It's A Date

JULY 12, 2007!

That is the official date Rhylan Grier will be joining the Atkisson Family and the world!

Small Victory!!

Update on Being "Homebound" : I still am not allowed to drive, but I am exempt from the Homebound Clause that I had to sign!! Yay! Hooray for small victories!

Jason just talked to our Benefits Coordinator for our insurance this morning regarding this concern, and she said that is absurd in my situation. She explained that the reasoning behind that rule is (as I had said), because most Home Health patients are Medicare patients, and it is felt that if you need home care it is because you are unable to get out of the house to get the care you need- which makes sense. However, in my case, the only other place to receive the services that I am getting from the home health nurse would be the hospital. As far as the insurance is concerned, they would rather pay for home nursing care than a hospital admit if at all possible, so this is the best option (I agree!). So, to make a long story short, they can take their "Homebound Clause" out of my chart and burn it!!

Now, who wants to come over and pick me up to go somewhere and get me out of here for a while!?!?!? :)

Bubble Wrap Fun

We had custom ordered some Cordless, Blackout, cellular shades for both Brayden's room and Rhylan's nursery, that came in last week. (Oh, the little things that excite me!! We got one for us when we recently remodeled the master bed/bathroom, and are so in love that we decided to take the plunge and get them for the boys as well- expensive, but so worth the $$$!)

Anyway, they came wrapped in bubble wrap, which Brayden had apparently never seen before. I rolled it out across the whole living room floor and let him stomp, jump, run, crawl, etc. all over to pop the bubbles. He wore himself out- it must have kept him occupied for at least an hour, and then he asked to go to bed because he was so tired. I am thinking I might want to invest in a whole roll of it like they have at the UPS store, just to roll out to entertain him :). Why do we even bother buying toys for kids when they are just as happy, if not more so, with boxes and bubble wrap?

Latest Ultrasound Pictures

Last Thursday we had an ultrasound of Rhylan. All looked good and he is still growing well. He measured in at over 3 lbs., and was quite active. The ultrasound tech was sneaky and took a couple of shots of 3D pictures- they didn't turn out all that well because my amniotic fluid levels are low, so it didn't have enough in there for the sound waves to bounce off correctly for a very clear picture.


In this first picture, you can see his face. During the ultrasound he was smacking his lips, yawning, and rubbing his face. It was so cute! It almost looks like he is smiling here- which the technician even commented on.



This is one of the 3D ultrasound pictures. It took me a minute to figure out what I was looking at, and then it just jumped out at me. On the left side of the picture, you can see where it is all black, and then the profile of his face pops out. He even had his eye open- which is very rare in utero.


I know I promised I would not have anymore drama happen with me, but I guess that some things are out of my control. I figured I would give a quick update since I have had several people inquiring.

I was admitted to the hospital, (for the 11th time) right from my appointment, for severe dehydration and more weight loss. The doctor decided that it was time for me to have a PICC line (click for more detail on what a PICC is, if you are unfamiliar). I had the procedure performed on Friday to have it placed, and started on peripheral nutrition (TPN) through it that night. After I was released last night, I was admitted to Home Health nursing care, and the nurse came and spent about 3 hours with us to teach us how to set up my equipment and do the infusions, and was back for about 2 hours this morning. The hope is that getting nutrition through the tube feeding will get my nutritional status to a better place, solve the problem of the loss of consciousness episodes, get my blood pressure normalized, and help me to gain some weight- as the baby needs to gain about 1/2 pound a week at this point and the doctor was worried that the baby could fail to get what he needs or worsen my condition further in the process. As of right now, I am honestly not feeling any better from the nutrition, but am hopeful that I will soon. I think that I was so sick when I was admitted, now topped off with being exhausted and overwhelmed, and the increased nausea from the TPN, that my body has just had it.

The home health nurse will be back tonight to check in on me and get the TPN going again for the night. I am happy that I am getting the care I need, but had a little breakdown last night after having to sign paperwork stating that I understand that to have the in home care, that I have to remain home bound while I have the PICC line- which is until delivery!! Not getting home care isn't an option as they supply the TPN, equipment, and have to do my dressing changes, and blood draws 3 times a week. I am not happy about this agreement, and will be dealing with the director of the home nursing company early next week. I understand that I am already supposed to be on modified bed rest, and that it is a liability issue for them, but they also have to understand that I am not their usual elderly patient with infection, post surgery, etc.! The home bound clause is something that was implemented by Medicare, which I am very obviously not on! I already feel so isolated and depressed having gone through all of this the past 7.5 months, I can not imagine not even being able to go to a friend's house, or to the store with my family, nothing, until the baby is born.

