Medical Report

Tuesday while I was at Winn ACH for Little E's pediatric appointment I stopped by the outpatient medical records room and requested my records for July when I was an inpatient.  It took a while but I now have my copy.  I can only request that period of time once without having to pay for the copies.  The reason why I wanted the copies is because of the oncology appointment next week.  I need to know what exactly they found inside of me.

Looking over all the lab tests and the procedures left me with questions that dr. google helped me figure out.  But now I have a few more questions, hopefully educated ones, to ask my doctor. I also have a gynecology follow up this week too.

1) Is it temporary for Large and Giant platelets to be found in my blood count?  If not does this mean something bad like what I've been reading?  Did I inherit something from my parents?   I know that both of them have clotting issues when they have surgery.

2) 900ml blood loss seems to be a lot to me.  Is there something I can do to prevent a bleed out of this proportion before my next surgery?

3) When comparing my most recent blood draw to that of when I was an inpatient do I fair better being on the iron pills?  With all those H and L's on my lab work from before does it look better now?  If not what can I do to make my blood healthier?  How long before I'm back to normal?

4) On the pathology report of my uterus it was noted that part of the corpus (uterus) wasn't well defined.  Is this the adenomyosis they suspected?

5)  On the night of 6 July I was admitted for induction and a  CBC was drawn.  There were L's and H's in my blood draw then.  Why wasn't I notified of the issues before I delivered baby girl on 8 July?

6) I was told that my endometriosis wouldn't continue to grow during my pregnancy.  I argued that it would several times without being taken seriously.  Now my left side of the pelvis is covered in adhesive film according to the operative report.  "The left ovary and tube were appreciated to be covered with filmy and dense adhesions attached to the left pelvic sidewall and poorly visualized.  The bilateral ureters were not visualized."

7) From the operative report I noticed that several things were clamped and cut and the bladder tucked back into place.  Is this the reason why I'm having more than a drop of urine issue now?  I never had bladder issues before, even when in my last weeks of pregnancy.

Now I only hope that I remember to ask all these questions when at my two doctor appointments next week.

If any has had any experience with Large and Giant platelets let me know what you think.  I'll be sure to ask at the appointments if I remember.

Your Opinion Counts

I'm asking for a bit of help here in making a decision on a Christening gown.  Yes I know just like a wedding dress it only gets worn once.  But I'm only going to get the one child and I don't know if she'll want to pass the dress on for generations.  I know that if I had a gown from my family and it fit my daughter I would have put her in it in a heart beat.

I do have my dad's christening gown.  It is badly stained and very fragile looking.  It is also a newborn size and Little E will most likely be wearing 6-9 month size when we get her Christened.

Mom knows now for sure that my own Christening gown is a lost cause.  Even if she found it I was only 3 weeks old when I was Christened.

So I've been web browsing for gowns.  I had thought to make one myself since I'm quite good with needle and thread.  But I don't have the time to make one.

J gave me a budget to stick to then he picked out a gown he likes that blew the budget to shreds by almost double the price.  So much for the budget.

If you follow me on pinterest you'll see the gowns I like under the Christening gown board I started.


Now I'll share some links with all of you and photos where possible.

From Etsy.com
https://www.etsy.com/listing/112068511/sophia-victorian-silk-baptismal-gown-and?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.etsy.com/listing/159924258/silk-and-lace-christening-gownvictorian?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.etsy.com/listing/113267215/victorian-inspired-christening-heirloom?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166150795/baptism-silk-grown-with-bonnetvictorian?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.etsy.com/listing/114523840/claravictorian-style-christening-gown?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

https://www.etsy.com/listing/93858412/christening-silk-gownbaptism?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share

One Small Child
http://www.onesmallchild.com/preslee-beaded-silk-christening-gown.html

Christeninggowns.com
http://www.christeninggowns.com/Penelope-Christening-Gown-p/pe10.htm

http://www.christeninggowns.com/Clementine-Christening-Gown-p/cl00.htm

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/White-Embroidered-Tulle-Christening-Baptism/dp/B002PIJV5A/?qid=1408763992&s=apparel&ref=sr_1_18&ie=UTF8&sr=1-18

http://www.amazon.com/Lauren-Madison-Newborn-Christening-Baptism/dp/B005S6C770/?qid=1408765235&s=apparel&sr=1-5&keywords=christening+gowns+for+girls&ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_5

and lastly
babysakes.com
http://www.babysakes.com/100-Cotton-Sateen-Christening-Gown-p/lt-cs10gs.htm

I love the ones from Etsy.  J loves the one from One Small Child but also likes all the others as well and is leaving it up to me.  Yeah and I don't want him disappointed because I don't like his dress as much as the other ones.  If it were a bridal gown he wouldn't get a say but it is our daughter's one and only Christening.

