For me, everything began very early on Monday. The Steward didn't need to be awake or at work until later that morning, but I woke, dressed, kissed my slumbering Husband farewell, and left for my (now weekly!) doctor's appointment.
Driving down, I was planning my attack upon the day after the appointment was over - to swing by the farmer's market and see if there were any good peaches to be had, to shop for a few sundry items at the Target or Wal-Mart, and to visit with J-J before heading home to pack and wait for the Steward to come home so we could leave out to visit his family on the their vacation in Wilmington (pending my doctor's approval, of course!) I shall tell you, the day did not quite go according to plan.
I have had very little swelling during this pregnancy, until right after my last appointment two weeks ago, when my right foot fairly well ballooned. Often my right leg, too. But only the right side. Nothing really improved it - elevating it, laying down for several hours, sleeping on my left side, etc. - except swimming in the pool. Then it would look like normal until I used it a while, and it would become puffy and painful again. I mentioned this to my doctor at the appointment, and she was concerned. I should say at this point - Baby Taylor is doing great: her heart rate was 140, she's head down and low (at -1 station, if you know what that is), [No, Momma, no dilation yet. ;) ], my belly's measuring at 36 cm, and everything is as it should be. Except for my puffy right leg. The doctor was concerned that there was a possible blood clot in that leg, and so ordered an ultrasound scan.
I was surprised and wholly unprepared, and so I sat in the waiting area of the OB office and cried quietly while one of the secretaries arranged an appointment at a nearby radiology office. I think it was just that I was tired and particularly emotional that day - for it didn't strike me that I was fearful of the unknown - I only vaguely wanted to be home or have husband there and to simply not be dealing with the present situation whatsoever. I even laughed at myself, what with my eyes leaking, seemingly of their own accord, and at the poor nurses hovering near their station, watching me and wondering what they might do. I waved at them and told them I was fine. I don't think they quite believed me, with the traitorous moisture still making its escape out the corners of my eyes. I called Ma (who is a nurse) and asked her if this was really necessary, for I knew it was going to be no small sum of money, and we pay all medical expenses out of our pocket. Her strong approval of the doctor's recommendation made it a little easier to bear. The secretary sent me on to the radiology office, with a copy of the orders for a full scan one hour hence.
I called Husband when I got to the car - as he had not yet left for work - and explained, trying not to cry. I don't know how I got to be so miserly about medical expenses, and worse, worried about Husband's reaction to the cost of any given procedure, but I told him how much it would be (for the secretary had asked about it for me) and also what Ma had said about the importance of it and he comforted and reassured me and prayed with me before I drove to radiology.
J-J met me there with her little one, as she had offered to do when I called her to let her know of the change of the morning's plan. I was not quite calm when I had called, but by the time I got to the office, I felt much better, bolstered by prayers, trusting that God would take care of me, my husband, our baby, our finances, etc. I filled out all the necessary forms, paid for the scan (with a discount for paying upfront, thank you, Lord!), and waited, playing with a good-natured infant and talking with his mama.
Finally, the nurse called me in, and a technician proceeded to scan for evidence of blood clots, from hip to ankle, for the next 45 minutes. Thank you, Lord - she found none. The only way I can figure it, is that because Baby pretty much always stays on my right side, she pinches the blood vessels more there, so there is less good circulation and more puffiness. But no blood clot!
Which also meant that Husband and I could go on our beach trip! The doctor had checked me, and approved of my proposed trip - pending the result of the ultrasound, with the admonition to get out and walk at a half-way point, and with a general recommendation to swim as often as I can, since that seems to help my ankle.
Woohoo! So, much later than I had anticipated, I set out to recover a bit of the morning's errands. I began at Target, which ended up having only one of my sundry items - sunscreen. Interesting, how when one moves from one's parent's home, one misses very random things that were always kept in good supply... only now you look at your very own supposedly well-stocked medicine cabinet and find that you have none. It seems like the whole laundry soap issue with me - I never really thought about it (unless we ran out) and certainly never entertained a notion of how great a percentage of my housekeeping budget it would eat up in keeping a good supply of it. This must be one of those things you learn for yourself when you keep your own house. I can't help the cost of sunscreen, but I would like to try homemade laundry soap at some point. But I digress.
I was just about to head to the farmer's market (further south and away from home) when Husband texted saying court was almost over, and that he would be home soon. I hadn't yet packed! So I skipped the market, and headed home - stopping at Wal-Mart for my Japanese beetle traps and scheduler. (First time Wal-Mart beats Target for sundry things... I may become a fan after all. ;) )
And what follows is Monday Afternoon, so I shall end here. And I shall say it again and not for the last time - God is good!
1 comment:
Slowly but surely... we shall break you away from this dependence on Target... Wal-Mart rules! ;)
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