Showing all posts by Sherry

I got the results back from the ultrasound done on my heart.  It’s normal!  The blood is pumping the way it should, there are no blockages or disease.  I am still waiting on the results from my heart monitor that I had to wear, but so far, it seems like the palpitations I’m experiencing are harmless.

Aaron and Faith’s cold has gotten worse.  We had to take Faith to the emergency room this week because she was having such horrible coughing fits it was affecting her asthma.  Remember when I mentioned in a previous post that I took her to the pediatrician when she just began getting this cold?  That was 3 weeks ago!  And NOW this cold decides to get WORSE instead of better!  What in the world kind of cold is this?  A cold should start with a sore throat, runny nose and cough.  Last a few days and then start going away.  Instead this cold has stuck around for weeks.  In the beginning it is tolerable.  Then, BAM it hits you like a ton of bricks weeks later!  Instead of getting better, we just get worse!  I’ve had the flu and pneumonia that lasted shorter than this!  Only 2 weeks.

Faith was in the emergency room for a few hours.  They put her on prednisone and gave her a breathing treatment.  Poor girl was so exhausted.  Her breathing was shallow and fast.  She wouldn’t take a deep breath for me when I tried to give her the inhaler.  So I had to take her to the hospital because her breathing was so strained and there was nothing I could do.  Once she had her breathing treatment in the emergency room, her breathing slowed and she relaxed and fell asleep.  She was so tired.  She now has her own nebulizer for home use so I’ve been giving her breathing treatments at home.  It’s been helping a lot, and the prednisone has greatly helped reduce the inflammation in her lungs.  She is getting better.   Aaron had to go back to the CVS minute clinic to get another prescriptions for antibiotics because his painful cough has gotten worse.  He is also having horrible coughing fits.  It’s so bad that he keeps coughing and he can’t take in a breath.  They gave him another inhaler, too.   This is the worse cold I’ve ever seen.  I didn’t even know colds could be like this.

My cold is almost entirely gone, however, my ribs still hurt.  I have a painful tickle in my chest that makes me want to still cough and cough, but my lungs are finally clear of phlegm.  My sinus headaches have gone away as well.  Still, I am EXTREMELY fatigued.  I’m sure that this has to do with our growing baby girl inside of me, and I’m hoping that this exhaustion is not because of my heart.  I am still resting as much as I can.  I am still throwing up but only when I brush my teeth.  It’s terrible.  As soon as I start brushing, I start gagging and then I puke.  I can’t help it.  I’m well into the second trimester, but still not over the nausea :(   I am thankful though that my cold is going away.  Now, I’m praying Aaron and Faith feel better soon.  They are still extremely congested.  Faith’s cough sounds absolutely horrible.

17 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 17 weeks …

Your baby’s skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — her lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Your baby weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and she’s around 5 inches long from head to bottom. She can move her joints, and her sweat glands are starting to develop.

I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!  I don’t have my full appetite back yet but I am bound and determined to enjoy some Thanksgiving food! :)

I have still been very fatigued this week, but I feel like I may be beginning to heal.  I went to my cardiologist appointment on Monday, and then back again on Thursday and Friday.  On Monday, I spoke with the doctor about the cold I’ve had for 3 weeks.  I told him about my lung or rib pain.  I had another EKG done there in the office and it came back normal, although I am still having daily heart palpations.  Also, my heart rate was 126 beats per minute!  That’s too fast.  Your resting heart rate is suppose to be 60 to 100 beats per minute.  The doctor drew blood to test for heart disease.  The test came back normal, thank God.  I don’t know what exactly they tested for in my blood that would indicate heart disease, but I am just happy that the test came back normal.  The doctor said that my palpitations are most likely caused by dehydration due to my pregnancy and morning sickness.  Also, the cold I’ve had has definitely made the palpations worse, and the stress my body is enduring because of the pain in my rib and the throbbing sinus pain is a factor as well.  However, he had me take additional tests to make sure my heart is ok.

On Thursday I went back in to get my heart monitor put on.   I wore it for 24 hours.  The nurse asked me to write down the time I have a heart palpatation and I laughed.  I told her I have them so frequently day and night that there was no way I could stop what I’m doing every few minutes to write it down.  She said, “Oh, well if you’re having them that much then no need.  The heart monitor will detect them all.”   Thank goodness.  There was just no way I could record all my palpitations for 24 hours.  On the way home that day, not even 5 minutes after I left the office, I had 3 heart palpataions in the car driving home.  It’s just not practical for me to stop what I’m doing and make a note of the time I have a palpation.

On Friday I went back to get my heart monitor removed and to get an ultrasound done to my heart.  It was actually really cool to see my heart pumping.  I saw the valves of my heart and the flaps inside the valves opening and closing.  My heart is still beating fast, but it was a little slower at this visit; 113 beats per minute, and my blood pressure was normal too; 118/70.