On a positive note, due to the severity of the complications of this pregnancy, my doctor has moved my c-section up by 2 weeks. Rhylan will be making his appearance into the world in just under 6 weeks- the week of July 4th!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

By Popular Demand....

I was on the phone with my good friend, Susan, who lives in Colorado. She had mentioned that she wanted to see what my belly looks like at this point. This was one of several requests I have had in just the past week, both from people that are far away, and friends here because I don't ever go anywhere or see anyone these days.

I will be 30 weeks pregnant this Tuesday. (Well I count Tuesdays as my week change anyway. It is confusing because I have 2 due dates- the original one based on just math, which is August 2nd, so that would put me on Thursday, and the updated one is based on ultrasound and when we had our infertility done, which is July 28th, which would mean Sunday's are my week change. So, for simplicity I just count smack dab in the middle. Doesn't matter much anyway since it will be a planned c-section at 38ish weeks. We will hopefully know more of a definitive date this Thursday after my ultrasound.....)

Don't mind the fact that I have on no makeup! Hey, I at least showered and decided put on some clothes just for the picture. Jason and I thought it would be nice if we had one picture of this pregnancy for the scrapbook where I am not in PJs!!

Sprinkler fun

Just thought we would share some of the fun Brayden had today.

Happy (Late) Birthday to Me!

My birthday present got delivered today!! After 6 weeks of being on order, I am so happy to have my new La Z Boy rocker/recliner! I know it doesn't seem like a big deal, but I can't even tell you how much I have had wanted one or for how long, and Jason decided to get it for my birthday/anniversary. This is going to be the perfect addition to our home for our upcoming sleepless nights, nursing, etc. It is so comfortable, I haven't gotten out of it all night. I think the genuine smile on my face shows how happy and excited I am.

Yeah, ignore the wires and various devices attached to me- it is just the heart monitor and my Zofran Pump. I come as a whole package deal these days :)!

Welcome Summer!

The weather yesterday was absolutely beautiful, so I decided to let Brayden invite a few friends over to play in the backyard late in the afternoon. He was so excited, and had so much fun. It was wonderful for me to have the "mommies" over here for company as well. Now that summer weather is officially here, our door is always open for backyard play dates. It is the perfect way to give Brayden a fun day, while allowing me to still pretty well obey my bed rest orders! (That is an open invite for anyone reading this!)Needless to say, Brayden was in desperate need of a bath between being slathered in sunscreen, running around barefoot, and the fudge-sicle that melted all over him while out there. The fun certainly didn't end for him once he was in the tub... nor can I say that it was necessarily conducive to him getting "clean"...

Scary Day

It really wasn't my intent to use this blog to post the woe's of this pregnancy, but it just seems to keep being the biggest news in our house. Today was no exception- only this drama was new and different than anything I have ever experienced.

I swear, I can't seem to catch a break! So, I woke up this morning feeling pretty well- or at least well comparatively speaking for me. We took Brayden to his last swimming lesson, then to Home Depot to get paint for the nursery and flowers to plant in the front yard. It felt so good to feel somewhat normal and be out w/ my family on a beautiful day. Brayden had to go to a birthday party this afternoon, so we decided to just grab some lunch while we were out (I had actually kept down my Cheerios this morning!). Brayden LOVES a particular Chinese buffet in town and really wanted to go there, so we did.... That is when the fun started.

I took Brayden up to get his food, and before I even got a plate, I turned to Jason and said "Honey, I am not feeling right, I need to go sit down". On my way back to the table I lost all of my peripheral vision and was just overcome by the strangest feeling. All I can remember after that was looking at a booth across from me thinking "maybe I should lie down before I pass out", but not wanting to look like an idiot by doing so, and then a lady 2 tables away asking "Are you ok honey, you don't look very good?". I remember saying "No, I feel really weird." The next thing I knew, Jason was holding my head, I was shaking, sweating profusely, and my eyes were rolling back in my head, 2 women had Brayden, and there were several people standing around me, including an off duty EMT on the phone to 911 saying that I had a seizure. I remember being asked questions, but I couldn't answer them, and the voices were all warped and echo-y. Then things go blank again. I don't remember anything more after that until I woke up in the back of an ambulance with an oxygen mask on me and them trying to start an IV.

