Ding!

After a couple weeks of sugar hitting the fan, today was a welcome break from craziness.  That is, what I'd consider a break...things are always a little crazy around here. 

Saturday left me feeling sore and pretty tired.  I started to get a headache, and it just got worse, and worse, and worse.  I woke Adam up at 5 am on Sunday because I just couldn't sleep.  The headache was pretty horrible at that point.  He offered to take me down to the hospital, but I was being stubborn.  By 7 AM, I gave in and got myself dressed with my eyes shut.  It was just too painful to keep my eyes open.  I've also (unfortunately) figured out the best time frame to go to the emergency room at Mercy San Juan if I absolutely have to. 

We lucked out and only had one person ahead of us for triage.  They were afraid I was having an allergic reaction, and had me in a bed within a few minutes.  I don't like the fact that I have to take some prescription medicines to get by with the muscle stiffness, but I was willing to take whatever they could safely give me for the pain.  That they did.  I was pumped full of a few different antihistamines, anti-nausea medicine, and morphine.  (Hard to believe that one is approved in obstetrics, but it is.)  That failed, and later on they gave me a different painkiller.  After watching me for several hours, I was told that my labs were fine, and my neurologist said that I could continue my treatment.  I was glad to get out of there and climb into my own bed.  The headache is still there after three days, but I'm managing.  There is a chance that I have a mild case of aseptic meningitis, and the only real treatment is to treat the symptoms. 

I did say that there was a happy ending to this - and there is.  My infusion today went pretty well.  Aside from the headache and expected muscle aches, I haven't had any reactions.  The nurses took blood today to check my liver enzymes after the treatments Thursday and Friday.  Adam got a call during my appointment today to let him know that my labs came back, and my liver enzymes were looking great.  When we were walking in the front door, they called back to let me know that they'd be calling in two weeks to schedule my next round of infusions.  Since the infusions have started, I have needed less medication to get by, and I haven't had any spasms that locked me in bed.  After two straight weeks of serious spasms, this is a very welcome break. 

I am so thankful for finally finding a medical team that is understanding and really cares about helping me feel better.  I'm thankful that they're doing all they can to make sure I'm comfortable and that our baby is able to grow healthy and strong.  I am thankful for each and every of the thousands of donors that give their time and the plasma that is used to make gamma globulin infusions.  I thank God for helping my body to get through this treatment without any serious reactions.