Since my last post, I had to get blood drawn a second time just to clarify the level of sugar in my body. The nurse of my OB's office called and said everything looked normal this time. It must have just been a fluke that my sugar was off the chart last time, which I don't know why because I didn't have dessert that day. I'm happy to say that I am not diabetic!
To add to that good news, the Anesthesiologist finally called today. She wanted to know my situation with Ankylosing Spondylitis and being pregnant, then asked me a million and one questions about my health. She asked if I'd ever had surgery before, which I had about two years ago when a dermatologist discovered a severe abnormal mole that they thought was melanoma. Thankfully, it was not melanoma, but it was an outpatient surgery where they had to put me to sleep. I did not have any problems with the anesthesia then, so I should be fine.
She told me that overall, other than my disease I really am a healthy person. They should be able to do an epidural on me like any other "normal" person. But she also warned me that "normal" people can also have issues with epidurals because every person is different.
She explained that with my disease being in my SI joint/hips that they shouldn't have any problems because they will be going through my lower back. I expressed my concern with my back changing over the years since I have gotten diagnosed. She said it is possible and if I had any fusing that most likely I would know. Since I am young she doesn't think I have fused yet, that fusing usually occurs in older people as the disease progresses. She doesn't see a need in me getting an X-ray especially since it could harm the baby.
As we continued to talk, I learned a lot I didn't know about epidurals. She explained to me that it is never too early or too late to get an epidural unless the woman is literally already in the process of delivery. Some women get an epidural as soon as they are in a lot of pain and some wait as long as they can. She also explained that epidurals do not wear off unless they purposely make it wear off by turning it down or off. Once they do the epidural they hook it up like an IV. If at any point the pain changes or intensifies there's a button to push to make the dosage stronger.
I am definitely starting to feel a lot better about my delivery knowing that I can have an epidural. I'm still concerned with the idea of possibly having a flare after delivery. With my last flare I could barely walk or take care of myself so I don't know how I'd be able to take care of a baby. (I know, I know. I have plenty of supportive people around me to help, but just the thought of being as useless as I was before bothers me. And just thinking about the amount of pain I was in makes me cringe!) But I guess we'll just have to deal with that when the time comes. Maybe I'll be lucky and I won't have a flare. (Fingers crossed!) I guess the good thing about being in the hospital is that I have a lot of people to take care of me and my options are not as limited once the baby is born! :)
Here's to hoping things continue to stay positive like this! Let the countdown begin: 29 days until my expected due date!
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Taking the Good With the Bad
This week has been very interesting! At therapy they call me the "wild card" because no one ever knows how I'm going to be feeling when I go in that day. Last week I was doing really well, but for some reason all this week I've been struggling. I don't know why either because I haven't done anything differently? After leaving today, I am feeling better, but we'll see how long that lasts!
Stephen and I met with the Pediatrician last week. It was a lot of get to know you and your background stuff. Up until this week I was under the impression that I would not be able to breast feed while I'm on my medication and that was already up in the air because we have no idea how I would be feeling after delivery. I figured most likely I would need my medication after delivery and I would end up not being able to breast feed.
Well a couple of days ago, the Pediatrician called me with new information! Here is the good news: She talked to a lactation consultant who told her to look into Dr. Hale. I guess he is like a Guru when it comes to breast feeding and research on it. She explained to me that he has different levels of risks. Level one means there's little to no risk and level five means there's a huge risk. She told me that my medication (Enbrel - the injection) is a level two, mostly because my disease is not as common and so there's not as much research as there is with other diseases and medications. The biggest concern is if it were to get into the baby's blood, which if I took it now it would. I think she said there was like up to a 2% chance of that happening when breast feeding. Dr. Hale says that the mother could take the medication the same day as delivery, but my Pediatrician said she recommends I wait a week for the milk to build up that way there's less of a chance of anything making it through to the baby. She told me ultimately the decision is up to me, but she doesn't see it as being a problem.
