Good Bye Pump

I stopped using the pump this evening. I was supposed to take it out tomorrow, but just could not justify sticking myself again tonight just to take it back out in the morning. The nurse said that she was fine with my decision and could completely understand, she did not think 12 hours was going to make a huge difference. I am really praying that I will be OK without it and without having to take any other meds. I am both excited yet nervous for tomorrow to come to see how everything goes! I am holding onto it for a few days just in case before I send it back. It was so nice to be able to button my coat all the way to the bottom without the pump being in the way. I am also really looking forward to sleeping tonight without having to worry about rolling over on the tubing or forgetting to grab the pump before I get out of bed to head to the bathroom.

Tonight we went to visit our great friends Brian and Jenni who just had their second baby. Shay is very handsome and it felt so nice to hold a newborn baby! Mason did not like it when he cried, but he better get accustomed to it :)
Congratulations Brian and Jen, we love you guys!!

Ultrasound Pictures

Here are the pictures from our ultrasound a couple days ago. We are so thankful that our baby girl looks so healthy. It has been fun narrowing down names and looking at pink clothes the last couple days knowing for sure that it is a girl!
Even though Mason says he "wanted a baby brother actually", he is going to be great. He has had plenty of practice with his cousins that is for sure! He is already practicing his whisper and says he is going to be a big helper. We bought the paint tonight for his big boy room. He is going to love the sports theme! Thankfully the nursery will not need to be repainted, but I am anxious to get all of the girlie bedding in there. I bought it before I was even pregnant.
The dose on my pump is going to be lowered again tomorrow and then I should be done with it on Tuesday. I am really praying that all goes well once I am off of it and that I don't need to be put back on any other medications. I have gained 6 pounds (thanks to all of the Christmas cookies and peppermint ice cream) since I started the pump. It has helped so much. I am so thankful that I was able to use it even though I am looking forward to being done with it.
Thanks for your continued prayers. We are so thankful for all of the ones that have been answered!

It's a ???

Our big news....IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!
Stay tuned for ultrasound pictures :)

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Our Ultrasound

The Placenta Previa has corrected itself! The Ultrasound Tech said that now that it has moved up, it will not move back down.
The baby looks perfectly healthy! From the head all the way down to the feet. Praise God! It was amazing just to watch it moving around and waving to us. I could watch that all day.
We are telling my family tomorrow as we celebrate Christmas and then Andy's family and everyone else Christmas Day. We will be posting pictures soon!
Thanks for all of your prayers!!

50-50

SURVEY.....

Tomorrow is the big ultrasound. I think it will be fun to do a little survey....

Do you think we are having a BOY or a GIRL?????

BIG Day

Friday was a big day for us! Andy was supposed to drop Mason off at his parents house for the day but due to the huge snow storm we had, he thought it would take him forever to drive him there and then get to work. So, I kept Mason for the first time by myself in 8 weeks! It was great for both of us. Thankfully, he was on his best behavior. It was kinda challenging but great to be able to get up and around and do things...and it helped knowing I did not have a choice, I had to!
That afternoon we headed to Aunt Stacy's to see Santa. Mason kept saying that Santa is a "nice man" the whole way there (OK I was kinda brainwashing him). He was not scared at all to see him. He sat and listened to the story, marched right up to sit on his lap and was so excited when he got a present! From that moment on, they were best friends and Mason just wanted to play and talk to him.
It was also a big day for me too! I started the weaning process on the pump. They lowered the dose of meds and so far I have been feeling pretty good, a little more nauseous but I am trying to cope with it. I really don't want to be on this for much longer! I have been able to eat pretty well and am working up my energy again. It has been so nice to be out of the house more.
Tonight I have plans to go get hot chocolate with my neighbor Carrie. I am really looking forward to it!
Tomorrow is the ultrasound! I am praying that the Previa has corrected itself, but usually around 18-20 weeks is when it is first detected, so I wont be too surprised if it hasn't.

Another Adventure

Yesterday my friends picked me up and we headed to McDonald's for some time to chat while the kids were running around the play-place. It was so nice to see all of them since I have not been able to catch up with them in a while, and Mason is always up for an adventure. It was actually the first time I have let him play there, so I think he had a really good time. It definitely wore me out, I was exhausted the rest of the day but it was well worth it! Thanks Amanda, Jamie and Bethany!

Tonight my sister is picking me up and taking me to look at Christmas lights. We will get a hot chocolate, turn on some Christmas music and chat. This will be great for both of us, she needs time away from her crazy schedule and I love time out of the house. (I am just hoping I don't get motion sick in the car!) I think my cousin may even be joining us too!