Two Month Check Up

Little E turned 9 weeks old yesterday.  We went to the pediatrician's office for her two month check up and vaccinations.

Weight is now 11 lbs 2 oz  55th percentile
Length is now 58 cm or 22.4 inches  50th percentile
Head is now 38 cm which puts it in the 41st percentile

Not too shabby for a growth restricted baby.

She had two shots in the left thigh and one in the right with an oral vaccine as well to boot.  I cried when they gave her the shots.  I mean I can give myself an injection but it is different watching the doctors inject your baby.  (I cry when they give Bugsy injections at the vet clinic too.  Hey he is also my baby. )  Poor baby girl had a nasty red swollen area on her left thigh last night of which J took it upon himself to massage for her.  She screamed until her baby tylenol kicked in.  We ended up giving her two doses over the night.  None of us got any sleep.

Today she is taking her bottle quite well but is still having quite a bit of spit up from the after effects of the shots.  Just when I thought I had the spit up under control too.  I'm sure she'll feel better in a few days.

Soon I'll have to pack up another box of baby clothing to donate to the Army hospital's social services department.  Some of the smaller cut, usually the Gerber body suits run small along with a few Carters, clothing will be getting put into the box each load of laundry this week.  It is now time to put the three month size clothing into her middle dresser drawer.

My system is simple.  Top drawer of her dresser is the socks, flannel wipe, spare changing pad cover, hats, tights, mittens and booties.  Middle drawer is the clothing she currently fits into.  Bottom drawer is the clothing she almost fits into but if needed in a hurry it is there to be worn; nightgowns and sleepers are usually what will get broken in first on those nights where I'm not about to do a third load of her laundry for a fresh sleeper in her current size.

Cloth diapering is going quite well.  Most days we go through about six diapers then switch off to paper at night to make the clean up job easier for Daddy.  For the next few days, since I was warned by the Peds doc, I'll be using paper diapers only until diarrhea watch is over.  I do have paper inserts for the cloth diapers but if you use cloth diapers you'll know quite well that firm is much easier to remove from cloth than watery poo.

The only real problem I've found with using cloth diapers thus far is that they take up way more room in the body suits than a paper diaper.  This means moving up a size in clothing quicker than I'd like to.

Last time traveling in her car seat with the insert behind her.  She is finally weighty enough to remove it J declared with pride.

He is such a cutie.  Photo taken just before bedtime.

Bottling It Up

Yesterday a gal that I know from my time in the hospital was offering 6 Dr. Brown bottles to whomever responded first.  Her child didn't like the bottles.  Mine loves those bottles.  I messaged her and offered her 6 Avent bottles and the Comotomo bottle that Little E detests.  We exchanged the bottles and I couldn't be happier.

I'm still using stage 1 nipples on the bottles.  I have plenty of stage 2 and 3 but am unsure of when to switch them out.  Any input folks?

Today J went back to work.  This is my first day alone with Little E in almost a month.  Last month he had to go in to work for a few days.  I don't mind it so far today but I can see it is going to be a fun day inside instead of outside.  I would have loved to have taken her out in the stroller this morning while it was still cool but it was raining.  It gets so darn hot here in Georgia that taking the baby out during the day really isn't much of an option until late Autumn.

I'm bottling up some anger.  I just found out that J won't be gone for only a month.  It could now be three months.  How the hell am I do get the baby christened without him?  We had hoped to take her up for Columbus Day Weekend.  That had to be changed to Thanksgiving and now to Christmas.  I'm not liking the idea of traveling three days journey up and three days journey back in the snow season with a cat and a baby in the SUV.  Sure the SUV is safe but it is still going to suck with the other drivers out there and their bad driving skills in the snow.

I'm trying to bottle up the anger I'm feeling at myself for being bloated.  I've gained back almost 12 pounds in water.  The internal medicine physician forgot to put in the script for the lasix last week.  He agreed to put it in the computer system because my legs are badly swollen.

Next week I have four doctor appointments one of which is the dentist but the dentist is a doctor too.  I'll be seeing the oncologist next week.  Now the fun really begins.

Waiting in Limbo

Yesterday was the appointment with the doctor at Internal Medicine.  The doctor never examined me.  He had his briefcase on the exam table.  I sat in the chair nearest the table.

