Things here aren't going as smoothly as they were. D made the official move to her "Big Girl Bed" on Saturday so we could free up the crib for Buddy, who is rapidly outgrowing the bassinette. She was over the moon about it and slept great Saturday night and Sunday at naptime. Last night and today at naptime, though, she started out in the bed but then asked to be moved into the crib (I left it set up in the room for the transition). I don't want to rush her, but I'm afraid she's never going to want to leave the crib. Anyone have any tips?
Buddy is thriving. He'll be three months old (when did that happen???) next Monday. He's huge. The 3-6 month size clothes aren't even big on him anymore. I'm thinking we don't have much longer in the infant car seat. I'm not looking forward to the transition into the convertible seat, as that will make him much less portable, and necessitate us staying home a lot more. Sigh. I knew the day would come, but it's creeping up a lot faster than I'd like.
My post-embolism robust good health isn't as robust as we thought. I made the break from my old medical group now that we won't be having any more pregnancies (I had to bid farewell to Dr. Favorite... sob) and found a new office much closer to our house. I scheduled an appointment, mostly to get a new prescription for my thyroid medication, but while I was there I mentioned that I eventually wanted to go back to taking Metformin for the PCOS in the hopes of losing a little more of this extra weight. The doctor gave me a prescription right then to fill whenever I was ready, and ordered some liver enzyme tests to make sure my liver was in good shape for when I start taking it. This was on a Friday.
Monday I got a call from the doctor. "You haven't started taking that Metformin, have you?" Uh-oh. Yeah-- elevated liver enzymes. We spent a couple of weeks going back and forth with Dr. Favorite's office, trying to get copies of any liver enzyme tests done while I was hospitalized after the Buddy Delivery Crisis, which we eventually tracked down. They showed mildly elevated levels (no shock to anyone, really-- you figure if the loss of blood was enough to put me into complete kidney failure, then perhaps the liver took a bit of a hit, too), but my later results were much worse. So, off I went for repeat blood work and a liver and gall bladder ultrasound. This time the blood work was normal but the ultrasound showed a "mildly inflamed" liver. Advice: no drinking, no Metformin, and no Tylenol. Recheck in three months. So that's where we are now.
Now you should know I'm a trifle obsessive-compulsive, especially with regards to infectious disease. This comes from spending 6 years getting my PhD in a lab where I worked with HIV, and one notable day, even received a FedEx shipment labeled "Ebola Virus." (That sure set off some alarm bells in the safety department.) I'm a bit of a germophobe now, and so waking up to discover two units of packed red blood cells hanging on my IV pole in the ICU was a nasty shock, as was discovering just how many units of various blood products had preceded them. I am well aware of the tests done on donated blood before it makes it into the blood bank, but I'm also aware of the fact that laboratories aren't perfect.
Rationally, I know my liver is probably just a little pissed off at being deprived of oxygen for a little while in favor of my brain and heart, but my irrational half keeps voicing thoughts of blood products contaminated with hepatitis viruses or other nasty little hitchhikers. I can't seem to silence them, especially in the night when I'm up feeding Buddy. It's driving me crazy. I've been planning to go in six months post-transfusion for any testing I can wring out of my doctor, just for the peace of mind, but now I'm wondering how I'm going to last that long. Sometimes knowing all the details about the bad stuff that can happen to a body is just not a good thing.
I just reread the above, and it sounds pretty down. Overall, I’m doing pretty well. Having two children is both harder and easier than I thought it would be, but everyone is well and happy, and adjusting much better than I imagined to the new reality. I’ve also made a new friend who I’m enjoying quite a bit, and we’ve started working out together, which makes me feel even better.
Now, if I can just get all my major organs in normal working order so I can kick back and have a glass of wine.
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7 comments:
I'd fret too, even knowing that donor blood is screened. I'm guessing we both know the limitations of screening tests and the theoretical ways that nasties could sneek through.
I'm sure your liver has just had a bit of a bash from being so ill, and I hope you get the ok for that glass (or two!) of wine, soon.
J
Oh.my.god. Is he really three months old already? My, it seems like just yesterday you sent me an email I never bothered to answer about his birth and your subsequent medical problems. How time flies.
Get better soon so you can have that wine already! Think how delicious it will taste after such a long spell without it though.
Yes, I hear you, I'd be weirded out by all the donor blood, too. Even though you know that certain things likely won't happen, you always envision that you're going to be the exception.
I know what you mean--I got the bill for my hospital stay and saw a line for blood products and freaked out thinking about all the possibilities. Then I calmed down and realized I hadn't actually had a transfusion, they were just billing me for all kinds of extra doodads.
Hope your liver calms down soon so you can enjoy some wine!
I get weirded out by the idea of getting donated blood, and I am a blood donor! So I can understand how that must be. I hope that your liver is just taking a bit longer to come back than they'd expected and that you get good results the next time they test it.
I get the blood paranoia. I've had it all over me a million times- on my shoes and my scrubs when I worked L & D, practically swimming in it with fresh trauma patients, and once during a code a nervous resident trying to start a central IV line accidentally squirted a syringe of blood in my face. A patient's negative test hasn't stopped me from getting repeated HIV and Hep C tests. They're so crummy to get, who can't help but be paranoid?
Hope the liver starts behaving again. Livers have a remarkable ability to heal themselves, if it helps you feel better...
I can totally see how your mind would go there--especially with your science background. Hang in there, I am sure that you had uncontaminated blood and that your liver will bounce back soon!
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