Other exciting news:
*I have finally felt the baby move!! Hooray. I had forgotten how amazing it actually is!
*I am planning on weaning off the pump starting this Friday. There are two steps to it, so the first will be Friday-they will lower the dose and then the second step will come a week later. If all goes well I should be done with the pump by Dec 29th! Yeah-I don't think my thighs can take it much longer.

Fingers Crossed

I have had two pretty good days in a row, without feeling terribly dizzy or nauseous! I am really hoping that I am turning the corner. I am trying to not get too excited as I had a few good days in a row a few weeks ago and then went back downhill.
Everything with the pump is going well, I am finally getting used to it. I no longer need the book to take me through the directions step by step to change the syringe or tubing (this saves a lot of time!)
I am also trying to have my mom or Andy take me out somewhere every other day so I can work up my strength again. It is amazing how tired you get doing nothing!!
My New Years resolution...to be back to my normal activities SOON!

PS-8 days and counting for my 18 week ultrasound!

Big Boy

I ordered Mason's new big boy bedding today! He is going to be moving into his new room in the next couple months! Hopefully Andy will get to some of the painting while he is off the week between Christmas and New Years!

Today's adventure-The AMIGO

I needed to do a bit of Christmas shopping and as much as I love him, if I wait for Andy to do it, it wont be done til Christmas Eve!
So, while my mother-in-law had Mason today (thank you Audrey!) my mom and I headed to Target for a few minutes. I was once again so excited to leave my couch!
This was my ride-The AMIGO. Let me first tell you that I have yet to see someone riding one who is under 75 years old (except for me) and secondly that the isles are not really made for these things. I crashed into a couple things and my mom had to move a few racks for me so I could squeeze through. We definitely had a few laughs and we all know that laughter is the best medicine :)

An Evening Out

Well, I made it to my work Christmas dinner! It was so nice to be able to see everyone and have a night where I was not on the couch! I was able to stay for a couple hours and then by the time I got home, I was paying for it. I had to have Andy come upstairs to talk to me because I felt so sick. Andy started an episode of HOUSE which was great because it helped to take my mind off of it and I was able to go to sleep right after.
As much as it was nice to get out, it made me realize that even on my "good days" I am nowhere near back to my old self quite yet!

HOORAY!

I got in touch with the case manager from BCBS tonight and she is going to have Matria send this authorization through as a in-network participating provider, so that means we are back to only owing $500!!! Thank the Lord!
I am about to go to my work Christmas party for dinner. Wish me luck, I just gave myself an extra dose of meds, hopefully it works :)

Backwards

I feel like I am backsliding a bit.
I lost my lunch yesterday, so that makes two days in a row now. I was doing so good without losing any meals and now all the sudden it is happening again. I am starting to wonder if it is because I am back on the Zofran. The Zofran worked great when they put it in my IV at the hospital, but did not work for me orally. They say that this is the same as the IV form.
I am still waiting to hear back from the insurance company on if the pump is going to be covered or if there is another company that is in-network that will cover a different one. I should hear something by tomorrow for sure.
I am also debating whether or not to go to my work Christmas party tomorrow night. I would love to get out of the house for a change, but I also don't want to get there and then feel miserable or sick. Andy said he would drop me off and my mom will be in Brighton shopping tomorrow night anyhow, so she would pick me up as soon as I called her. I guess I will wait and see what kind of day I am having and decide then.

OB Update

I saw Mary this afternoon. She is so nice! She walked right in and immediately gave me a hug. She was so excited that I got the pump and that it has been going well (other than last night). I told her the bad news about the insurance company now saying that they are not covering it. She was frustrated, but yet optimistic telling me that there other options if the pump does have to go back and hopefully I am close to the turning point anyhow where I wont need any meds.
I gained a pound and the baby's heart rate sounded great, so that is good news! I had trace amounts of ketones, so that is not so good.
She is keeping me on bedrest and wants to see me again in 4 weeks. However, she did say that using good judgement I can get up and moving once I start feeling better and I can take myself off bedrest without her permission. She gave me her pager number, cell phone, and emergency after hours number just in case I need to talk to her for any reason.
I also got my referral to get my 18 week Ultrasound the week of Christmas!
Prayer requests:
-that I can keep the pump
-that I start gaining more weight
-that the dizziness goes away
-that I would be off bedrest soon
and of course that the baby would continue to grow and stay healthy!
Thank you!!!

