Savoring Every Moment .... Living in Today....

I'm not ready to have this baby. I want him to bake as long as he needs to.. with that said....

I want to know what is causing my back pain. I was at the local hospital in L&D last night due to back pain. I was unable to handle this pain. It was worse than when I was admitted for a week for IBS. It was eventually calmed with movement/heat/tylenol/tums. We don't know what dulled it. We do know that the baby is great. He was all over the place during the monitoring session. We also know that my labs were all normal and my elevated blood pressure at the time of arrival calmed with the easing of the pain.

I was afraid to eat today because I had traced back the beginning of each "severe" pain cycle with any intake. I called my OB/PCP/GI doctors.. Guess what.. no one wanted to take responsibility. I will say that the OB was willing to let me stay over last night.. but why would I do that when the baby was fine. Hind signt is 20/20. I was ready to go back to L&D today if no one gave me an order for a gallbladder US. The GI was the one to give me the order with the statement that this could just be pregnancy related and I would have to "deal" with it. He did not look at my history but just my current symptoms. I am too close to having this baby at term to screw it up. But, come on. I know I have a high pain tolerance and I know there is something not right with the pain I had.

I'm not having severe pain today. Why? I was afraid to eat much of anything before seeing a doctor. Once I saw the GI specialist he recommended laying off the fat for a few days. (SO MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE) My big meal of the day was rice (a small serving) and steamed vegetables. P did an awesome job with the parameters.. but this pregnant girl wants/ed substance. I'm just praying that tomorrow's gallbladder study will show something. I need a plan and I need real food. NO FAT = no milk, no cheese, no meat, no nothing.. except rice/veggies/fruit/and clear liquid broth.

Sorry for the incoherant rant but I wanted to document it while it's still fresh on my mind.

Monday's appointment with the hematologist was relieving. I did have an increased blood pressure at 153/83 (I'm sure the worrying and a latte were the cause), which I will have monitor in the future. But for the main reason that I was there... My feretin was 36. That's a great number because the hematologist considers anything over 6 normal. My b12 is dropping but is still in the normal range at 281 (not surpising because I haven't been taking the extra doses) and I will have to up my oral intake or switch to shots. I asked about the pregnancy and how the delivery will affect my anemia and vice versa how the anemia will affect the baby. The doctor put it like this: I will need more iron in the future but for right now the baby and I are both great and do not need to change our routine (but we do have to keep it up). When I breastfeed (notice the power of positive thinking) the baby will not need any supplements because I have enough stored for the two of us right now. I will see the hematologist again in six months which is three months after the birth. Whew!!

After that great news I was really thinking that this was really a NORMAL pregnancy. Ha, ha, ha! Last night I was eating a piece of chocolate and it got stuck in my digestive track and I had horrid pain in my chest, inbetween my shoulder blades, and I felt like there was a lump in my throat. I tried everything I could think of.. tums, levsin (digestive muscle relaxant), bread (absorb acid), and water. The pain was still there and I hoped it would be gone when I woke up this morning. It wasn't and drinking water created more pain. The water and my iron pill stayed down which showed that I don't have a blockage. After calling around trying to find a doctor who would see me (moving post WLS sucks in the after care arena) I was sent to the ER. The ER doctor was great and recognized the symptoms as an irritated digestive track. He gave me a GI cocktail and two prescriptions with orders to come back if the pain worsens or if I have difficulty breathing. So, I'm not dying and the baby is not compromised. However, I will be on a liquid diet for 2 days.. umm.. fun times ahead. :)

I swear there should be a book out there by now about WLS after pregnancy. If I could gather more than three coherant thoughts, I might try to do it myself. That's not very likely, so don't hold your breath.

I'm actually a bit surprised at how normal this pregnancy is being treated. I'm not high-risk according to this OB and I only go in once a month. This is still odd to me after pregnancy with R and high blood pressure. But, I'm trying to accept that I'm NORMAL today. I just wish this OB would follow my labs a bit closer and/or monitor my supplements and diet. I know I'm an adult.. but I'm preggers and one tends to forget things like taking iron 4xday. I'm doing good to get it in 3xday some days.. mostly I remember 2xday. (I don't hate this OB, there's just NO ONE as good as the OB I had in Virginia)

Beansprout is developing on target and I can feel him moving around most of the time. ESPECIALLY when I'm trying to sleep or sit with the laptop on my lap. I have to have some faith that my body is doing what it is supposed to do. The lab draw on Monday will help ease these concerns.

The only other "concern" I have about a post WLS pregnancy is the flabby skin. Yes, there is a baby and everyone notices. But, I still see a ton of extra belly skin when I look at myself after a shower. There will be no bare belly shots of this girl until the due date that is for sure. Basically, I feel like I'm still not right. I know I can have the surgeries (I WILL after the baby making machine is done), but I wanted to be cuter.. I know I'm better off than I was pre-WLS and I've gotta keep that in mind. There is a positive to a pregnant body after WLS... the jugs.. yup, DH is in LOVE. He wants to keep them. LOL.. I love them too.. they are so much better than saggy A cups that I folded into my padded bra. Just don't let DH near them as they are so freaking tender all the time.

Diet and supplementation is not as hard as I thought it would be (that could change after Monday's labs). I basically eat normally (ok.. I'm grazing all the time) and try to make sure I get at least one protein drink in a day. Beansprout is not tolerating my protein lattes (shoot.. there's very little tolerance of coffee) so I have switched over to fruity shakes. I have a great blender that has a single serving attachment which makes cleanup a breeze (note to self.. do a review). The other dietary requirements are being met pretty well if I steer clear of the carbs (most snacks are of the protein variety in this house).. oh ok.. I have become a fruitaholic. I love grapes, bananas, and berries.. I just have to make sure to have protein a few minutes before or after a fruity snack.

Would I have WLS before pregnancy again? YES! It has saved me wear and tear on my body and mental health. The baby and I are in less jepoardy than I put R and myself. Also, I do fit in the cute maternity clothes.. even if my saggy bum can't hold the jeans up. :)