3 hour Glucose Test

Wasn't too bad today.  I didn't like getting stuck four times but the drink was tolerable after the zofran I popped earlier in the morning.

As for the numbers, all I know is the fasting number was 94.

Oh and it took three and three quarter hours for the test.

Weekend Review

Totally missed church this morning.  I was that comatose that I barely heard J open the garage door.

The head cold is in day 6.

I have 3 PIO shots left in this cycle and 2 more patch application days.  1 January is the last day for both.

Bugsy has been official adopted out to J and I.  The guy that adopted him from a pet store came to his senses and realized that our cat would be best with us since we have had him longer.  He came over with all the paperwork he had, not much but still medical history is always nice to have.  I'm very happy to have that situation resolved.

Went shopping yesterday for a baby shower gift.  Bought one item pre-made and some yarn to make a gift.

J and I went to the PX and bought Bugsy 30 tubs of Meow Mix wet food in his two favorite flavors.  Then we bought him more wet food at Petco and a toy.  The toy is one of those soothers that can be heated in the microwave.  I thought maybe he might like this since we are getting his teeth cleaned next month and he hates going to the vet.

We also went to Trader Joes were I purchase my normal monthly supply of unsalted nuts.  I live off of nuts since they are a good source of protein and portable.  I put a quarter cup in a zip lock baggie to take with me when I'll be out for the day.

Last stop of the day was Babies R Us.  I wanted to price browse.  Found only one stroller with an adjustable height handle and they had just sold the last one on the floor earlier.  Read the print out reviews on it and was a little disappointed to find it had a small bag shelf and no cup holder plus gave a really bumpy ride.  I'll keep looking.  J has been looking at some strollers on line and the price point he has been looking at chokes me a bit.  $600-$1000.00 for a stroller.  Crazy amount but since we are going to have just the one child and safety is a big issue for us I want to get the best we can afford.

Back to disappointment at Babies R Us.  I found one crib.  Just one crib made in the USA!  I asked another clerk if she knew if there were more products made in the USA in the store.  She said give her a minute and that yes they had a really small selection she would help me find.  I ended up waiting 10 minutes by the Hello Kitty furniture with no clerk coming back.  Annoyed!

Checked out the cloth diapers.  They had the G diapers which I didn't like or the old fashioned pre folds by Birdseye.  I was hoping they'd have gro-via or something similar.  Well at least J now has an idea of what I'm looking for in cloth diapers.  He'll not be surprised by the price tag or what he'll be diapering his kid with now.

Today we have to get a few perishable items from the Commissary on the installation.

Tomorrow is the 3 hour glucose test.  I've been following the gestational diabetes diet since the 26th and have now lost 2 pounds.  I am not trying to lose weight.  Yesterday, I forgot to mention, we stopped by Jack in the Box for lunch.  I ate my burger but couldn't finish my fries or drink.  Still I ate plenty yesterday with all my snacks and meals.  I'm a bit concerned that I'm losing weight and eating more.  I'm still obese so I'm sure the doctors won't be concerned since they are usually too over burdened with all the pregnancies they have to attend to on the installation.  I swear the women on post breed like rabbits.  Well I know they don't but when I was trying for years and all I saw were swollen bellies around me it felt like that.

If any of my readers have links to more Made in USA products please post them in the comments.  I'm going to try to purchase as much  made in the USA for my baby as possible.  I get so tired of seeing made in China on everything at the PX, Babies R Us and other stores.  My baby was made in the USA and I'd like to proudly have my child wear and use products made in its homeland.

So Far So Good

Yesterday, with a little research, I started on the gestational diabetes diet.  Less nausea was experienced this morning upon waking up.

I got on the scale, yes I still weigh myself daily, and found that I had lost 1.2 pounds.  I'm not trying to lose weight but maintain my weight and eat healthy.

With a bit more research today I found that quite possibly the estrogen patches, progesterone shots and my blood pressure medicine, of which is a combination alpha and beta blocker and beta blockers can cause sugar to rise, might be some of the culprit in failing the one hour glucose test.  However my OB team is aware, geez I hope they are aware with all the paperwork I had to fill out and hand in earlier this month of which they read over, of what medications that I take.

Fingers crossed I get good results on Monday's test.  Probably won't find out the results until the new year.

Gestational Diabetes

You read correctly.  Gestational Diabetes.

I had my 1 hour glucose test on Monday.  Just a few minutes ago I thought I had the test on Friday.  Yes, brain fog wins again.  I got a call while in the shower.  I listened to the message and called Labor and Delivery where my medical professional told me to call as she was working there today.

Monday I'll have to go in for the 3-4 hour glucose test.  She doesn't like the fact that Dr. Holland prescribed me Phenergan, nor do I.  So she is prescribing me the Zofran as she doesn't want me to puke during the test on Monday.  I haven't been taking the phenergan because I'm afraid of hurting the fetus.

