At this point, this means I need to start my blood thinner injections. I have been dreading this. I have been nervous about it, because I absolutely hate needles. I have been known to cancel doctor appointments in the past because they wanted to draw blood or give me a shot. In the last two weeks, though, I have already had three blood-draws, and now a blood thinner injection. They let me lay down for it and showed Ben very carefully how to do it. I was more nervous for that than for the blood draw, and for good reason, it seems, because it hurt like hell. The entire time, it hurt. I've seen and heard many tips to go slowly, because it minimizes the pain and bruising, but in reality, it only hurt for a minute or two and then it was over. BUT, it was painful to the touch for the rest of the day. And, since we are in the process of moving, this was a problem. It was hard for me to carry anything. And I also immediately had to take a nap when I got home, because it exhausted me on top of my regular tiredness and pregnancy tiredness.
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| Initially, there was only a teeny tiny dot from the injection. As the day went on, it began to look like this. The next morning, the bruise was much darker, but the overall site didn't hurt as much. |
But, in any case, I, of course, had questions for the doctor before they even administered the shot. And, as always, he was incredibly helpful in answering them.
1. Does the shot have to be in the stomach?
No, but that's where most people find it easiest to do.
2. What if I forget to take it? Can I take it late?
This one, he didn't want to answer for me last time. This time, he just told me, within a few hours of my usual time is fine.
3. Can I use a gel ice pack?
I only asked this because the box told me to ask if it was okay to use. It is.
4. If I'm given the shot now (8am), can I switch to taking it at night, or do I need to continue taking it in the morning?
I can switch. It's too early to make a difference at this point.
5. Are there any restrictions while I'm on it? Foods/lifting/travel?
Take more calcium, try not to injure yourself because you'll bleed more, and road trips are fine, because I'll have to pee every hour anyway.
6. Are there side effects? When should I call?
Biggest side effect is injection site bruising. If the bruise becomes very large, then call.
He was incredibly thorough and went through everything in the folder they gave me at my last appointment (that I didn't bring along, because I wasn't told I needed it). He filled out prescription forms for my next three ultrasounds. During my last pregnancy, I saw, until my very last appointment, the nurse practitioner. This was not my experience with her. She was wonderful, and she was very nice, and answered my questions, but she didn't go over any of the things in that folder. I had the same questions every time I saw her (why does my back hurt already? and why can't I breathe?) and she told me it was all normal, but looking back, I still don't think it was. So, I'm a little annoyed with myself for not seeing the doctor the first time around. To be honest, I was repulsed by the idea of having a male gynecologist. As it is, he only ended up as my doctor because he was the only one who could perform the procedure I needed after we lost the baby. I'm incredibly grateful it was him, because he's wonderful. In fact, after our ultrasound, he came into the exam room, and said, "Can I give you a hug? Congratulations!" He also gave me a hug at my follow-up appointment after my loss. He's incredibly kind, and compassionate, and knowledgeable, and I'm very lucky to have him.
At this point, there's not much different than a regular pregnancy, except for the injections. I will go back in 4 weeks, when we will hopefully get some more testing. Since I'm high risk, we can find out the baby's gender at 10 weeks with genetic testing, instead of waiting until 20 weeks for the anatomy scan, so I'm excited about that. We'll be monitored closely throughout the pregnancy, especially as we get farther along. And I know more now that I did during the last one, so I'm more aware of my body and what to look for and when to call. I'm feeling confident and so is the doctor. I think we'll actually get to take this baby home. <3
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