The test results are back. I am not diabetic. The clinic accidentally threw away my urine sample, but my doctor strongly doubts that I have another UTI as I am finishing antibiotics for the first one.
So the official prognosis is "bad luck" and I've been advised by my doctor to "keep holding it in there!' Yes, she literally said that.
In other words, this is miserable but apparently part of the pregnancy, and she hopes it will resolve after the baby is born. In 3 months.
I'm frustrated to many extremes by this. For one, life is pretty miserable when all you have to do is go to the bathroom. What a pathetic thing to be fixated on. For another, this is in all probability my last pregnancy, and I'd really like to enjoy the last 3 months. The final trimester has always been my favorite, being all round and funny and feeling the baby move around. It will be much less fun like this.
Again, I get it that many women would pay big bucks to be in my shoes, pee and all, and to them I duck my head respectfully. I know that this seems petty in a lot of ways. (Or potty. Ha ha.)
But in the day-to-day sense, the "how do I function with two small children and work and a life when I walk around all day miserable?" sense, I feel frustrated. And angry. And incredulous that there's nothing to be done.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Misery in the making?
So I finally had my doctor's appointment today. I dutifully drank my glucose and had my blood drawn, and the results of that test will be known tomorrow. They also took another urine sample, and my doctor did an ultrasound to see if the baby's head is banging against my bladder. Which it isn't.
Barring the test results, it seems that nothing dramatic looks wrong. My constant and overwhelming need to go to the bathroom may just be because of the way the baby is sitting in my belly...and that means there's nothing to be done.
"You might just be miserable for the rest of the pregnancy," my doctor said brightly to me.
So much easier said than done. I know I should be grateful nothing serious is wrong, and we actually can't rule out diabetes until the test results come back, but the thought of having no relief from this for the next 3 months is crazy-making. It's enough to make me want to cry in frustration. Go a little bit nuts.
Here's a few examples - my in-laws are in town, and I thought that perhaps we'd take advantage of having babysitters and go see a movie, me and the hubby. But then I realized that there's no way I can last through an entire 2 hour movie without having to get up to have to pee. At least a couple of times, if not more.
Then I thought, well, hey, I have this gift certificate for a massage that I could go use this weekend. Lord knows I could use the stress relief. Then I realized that there's no way I can lie on a table and be massaged for an hour and not need to go to the bathroom. Even a half-hour massage seems unlikely.
John, bless his heart, made me a lovely bubble bath earlier this week, complete with candles. It was romantic and sweet and meant to help me relax. And yup, you guessed it, about 15 minutes into it, I had to go to the bathroom.
It's so not funny any more. I'm feeling despair.
OH, and then there's the fact that I apparently gained 10 pounds since my last doctor's visit 3 weeks ago. Sure, you might think, that's what you get for eating like a pregnant woman. But the fact is, I've actually been very careful to eat healthfully - cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, a salad for lunch, soup for dinner, etc., etc. There's no freaking way I have gained the weight from what I have been eating.
So what gives? Is it yet another symptom of something that can't be properly diagnosed? Is the baby just going nuts in there?
I feel very out of control when it comes to my body right now, and I'm not enjoying it. Not at all.
Barring the test results, it seems that nothing dramatic looks wrong. My constant and overwhelming need to go to the bathroom may just be because of the way the baby is sitting in my belly...and that means there's nothing to be done.
"You might just be miserable for the rest of the pregnancy," my doctor said brightly to me.
So much easier said than done. I know I should be grateful nothing serious is wrong, and we actually can't rule out diabetes until the test results come back, but the thought of having no relief from this for the next 3 months is crazy-making. It's enough to make me want to cry in frustration. Go a little bit nuts.
Here's a few examples - my in-laws are in town, and I thought that perhaps we'd take advantage of having babysitters and go see a movie, me and the hubby. But then I realized that there's no way I can last through an entire 2 hour movie without having to get up to have to pee. At least a couple of times, if not more.
Then I thought, well, hey, I have this gift certificate for a massage that I could go use this weekend. Lord knows I could use the stress relief. Then I realized that there's no way I can lie on a table and be massaged for an hour and not need to go to the bathroom. Even a half-hour massage seems unlikely.
John, bless his heart, made me a lovely bubble bath earlier this week, complete with candles. It was romantic and sweet and meant to help me relax. And yup, you guessed it, about 15 minutes into it, I had to go to the bathroom.
It's so not funny any more. I'm feeling despair.
OH, and then there's the fact that I apparently gained 10 pounds since my last doctor's visit 3 weeks ago. Sure, you might think, that's what you get for eating like a pregnant woman. But the fact is, I've actually been very careful to eat healthfully - cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, a salad for lunch, soup for dinner, etc., etc. There's no freaking way I have gained the weight from what I have been eating.
So what gives? Is it yet another symptom of something that can't be properly diagnosed? Is the baby just going nuts in there?
I feel very out of control when it comes to my body right now, and I'm not enjoying it. Not at all.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Should fertility treatments be limited?
Along with the rest of the country, I have to admit I was intrigued by the story of the Southern California mom who recently gave birth to 8 children...and has 6 more at home.
Although we have not heard from the mother herself, her own mother has spoken up and claimed that her daughter is "obsessed" with having children, and since she cannot conceive naturally, has used fertility treatments to have all of her children.
It should probably be noted that the mother, Nadya Suleman, is not married. Or should it?
This whole thing raises a lot of questions. Is it okay for a single parent to have multiple children without a supporting parent present?
Is it more okay or less okay if that single parent conceives the children naturally?
Say the parent is married and just really, really loves children. Is there a limit at which someone has had enough children? Who would set such a limit?
And what about the whole carrying of 8 children at once? That's a huge stress on a body, not to mention the babies. Should there be a limit on how many embryos are acceptable? Again, who would set that limit?