We did go over why I was there to see him.  Did he not get the computer memo?  Ugh.  So he said I need to get a PCM as the one listed in the computer is the one from JBLM.  Yeah, I knew that.  Apparently Tricare forgot to automatically assign me a new one when I moved, probably because I was pregnant.

Dr. L. put me in for a referral to see the nephrologist.   He ordered a CBC, thyroid, lipid panel, H1a1C test and something else requiring four vials of blood to be drawn.  The CBC was my request to see if the anemia is better now.

The reason for my rib pain is osteoarthritis.  Somehow I forgot I had it.  Yeah I remember now.  I forget easily and the doctor is going to have me checked by someone for that very memory issue since Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases run in my family.

He has told me that I need to request from my PCM a sleep study (my O2 stats dropped into the 80s every time while I was sleeping when I was in the hospital), a pulmonary specialist for my yearly asthma check up, and a new referral to see the neurologist as some how the referral I had disappeared from the system.

Dr. L. also told me I need to make another appointment with Dr. N at OB/GYN to follow up on the bladder issues I'm having and to find out when I'm cleared to drive and have sex again.  Dr. N. didn't clear me two weeks ago.  Just after seeing Dr.N. my bladder started its issue.  I didn't have that issue before or even while pregnant.

Yesterday I had my mammogram.  I'll find out those results next appointment with Dr. N.  Hoping that my pap results will also be in when I see him too.

Little E is doing well.  She still hates tummy time and bath time.  Both have become a screaming fest.  I feel so guilty when I hear her cry that I want to pick her up and cuddle her.  But how is she to get bathed or to strengthen her muscles if I keep picking her up?

It is hard to believe that she turned 8 weeks old yesterday.  I'm hoping that in a few weeks she will have out grown her colic.  We are up to 2 teaspoons of rice formula per 5 ounce bottle every 3.5 - 4.5 hours.

J heads back to work this coming Monday.  Sure now that his leave is almost at an end he is finally learning that I'm right and he needs to start now with setting a good male example for his daughter.  Ugh!  Last minute effort but I'm hoping he sticks to it.

Clarifying Issues

Okay I think I need to clarify a few things.  DH is a wonderful guy but he is LAZY.  He procrastinates to the point he is called a producer.  Yeah the type that is great under duress but if you need to depend upon him to get a task done in a timely manner forget it.

That is why with my postpartum depression I'm more than a bit cranky with him.  I LOVE him but there are days I'd love to just be able to kick his butt out of the house.

I'm tired.  I know that most new moms are tired.  Add in the fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome along with all the other medical issues I have and you have one hot mess.  So I'd like to be able to depend upon my spouse to make the meals but I'm lucky if I can get him to make a bottle up for the baby in the middle of the night.  I get up with him for all but one feeding to make the bottles.  I wash out the majority of the bottles.  Yes he does feed Little E her bottle but a child of 8 could give a baby a bottle too.  Now I'm wishing I had a school aged kid to feed Little E.  But not an ordinary school aged child, no I want one like how I was really responsible at that age.

No I'm not going to put pressure upon my little girl to be super kid but I am going to insist that she keep a neat and tidy room when she reaches that age.  Same rules as my mom had; you take it out you put it back or else it gets thrown out with the trash on the day your room gets vacuumed.  Now to some this might sound harsh but it teaches the child to be responsible with their possessions.  I'm not going to back up my beliefs to satisfy anyone so if you don't like how I'm going to raise my child then go raise one of your own your own way.

Oh does that sound hostile?  Maybe, but at least I'm being honest.

Back to how DH is driving me nuts.  Sure he was a big help in the hospital but he had a staff of nurses to spell him out at any time so he could run home and feed the cat and play on the computer while I sat in a room on another floor in pain and lonely without my baby.  (Normally the baby cannot be removed from the nursery to go to another floor but I got special permission from the hospital to have her with me for a few hours on one day. They put those baby lo-jack bracelets on the baby for a reason.)

He leaves dirty dishes on the counter.  Sugar crusted coffee stains on the counter and floor.  Mind you our kitchen is a galley style and small so it is easy to clean.  He was doing this before we had the baby too so it isn't because he is tired it is because he is lazy.

The top of his bar is a mess.  I just tried to put my camera near his computer on the bar and I had to move things to make room for it.  Papers and games and more junk that should be moved off the top.  Things I've asked him to box up and move to the shed months ago.