So this really sucks.  I was just fine sugar wise before the pregnancy.  As a matter of fact I have a tendency to be hypoglycemic as in not enough sugar.  Figures I'd go the opposite end while pregnant.  Still not gaining weight so it isn't from me indulging in every sweet thing I can stuff into my mouth either.

The medical person that called me was truly surprised that I have diabetes this early on.  I did fill her in on the family history with my dad being a diabetic, and my mother being borderline diabetic.

Let the good times roll!

Now I have to figure in sugar and carb restriction into my already low sodium diet.  This is going to suck when I move as we all know convenience foods and fast foods are truly the only available option when driving cross country in the summer with a pet in the car.  I'm not going to leave my cat in the car to roast just because I want a healthy sit down meal.  I'll have to pack a cooler, that is going to be fun fitting that in the car with the crate, yes a crate, for the cat.

The vet suggested I purchase a crate to put the kennel, litter box and dishes in when we travel this summer.  I want Bugsy to have room to move about so I'll do just that.  Now I'm trying to figure out how to fit him, a couple suitcases, a cooler and my husband's gear in the small suv.  Think I'll be doing to pre-packing well before the move to make sure I can fit all that is necessary into the suv.

Oh and any lovely desserts I was still planning on making for my husband before he deploys aren't going to get made as only he will be eating them.  The PAKE, chocolate cake with a cherry pie baked in it, has only had two slices eaten from it.  Though delicious it is way too sweet for my liking.

This morning I finally got around to eating breakfast of two eggs scrambled with mozzarella cheese at 1130 hrs. because I slept in from the terrible cold I received as an extra special Christmas gift.  I am trying to eat healthy.

Battle For Bugsy

Yesterday two teenage girls knocked on my front door.  I answered the door and was immediately accused of stealing their cat.

I said to the girls that I do not have your cat that I have my cat.

They then wanted to see him.  I obliged.  I let them hold him.  Bugsy did  not like to be held by them.  Strange as he loves to be held by most others.  The girls then said that he doesn't like to be held.

They then tried to take the cat from my house.  I said that they were emotionally upsetting me and would have to leave.  They said they would return with their mom and the paperwork to prove it was their cat.

I was fine with that.  The cat is still mine as he is chipped in my husband's name and registered in my husband's name on the installation.  If he had been owned by any one else on the installation legally he would have to have been chipped in their name and registered on post as the installation requires to do so within 10 days of getting a pet.  All the information can be found here: http://www.jblmmwr.com/vet_clinic.html

I followed the rule and tried to find his owner.  I spoke with the lady that owned him and was chipped in her name.  She was fine with me adopting him.  We had her call the microchip company and put my husband's name on the chip as the pet's owner.

So the girls come back with another girl that I swear if she is the mother she must be the step mother and about 14 years of age.  I looked through their paperwork.  Yes, I saw that they had purchased the cat and his chip number matched.  I asked why they didn't register him on post.  They said they did.  I said that he is my cat and not theirs.  They didn't like that and left.

Later the father came by with the paperwork again.  We went over my paperwork and his.  I had to call in the Military Police with the hope that they could set this man straight on the ownership of the pet.  They told us we would have to go to small claims court.

Seriously these folks bought the cat in May and renamed him Mufasa.  It ran away from them twice according to the first owner who was called twice about the cat being missing and found again.  The cat then ended up with another neighbor on another street over in June.  The cat, Mufasa now Garfield, then ran away from the newer owner in July.  He was severely malnourished when I ended up taking him in on 28 September.  I had permission from Garfield's owner to keep him if I found him.

I went online to Craig's list, Lewis McChord yard sales, Facebook, and asked around the neighborhood if anyone was missing an orange tabby.  No one was missing a cat.  Mufasa's owners said that they gave up the cat for dead 6 months ago.  They made no attempt to put out food for him or find him.

So what the heck are they doing now trying to take Bugsy away from me.  I found out his first name from his first owner who had him from the age of 5 weeks.  I found out his food likes, dislikes and toy likes.  I made sure his shots were up to date.  I made sure the veterinary clinic on the installation was away that he was a possible stray/runaway.  They kept me alerted and were even thinking this past week of placing a kitten with me to foster to adopt until I told them I'd be PCSing and was pregnant.  Pregnant women have to be extra careful when taking in new pets because of things like ring worm and scabies.

I spent my entire afternoon crying.  Yes, even when the father of the girls was here.  He told me I needed to calm down.  Well and good but you are trying to take away my fur baby.

He said to J and I that he doesn't think it will come to a court date.  To him the cat is just a cat and he said that too.  The man owns a large breed dog, a mastiff.  He fed the cat fish food that he gives to the fish in the tank.  He has four children that Bugsy obviously does not like.  That family abandoned him and left him for dead.  In my opinion they have no legal claim.  I offered the man the $25 he most likely paid for Bugsy since he was over 2 years of age at the time of adoption.  The ASPCA has a $70 charge to adopt a kitten and this past spring it was $25 to adopt a mature cat.  The man declared he paid more than that.  I looked at J and told him to go to the ATM and get $100 to give to the man.  The man shook his head to that too.

