I Just Can't Stay Away

 Disclaimer: This post discusses blood clots and placentas. If that grosses you out, you should probably stop reading.

Apparently, I love going to the hospital.

Last night, I was feeding Ezra and playing with my new iPhone when I suddenly felt a sharp pain go throughout my abdomen. I have been having pretty intense uterine contractions for the past week, so I tried to ignore the pain. A few minutes later, I was nearly unconscious and in utter agony. My father-in-law jumped up and took Ezra from me and then ran to get Nathan. He helped me to the car and drove me to the emergency room.

I was doubled over in pain and unable to move as Nathan wheeled me into the hospital. I was audibly sobbing, and Nathan did his best to calm me down and distract me. I was essentially feeling a more intense version of the pain that caused me to faint and seize earlier in the week. That pain was due to a blood clot, so I was hoping a nurse or doctor could massage this clot out like my amazing labor and delivery nurse did.

The doctor working was worried about the amount of obvious pain I was in. He wanted to immediately give me a strong drug/sedative via IV to ease my discomfort.  After discussing the medication, I refused the IV because it would prevent me from breastfeeding for two to three days. My babies need my breastmilk, and I wasn't willing to get the medicine until I knew the reason why I was hurting.

The doctor recommended an ultrasound and then told us that the ultrasound tech was not available until the early morning due to budget cuts at the hospital. I let him know I had an 9 am appointment with Dr. Miu and would discuss the issue with him. The ER doctor was satisfied with that solution after running a series of blood tests. He wanted to confirm that my body wasn't fighting an infection which could make me become septic. He suspected I either had additional clots or part of the placenta to pass. He explained that with multiples, there is more of everything: more blood to pass, more placenta, greater risk of infection, etc.

This morning, I met with Dr. Miu, who was also worried about my situation. He said an ultrasound would not be entirely accurate this soon after delivery and will perform the scan next Monday. He noted that my kidney levels (still not sure what they measure) were high, which will require more bloodwork. An EKG was also performed, and my heart rate was unusually low. He asked if I was a long-distance runner. I laughed as I said, "Yeah, six years ago." My results are being sent to a cardiologist, who I will have to meet with next week if he feels like it is necessary.

All of those medical problems aside, I still feel immensely fortunate to be as healthy as I am. I can move and walk around, and I feel like a functioning human being for the first time in months. I am hoping and praying that the problem will resolve itself without a D&C, but I know I can handle any outcome. Ezra and Elliott are the most precious babies, and I don't mind making any sacrifices for them.

I have been surprised with how it has been to stay positive. I consider that another blessing from Heavenly Father. We can all do hard things, right? Especially with faces like this around:

Ezra

Elliott