Discouraged

I was doing SO well with not vomiting, until last night. I ended up not feeling well so I headed up to bed like every other night. I am still get motion sickness when I am up and moving so by the time I made it to our bedroom, I lost my dinner :( I did not quite have enough time to make it to the toilet so most of it ended up in my sink-YUCK! Thanks to my awesome husband who came up with the draino and cleaned it up for me.
Also, I received a letter from our insurance company saying that the pump is medically necessary, however Matria is an out of network provider and it could result in significant out of pocket expenses. Looks like I will be calling our insurance company today. Wish me luck!

New Counter Top Decoration

Well, here is my new counter top decoration! I can't say I have ever had one like this before.
So far everything is going well with the pump. We are still working on regulating the dosage of the medication as I am still more nauseous in the evenings. I have just been calling the nurse and she walks me through giving myself the bolus before dinner time. I am hoping to get approval to get the pump programed so that it will automatically do this for me. I have had a bit more energy, have been able to eat and drink more and even keep Andy company instead of going to bed at the same time as Mason :) The dizziness is still there, but more manageable than before.
I have an OB appointment tomorrow with the midwife to check and see how everything is going and then an ultrasound in about 3 weeks to check the Placenta Previa again.

Thankful

Thanks for all of your prayers, Mason woke up feeling fine this morning. Must have just been a 24 hour virus. He had no symptoms other than the fever.
Last night I went to my sister's house for our annual family Christmas party. It was SO nice to be out of the house and get to chat with everyone. I also was feeling well enough to eat 2 plates of food!! It felt so nice.
Everything is going well with the pump so far! I was able to call in when I had to change my syringe of medication and they were able guide me through giving myself a bolus (an immediate extra dose) to help eliminate the nausea I felt after eating. I am a little less dizzy which is awesome and have already gained some weight! I also have to check for ketones every morning and for the last 2 days it has been negative. Praise God! Where was this thing 5 weeks ago?

Sleeping

Sleeping is not easy with this thing! I probably only slept a few hours.
I felt like most of the night I was trying to stay conscious enough so that I would not roll over onto my left leg. In the middle of the night I got up to go to the bathroom and as careful as I thought I was being of the pump, I ended up ripping the tubing out of my leg. So, at 3AM Andy and I were rounding up the supplies to re-poke another site and anchor in another tube. Hopefully I will get used to it soon.
Mason was also up a lot last night and had a bit of a fever :( Please pray that he would feel better soon and that we would not catch whatever bug he has.

HOORAY

Well, here it is...and with a new medication that I am not allergic to HOORAY!
The pump is called an infusion pump that constantly is administering medication into my system. I have to change the syringe every 12 hours and the needle/tubing which goes into my leg every 2 days.
I have to report into a nurse at least once a day over the phone. She monitors my weight, ketones, nausea levels and food intake daily.
Please pray that this will help to alleviate some if not all of the dizziness and nausea so that I can get back to a somewhat "normal" life very soon.
My next appointment is on Tuesday with my midwife who will check the pump and make sure all is well.

Strike One

At 9pm last night, Jennifer (a nurse from Matira) came out to show me everything with my new pump. She showed me how it works, how to put the tubing into my leg, everything was set and we signed the paperwork. After Jennifer left, I started feeling hot and a bit dizzy and sure enough, I looked at my stomach and chest and had a rash all over! I had an allergic reaction to the med.
So, needless to say I called Jennifer and she came back to see it. She said she has never seen anyone react to that medicine before. I took Benedryl and thankfully the rash went away. After speaking to the after hours nurse she said they were going to start me on the same medication today but they want to send me an Epi Pen first. I called this morning to tell them that I would prefer to switch meds. I know it was just a minor reaction, I dont want to wait and wonder if it is going to get worse.
So, I am waiting for Matria to contact my insurance company today to see if they can get a different med approved for the pump.
Wish me luck!

Pumped!

Great news...
Our insurance is going to cover all but $500 of the pump, so the medications have been delivered and the pump will be put into my leg tonight!!!
They are switching my med to Reglan which is supposed to not make me as dizzy or drowsy as what I am taking now :)
I will keep you posted!
Thanks for your prayers.

A Glimmer of Hope....maybe?