Well, it does seem that someone would like to set a limit, or at least strong recommendations. In June, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued updated "Guidelines on Number of Embryos Transferred." Women under age 35 - the octuplets' mom is reportedly 33 - should attempt to transfer no more than two, and preferably only one, fertilized embryo at a time. Women over age 40 should attempt no more than five.
(Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090204/hl_time/08599187623200)
A former nanny to Suleman said that she was told at one point that the mother did not have to pay for her multiple fertility treatments, because it was paid for by another party. No further details were given.
Hmmm. I don't know exactly where those funds came from, but I do know that fertility treatments are very expensive. Should, perhaps, that money be put towards the care of her current children?
Another issue that has been raised is that of the cost of raising 8 babies all at once - not a small issue, as anyone raising one or more children can attest. A news story recently reported that the mother had already been receiving TV, magazine, and book offers to tell her story. So should we assume that the children will be cared for using that money? Did the mother assume that such offers would be forthcoming?
Of course, we don't have any of these answers. But I can't help but ask them.
I must say, that although I have been very blessed with my children and have not faced fertility issues, I have friends who have - and I have witnessed just how difficult, painful, and expensive such a thing can be. So my heart goes out to any woman or couple who wants a child and has difficulty having one. I am not against fertility treatments, especially when it can give a baby to a family who desperately wants that child. Or even children, as fertility treatments commonly result in multiple births.
But 8?
As always, I welcome your comments!
Although we have not heard from the mother herself, her own mother has spoken up and claimed that her daughter is "obsessed" with having children, and since she cannot conceive naturally, has used fertility treatments to have all of her children.
It should probably be noted that the mother, Nadya Suleman, is not married. Or should it?
This whole thing raises a lot of questions. Is it okay for a single parent to have multiple children without a supporting parent present?
Is it more okay or less okay if that single parent conceives the children naturally?
Say the parent is married and just really, really loves children. Is there a limit at which someone has had enough children? Who would set such a limit?
And what about the whole carrying of 8 children at once? That's a huge stress on a body, not to mention the babies. Should there be a limit on how many embryos are acceptable? Again, who would set that limit?
Well, it does seem that someone would like to set a limit, or at least strong recommendations. In June, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) issued updated "Guidelines on Number of Embryos Transferred." Women under age 35 - the octuplets' mom is reportedly 33 - should attempt to transfer no more than two, and preferably only one, fertilized embryo at a time. Women over age 40 should attempt no more than five.
(Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090204/hl_time/08599187623200)
A former nanny to Suleman said that she was told at one point that the mother did not have to pay for her multiple fertility treatments, because it was paid for by another party. No further details were given.
Hmmm. I don't know exactly where those funds came from, but I do know that fertility treatments are very expensive. Should, perhaps, that money be put towards the care of her current children?
Another issue that has been raised is that of the cost of raising 8 babies all at once - not a small issue, as anyone raising one or more children can attest. A news story recently reported that the mother had already been receiving TV, magazine, and book offers to tell her story. So should we assume that the children will be cared for using that money? Did the mother assume that such offers would be forthcoming?
Of course, we don't have any of these answers. But I can't help but ask them.
I must say, that although I have been very blessed with my children and have not faced fertility issues, I have friends who have - and I have witnessed just how difficult, painful, and expensive such a thing can be. So my heart goes out to any woman or couple who wants a child and has difficulty having one. I am not against fertility treatments, especially when it can give a baby to a family who desperately wants that child. Or even children, as fertility treatments commonly result in multiple births.
But 8?
As always, I welcome your comments!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
It ain't over
So my symptoms have continued, despite being on antibiotics for the UTI for 4 days. Usually, relief from antibiotics with such things is quick and thorough. Not so much this time.
Not much fun, this. And I don't get what is going on. So I finally called the clinic today and talked with a nurse who was actually very understanding. It would be so easy for anyone to just dismiss me and say that this is all just part of being pregnant and having a UTI, but she really listened. And seemed to actually get that I'm not functioning well and that I'm miserable. And worried, because I have found myself limiting my liquids, just because I can't stand the non-stop trips to the bathroom and mentally mapping out my errands in terms of the closest potty.
So they're having me come in on Thursday to get checked, have an ultrasound to see where the baby is (possible the baby's head is just banging around on my bladder, I suppose), and to check my glucose level.
And that's what's got me spooked - I looked up gestational diabetes, and although I have none of the risk factors, one of the symptoms it mentions is an increased need to urinate. Which is so me right now.
I know, I know, gestational diabetes can be managed and I suppose everything will be fine if that's the diagnosis. But I eat well. I work out. I haven't gained much weight. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, and this still might be happening...?
Sigh. I'll keep you posted.
Not much fun, this. And I don't get what is going on. So I finally called the clinic today and talked with a nurse who was actually very understanding. It would be so easy for anyone to just dismiss me and say that this is all just part of being pregnant and having a UTI, but she really listened. And seemed to actually get that I'm not functioning well and that I'm miserable. And worried, because I have found myself limiting my liquids, just because I can't stand the non-stop trips to the bathroom and mentally mapping out my errands in terms of the closest potty.
So they're having me come in on Thursday to get checked, have an ultrasound to see where the baby is (possible the baby's head is just banging around on my bladder, I suppose), and to check my glucose level.
And that's what's got me spooked - I looked up gestational diabetes, and although I have none of the risk factors, one of the symptoms it mentions is an increased need to urinate. Which is so me right now.
I know, I know, gestational diabetes can be managed and I suppose everything will be fine if that's the diagnosis. But I eat well. I work out. I haven't gained much weight. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to be doing, and this still might be happening...?
Sigh. I'll keep you posted.
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