The Worst Something or Other

Okay, geez where to start.  I am sure as you read this you will begin to ask yourself if I am making this up.  Please, I wish I were.  No, this is my life, something always goes wrong and nothing can ever be planned.

I woke up on Saturday, July 9th at 5:30am.  I went to the bathroom and laid back in bed.  To my surprise I was in so much pain I couldn't stand it.  I initially thought, "stupid kidney tube is clogged" but I looked down a few minutes later and the bag was filling up.  I continued to fight with the pain, not taking Tylenol or anything in case I was going into labor.  The pain let up a bit and I was able to go back to sleep. 

I awoke again around 9:30am and again went to the bathroom (what?!  that's good for someone who is 36 weeks pregnant).  The bag had a good amount of fluid in it so I assumed what I had was Braxton Hicks.  Well, they started again.  This time they wouldn't go away.  From 9:30 till 11, I was crying out in pain. 

I got a quick bath/shower (cause with this tube I can't do just one or the other), got dressed, and decided we were heading to the ER.  I called the doctor at 11, to determine if I should go to L & D or the ER, but at 11:20 there was no return call back.  So we left and headed into the ER. 

Upon arrival, I was quickly taken up to L & D by wheel chair, placed on an IV, and monitored for fetal movements and heartbeat.  Everything was good, but the pain was getting worse.   The nurses called to radiology but the only doctor who could do the procedure was over in a different hospital, we had to wait.  I was told, "No pain meds until the doctor in radiology sees you."  This was at 2:00pm, I had been admitted to L & D at 12:00pm.  After getting sick from the pain, the nurse called the OB and they agreed to a small dose of pain meds around 3:30pm.

Finally, just after 5:00pm, I was rolled down to radiology.  The doctor took one look at the tube and thought it had fallen out.  He scanned me and realized it was still in but blocked.  His words were, "this tube is severely blocked."  The procedure to replace the tube was to only take 20 minutes.  After several attempts to push the new tube in and take out the old, the doctor gave up.  He said, "This tube is so bad, we need to pull the entire tube out and start from scratch."  Fine with me, but I assumed I would be receiving pain meds or something.  Um, negative!

Next thing I knew, I had this horrific, indescribable pain running through my back into my bladder and ureter.  He was pulling as hard as he could on what, THE TUBE.  After several minutes of me screaming to the point that my throat was raw, pleading with the nurse to make him stop, and asking for a break because the baby was crushing my hip (had to lay on my side), it was out.  I could feel the urine drip down my back, but the pain was unbearable. 

The doctor was frustrated.  He was yelling at the nurse and I was pleading with her to please make it stop.  She had tears in her eyes and kept saying, "it's almost over, I wish we could give you something for the pain but we can't cause of the baby". 

I thought it is done.  I was wrong.  No sooner did he pull the wire tube from my back, he decided to push the new tube right down into the same hole that was used for the old tube.  Nothing like adding salt to the wound.  It hurt like crazy. 

The doctor finally said, "there it's in, we just have to bandage you up".  I kept reaching back trying to feel the tube, it was burning and hurting bad, but no where near like it did when he pulled that tube out.  They taped me up and brought Brian in. 

The doctor showed us the tube and how clogged it was.  It looked like it had cement poured in it and around it.  No wonder it hurt so darn bad when he pulled it out.  It was like pulling the sword from the stone. 

After returning to my room in L & D, the nurse said that several of the doctors called to radiology to find out what was taking so long.  The 20 minute procedure had turned into almost an hour and a half.  No wonder my hip was killing me.  The nurse said, "The tech said that was the worst tube replacement that they had ever seen."  Huh, just my luck.  I am always the worst something or other.

Sunday morning, I had my first internal.  I didn't honestly think I would be dilated or effaced but believe it or not, I was 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  They continued to monitor me and had me stay overnight one more night to continue with antibiotics.  I was released on Monday, July 11 only after scheduling Nolan's induction for Monday, July 25.

The doctor said, "I will put you down for Monday, July 25, but I don't believe you will make it to that date." 

Only a few days left now.... I can't wait to meet our little gift, bring him home, get these stones and this tube out, and move on with the next chapter in our lives.