Also, I will be continuing the prednisone for a little while after delivery because that's not a medication you can just stop taking. People have to be weened off of it. She told me as long as I don't go above 40 mgs I will be fine to breast feed while taking this also. We'll just have to continue to monitor Jackson and myself like we have been doing all along.
(For any pregnant women reading this Dr. Hale has a website with all kinds of information. If you have a disease like me and want to know more go to Forums, then scroll down to Forums for Mothers with Special Conditions and it breaks it down into specific conditions. Click here Infant Risk.)
I had an appointment with my OB this week. Everything looked good with my ultra sound. Jackson is about 6lbs right now. I technically have a month until my due date so he still has plenty of time to grow a lot more! I already feel like there is no more room and I'm not that big to begin with! Here's the bad news: I had a lot of sugar in my urine. Being on prednisone it's somewhat expected. I took the test a while ago to see if I would be diabetic while I'm pregnant. I was surprised when they said I wasn't. But yesterday I had to get blood drawn and I'm probably going to have to take the test again because there was still a lot of sugar showing up in the results. This obviously isn't horrible news because I have about a month left and it goes away after I deliver, but I will have to change different things throughout my day.
To continue the bad news, I still have not heard from the anesthesiologist. I guess they have been having problems in their office so they haven't called to set anything up yet. So my delivery plan is still up in the air. And to add to that, I also have not had an X-ray or MRI since I got diagnosed, which was a little over 3 years ago so my back could have changed a lot between then and now. Pregnant women aren't supposed to get X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans or anything like that because of all the radiation. It's really hard telling right now what they could say about my back or what they'll be able to figure out without having an X-ray.
A lot of unexpected news this week, but that's the story of my life! I guess I just wasn't really expecting things to change with possibly being diabetic since I already took the test once, but I kind of knew in the back of my mind it was still a possibility because of the prednisone. I also was pretty sure I was not going to be able to breast feed while I was on my medication. And I definitely thought I'd have a little bit of an idea about my back by now.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see what next week has in store for me!
Stephen and I met with the Pediatrician last week. It was a lot of get to know you and your background stuff. Up until this week I was under the impression that I would not be able to breast feed while I'm on my medication and that was already up in the air because we have no idea how I would be feeling after delivery. I figured most likely I would need my medication after delivery and I would end up not being able to breast feed.
Well a couple of days ago, the Pediatrician called me with new information! Here is the good news: She talked to a lactation consultant who told her to look into Dr. Hale. I guess he is like a Guru when it comes to breast feeding and research on it. She explained to me that he has different levels of risks. Level one means there's little to no risk and level five means there's a huge risk. She told me that my medication (Enbrel - the injection) is a level two, mostly because my disease is not as common and so there's not as much research as there is with other diseases and medications. The biggest concern is if it were to get into the baby's blood, which if I took it now it would. I think she said there was like up to a 2% chance of that happening when breast feeding. Dr. Hale says that the mother could take the medication the same day as delivery, but my Pediatrician said she recommends I wait a week for the milk to build up that way there's less of a chance of anything making it through to the baby. She told me ultimately the decision is up to me, but she doesn't see it as being a problem.
Also, I will be continuing the prednisone for a little while after delivery because that's not a medication you can just stop taking. People have to be weened off of it. She told me as long as I don't go above 40 mgs I will be fine to breast feed while taking this also. We'll just have to continue to monitor Jackson and myself like we have been doing all along.
(For any pregnant women reading this Dr. Hale has a website with all kinds of information. If you have a disease like me and want to know more go to Forums, then scroll down to Forums for Mothers with Special Conditions and it breaks it down into specific conditions. Click here Infant Risk.)
I had an appointment with my OB this week. Everything looked good with my ultra sound. Jackson is about 6lbs right now. I technically have a month until my due date so he still has plenty of time to grow a lot more! I already feel like there is no more room and I'm not that big to begin with! Here's the bad news: I had a lot of sugar in my urine. Being on prednisone it's somewhat expected. I took the test a while ago to see if I would be diabetic while I'm pregnant. I was surprised when they said I wasn't. But yesterday I had to get blood drawn and I'm probably going to have to take the test again because there was still a lot of sugar showing up in the results. This obviously isn't horrible news because I have about a month left and it goes away after I deliver, but I will have to change different things throughout my day.
