Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Thank God for IV fluids and Zofran!

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling a bit nauseous which has been pretty normal for this pregnancy. In the past, the nausea usually ends at the first trimester, but with this pregnancy it has seemed to linger on a little more. Usually I can get up and drink a little orange juice or eat something and feel much better - I knew something we wrong with I made a bagel, took two bites and threw up! I went back to bed and stayed there until Olivia woke up at 9 - thank God she slept in!!
I called Brian a little later to tell him I thought I was coming down with the stomach flu, but it felt different. I was having horrible cramping all over my stomach area and what felt like a very tight belt going across the top of my stomach. I wasn't too concerned about the baby because I was feeling it move a lot, but I had a lot of pressure the day before. Brian immediately wanted me to call my midwife, so then I started freaking out. I ended up calling my midwife and she wanted me to come in to get checked out.
First indication that something might be wrong - I lost 5 pounds in one week and I've only gained 9 pounds this pregnancy. Second indication that something was wrong - I couldn't even pee in a cup! I hadn't peed for over an hour and for a pregnant lady - that's rare! So they put me in a room and gave me water to drink. Finally after 10 minutes or so I felt like I could pee a little. Third indication that something was wrong - my pee looked more like maple syrup than lemonade! They tested my urine and found that it was full of protein and ketones, but the bladder infection test came back negative and my blood pressure was perfect. What was wrong? I was severely dehydrated! My midwife did an ultrasound and the baby looked good, so she sent me home to drink lots of water.
The only problem with that, I felt so nauseous that I couldn't drink a lot or I felt like I was going to throw up. My midwife kept calling and checking on me and by 6pm she didn't feel like I was drinking enough to compensate for the severe dehydration so she asked me to come to the hospital.
I got to the hospital and it was time to start the IV - I have horrible veins and to make it worse I was dehydrated. One nurse started in my hand and my vein rolled and then it blew out - causing a big bloody mess! A second nurse finally got it started in my forearm. After one bag of fluid and some Zofran for nausea, I was feeling great and the cramping had stopped. They tested my urine and it looked great, but my midwife wanted a second bag of fluid just to make sure I was really hydrated and she was ready to send me home after I was able to drink a little sprite and eat some crackers. We got home about 10 last night and I just couldn't believe how much better I felt and how quickly! I've never been dehydrated before - at least not enough to need IV fluids - I can't believe how crappy it can make you feel.
I'm so glad I'm feeling better and can enjoy the high 60/low 70 degree weather that is coming our way today!!
Thanks to all of you who were praying for me yesterday - I really appreciate it!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear you are doing much better! Did you know that a prescription of Zofran for one month is over a thousand dollars? Good stuff, but spendy! Next time you are sick, tell them to send an IV bag home and an IV start kit and I"ll get ya all set up! HeeHee.

Aimee said...

Oh man! Glad to hear your feeling better!

When I was pregnant with Chloe, I took Zofran, because I was sooooo sick ~ I lost 18 pounds before I even started to gain. Anyway - that stuff is heaven ~ pricey ~ but totally worth it! :)

Jen said...

Glad to hear you are feeling better~didn't even know you were down!

I did the Big Z with Wyatt. Kept me from puking enough to stay out of the hospital but I still felt awful. Well that just fixed my bout of baby fever.

Anonymous said...

Oh Shawnie! What a yucky thing to go through. So glad you're feeling better now!!!!