"Every day there's a new mini-tidal wave of crap to wade through"

Let's go through the bullets, shall we?

-Pregnant

-Hyperemesis

-Dehydration

-Continuous push of IV fluids & sub-q pump of anti-nausea meds

Now...
-Electrical fire in building forces power off for at least 14 days

-Going to move in with my parents

On the bright side, now I won't miss Passover.

Don't F**k with Me

That's what the insurance company learned this week.  :)

After several hours spent in the ER receiving IV fluids, a diagnosis of a UTI probably caused by severe dehydration, and a serious threat from my boss* that our company would find a new insurance company to work with, I'm currently at home wired to an IV with fluids and a subcutaneous pump providing Zofran 24/7.  YAY!

My home health care nurse showed up yesterday evening and spent about 2 1/2 hours with me, going through the routine, checking vitals and setting up everything, plus teaching me how to do everything myself.  I had been pretty worried about the realities of the pump, as I'm not a huge fan of needles (who is).  Turns out, the pump set is realitively nothing to worry about, especially compared to the fact that I passed out and vomited when my nurse got my IV in.  It's always an adventure here, folks.

Hopefully, I'll start feeling better soon.  I replaced the IV bag this morning, but am not sure that I did it correctly, so I'll be calling the nurses' line to have someone talk me through it.

*Did I mention that I work for my family's company and that my boss is my dad?  That's right, insurance company, keep f**king with me, watch what happens.

Why I Need Health Care Reform

This has nothing to do with the health reform bill that is going to be voted on in a few short hours. Instead, this has to do with the bureaucratic bastardos at my insurance company who are overruling my doctor's decision to put me on a subcutaneous pump with anti-nausea meds.  Their reasoning is that I'm trying to move (in my own words) from a handgun (Zofran) to a nuclear bomb (the pump). They want to see a longer demonstrated line of meds we've tried and that have failed.  The Zofran is keeping me from vomiting constantly, but does nothing to get rid of the constant nausea and dizziness.  Tried the Phenergan suppository (yuck) on Thursday night -- it made me feel sicker and I spent half the night in the bathroom. Let's cross that one off.

Now, I don't totally disagree with the insurance company's general reasoning.  It would be better to not go to the nuclear bomb if something smaller would work.  In my situation, however, I'm at such a dramatic lack of health, that we need to find the remedy that will be the most effective and work in the shortest amount of time.  Now is not the time for onesies-twosies.  I have missed two weeks of work, and have not left my bedroom, let alone my apartment in a week (that, to go to the doctor).

My doc, who I totally love, can't believe how difficult my insurance company is. She just keeps going over all the things we do have documented on my chart that speak towards getting the pump (weight loss, spilling ketones, threatening dehydration, can't keep any food down but toast, stopped all prenatal vitamins, stopped my happy pills (Zoloft) which leads to me crying while watching C-SPAN and a general lack of non-rational behavior, constant nausea, constant vertigo, etc.) Told my doc that they probably don't even care about the weight loss, because their thinking is probably well, she's so fat, that she's probably healthier now.  Just realized that I have now lost 15 lbs (unfortunately not documented medically) in 4 weeks. May bring this number up to the doc on Monday to add to the chart.

I've found that my apple juice/water has been helping to hydrate me.  I'm nowhere near hydrated, but am much better off than I was with the ginger ale.

My mom helped me to shower and wash my hair this past week.  G-D bless her.  Instead of standing up in the shower, I sat down, facing away from the faucet, and we used a handheld sprayer*, so I could tilt my head back rather than forward while washing my hair.  Feeling clean made me feel so much better.

*We bought and installed the handheld sprayer before JD's first foot surgery, since he wasn't able to get his foot wet for X weeks.  I forgot that we still had it because I don't use his shower normally.  For anyone having showering issues (for whatever reason) I highly recommend this, it was really cheap and we bought ours at Home Depot and installed it ourselves.  If we can do that, anyone can.

