Well, its official - I am now on maternity leave. My hernia (or "hyenia" as I call it in honor of Long Duck Dong from Sixteen Candles) has progressively gotten worse and more uncomfortable.
The Doctor diagnosed it as an inguinal hernia. The condition is more common in men, but is not abnormal to be found affecting pregnant women. The occurrence of this condition in pregnant women is 1 in 1,000 according to the Mayo Clinic. One of the concerns of this condition is strangulation of the intestine (reduced blood flow causing the tissue to die), or when a loop of intestine becomes trapped in the weak point in the abdominal wall which may obstruct the bowel, leading to severe pain, nausea, vomiting and the inability to have a bowel movement or pass gas. WELL, for those of you that know me ... there are no problems with the bowel movements or passing gas! LOL! I guess that is a VERY good sign! I was only able to find a picture of what this condition looks like in males (i.e. sketchings of male anatomy affected by the condition). Honestly, I didn't really feel like posting a picture of male anatomy on my little site ... but if you have a morbid curiosity, you can "google" the condition. The Mayo Clinic website is quite informative!
Anyhow, so the next couple of weeks I am going to have to find stuff to occupy my time. I am going to have to resist the urge to park my behind on the couch and eat Oreos all day! Actually, I am trying to be good and swim each day and I have made a list of items to accomplish for when I start to feel bored.
Anyhow, I just wanted to give ya'll a little update. I will have pictures next time as the family is going camping this weekend :o)
Ciao -
Jenn
Friday, July 27, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
test results
Great news ... my glucose test results came back normal! No gestational diabetes for me! Yahoo! I can continue to eat as much fruit as I like .... Life is GOOD!
I am still working on getting my latest ultrasound pictures scanned and uploaded for every one's enjoyment. Unfortunately, I do not own a scanner so I am kind of at the mercy of others who are more technologically advanced than myself!
I included a pic of Emily (my sister-in-law) and myself at around 28 weeks. I am now going on 32 weeks (8 weeks to go!) and have gotten a little bigger since this last photo. I will have Tim take a picture sometime in the next week or so and I will post it up!
Anyhow, I hope this finds each of you doing well! Until the next time ....
J
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Its raining, its pouring ..
Well, you all know that saying ... when it rains, it pours! So the hernia ... that condition is pretty static for now. I have been working a modified schedule (5 hours a day) which seems to keep the discomfort at a manageable level. I feel very grateful to work for an employer that can accommodate me with reduced hours ... hallelujah!
Ok, so the next thing to come down the health-related pipeline ......Two weeks ago I went in to take a standard glucose test that all pregnant ladies take around 26-30 weeks. The purpose of the test is to see how efficiently a pregnant body processes sugar and how much glucose is left in the blood stream for the baby to use.... basically, I get to drink a concoction that tastes like a flat Sierra Mist and have my blood drawn one hour after drinking my little cocktail. The lab then determines if my levels are too high which could point towards a condition known as gestational diabetes. Well, apparently there was too much glucose in my blood stream after the one hour so I had to go back for a three hour test this past Thursday. The three hour test monitors the blood levels over a longer period of time, which helps determine if there truly is a problem or if the previous test was erroneous.
The three hour test required me to fast (a total of 12 hours without sustenance) and have my blood drawn four times. Needless to say, it is a bad idea to withhold food from a pregnant lady (especially one that MUST have breakfast to function) and I was not a happy camper in being poked by the sado-masochist ...err, phlebotomist several times. Needless to say, it was not a very pleasant experience and I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't the receptionist's fault that I didn't get to eat my breakfast that morning! Anyhow, I am still awaiting the results of my three hour test and will be sure to keep ya'll in the loop once I find out.
You may wonder: What happens if it comes back positive and I do have gestational diabetes? Well, the condition allows the baby to get fatter, quicker ... from what I understand, the major impact is that I may need to have labor induced early depending on how bit the baby gets. I am hoping it comes back normal and that everything is Jim-Dandy!
On an other note, the nursery is coming along! Fezzik has claimed the nursery as his ... he is the king of the rocking chair and owner of the area rug as can be told by his fur left behind! We have sooooooo much stuff piled in there that still needs to find a home ... I have no idea how we are going to make room for it all! Thank you to all of those that have helped us in "stocking up" for our little peanut! We can't wait for his arrival and we can't wait for all of you to meet him!
We hope this finds each of you doing well!
Love,
Jenn, Tim, Peanut, Nahla, Fez, and Bella ......
Thursday, July 5, 2007
montage of happenings ...
Another couple of weeks have gone by and Tim and I have been through additional pregnancy adventures! We had a shower, a 3D/4D ultrasound, and a prenatal appointment since my last post.
The shower was wonderful! I was able to visit with family from near and far. Tim and I received many treasures that will greatly help us in providing for our little peanut. While the ladies got together at my mom's house, Tim and the guys had their "male bonding" day out water skiing on the river.
