At the start of the week I had a slightly sore throat and my nose was clogged. Didn't surprise me much since we went from having 60 degree weather to 30 degree weather. Besides the throat (which only bothered me first thing in the morning) and the nose, I felt fine. Wednesday after school I was exhausted though. I assumed that was because I stayed up late to write thank you notes the night before, as well as me working all day and being 37 weeks along. I felt fine other than that though. When I woke up yesterday morning I felt cruddy. My nose was still clogged, I was tired and just felt sluggish. I went to school and the assistant principal was worried about me. She said I was pale and didn't look like I felt well. I admitted to not feeling my best, but brushed it off thinking it was just sinuses. After lunch I started to feel a little cold. Our school building (especially my classroom) goes from hot to cold all of the time, so I didn't think that much of it. An hour later, during my planning period, I started to feel warm. I went down to check my temperature and it was a normal 98.3 degrees. Still, as my planning period went on, I started to feel worse. Luckily it was our afternoon in the computer lab, so I didn't really have to teach after planning. I put my coat on and laid my head down for the most part of the class while my students researched for their projects. I was feeling pretty bad. I was starting to get way too warm, but every time I tried to take my coat off I started freezing again. Not good. Not good at all.
After school I had my second NST. It was cold outside so I was shaking all over when I got into the building. I still didn't feel my best, but was happy to be able to rest for awhile. I was still feeling cold, so after getting me strapped in, the nurses covered me with my coat. They worried over me a little as I still was shaking but my cheeks were getting progressively redder. They finally went in search of a thermometer so they could check my temperature. 101.4. This concerned them, as well as the fact that Josie's baseline heart rate was in the 160s and I was having contractions (or uterine irritations). So, they took all this data to the doctor to see what they should do about me. I asked which doctor they were going to see and of course it was the worry wart doctor. I begged them not to go, saying he would send me straight to triage! They laughed but went anyway. Sure enough, the doctor told them to wheel (yes, in a wheelchair) me straight over to the maternal-fetal center's triage. Awesome. He wanted blood work, a urine analysis, and a flu test done. I was fine with the flu test (I wanted one done anyway), but going to the hospital was not something I was interested in. I was both annoyed and scared.
When we made it to triage, I signed in and was informed I would be there for at least a few hours. Great. It was 5:00 by this point. I hadn't ate since lunch at 11:30 and I finished my water at school at 3, so I hadn't drank since then either. Not only was I hungry and thirsty, but now I was going to be stuck at the hospital for hours. I was not happy. I called Joe and filled him in, telling him I would call back when I found out more details. I was led back to a room and told to change into a gown and get comfortable. After about 30 minutes of laying there, a nurse came in to get my vitals and other information. She also came to collect my urine...with a catheter. Seriously? Gross and annoying. Then she strapped me up so they could monitor Josie's heart rate and any contractions (as they do during my NSTs) and she was on her way. Before she left I asked if I could get something to eat or drink, telling her how long it had been since I had food or water. She said no. She also said no to giving me something for my fever. If she hadn't been so nice and friendly, I would have hated her. About an hour goes by without anyone coming in to check on me. I talked with Joe and he was going to drop Sophie off with one of his sisters (thank you Sara and Susie for watching her yesterday and today!) so that he could come be with me. Right before he got there, someone finally came to get my blood work and to swab me for the flu. After she left, it was back to the waiting game. I was so glad when Joe arrive so that I had some human interaction. The only time a nurse would come in was when I would shift in bed and the monitor would lose Josie's heart. It was frustrating. With Joe as my back up though, I was finally able to pee and get some food and water. Yeah! Peanut butter, crackers, veggie soup and ice water have never been so good. After my food, the nurse even brought in some Tylenol for me! Joy! After that, it was back to sitting around and waiting for my flu results. Joe and I were both sick of being in the hospital. Besides our phones, our entertainment was watching the monitors pick up when I was having contractions. They would come every few minutes and last about 10 seconds. They never hurt (Braxton Hicks?), just my uterus tightening. Sometimes my back would get uncomfortable, but that was about it. The nurse didn't seem concerned by them. She was happy with Josie's base line heart rate and how she reacted to the contractions. I was just glad that my baby was doing okay even though I felt cruddy.
By 9:00, we still didn't have the flu results. My blood and urine results came in already (low iron and slightly dehydrated. Everything else was fine), but the quick result flu test was taking forever. We heard the nurse call down to the lab and get feisty with them. God bless her. The results came back quickly after she did this. Apparently, the original nurse who put in the order didn't do it correctly, so even though it was marked as urgent, the lab technicians ignored it. Once the nurse called and told them what was going on, they worked their magic. It took about 7 minutes to get the results. I was beyond annoyed. I waited for hours for something that only took a few minutes to get. My annoyance helped me not cry when the nurse told me that I did in fact have the flu. She told me that the doctor (the one I love who delievered Sophie and soon, Josie) recommended that I stay overnight in the hospital so they could rehydrate me and monitor things. However, he said if I put up a fuss he was okay if I went home as long as I promised to drink a lot of fluids there. Joe and I talked it over quickly and decided to go ahead home. (I figured Dr. J wouldn't throw out the option of going home if he was super worried about things). We finally left the hospital around 10:00.
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| Not feeling well and not happy. |
I feel much better today. I've been hydrating, resting, and there have been no fevers. Hopefully the worst is behind me. I just worry about Josie. She was moving around today, but not as strongly as she normally does. Of course I have been laying around for the most part so maybe she was just relaxed herself. Her movement did get stronger as the day went on. Maybe I should have stayed at the hospital. I don't know. If she is still not moving strongly tomorrow I am going to call the doctor's office. I just don't know what I would do if something happened to her. I have faith that she will be fine though. Still, I've cried both yesterday and today about how irresponsible it was to not get a flu shot and putting our baby in danger. Any prayers for Josie's health would be much appreciated.
**Update: Josie has been super active today (Saturday). Lots of strong movements, hiccups, and moving my stomach all over the place. Thank goodness!
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