Hanging on

I'm 28 weeks and 2 days today and things are getting more challenging by the day for me. I'm so overwhelmed on a daily basis.

At my OB appointment last week my resting heart rate was 120, despite sitting there laughing and chatting with my OB for 10 or more minutes prior. Actually, lets back up a bit. Around 14-15 weeks I started feeling my heart racing and around 18 weeks felt it start skipping. So I was sent to the cardiologist. After wearing a monitor for 30 days that would record my heart rate and rhythm when I felt abnormal I followed up with the cardiologist. I was well aware of the fact that I would have challenges with my heart during a pregnancy, it was a matter of when not if for me. He said that what he thought I had going on was not something that can be treated during pregnancy. However, my magnesium level was low. He said it was 1.4 and they don't like it less than 1.7. So he decided to put me on oral magnesium tablets. I took them twice a day for a week and had my level rechecked. Unfortunately, it didn't go up at all, so he increased me to 3 times a day. I was able to do that pretty consistently for a couple of days; then the misery started. For those who aren't familiar oral magnesium is frequently used as a laxative (think Milk of Mag). Let's just say that I quickly became very dehydrated and nauseated. I was so dehydrated last week that I had my OB just on our little lady because I stopped feeling her move. She checked out just fine, but he told me that if I didn't feel her move twice in 8 hours to call him since it was the weekend. I followed up with him at my regularly scheduled appointment that next week (where the story started earlier) and we decided that since I wasn't tolerating the oral magnesium and wasn't seeing an improvement in my symptoms that he would start me on a beta blocker and I would stop taking the magnesium as frequently. I'll be honest, since my appointment with OB I've only taken the magnesium once or twice and each time had the same miserable side effect. My cardiology nurse called the next day to see how I was doing and I let her know what had happened so she got an order for me to have an IV infusion of magnesium. I had that infusion this morning and this afternoon feel miserable. I'm going to attribute it to the magnesium infusion because I have heard that it can make you feel "mag crappy." I took my beta blocker this morning, but this afternoon just sitting at my desk my heart rate is at least 120, I'm shaky and insanely hot. I would give anything to be in a cold air conditioned room with ice cream right now. I'm supposed to go back next week and have my level rechecked and I pray that it has gone up because I don't want to do another infusion, I just want to feel better.

On top of the heart issues going on insomnia has set in majorly! I don't remember the last time that I had a good night's sleep. I think part of the insomnia is the typical third trimester insomnia everyone talks about, but I think a bigger part of it is the stress I have right now. Last night I sat in bed and watched my husband and two dogs snooze away while I was wide awake despite taking a Benadryl.

Then there is my husband's health issue. While he was away at training 7.5 weeks ago he broke his ankle. It was a very severe break, he was rushed to emergency surgery that afternoon and came out with at least 10 screws and a plate. In typical Army medicine fashion when they put on his post-op they didn't position his foot properly so he ended up with mild heal cord contraction (essentially foot drop)that was discovered at his initial 2 week follow up. Due to that they were unable to put him in a cast so they resplinted him for his trip back to Alaska and we followed up with ortho here at the end of that week. They stretched him as far as he could tolerate, but still didn't get his foot to neutral so he had to go back 2 weeks later for yet another cast. By the time we was put in that cast he was able to go almost completely to neutral, but still had mild contraction. Today was his follow up with x-rays where he was supposed to be given the clear to transition to a boot and start gradually weight bearing. Well, that didn't happen. Apparently he hadn't had enough bone growth so he is back in the cast for 2 weeks. At that point he will most likely get repeat x-rays and we're crossing our fingers for the clearance to start weight bearing. I haven't seen him or even really talked to him since his appointment this morning because of my infusion, but I know he's upset. Being so limited with his activities and such has really got him down, especially since it's summer in Alaska. On top of all that they want to take Reed back to surgery in the middle of July to remove a screw from his heel. She told us at his last appointment (before today) that he should be recovered just fine by the time the baby is born, but now I'm even more doubtful than I was initially. The screw isn't something that has to come out, half of the ortho surgeons remove it and the other half leave it in. If you leave it in it can break and cause irritation. Reed really wants to have it removed. He's even crazy enough to talk about having the hardware removed once he is good and healed because he's worried about what it will feel like at -40. I think he'll be fine with it in and don't even want to discuss taking everything out at this point, but I do understand why he wants to have the screw removed. However, I'm going to ask him he if can convince them to wait until after the baby is born and my parents or sister are here because I don't want to take the chance of him not being off crutches and unable to really help when the baby is born. We've briefly discussed that before, but after today I think it's definitely something to consider, now just to convince him and the doctor.

On top of our health issues we made the crazy decision to buy a house. We haven't really told many people about it because we know that the timing is not ideal, but then again is it ever ideal? We started looking at houses Mother's Day weekend, ended up finding a house that next weekend and putting in an offer on it that next weekend. Right now we are waiting on final approval for our mortgage and if all goes through and as we plan we will close on the house in just under 4 weeks. Can you say crazy?!? We are currently scheduled to close on the house when I'm 32 weeks pregnant and my husband is unable to walk. While the idea of our own place with no shared walls and immature neighbors who think yelling at each other a 0230 is acceptable, we both recognize that the timing qualifies us as certifiably insane!

Reed has been so overwhelmed with everything because he is unable to really help me with anything that he has asked his dad to come stay with us for a while. He will be here next Thursday and while I think it's going to be stressful for me I'm also starting to recognize how much we really do need the help. My father-in-law is not in the best health himself, but he's great at keeping Reed calm and finding positivity among chaos. As of right now we don't know when he is going to go back home but I think Reed is expecting him to stay at least a month. Again, that thought terrifies me, but I'm trying to remind myself that we need the help.

On a positive note we have our elective 3D/4D for our little lady on Monday. I cannot wait to see her! I hope that she cooperates with us and gives us good pictures.