Otherwise, morning sickness, exhaustion, frequent trips to the bathroom, and mood swings are about my only symptoms :)

So Monday I had my second appointment with the new doctor, and I am so pleased with him.  He is so nice, and even though we were still one of the last people there, he was still asking us questions and not rushing us at all.  We had a quick abdominal ultrasound and saw the three babies and their heartbeats (first time abdominally!), the rates were 175, 178, and 175.  I always get so nervous that one won't be there anymore, but then once I see all three I make them look for more, just to make sure!  He said I could come back in 2-3 weeks, he asked how my stress level was, if I needed to come back in 2 weeks, or if 3 would be ok.  I said three was fine, but since the receptionists were all gone by the time I got there I had to call for an appointment.  Which I forgot to do until today, and he is booked until 4 weeks!  I don't know how that will go...

Otherwise life is good :)  We still stress about insurance, finances, still can't believe this is really happening to us, etc. but we are dealing.  Every day is different, with new worries, anxieties, excitement, or whatever.

I had an interesting case at work last week, an indoor/outdoor 8 month old cat whose owner was out of town for 5 days and came home to find a couple nails looked infected and she thought he may have been digging under a bedroom door.  But as soon as I sedated him to clean his toes up, it didn't look like that was the case.  The first nail on one food was completely gone, including the bone attached to the nail.  There was a hole where the nail/bone should be.  This digit is not a weight bearing digit, and is the least likely to be affected by trauma.  The rest of the nails on that foot looked completely normal.  The other affected nail was the second digit on the other foot, but I could see the nail protruding through the crusty discharge, so I thought it was still present, but as soon as the crust was cleaned off the nail popped right off the pulp (or blood supply) of the nail.  The nail pulp was still attached to the bone, and the skin was still around it.  Again, all the other nails on that foot looked fine.  I didn't think this looked or sounded at all like trauma, and more like an immune-mediated condition.  I sent photos and consulted my favorite veterinary dermatologist in Dallas, and he agreed.  The most likely diagnosis is considered VERY rare in cats, and unfortunately no good treatments with a generally poor prognosis.  The only cat he has ever seen with it was euthanized at 1.5 years old.  Very sad for the kitty cat, we'll see what happens...

That's all for now, I'll try to be better about updating!

Still at home...

I'm still at home sick.  I'm 99% sure I have the flu, one of my coworkers has the exact symptoms of fever, cough, congestion, sinus infection coming on, etc. and tested positive for Influenza A.  I can't be on tamiflu, so Tylenol will have to cut it.  The fever has come down, and I'm feeling a little better, with a little more energy.  But I still have a horrible cough and congestion.  The nausea was back today, but I may have contributed by taking too many medications at once.  Bleh.  Tomorrow I'll go back to work with the help of drugs, definitely not all taken at once again.

Yesterday was the first appointment with the Perinatologist, our new high risk doctor.  He confirmed that there are still 3, growing and with more similar heart rates now.  They appear to be "triamniotic, trichorionic", which means separate sacks, placentas, etc. so they are probably fraternal.  They are called "spontaneous" because we weren't on any fertility medications.  We go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and bloodwork.

The biggest risk is going to be preterm labor, which he says is higher for me because this is my first pregnancy and my uterus hasn't stretched before.  The other cause of preterm labor will be the cervix, so they'll be checking it as we go along and there are some treatments they can do if we need to.  He doesn't believe in bed rest, which is HUGE for me.  Basically I can work as much as I feel up to it and can.

I asked about expectations, we wondered what the likelihood of losing one would be, and he said it will more likely be 3 or none.  Basically, if one starts to have issues then it is a bigger risk to the other two, and could result in the dreaded preterm labor before they are viable.  The crucial week to get past is 32, where survivability is essentially the same as full term, and the biggest "danger zone" period is 18-20 weeks.  He said we should expect that they will spend time in the NICU, something I'm dreading already.  We will now have September babies if we are lucky, not October, as the doctor won't let me go past 35-36 weeks, and hoping to get past that 32 week mark.

I think that is all for now :)  Trying to rest and recuperate before going back to work, especially since I'm at the e-clinic this weekend so no more time off until next weekend :(

Triplets...

It's for real.  We went in to the doctor for an early ultrasound last Tuesday after I had bad abdominal pain and bleeding when we were leaving Orlando.  I couldn't believe it, I still can't believe it.  Everything's changed.  I had picked out the perfect stroller, nope that one won't do anymore (for those of you out there, the Uppa Baby Vista looked ideal).  I was adamantly opposed to a c-section, not only will I have a c-section but I will probably deliver early and the babies may spend time in NICU.  I was going to see my lovely, female doctor, nope now I get the male high risk doctor.  I was going to work my butt off until the day I delivered to save money for the baby and maternity leave, now I will likely have to cut back on hours significantly before they even get here.  It's a lot to take in.  Before it felt surreal, especially because I had no symptoms of pregnancy, so it was a mind-body disconnect, I knew I was, but I didn't feel like it, especially didn't feel like I was having 3!

But now... I feel it.  I got a cough/cold this weekend, and actually had a fever (I never have fevers).  Everytime I cough it is body wrenching, and makes me want to vomit.  I think the cough and morning sickness hit simultaneously, yay.  I certainly don't know how much longer I can go on like this.  Hopefully the cold goes away, but right now it feels like it is moving to my sinuses, so I'll have to check with my doctor to see what kind of antibiotics I can take.

I go to the high risk doctor TOMORROW, yay!  Hopefully all three babies are still there and doing great.  I have a long list of questions: our upcoming travel plans, suggestions on insurance plans (we're covered but wondering if we should switch), what to expect for my work schedule, antibiotics, radiation and gas anesthesia exposure, and lots more...  I'll keep you posted!