Teresa's HuGStory
I got pregnant after 4 months of trying, and was so excited, like any parent to
be. I found out the beginning of Nov 95, and the day before Thanksgiving, I
starting getting sick, non stop. I went to my family doctor who was great,
and I had IV fluids 3 or 4 bags every 2 or 3 days. I was on every kind of
medicine, and nothing helped for more than one or two days. I tried
everything, the sea sick bands, pasta, rice, peanuts diets, drinking
spoonful of water every 5 minutes, nothing worked. I would always go to the
clinic for IV's, but then they sent me to the ER, for a while, and then they
put me in the pregnancy ward, everytime I had IV, which was nice, I had a ok
bed, and bigger room, TV, and I got to know the nurses, really good.
I have very hard veins to find on a normal day, so they could never find my
veins, so I would have to go home with hap - locks, and my husband would
have to help with my hair and bathing, and dressing, and everything. Then
they tried to put a pic line in, but couldn't get it in, so they decided a
center line, they wouldn't put me out for it, because I wasn't 20 weeks
along, yet, I cried, cried, it's very strange being in a surg room, with the
doctors, and them working on your chest.
In December, they put me on short term disability at work, which my work was
not to happy about. My mom, being the supportive person she was, would
call all the time and say are you still throwing up, I never had that, your
sister never had that. It was like thanks, for your support. She has
always been like that, but I wish just this one time she wouldn't have been.
We told her we were pregnant, first things out of her mouth was how are you
going to afford that, gee thanks mom.. I cried and cried, thank god,
everyone else around us was and is supportive.
My doctor decide I should see a OB/GYN, 30 miles away, to see what they
thought, everytime I would see them, they would hospitalize me. One time I
went to the my Doctor and they put me in a regular Hospital room, because
the hospital and clinic attached, I had a really good nurse, they did a
ultrasound, to make sure things were right, and then she asked if anyone has
checked blood count or sugar and no one ever did, well, we left to go home,
and I got a phone call around 8 that night, that said I had to come in right
away, they had to monitor me, not the baby, well, I went to stand, I
couldn't, my legs were lead. We made it to the hospital, and they hooked,
me up to things, and I stayed over the weekend, and Monday, I went to my
OB/GYN and they Hospitalize me for over a week. They put me on TPN, they
had to monitor it for a week and then I was sent home and was on TPN through
IV, 6 pm to 9 in the morning. I had to check my blood sugar 3 times a day,
and had a home health nurse come, and check on me. I was on that for 2 or 3
months.
In March, I got a letter from my employee telling me I was fired because my
disability was up and I couldn't return to work, they denied me
unemployment, so I took them to court, with all of my doctors letters and
hospital information, and I got unemployment, we still had to pay most right
back, because I had insurance with them also, so that double..
In
April of 96, I wasn't throwing up anymore, and I was feeling a little
better, and a little more human. I got up, my husband was home thank god,
I was cleaning my center line, like every other time, I did it, and I went
to eat pop tarts, that was all I could eat, and just like that I couldn't
breathe, we went to the ER, and they took me by ambance to the OB/GYN
hospital, and they ran tests and everything, thinking I had a clot or
something.. I remember I was in a big round machine, and I told the lady I
wasn't feeling well, and she said almost done, just a little bite more, and
my husband said I was turning blue, and just like that, I threw up all over
the inside of this machine. It's funny to think of it now. So it turned out
I had air in my line, and I was in the ICU for a few days, and they took out
the center line, because I was better, and, let me tell you, tell, them to
just knock you out if you ever have to have a center line removed, it was so
painful, because everything grew around it.
I loss a total of 30 lbs during all of that. In July, we had a perfect,
health girl, a week after her due date. She is now 4 and health, and
wonderful. It was wonderful, 7 hours of labor, and one of the nurses, had
off that day and called to see how everything was and they told her I was
there, so she came in on her day off, she said she couldn't miss this birth.
My doctor cried, and hugged me, we were all justed filled with tears, there
was room full of doctors and nurses, they all wanted to be a part of it.
So in November of 99, we found out I was pregnant again, and the due date
was the same, and guess what I got sick the same day, I was so depress, I
was compare everything to my last pregnancy with the same due dates, and
everything, it scary. I was hospitalize a lot, and they put a pic line in
this time, I was in the hospital over the holidays, in December, and over 30
miles from my daughter and family. The depression got so bad they termed
the pregnancy. I had lost a total of over 30 lbs in less than a month. I
could read, drive, I was always light headed, and cry, more than I thought I
ever could.
My mom being the supportive one again, said I should get my tubes tied, I
had appointed but it was so finally, I could do it. We have always wanted
to have 3 kids or so. I told my mom the week of Thanksgiving, we thought we
would tell everyone early, because we would need help with our daughter this
time, my mom said thanks for ruining my holidays, gee, thanks mom!!
I had a really hard time with the termination on this one, I went to see a
counselor and she was great, we looked into adoption, but we can't afford
that. I went to talk to my doctor and he put me on anti depressants for 3
weeks, and he said that I shouldn't get pregnant again, but he didn't have
enough back ground in OB/GYN to really say. He hugged and cried with me..
He sent us to see one, and they were very positive, and wonderful. She
said she would put me on anti depressant right away, and they wouldn't have
any side affects on the baby or me. She said you have HG, you always will
but it will be different all the time. It's not unhealthy for me or the
baby, as long as we would get the right medical treatments. So we are
trying again, and very scary, actually I don't know if scary is the word for
it. We are going to go right to the OB/GYN right away. I believe she was
more positive for me because I had a good delivery, and healthy baby, and I
wasn't sick the whole 9 months. So how we are just worried about my mom,
everyone else knows, and is very supportive and wonderful.. It's time like
these when you find out who really loves you and cares.. I would love to
hear from anyone.. kestin@merr.com
Teresa Kestin
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