This is NOT an adventure I could have predicted--- the nutso amount of medical things I've had to keep track of during 2/3rds of this pregnancy. Just for fun one day, I gathered EVERY BIT of crap I've been having to do/take/follow/ingest/etc. and compiled it in one place, just to see... Just to DOCUMENT this era. Can you believe the pile??
It started, of course, with prenatals (below, right... "medical food". What a weird way to describe vitamins!)
But by October, things got dramatic when Betty the Breast got infected. From the biopsy and surgery this fall until just a few weeks ago, THESE have been a daily part of my life because of the infections--
Antibiotic pills (green) + hydrogen peroxide and neosporin + gauze pads and medical tape + absorbent pads
The pills? 4 times a day. The gauze? Switched out at least twice a day, especially when I had the drainage tubes lingering in my chest. The neosporin and peroxide-- all day long. And this was NONSTOP for months, since the infection has a nasty tendency to return, and I still see the doctor for this issue about every two weeks. Just last week, she aspirated some more gross stuff with a needle/syringe... So though the wounds are healed (mostly), the infection still lurks.
And then there's THIS adventure--- as of February:
YOWZA. If I thought the infection stuff was routine-altering, I was not at all prepared for GESTATIONAL DIABETES. I mean, LOOK at all the stuff that came into my life after that diagnosis!
There's the trusty blood monitor: I get to prick my finger 5 times a day. And those test strips ain't cheap. (Lucky for me, after my first $60 purchase, my dad, a type 2 diabetic, gave me a few boxes of his... He has lots to spare, apparently. Saved me at least another $60!!) And the blood monitor comes with lancets and things.
Oh, and after just two weeks of not-great readings, they upped the ante--- and prescribed INSULIN SHOTS. So now there's the needles. And the alcohol pads. And the actual glass bottles of insulin in my fridge.
And the tracking of food and blood sugar numbers....And the cookbooks so I can re-learn how to eat.
Oh, and those KETONE STICKS. I get to pee on one of those every morning, just to make sure I still eat enough calories after all the cutbacks in my carbs.
I tell ya....
THIS is a weird era in my life. WEIRD. Pills. Shots. Pokes. Peeing on sticks. GAUZE FOR MILES.
Really. Next pregnancy, I deserve a free pass to painlessness and complete heath. Ya know?
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Okay, so there's the Complaint Post of the Year! :) :)
But in all seriousness, though....let me be honest:
Much of this has become so routine that it's not a big deal anymore... And much of it has gotten better--- especially the infection/bandage part of things. I still count my blessings DEEPLY that I don't suffer anymore from that reactive arthritis I had for a month in the fall. THAT was torture. And I am learning a LOT about moderation and discipline and energy from this GD diet. I truly want to maintain some of these principles well after the baby is born. This really isn't as bad as I am making it look here. Truly.
Though I will NOT miss the shots. And the blood testing. And the reporting twice a week to the Upper Management (i.e. Nurse Jill.)
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Goodness. Week 39 is commencing. Maybe most of this will be DONE WITH by the end of the week.
*fingers crossed!*
Wow, when you put it all out there like that, it does look overwhelming. I'm glad that at least the Betty part is easing up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've said before that diabetes is like an Rx for doing all the healthy things they tell us to be doing anyway, so if you can keep some of it up after Lucy comes, that's great. But I know how hard that can be, so good luck (I typed "food luck" at first - Freudian slip?)
Love ya