Some funky stuff happened so I locked up the blog. Still not sure what I'm going to do, but for the moment I'm over it, and though fingers could still use some help in the nimble department, thought I'd give it a go.
We went in for the 20 week ultrasound. She's a girl! everything else looked good but then came the 'older pregnancy' warnings and Down Syndrome talk. Shane had taken the big kids out by then as the room was feeling increasingly small so only I was there to hear the ramblings ".. older mother ...you are in the blah blah blah..1 in 15 blah blah focus on the 14 in 15 blah blah test thick skin blah blah. Oh and your cervix is short. But we'd like to do an internal ultrasound to get a better picture if you are OK with that."
I answered as long as baby is fine, which she is, I don't need more tests for her. And she had frizzy hair. So don't knock my cervix. No, not really. Everyone's hair is better than mine these days. But I didn't need any more tests for the baby. And why not the extra ultrasound? After 5 kids, its not like there's room to be prudish. So she did and it confirmed the measurement of 2 cm. Which for 20 weeks was short and different from my previous pregnancies.
Then I saw the midwife. Then I went home and Binged cerclage and thin cervix. Then I went back three weeks later for another ultrasound and found the cervix was thinning more and measured 1.3 cm and the dr wanted to get something done about it ASAP. Fortunately there was no dilating or funneling, but it was still all new to me. She said there were two options, to put a stitch in or try progesterone shots for two weeks and see if it helped. Shane was not with me and didn't answer when I called him so I was feeling a bit (lot) overwhelmed. I'm horrible about making decisions, especially if they come up unexpectedly, are out of my experience realm, and could have serious consequences.
So I dropped in on my midwife, who is just around the corner, cried on her shoulder a bit then she sent me back to Evergreen to schedule a cerclage. They asked if I needed to go home first or if they could just admit me then. I said I'd like to run home first. They said come back at 4 or 5. For a noon surgery the next day. I asked if I could go home and sleep and come early in the morning. She said they could do the pre-op stuff right then and sure. Just don't eat after 3AM, be there at 7am.
So I played tag with Shane in the parking lot. He had driven up after not being to get a hold of me by cel phone, tried to catch me in the office, talked to the midwife and gotten the rundown, and just missed me at the OB's.
We finally found each other and ran home to have a steak dinner and sleep in our own bed.
The next morning, his mom came over and we headed to the hospital. We had the nicest nurse and I was sad when her shift was over. Which was not until dinner time, so that was nice. The Dr came and explained the procedure with her 'not very nice' tool and recommended I go for the general not the spinal. Which was also new for me. I said sure.
After several attempts they finally got an IV going (new again). Blood draws are easy on me so I was surprised it did not translate to an easy IV. Apparently I have lots of nodules?/blockages? or some other name I can't remember that don't allow the needle to thread into the vein very far or easily. So they had to try multiple sites before locating a good one.
So then we just had to sit and wait and play with the adjustable bed and read through baby names. Oh she also said they would keep me over night for monitoring.
Shane could stay or not. I was not prepared as I had read it was pretty much an out patient procedure, but as long as they gave me a toothbrush and a pair of underwear, we'd be fine.
Surgery was a little late. Then they couldn't find a wheelchair. I said I could walk just fine. But they said no. So we waited. They finally found one so Shane accompanied me and the nurse to the next floor where a host of people were waiting to each ask me my name, DOB, if I was allergic to latex, etc. It was strange to have all that attention and I was hoping someone would ask which muscle areas needed the most massaging. But no one did. They did however put cool yellow inflatable leg warmers on my calves, which would take turns filling/deflating and felt like a little massage . So they gave me a mask for a little while and wheeled me off to the operating room. And then it went just like the dr said it would. They would tell me they were putting the sleepy stuff in my IV. and then I would wake up and it would be over.
I woke up in a different room. I was screened off from the rest of the recovering patients but I could see them through the small gaps between the movable partitions. I didn't wonder what had happened or where I was but I didn't feel like moving at all. Which was a little distressing when I felt like I had to pee. A nurse was with me the whole time. She asked if I wanted to wait 10 min when I'd be back in my room or if I'd like her to assist me now( aka use a bed pan). I thought of and totally sympathized with Hank from Breaking Bad as I chose the latter. But it was so nice to be able to just lie there and not nearly as bad as what I knew had just been done to me. Glad I had gone for the general.
Soon they wheeled me back down the hall, into the elevator, and back to my room where Shane was waiting. I felt the mattress beneath me move and realized they were inflating it. Then using it to transfer me to my own bed. 'Wow,' I thought. 'That's really clever. I wonder who came up with that idea?'
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