To continue the bad news, I still have not heard from the anesthesiologist. I guess they have been having problems in their office so they haven't called to set anything up yet. So my delivery plan is still up in the air. And to add to that, I also have not had an X-ray or MRI since I got diagnosed, which was a little over 3 years ago so my back could have changed a lot between then and now. Pregnant women aren't supposed to get X-rays, MRIs, CAT scans or anything like that because of all the radiation. It's really hard telling right now what they could say about my back or what they'll be able to figure out without having an X-ray.
A lot of unexpected news this week, but that's the story of my life! I guess I just wasn't really expecting things to change with possibly being diabetic since I already took the test once, but I kind of knew in the back of my mind it was still a possibility because of the prednisone. I also was pretty sure I was not going to be able to breast feed while I was on my medication. And I definitely thought I'd have a little bit of an idea about my back by now.
Guess I'll just have to wait and see what next week has in store for me!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A Lot of Things to Think About
I haven't written anything on here in a while, which is a good thing because that means I have been doing much better so I don't have as much to say!
Every time I go to therapy Matt, my doctor, asks me to rate my pain level - 10 being the worst & 0 being the best. Last Friday was the best day I've had since I started going to therapy back in May. Even though I've been in some pain these past few days it's nice to know that getting myself to a 1 on the scale is possible. I'm pretty sure the things I do on a daily basis have impacted the improvement. I still take the prednisone everyday, I ice first thing in the morning, I wear my back brace, and I do my stretches every night before I go to bed.
Yesterday, Stephen and I went for a check-up with my OB. My OB had an emergency at the hospital so while we were waiting, her assistant came in and recorded Jackson's heartbeat and then put it inside a teddy bear for us to take home. I thought this was such a neat idea!
When my OB finally arrived we discussed my concerns with labor and how it will effect my back/hips. When I lean back, or recline, it places a lot of pressure on my SI joint which is where I get all my pain. There is also a lot of pressure here as well when I lay flat on my back. After sitting or laying like this, it's really hard for me to get up and to move. My OB and my Rheumotology doctor both say it is more likely for me to have a flare after delivery because of the drastic change in hormones. A flare will most likely occur within two weeks after delivery. I'm not really sure if there's anything that can set a flare off for me any day, but I want to be prepared and have a delivery that will produce the least amount of stress on my back/hips.
I think about how bad my flare was back in August and I know if that happens again I won't be able to take care of a baby because I can barely take care of myself when it gets that bad. I hope that in discussing all this I can at least be prepared and have a plan of what to do. The good thing is that once I deliver I will be able to take my medication again. But if I do take my medication I will not be able to breast feed. My OB says that at that point we need to focus on taking care of me and doing what's best for me because Jackson will be fine whether I breast feed or not. So what happens after I deliver is kind of up in the air because we don't know what to expect or how my body will react.
As of right now, I am waiting for the anesthesiologist to call and set up an appointment with me. They have to examine my back and check out my spine. If everything looks good and my spine is straight I can have an epidural when I go into labor, but if my spine is crooked I can't. Obviously, with all my back problems I want to have the epidural. Before I was pregnant I gave myself a shot once a week so needles do not bother me. If I can't have an epidural I'll probably have a C-Section because I don't want to deal with pain especially knowing I have a good chance of having a flare anytime after delivery. The only problem with having a C-Section without an epidural is that I will not be able to be awake for the operation and Stephen will not be able to be in the room. Of course my dad is always positive and said that that's not a big deal and Stephen and I will both get to see Jackson, even if it's not right away. He also said I need to do what's best for me, my back, and my health.
