Musings from Moms - Persistence

I have been sharing this every year on Facebook - because knowing yourself, your body, well enough to know there is

something wrong is so very important... Be persistent with your doctors - if you aren't feeling right, keep pushing until you get an answer... October is a bittersweet month for me, and surprisingly this has nothing to do with the weather. As many of you know the journey I had post-Liam was not the norm. For the months of August and September 2009 doctors were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, you know, once they actually realized I wasn’t making up my condition and believed that there was something indeed wrong. It all came to a head in October 2009. I was rushed to the ER, for the third time, my arms were bruised and battered from the number of IVs and blood samples the nurses were taking from me. My fingers were so sore from them doing that finger prick test. Veins were collapsing and they weren’t sure if they would be able to get yet another IV in. They were saying that they might have to put an IV in my foot if they couldn't get it in my arms. If you know me, then you know I have the biggest fear of needles, this whole processes was torture for me and to this day, I am worse than ever when I have to get a blood draw. I was stitched in places that should not be stitched (without properly being numbed first). I’m pretty sure everyone in Oakland heard my cries and profanities when that was happening. Finally, several days after that horrific event, I was in the hospital and went to the bathroom, and nearly blacked out. I managed to pull that emergency cord that is conviently located in the patient bathrooms beforehand. When I was lying on the bathroom floor and a crash team was called to my room, and rushed off to surgery (first angiogram) it was determined that I had a cervical aneurysm (which apparently is highly uncommon). Two days during this entire battle were the scariest for me… the first time was when I was taken to the hospital – I thought I was going to die that night – home alone with Liam – the bleeding wouldn’t stop and I didn’t have a phone with me to call anyone for help. The second was during that first angiogram (the second was done two days later to ensure the first one worked). The nurses were actually squeezing bags of blood into my body because my blood count was so low (8 transfusions in all). After the foam(they didn't use a coil) was in place my blood pressure bottomed out… there is nothing worse than hearing a doctor say – the procedure is done why is her pressure still going down. I was in the hospital so long that I was able to sample everything on Magee’s menu several times (I am still a little pissed that they never did get those grape Popsicle during my entire stay). I missed Liam more than anything and I fought my hardest to get out of that hospital and get back to him. Now, October is a good month – Colin was born on the 17th. Thank God, nothing happened after his birth. We took all the precautions before he was born. I will however, never be able to forget all the things I went through. So why am I telling all of this? It’s simple really – know your body – when something isn’t right with you… tell your doctor… when they don’t listen – keep telling them… no one knows you better than you do. All the tests I was given at first told me I was perfectly fine – but I knew I wasn’t. Be persistent and make them listen to you… I however don’t recommend blacking out in front of your nurse in the bathroom. This will only make them lay you down on the floor of said bathroom and call the crash team in…