My BP was WAY low in the ER- 78/52, and they were saying that was "up" from what it was when the ambulance first got me. The ER doc wants me on a heart monitor for 3 days to track what is going on, but he couldn't get a hold of one today so I have to wait until Monday to go to the Cardiac Care Center to get hooked up on the monitor. I also have to go to my OB on Monday for him to follow up and to see if this is PG related (I am guessing so!!) etc. In the meantime, I am to take it easy, check my BP and heart rate often, and absolutely no activity or driving. I have fainted before, but never anything like this- it was SO scary. I experienced what is called Syncope or Vasal Vagal Episodes twice when I was pregnant with Brayden, which isn't all that uncommon in pregnancy. They are scary fainting episodes, and despite being very scary they are "harmless". This was very different from that, and I can't even explain the feeling that overcame me before this happened today, or when coming to.

Oh, and just to top off the fun, I have a Urinary Tract Infection. If you all recall, I was in the hospital on Monday for contractions on top of a constant "pressure type pain" in my lower abdomen. I am guessing this would explain why the pressure is still there!! I got a big shot of antibiotics while in the ER and hopefully that will do the trick, but my Dr. will following up on it when I go on Monday.

***Promise to self: The next blog entry I post will be drama free and about a wonderful day that I have been able to have!!!***

Our Stay in Rockford

Jason had business to attend to in Wisconsin this week and last, so he dropped Brayden and myself off in Rockford with my family for a week. We will be back in Champaign late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Yesterday I was able to meet a few of my friends from high school, and catch up, while we let our kiddos have lunch and play at the park. This particular park also has a petting zoo, The Children's Farm, so we took the kids to see the animals. Brayden really enjoyed playing with "new" friends, having a fun day, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Today Grandpa Bob is taking Brayden to go fishing for the first time, which he is really excited about. I will have to update later to let everyone know how it goes, and if they catch anything. While they are there, my sister, Bethany, and I are taking my mom to a Day Spa to have a "girl's day" and get mom (and ourselves) pampered a bit for Mother's Day. We are getting Mom a massage, facial, spa pedicure, manicure with paraffin treatment, and some other little goodies. I am looking forward to my hour long facial and spa pedicure while there!! (I opted not to do a massage because I am holding out for an appointment w/ my friend, Sally, to give me a nice, long pregnancy massage!)

The next hour can't pass fast enough- I am so looking forward to a little indulgence! I had a pretty rough day yesterday, so I am looking forward to it even more. I started having pains in my lower abdomen yesterday morning, kind of a really intense pressure. I kept thinking it would pass. After taking Brayden to the park/Children's Farm, it was getting worse. Then on our drive home, I started having contractions every few minutes. I called my doctor's office in Champaign and they had me go directly to Labor and Delivery at one of the hospitals here, given my past record of pre-term labor with Brayden. With him it started at 30 weeks, and I am 28 weeks right now. I was scared to death, but went in. Luckily, all of the tests came back fine, except I was really dehydrated (again). The monitor strip showed some "uterine irritability" and contractions, which they thought were probably being caused by the dehydration. So, they got a fast drip IV started and kept an eye on it to see if hydration would bring the contractions down. Thank goodness, that is what it was, and things settled down the more hydrated I got. As far as the intense pressure, they are thinking that I actually pulled my round ligament (which usually stretches gradually in pregnancy) since my belly has literally "popped" in the past 2 days. I couldn't fit in maternity clothes when I got here, and now that is all I can fit in- granted they are still huge and look ridiculous, but I am in them nonetheless.... FINALLY! (I jokingly describe it as I "sprained" my belly by popping so fast.) So, I spent most of my day and all night at the hospital, but am now back at my parent's and things are settled back down.

(That was hospitalizaton #9 for this pregnancy, anyone want to make wagers on the total count before Rhylan is born?!?!? We could form a pool of some sort! I am so, so, so sick of this. But he looks really good, and that is what matters in all of this- a happy, healthy little boy joining our family in 10 more weeks... not before!)