On the Mend...

It's been an interesting week. Last Wednesday I woke up with a bit of a cough, nothing major, just a little cough. Well, that's what I thought anyways; by the afternoon I had a fever and was starting to feel achy. Still nothing major I thought, and my biggest worry at that point was the fever that didn't want to respond to Tylenol and how it might affect the baby. I was on the phone with my primary doctor and my OB that afternoon and they reassured me that as long as the fever didn't get too high, it would be okay but that I should have an appointment with my primary the next day to check things out. So the fever hovered in the high 99's, low 100's all night long, never really breaking, even with around the clock Tylenol, and I didn't sleep more than an hour stretch. I woke up feeling horrible! The aches, chills, exhaustion; my head was completely congested, my chest was sore, I was a mess! I saw the doctor that afternoon and he did a strep test which came back negative and was pretty sure that I had a run of the mill cold virus and that rest and fluids were the order of the day. He upped my asthma medication as my chest was sounding a little rattly and sent me on my way. By that evening, I was having trouble breathing and after an hour of realizing it wasn't getting any better we decided we should head for the ER. I was diagnosed with Influenza A during that visit, and to make an already long story shorter, was sent home after a few nebulizer treatments only to return twice over the next 12 hours. It literally felt like we would get home, relax for a couple hours and have to do it all over again. It was exhausting to say the least. By the time of my return from the second ER visit we had begun to think that maybe the animals (who don't normally give me any allergy/asthma issues), paired with the influenza may just be too much for my lungs to handle at the moment. We sent Milo to Steve and Amy's and Greg cleaned like a fiend. After the third visit though, we decided I would be better off secluding myself to the room over the garage where the animals have never been until I could get this illness under control. So that's where I stayed from around noon on Friday until noon on Saturday. I slept a little bit, and woke up feeling a little bit better than I had the day before so I thought I was beginning to turn the corner. However by around 10am it was very clear that things were getting much worse. I couldn't move from the bed two feet to the chair where I had my nebulizer set up without completely losing my breath, and my fever was starting to climb. It was horrible, and terrifying really. I knew that I had to get back to the hospital but the thought of making the trek back was too much. I simply didn't have the energy to get out of the house into the car. That's when Greg called the ambulance. I was so relieved. I knew I would receive treatment en route to the hospital, and would get treated immediately upon arrival. I figured though that we would get there, and like the other times would begin to feel better and I would feel stupid for all the hassle. Quite the contrary actually. My temperature upon arrival was 103.3 and I began to panic. I knew it was high, but I didn't know it was that high. Greg wasn't there yet, and I could feel myself starting to lose my composure. I was sure that this fever was going to kill the baby. They decided to admit me at this point and were pretty sure that I was now dealing with pneumonia on top of the influenza. I again was so relieved to stay. I was so afraid to go back home. I knew then that I was going to get better; and I did, I am feeling so much better now. I was discharged on Sunday afternoon, after numerous nebulizer treatments, and IV antibiotics. To top it off, Monday my primary doctor called to inform me that the strep test I had taken in the office the previous Thursday had grown out over the weekend...seriously?! So, to recap, I had Influenza A, Pneumonia, and Strep throat all at the same time. No wonder I felt like a bus had dragged me through town. Anyways, I slept my first half decent night sleep on Sunday night and have steadily improved every day. Yesterday though, at about 2am I started cramping. It went on for most of the day yesterday. The nurse at my OB's office told me that I needed to drink tons of fluids and get as much rest as I can; that my body has been through a huge ordeal, and that the antibiotics that I'm on, yet safe are very powerful and I just need time to heal. So I'm listening. I'm resting, and drinking as much as I can. Ana is spending yet another day with her Mimi and Bumpa. My mum is coming over after work (because did I mention that my husband left for a business trip yesterday?) to help me get the kids dinner and into bed and she's spending the nights with me until Greg returns. My brother and Amy are still hosting Milo the wonder dog. It's been quite an ordeal. I'm just so thankful the cramping has subsided today and I never had any bleeding or spotting, so I'm hopeful that things are still okay with number three. I'm also tremendously thankful for my family and friends who have outpoured their love and generosity to help out during this time. I don't know how we would have gotten through the last week without all of your help and support so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Gotcha!

Today is Ana's "Gotcha Day". One year ago today, we were in Guatemala, and our beautiful little girl was placed in our arms forever. I can't believe it's been a year already!