I do love him.  I just can't take the mess he is making because I end up cleaning it up do to the fact that I don't want more roaches in the house.  I live in the south and yes we do get an occasional roach in the house given that we share walls with other tenants.  Oh and he knows he is lazy.  He'd rather play than work.  I think we all wish we could do that.  He feels entitled to play because he works hard.  Well yes he does work hard I'll give you that but he has been on vacation now for more than 70 days.  I'd like to have some play time too.  Right now while this is being typed up I'm on my second load of three loads of laundry not to forget the load of diapers and Little E's clothing that I'll be doing tonight like I do every night after 8 P.M.

I think when he goes back to work next week my house will remain a bit cleaner, I hope.  I know that when he deploys again soon I'll miss his messes and his loud ways.  (He walks loud and slams doors without realizing he does it.)  But maybe for a change I won't miss it quite as much with having the baby and the cat for company.

As for me having him buy me the ring.  I do deserve it.  He forgets to give flowers, cards or even gifts for birthday, Christmas, Valentine's day, Mother's day, anniversary and so on.  I'm lucky if I get a hug these days as he isn't very demonstrative either.  His wall he put in place all those years ago is stronger than ever and even after 5 years of marriage counseling he still claims he doesn't realize it is there.

Ground Hog Daze

Ugh!  It is just like my life is the same each and every day that blurs into night and another day again.  I'm not sure where the sleep went.

I'd list here for you folks our typical schedule but there just isn't one.

We added rice cereal to Little E's formula to help with the colic issue.  It seems to be helping.  She is now taking 5 ounces of formula every 3.5 to 4 hours with the rice cereal in it.

She is has almost outgrown the 0-3 month size clothes.

No I haven't weighed her in over a week.

I have been taking photos of her every day.

I'm not going to complain about the laundry or bottles.  I'm fine with the extra work Little E is creating.  My main complaint is the DH.  He will have been home for 75 days by the time he signs back into work on the 6th.  He is driving me nuts with his incomplete projects and his falling asleep while feeding Little E.  Even this afternoon I heard the empty bottle drop to the floor.  Thank God it wasn't the baby he dropped this time.

I mean why is he so tired?  I get the same amount of sleep as he does.  I'm up every time she cries or the alarm goes off to feed or change her.  I thought two weeks ago it was the lack of caffeine for him.  He forgot to pick up coffee and lets just say it wasn't pleasant to be around him.  I don't drink coffee or anything with caffeine in it.  But he is still walking around in a daze a week later and he now has his coffee.

I'm still in pain from the endometriosis.  I got my referral approved through Tricare for both Internal Medicine and the Oncologist.  The hospital here can see me for the Internal Medicine of which I have an appointment with them on Tuesday.  I'll try to remember to let all of you know how that goes.  It is an hour long appointment and there is a lot wrong with my body.  Ever since the pap a week ago I can't hold my pee.

Yes the pee problem is that bad I thought I should complain about it here.  Before I had the pap I would have a bit of a dribble issue since giving birth.  Just today I squatted down to play with Little E on her play mat and I had a gush of pee.  What sucked is that I thought a pantyliner would contain it all today.  Back to wearing a pad for me.  Nice ass rash to go with it too.  Damn super sensitive skin.  I'm about ready to use some of Little E's diaper ointment.

I'm still having bruising without hitting anything.  I'll have to remember, hahahaha, to tell the doctor on Tuesday about that little issue.  I'm still taking the iron pills three times a day.

I also have my mammogram appointment on Tuesday.  I hope I remember to pack deodorant to use after the appointment.  Living in the south in the summer without wearing deodorant is something I'd like to never experience.

We went out this week to my dentist.  I had to get a crown re-done.  I needed it while pregnant but had to wait.  After the dentist the three of us went to get some of my jewelry inspected.  I decided while there, since DH did not get me a single thing for giving birth not even a thank you or an I'm glad you are still alive, that it was time that I got myself a nice piece of jewelry.  Oh I made him use his card and sign for it even though I do the finances in the family.  Here is a photo of what I bought myself:

It is a raspberry rhodolite with vanilla and chocolate diamonds set in 14k strawberry gold by Le Vian.  DH now has something he can add to and he'll get reminders to do so.  All of my stuff will go to Little E some day so he can't really complain too much.  Besides I think I deserve it.

After the jewelers we stopped for lunch.  Little E slept through the whole one hour meal.  DH took her to the men's room to change her diaper for me too.

I'll leave you with a photo I took this week of Little E.