It's a lot to think about, but it needs to be addressed. I'm going to see what the anesthesiologist says and talk with my OB again before any decisions are made about my delivery as to whether it will be vaginal or C-Section. If I cannot have an epidural I'm 99% sure I'll have a C-Section. And if I can have an epidural I still may opt to have a C-Section. It just depends on what all happens these next few appointments. It's also possible that even though I am putting all this thought into it that I won't have a choice and I'll have to have a C-Section anyway because of how big Jackson gets from me being on the prednisone. At my last ultra sound he was measuring a little ahead so we'll see how big he is at my next appointment in two weeks.
Ending on a good note, today is the first day of November so I am now in the homestretch. Jackson's due date is in December so really he could be here at anytime now. It's been a long and tiring pregnancy for me, but it's almost over and I am excited to meet my little man!
Every time I go to therapy Matt, my doctor, asks me to rate my pain level - 10 being the worst & 0 being the best. Last Friday was the best day I've had since I started going to therapy back in May. Even though I've been in some pain these past few days it's nice to know that getting myself to a 1 on the scale is possible. I'm pretty sure the things I do on a daily basis have impacted the improvement. I still take the prednisone everyday, I ice first thing in the morning, I wear my back brace, and I do my stretches every night before I go to bed.
Yesterday, Stephen and I went for a check-up with my OB. My OB had an emergency at the hospital so while we were waiting, her assistant came in and recorded Jackson's heartbeat and then put it inside a teddy bear for us to take home. I thought this was such a neat idea!
When my OB finally arrived we discussed my concerns with labor and how it will effect my back/hips. When I lean back, or recline, it places a lot of pressure on my SI joint which is where I get all my pain. There is also a lot of pressure here as well when I lay flat on my back. After sitting or laying like this, it's really hard for me to get up and to move. My OB and my Rheumotology doctor both say it is more likely for me to have a flare after delivery because of the drastic change in hormones. A flare will most likely occur within two weeks after delivery. I'm not really sure if there's anything that can set a flare off for me any day, but I want to be prepared and have a delivery that will produce the least amount of stress on my back/hips.
I think about how bad my flare was back in August and I know if that happens again I won't be able to take care of a baby because I can barely take care of myself when it gets that bad. I hope that in discussing all this I can at least be prepared and have a plan of what to do. The good thing is that once I deliver I will be able to take my medication again. But if I do take my medication I will not be able to breast feed. My OB says that at that point we need to focus on taking care of me and doing what's best for me because Jackson will be fine whether I breast feed or not. So what happens after I deliver is kind of up in the air because we don't know what to expect or how my body will react.
As of right now, I am waiting for the anesthesiologist to call and set up an appointment with me. They have to examine my back and check out my spine. If everything looks good and my spine is straight I can have an epidural when I go into labor, but if my spine is crooked I can't. Obviously, with all my back problems I want to have the epidural. Before I was pregnant I gave myself a shot once a week so needles do not bother me. If I can't have an epidural I'll probably have a C-Section because I don't want to deal with pain especially knowing I have a good chance of having a flare anytime after delivery. The only problem with having a C-Section without an epidural is that I will not be able to be awake for the operation and Stephen will not be able to be in the room. Of course my dad is always positive and said that that's not a big deal and Stephen and I will both get to see Jackson, even if it's not right away. He also said I need to do what's best for me, my back, and my health.
It's a lot to think about, but it needs to be addressed. I'm going to see what the anesthesiologist says and talk with my OB again before any decisions are made about my delivery as to whether it will be vaginal or C-Section. If I cannot have an epidural I'm 99% sure I'll have a C-Section. And if I can have an epidural I still may opt to have a C-Section. It just depends on what all happens these next few appointments. It's also possible that even though I am putting all this thought into it that I won't have a choice and I'll have to have a C-Section anyway because of how big Jackson gets from me being on the prednisone. At my last ultra sound he was measuring a little ahead so we'll see how big he is at my next appointment in two weeks.
Ending on a good note, today is the first day of November so I am now in the homestretch. Jackson's due date is in December so really he could be here at anytime now. It's been a long and tiring pregnancy for me, but it's almost over and I am excited to meet my little man!
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