busy-ness

Today was my day to be on the phone.... First I left message at the OB/GYN about the rhogam fiasco....call returned later by nurse Linda. My favorite there. She said it's impossible, the rhogam hasn't bee taken off the market. Just like I told the insurance company. DU? Ok, so she gave me a bunch of other names to give them, then told me she new a pharmacy in Leesburg could get it. So, I guess I'll try there, but I still haven't received the returned original perscription for it. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhghhhhhhh!

Then I called the dentist to reschedule cleanings for me and girls, since two were sick last night. I was up and down six times!! Couldn't bare to make them get teeth cleaned tomorrow. Fortunately we don't have to wait another six months, but got in in February. Yeah.

Then I called family doctor to bump up Audrey's six year shots...won't she be happy she doesn't have to go tomorrow.

Then I called the sonogram place. Carey thought I should warn them of how many of us there will be for the sonogram. They weren't worried....what a relief, cause I'm do'in it anyway... (No one reads this anyway, so I won't get a million questions right?)

And then the cell phone company. ON hold for 10 minutes at least. All for a $15 discrepancy in my bill for texts and internet purchases I didn't make!!! MAKES ME MAD. Why do we need these dumb phones anyway. Why do we have to be so busy that people should need us at any minute or have it for a million emergencies??? Oh bother.

Ok, I'm off to take the girls temps and make sure all is well for now.....

Rhogam

Today's issue is: the prescription company is telling me the drug rhogam has been pulled from the market and no longer available. I find this hard to believe and impossible. Rhogam has been used for 20+ years for Rh- women, it's a shot that keeps their bodies from rejecting the fetus. An Rh- woman needs this at a certain point in the pregnancy and after the pregnancy if the baby has positive blood. In the past my doctor's office has provided this shot. Now I have to order it and bring it to them. I'm sure that's the reason they can't find it, because it's not an ingested drug. But they have other shot material right? Like insullin? So? I call the doctor's office and due to the holiday they are not open until Monday. So, Monday's problem, but then I only have three days to get it in before the end of the year and the new deductible. Oh well.

On to better news. Tuesday while I was on my way home from piano lessons with the girls I got another call from the OB/GYN? OK, another? This never happens to me....maybe they are really changing how they take care of their patients..........or maybe it's just Sam tells me, I'm OLD now. She said they had the results from my second semester blood screen. (This testing is for abnormalities, and downs.) She said at my age my risk is 1:62 (not exactly sure of the numbers), but after the test my risk went down 10 points 1:72. She said she would be concerned if the risk increased 10 points, but having decreased 10 points she wasn't concerned. So that is good news. Of course nothing is conclusive except the amnio, and were not going there. This was mainly a hurtle to get them off my back. So, maybe things will be better. Next the sonogram, with the WHOLE FAMILY! heehee.

Blood work results

I was surprised to have the OB office call twice today. The first was to return my call from yesterday about (how embarrassing....but??? constipation...) Ok, with that handled, and recommendations made, I got a second call. The second call was to increase my thyroid medicine to which I've been taking the same dosage for eleven years. I asked the nurse why? Were there further results as to what disease or disorder I have other than hypothyroidism? She had no clue, so had to have the doctor call me. So, low and behold, a third call from the OB's but this one on my cell (?) and from a doctor. Yep, this has never happened before. She called it Hashimoto's disease, also known as Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. What this means is: somehow my body is producing antibodies to attack against the hormones the thyroid produces. To counter act this you increase the amount of synthetic meds given. So they are actually doubling the medicine I take and will check it again in about 4-6 weeks.

In further research today I found that this disease is related to the enlarged thyroid and goiter. Many other things I've been fighting for years: depression, weight gain, constipation, insomnia plus others I can't think of at the moment. It can also contribute to low intellect in unborn babies, and misscarriage. And it runs in the families. (My mom found out she's low thyroid too, only after I found out.) My friend Debbie has been telling me for a couple of years my "T4" levels have to not be correct...turns out she's right. I can't wait to tell her.

I asked this doctor why all of a sudden was this searched so fully? The only thing she could say without blasting another doctor; (she chose her words very carefully) was that the research was fairly new in such detail in the area of thyroidism. OK, well I guess I can accept that since she did seem a whole lot younger than the oldest doctor in the group. How interesting. She also is not too concerned over the baby's development and as I've read if this is detected in the early months of the pregnancy it should be treated well and the baby should be fine. Needless to say, that's quite a relief. Now I can be thankful for this baby for another reason, fully understanding what's wrong with me from the start....heehee...just my thyroid. Figures it has to be a pregnancy to get the full scoop. Go figure.

Yesterday's OB appointment

As I waited to meet another doctor in the group, I had not met, I again did not anticipate the stress or concern about another un-noticed issue. This doctor harped on my thyroid issue. "Well, what do you have? Why is it low, there is always a reason. We need to get to the bottom of this. It could cause a miscarriage risk, or low IQ, or problems after birth. You should have been followed and seen by an endocronologist (blood specialist)."

OK, well this all sounds good and appropriate right? My question is why now? I'm 16 weeks pregnant. Wouldn't this have been RIGHT to do and test at 4 weeks or even 8? Why now? Why not 11 years ago when I was diagnosed, and not at all with the last three pregnancies.

So, I have to believe yet again, it's just hoops to jump through. So I go for the second time yesterday and had more blood drawn. Like I couldn't get it right the first time and have to go back for more. So we can find out next month the results from that thyroid workup, and the AFP test, and the sonogram. The AFP will surely be positive for something since it's compared to a 35 year old. (Isn't that the stupidist thing? Can't possibly be accurate, but yet they still recommend it.) They sure don't seem like they want us to beat the odds and have a healthy baby.

Again, I wish I could have, would have, switched doctors. With my history, I know in my heart the Lord has His best interest for me and our family. But my head believes I am destined to have some sort of challenged child. I'm scared to death. I'm just afraid. Feeling so ill and tired doesn't allow any kind of joy. My girls are excited and give me joy through them learning and anticipation of the baby. But the physical and emotional challenges of this is taxing and waning my strength. There is great wisdom in this scripture:

"As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them" (Psalm 127:4-5a)

I have however seen many older women have healthy babies and delivered successfully. I'm sure I will, it's just hard baring these doctor visits on my own and staying strong emotionally. I only have one doctor left in the group to meet for the first time. Yipee. Then I can start the rounds all over again. I just need prayer. This is a very lonely place to be.

Clarksburg Gig

Glamour shot

Here is my Glamour shot from 1994. It was my wedding gift to Carey. I got so many comments on it on my face book, I had to put it up here. Did you find yours yet Donna?