The House That Nausea Built

Please don't read if you are in a bad mental space, since this will mainly be bitching.  But, don't worry, I tell myself "eff off, you're pregnant, you arsehole" on a regular basis.

Have been laid up with the nausea since my last post, as in flat on my back, except for the retching, can't do anything, no, really, anything, except for listen to C-SPAN on the radio because I don't have a working TV in my bedroom, nausea.  Got in to see an OB earlier this week, who recommended we try a subcutaneous pump with anti-nausea meds as I'm spilling ketones and they are worried I'm becoming dehydrated.  Waiting for the insurance approval to come through.  Hope this comes through soon, because I haven't had my happy pills in quite a while and I started to cry while listening to President Obama speak about health care.  He's inspirational, he ain't that inspirational.  I need the happy pills.  Going to try grating them onto my toast.

If I never drink ginger ale again, it'll be too soon.  I'm currently subsisting on water mixed with apple juice, cinnamon toast (regular bread toasted with a little butter, cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on it) once a day and white rice once a day.  There are some other things to try in my fridge (popsicles, Jello, Kozy Shack (rice pudding)), but something smells in there (or at least, I smell something in there, no one else does, so when I open the fridge I feel sick and then don't eat anything).

Too dizzy to shower.  The last time I showered, JD had to hold me up and I vomited anyway.  I am gross.  Going to see if I can get my mom to wash my hair in the sink.

My day is divided amongst four main segments:

1.) Moaning/Vomiting/Writhing while listening to C-SPAN Radio (not because of the C-SPAN, just cause I need a soundtrack)
2.) Rereading all of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series
3.) Thinking about what food I'd like to eat if I wasn't too nauseated and could actually eat something (hint: everything)
4.) Sleeping

Will now call doctor to see if they can encourage the insurance company to approve the dang pump.  Am concerned that the insurance company is just trying to wait out the first trimester, thinking that I'll stop being sick at week 12, so they've only got to stall another month.

Have not read blogs in many a moon, but I think about all of you and pray that you are doing OK.

Scratch That

Spent all yesterday vomiting. Nothing worked, including my tried and true Emetrol.

Got Zofran last night and have been sleeping since. Can't tell if I'm still sick or if it's just aches and pains from yesterday. Going to take another Zofran and go back to sleep cause if I'm sleeping, I'm not vomiting.

I Turned 33 And Didn't Throw Up

Not graphic, but short discussion of nausea below; followed by talk of tickers

Most of last week and this were marked by Nausea: In Extremis; with Monday being the absolute worst.  Thankfully, I have not thrown up yet.  I'm concerned that if I do throw up that my body will learn of that option and that I'll just never stop.  Keeping fingers crossed that my body does not learn of the option.

I went to the acupuncturist yesterday and that helped immensely.  I was nausea-free the entire session and for about 40 minutes afterward.  My nausea has been pretty mild this morning, so that's wonderful.  I'm certainly going back for more (acupuncture, not nausea) next week.  I'm also going to start seeing the nutritionist again, because I'm finding it hard to include fruits & veggies (and I miss them).

It was my birthday yesterday and my family celebrated with me by going out to a nice dinner with elaborate dishes and sauces.  I celebrated with a plain, grilled chicken breast and buttered egg noodles.  It was wonderful.

I broke down and ordered Preggie Pop Drops, and, since I can't find any of my Sea Bands (acupressure wristbands for motion sickness), a new set of those.  Here's hoping.

Tickers
During this IF journey, I've often been jealous of others' pregnancy tickers and dreamed of the day when I could install my own on my blog.  Now is my chance to have my own ticker, but I've been too afraid of triggering some Evil Eye by posting such.  Instead, I've been going to the site every single day to watch the ticker progress.

Well, I'm going to take the plunge, but will have the ticker at the bottom of the blog so that I don't scare myself or others.  If you want to look, please do.  I'll be peeking through my fingers.