So court it is.  If he calls and tries to take MY CAT away from me I'll tell him to take me to court.  He violated the military installation policy.  I did nothing wrong.  The cat is legally mine or I should say legally my husband's cat.

There was a lot more dialogue that went on.  I didn't swear.  I did cry a lot to the point that my eyes are swollen and feeling like they are full of sand this morning.  I didn't sleep well either.  Maybe an hour or two of sleep.  Fun considering I have to get all my pregnancy blood work done this morning which will be about 10 vials of blood.

I'm going to say it again:  HE IS MY CAT!

**** Update at 1000 hrs****

My husband called the veterinary clinic on post.  We own the cat.  The man who is trying to take our cat from us does have a cat and a dog registered on post.  He has a mastiff listed for the dog.  For the cat it is a black and white cat.  NO ORANGE TABBY.  The man lied to us about registering his Mufasa.

J is going to chat with legal about what we can do to protect our cat.  Our cat is not just a piece of property as the other man called it when he spoke to the military police at our house.  Our cat is family!

Happy Yule

I celebrate the blessings of the season.  J and I handfasted 10 years ago on Yule and will be celebrating together tomorrow.

Now for those you that don't want to see an ultrasound photo then I suggest you not read any further.

Much to my delight I'm still pregnant.  With the cramping and spotting I've had I did begin to wonder.  Though the progesterone does work wonders to stave off bleeding I'm very frightened that I'll lose this pregnancy.

In a few weeks I'll be further along in pregnancy than I ever have before.  I'm scared.  I'm happy.  But I'm very afraid that I'll be smitted for being happy and lose the baby.

J tried to take some photos of the ultrasound.  I got the old machine today.  How old?  Well it is so old that it doesn't list CRL or the Yolk sac or anything else pertaining to gestational age or heart beat on the machine's screen.   So yes, that old.  Now if only the Army budget could include some much needed money for medical we'd be all set.  Maybe some forget but not all soldiers are male.  I saw quite a few pregnant females in uniform today.

Oh and don't get me started on the condition of the treatment rooms.  Small, dirty, and I think the newest item in there was the table.  I could see via the permanent stains on the floor where the old table sat.  The fabric on the seats were badly stained too.

Well to the point of the post.  Look away now if it hurts to see a pregnancy photo because I'm going to post a photo and details.

Heart beat was on track at 158 for the gestational age of 8 weeks and 4 days.  Next ultrasound will in all likelihood be in late January when I meet my new OB team.  J could see a lot more than I could while the OB was doing the transuterine ultrasound. Yes, I finally made it to a transuterine ultrasound that wasn't looking for cysts.  Milestone there!  The OB did notice, without us telling him, that I have a cyst on my left ovary.  I told him the RE office knows it is there and it is a sac of scar tissue.

J saw that that baby is facing my right hip right now.  I guess he also got to see it waving its limbs.  Wish I could have seen that one.  Maybe next ultrasound.

J won't get to see the next ultrasound because he'll be deployed but I can always get a picture for him.

Oh I was prescribe a stool softener but I already had that particular one on hand so I didn't pick it up at the pharmacy.  However I did pick up the phenergan as that might come in handy.  I'm allowed to take Tylenol for the ligament, pelvic and back pain.  J asked me if I had another question for the doctor.  I couldn't think of any.  I swear he was turning red with embarrassment.  Then I realized.  Oh yes, "doctor are we now allowed to have sex?".  Yes was the OB's answer to J's relief.  Poor man gets so embarrassed.  I'm just absentminded and seeing the ultrasound of the baby blanked my mind.  I did tell my husband that sex will depend on my pain level and puking.  He understands.  I do miss the closeness that sex brings since we didn't get the fun of conceiving this baby with the "normal" fun most couples get.

Phone Silence on My End

My brother is now at my parents house.  He'll be there a week.  I won't be calling my parents during that week.  Mom said she'll call me.  My brother has yet to accept the fact that I'm pregnant.  What is there to accept?  It isn't his kid!

Mom is saddened by the fact that I'm choosing not to call until he leaves.  The reason being is that if Brian is near the phone and he sees that it is me calling he'll refuse to pick up.  So why should I bother to call if it will just be ignored?

Plus I don't want to deal with the added stress.

Mind you when I move back East this is going to make the holidays very interesting.  Brian likes to come home for all of the holidays when possible.  Does this mean with my spouse's schedule our child may never spend a holiday with my parents?  Quite possible.

Brian is annoying at his best.  He is immature.  He still likes to be the center of attention.  Is it any wonder he is still single?