The 3D/4D ultrasound was an interesting experience to say the least! We arrived at the clinic in the middle of the afternoon which, is one of peanut's active times during the day. The technitian started by capturing an image in the traditional ultrasound (2D) image - he then converted the image to 3D which allowed us to see a pituresque version of our peanut's face. The images captured were distored in various ways ... for one, the little man is completely smashed in a very small, tight space! My placenta was cozied up to the side of his face like his favorite little blankie and the umbilical cord covered part of his mouth. We were able to hear the heart beat, capture an image of his face, and of course, check out his junk down below. I will be sure to include SOME of the photos on the blog once I am able to scan and upload them (no junk pics). I was going to wait to post the 3D/4D experience until I had the photos uploaded and ready to go; however, I felt it important to share the following news:
For the past three weeks (or so) I have had a lump in my groin area that has been quite uncomfortable. At times, the pain would be mild and could only be felt once I stood after a long period of sitting. Most nights, the swelling would subside in my sleep and be all but gone (besides some tenderness in the area) in the morning. However, after about 15 or 20 minutes of standing, the swelling and discomfort would return. In the past week, the discomfort has increased enough for me to address my concern with my Doc at today's prenatal appointmet.
Well, it turns out I have a hernia! Unfortunatly, there isn't really anything that can be done at this point as the condition needs to be surgically remedied. Unless my condition becomes serious, they will not fix it until after the baby is born. What does this mean for me right now, you may ask? Well, as long as it remains the same (swelling continuing to subside at night - meaning the intestine sucking back in where it belongs) I can get by on a modified work schedule, no more walking for excercize and plenty of time sitting on my duffer. However, if my condition worsens (as it may with additional weight gain) I may be required to be on bed rest and to have a C-section delivery :( The doctor said that my current condition does not jeapordize the baby - the only element for now is my discomfort. The Doc said that I probably have had this condition all along but it has most likely been aggrivated with the pregnancy weight gain.
Soooo, it sucks that I have a hernia, but I am glad to know what the swelling is from and that the baby is fine! I tell you, nothing is more scary than the unknown! Anyhow, I wil keep you all posted as to what developes! For all of you that pray, I could use the prayers - for all of you that "think" I can use your thoughts!!
I hope this finds everyone doing well!
Love,
Jenn
The shower was wonderful! I was able to visit with family from near and far. Tim and I received many treasures that will greatly help us in providing for our little peanut. While the ladies got together at my mom's house, Tim and the guys had their "male bonding" day out water skiing on the river.
The 3D/4D ultrasound was an interesting experience to say the least! We arrived at the clinic in the middle of the afternoon which, is one of peanut's active times during the day. The technitian started by capturing an image in the traditional ultrasound (2D) image - he then converted the image to 3D which allowed us to see a pituresque version of our peanut's face. The images captured were distored in various ways ... for one, the little man is completely smashed in a very small, tight space! My placenta was cozied up to the side of his face like his favorite little blankie and the umbilical cord covered part of his mouth. We were able to hear the heart beat, capture an image of his face, and of course, check out his junk down below. I will be sure to include SOME of the photos on the blog once I am able to scan and upload them (no junk pics). I was going to wait to post the 3D/4D experience until I had the photos uploaded and ready to go; however, I felt it important to share the following news:
For the past three weeks (or so) I have had a lump in my groin area that has been quite uncomfortable. At times, the pain would be mild and could only be felt once I stood after a long period of sitting. Most nights, the swelling would subside in my sleep and be all but gone (besides some tenderness in the area) in the morning. However, after about 15 or 20 minutes of standing, the swelling and discomfort would return. In the past week, the discomfort has increased enough for me to address my concern with my Doc at today's prenatal appointmet.
Well, it turns out I have a hernia! Unfortunatly, there isn't really anything that can be done at this point as the condition needs to be surgically remedied. Unless my condition becomes serious, they will not fix it until after the baby is born. What does this mean for me right now, you may ask? Well, as long as it remains the same (swelling continuing to subside at night - meaning the intestine sucking back in where it belongs) I can get by on a modified work schedule, no more walking for excercize and plenty of time sitting on my duffer. However, if my condition worsens (as it may with additional weight gain) I may be required to be on bed rest and to have a C-section delivery :( The doctor said that my current condition does not jeapordize the baby - the only element for now is my discomfort. The Doc said that I probably have had this condition all along but it has most likely been aggrivated with the pregnancy weight gain.
Soooo, it sucks that I have a hernia, but I am glad to know what the swelling is from and that the baby is fine! I tell you, nothing is more scary than the unknown! Anyhow, I wil keep you all posted as to what developes! For all of you that pray, I could use the prayers - for all of you that "think" I can use your thoughts!!
I hope this finds everyone doing well!
Love,
Jenn
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