I spoke with Mary (the midwife that I saw throughout my pregnancy with Mason) on the phone last night and again this morning. I am going to be switching my prenatal care over to her instead of the physician. I discussed all of the issues I have been having and she gave me some really good tips and information.
One thing that we are looking into is working with Matria Healthcare to possibly get a pump (similar to an insulin pump diabetics use) put into my thigh that would constantly administer a consistent level of medication into my system. This would help to hopefully eliminate the nausea, gain weight and hopefully get me to a point where I could return to my normal daily activities!! They have reported results of the program to have a:

• 78 percent increase in weight gain or stabilization
• 89 percent reduction in nausea and vomiting symptoms
• Decrease in the number of people admitted to the hospital before Matria’s NVP program from 65.4 percent to 3.3 percent

I should be hearing back soon to see if this is something my insurance would cover, otherwise I will not be able to get it as it is $300-$400 per day!

Merry Christmas

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with Andy's sister Sarah and her husband Marc. His mom cooked another great dinner and we celebrated with all of the traditional treats (well, no Christmas cookies).

It was fun to have everyone here and to see everyone open their gifts! I think Mason is going to love Christmas morning this year! Marc and Sarah bought him a cute Elmo laptop and an advent calendar with German candies in it. He loved both! It was great to be able to celebrate with them before they head back home to Germany tomorrow.

Today starts my 14th week of pregnancy. One big praise is that it has been 4 days since I have lost a meal! I have another appointment next Tuesday. I may switch to a midwife for awhile since I am a bit unhappy with my doctor. I understand that she can not make the nausea or dizziness go away, but I do feel hurried in and out when I am there every week and I also feel like I am the one making suggestions on my treatment and care. I had a midwife when I was pregnant with Mason and I loved her. She took so much time with me at every appointment and really explained things well. It was kind of the last straw when I got the call from my OB's nurse to tell me about the placenta previa last week. When I had asked what happens if the condition does not correct itself, I was told that it could be fatal for the baby and I. I was caught off guard that she would say something like that over the phone and also if it were something that serious, why would my OB not call? I spoke with the office manager to tell her my concern about this and will hopefully be talking to and seeing the midwife soon.

Thanksgiving!

Everything was so different this year. To me, it did not even feel like it was Thanksgiving! Usually Andy heads off early in the morning to participate in the Turkey Bowl then Mason and I meet him at my in-laws for a breakfast followed by going to either my parents or staying there for a great dinner. This year, Andy did not go to Turkey Bowl. His sister and her husband are here from Germany-we usually don't get to see them until Christmas, so that feels different too. Everyone came here for a wonderful breakfast that his mom and dad made and then I was off to my parents house for lunch and dinner while Andy and Mason went to Andy's aunts house for Thanksgiving dinner. It felt so weird to celebrate separate from them. I did not even get any pictures :(
It also feels weird to not be out and about shopping today. Next year will be back to normal! I know it is all worth it! I have so much to be thankful for!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Finally Blogging!!

After often thinking that I should start a blog, I am finally doing it!
We probably should have started this when Mason was a baby. Looking back it would have been a great way to journal and keep track of his developments instead of trying to remember to update his baby book.
I decided to start doing this because I am now pregnant with our second baby who is due June 2nd :) and have been having some issues. This is a great way for everyone to check to see if there are any updates on anything without me having to bombard your email inboxes!! It will also be a fun way for family and friends to see updated pictures of Mason and our new addition in June.
This pregnancy started out great! I was feeling fine until about 7 weeks and then started throwing up. I was nauseous with Mason, but never vomited! So, after losing some weight I called the OB and they put me on anti-nausea meds which helped at first. After a couple weeks those were not helping anymore and I was put on a different medication which makes me very dizzy. Election Tuesday came and I blacked out while I was in line (Andy was thankfully there with me!) I had an appointment that week and by then I was 10 weeks and had lost a total of 13 pounds. Not good! So after debating about whether or not to put me in the hospital, the Dr. decided to put me on home bedrest since I was finally keeping some of my meals down. I had to go into ER twice to get IV fluids to rehydrate myself.
I am now just over 13 weeks and there have been no changes with the nausea, and unfortunately I am still on bedrest. We went for an ultrasound on Monday after my last OB check to make sure that the baby is gaining and growing as it should. The tech said everything that she could see looked great-Praise God!!
Unfortunately, I got a phone call today from the OB's office saying that the only thing that did not look good is that I have placenta previa. Hopefully this will go away by the next time I have my 18 week ultrasound. Please pray for this to correct itself!
I am so thankful for amazing family and friends who have helped so much this far! My mom is here almost every day and Andy's family has been very helpful with Mason as well! The hardest part of all of this is to not be able to be up and moving around. We are usually always on the go. I am a very independent person and it is so hard to not do things for myself. Our church family has been bringing meals and friends have been visiting and helping so much! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!