So now I’m just waiting on the results from the heart monitor and also from the ultrasound of my heart.  The doctor said to rest as much as possible and drink lots of water.  I am resting every moment I can.  I still have to complete my preschool practicum at Head Start.  I can’t miss any days.  So I’m just sitting down as much as possible when I’m there, and taking it slow.  When I’m home, I’m lying down whenever I have the chance.  I do feel better when I’m resting.  When I’m up walking around, I get short of breath very easy.  I’m optimistic that everything will be fine.  I just need lots of time to rest and heal.

Faith and Aaron still have some cold symptoms.  Coughing and runny noses, but otherwise seem ok and have so much more energy than me.  I’m jealous.

16 week belly pic…  Oh! and good news this week!… I’ve started to feel the baby move!  The movements aren’t yet strong enough to feel with my hand, but I feel her flipping around a lot in my belly.  I’m so glad she is active and doing well!

 

What baby girl looks like at 16 weeks…

 

In the next few weeks, baby will double her weight and add inches to her length. Right now, she’s about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. Her legs are much more developed, her head is more erect than it has been, and her eyes have moved closer to the front of her head. Her ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of her scalp has begun, though her locks aren’t recognizable yet. She’s even started growing toenails. And there’s a lot happening inside as well. For example, her heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop.  Baby is now listening to your voice, thanks to tiny bones forming in her ears.

The good news this week is that my voice is back.  The bad news is that I’m still sick.  In last week’s post I mentioned the terrible sinus pain I’m having.  I’m still having throbbing pain in my eyes, temples, upper teeth and jaw.  I still have pleurisy I think. The pain in my lungs have gotten worse.  It became painful to lift my arm or use my stomach muscles at all without excruciating pain in my right lung.  My throat started becoming soar again and the glands in my neck were hurting again. The mucus in my nose turned from green to orange. My nose has been bleeding. A low-grade fever returned.  So I finally went to a walk-in clinic yesterday.  I just couldn’t take the pain anymore.  Tylenol is not helping.  I’ve been sick for 3 weeks.

Well, this time the doctor gave me azithromycin (also known as Z-pack).  He said that it is an alternative to penicillin or amoxicillin which I can’t take because I’m allergic to.  He said that it is safe to take during pregnancy.  He couldn’t prescribe me anything else because of my pregnancy.  He said that the pain in my lung could be pleurisy but it also could be a fractured rib caused by chronic coughing!  He can’t take a chest x-ray to find out exactly what it is because x-rays aren’t safe during pregnancy. The more I think about it,  the more I believe it might actually be a fractured rib because any movement I make HURTS.  Not only coughing, sneezing and puking hurts, but just turning my torso, lifting my arms or trying to get comfortable in bed is very very painful.  He said that if it is a fractured rib it will take 4 to 6 weeks to heal :(  I can’t tolerate this misery for another month.

When I got home I Googled just how safe it is to take azithromycin during pregnancy.  I just wanted to educate myself a little more and be sure before taking my first pill.  Well, guess what… I can’t take it.  Not because of the pregnancy, but because of my heart palpitations!  I found this article… FDA Safety Changes: Azithromycin Linked With Fatal Irregular Heart Rhythms.  I told the doctor that I’m having heart palpations and that they have gotten worse since I’ve been sick!  He must not have known the risk of heart problems with this antibiotic.  I’m so glad I found this article, but I’m SO upset that I STILL have NOTHING to treat my sickness.  I haven’t touched the antibiotics.  They are still sitting on my kitchen table, and I feel like crying every time I look at them.

Tomorrow is my appointment with the cardiologist.  Hopefully we will get to the bottom of why I am have irregular heartbeats.  I will inform him of my 3 week cold, the pain in my lung/ribs, and the article that I read about the azithromycin.  I doubt he will suggest I still take the antibiotics.   I wouldn’t want to take the risk no matter what.

I’m concerned about the stress that our baby girl could be enduring because of all the problems with my body right now.  I hate the fact that I’ve been taking Tylenol every day for 3 weeks.  Long term use of Tylenol can’t be healthy for her.  I read an article about long-term Tylenol use during pregnancy … Too much Tylenol in pregnancy could affect child’s development, study finds.  Please keep me and baby girl in your daily prayers.  I need to get over this cold.  My body NEEDS to begin healing now.

Aaron and Faith are doing ok.  Both of them have mild cold symptoms.  Nothing bad enough to keep them in bed.  Aaron just finished his course of antibiotics and Faith is only taking Tylenol and Claritin at night.  I’m glad they’re doing ok.

 

15 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 15 weeks…

 

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She’s busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she’s likely to move away from the beam. There’s not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.