Tuesday, June 12, 2012

First Non-RE Appt.

I miss my RE's little tiny office.

Instead I parked in the middle of a massive parking structure and navigated endless hallways until I found the OB department.  At least everything was well-labeled!

I met the high-risk nurse/midwife today.  She's a really sweet lady.  She took her time and was very detailed in her questions and exams.  But one thing pissed me off.  I'll get to that at the end.

After endlessly talking about my medical history, she did a pap smear.  Fun.  And then we got to the ultrasound.  She inserted the lovely wand, but didn't like the picture and said my bladder was too full, so off I went to pee and then we actually switched rooms.

Before the appointment today I was irrationally worried that there were no longer any babies inside me.  On a similar note I thought well if we lost one last week, what if we lose one each week for the next 3 and again...no babies left.

But we immediately saw the singleton.  Mr. GG had a very important golf match today so I invited my mom to come instead.  (She was thrilled that I asked.)  (And I made this appointment yesterday fully knowing that the odds were low that Mr. GG would be able to make it.  He and I were both ok with it.

I swear that the ultrasound lasted an hour, but it probably wasn't quite that long.  She took a very long time orienting herself and figuring out where all the babies were in relation to each other.  She also spent quite a bit of time searching for the triplet that didn't make it.  We kind of saw a small empty sac, but that was about it.  It didn't seem worth the discomfort to me!  She took tons of pics and the paper actually ran out in the machine.  She had me hold the wand inside of me while she refilled it.  (In front of my mom...which was probably only slightly better than in front of Mr. GG.)

But that's not what annoyed me.  What annoyed me is that I mentioned selective reduction at least 3 times as well as on the intake papers under the section "topics to discuss" but she completely ignored it.  I understand that people have differing beliefs about it, but as a medical professional, I at least expected her to discuss the facts about it.  Hopefully the real perinatologist will be better.  (I go there in 2 weeks.)

I then gave 9 vials of blood (no joke) but the phlebotomist was awesome and the blood seem to flow really quickly which made it go really fast.  Then I had to do a urine test and miraculously squeezed out about another ounce of liquid after already peeing 3 times during the visit.  (I'm a freak!)

Although I've been super stressed finishing up school, I've felt better in general the last few days...needing to eat a touch less and able to work out a little bit.

I say goodbye to the RE on Thursday.  I'm going to be sad...

Please excuse any mistakes in this post.  I got up at 5 to grade the last of the papers and I'm biding time until graduation (starts at 5, I have to be there at 4).  I just don't feel like re-reading.

10 comments:

  1. So glad you saw the babies and that your mom was able to go with you! Weird the nurse wouldn't discuss what was specifically on your "to discuss" list... I agree that it's probably something for you to discuss with the doctor rather than her. Frustrating though! Sounds like you're doing well! =)

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  2. What is up with making you hold the wand in yourself? I couldn't even picture that. It is quite disappointing that she didn't even acknowledge the reduction issue. Perhaps they don't discuss it till a certain point. I don't know, I'm just guessing. Did you bring it up to her at all? I know its hardly likely that she didn't see it on your chart.

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  3. Congrats on 8 weeks+ and moving on to OB!! the nurse sounds weird with searching and asking you to hold wand. She should have at least said she is not right person to answer, talk to doctor etc. instead of ignoring your questions. Hope you get a better nurse next time.

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  4. Isn't it amazing how much better the RE clinics are at ultrasounds? Mine asked me to put the wand in, and then couldn't find the sac at all...or rather she found something that looked like an empty sac. What!? Everything was okay in the end though.

    It's wonderful that the midwife was kind, but it's really awful that she didn't bring up selective reduction at all. I wonder if she just didn't review your intake forms? If she did, then even if she was not comfortable or qualified to answer your questions, she should have explained that the doctor would continue the discussion in your next appointment. :(

    I'm glad things are continuing on track though! I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything goes well at your next appt!

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  5. I too have my first non RE appt Friday and I am sad. I will miss my awesome RE and his diamond stud earrings adn just demeanor. Now my ob/gyn isn't bad he is just kind of different. I agree with you, regardless of personal beliefs she is a medical professional and should have been professional enough to at least discuss it.

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  6. To clarify for everyone, she was an NP - the only one for the perinatology department, so I'll definitely be seeing her and she definitely should know what I was talking about. And I didn't just put it on the form, I mentioned it 2 other times throughout the appt. My mom agreeing that she was ignoring it. Whatevs...hopefully I'll get good info tomorrow.

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  7. Non-judgmental, just curious. Does having triplets instead of quadruplets influence your thoughts on reduction?

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    1. Not really. I know that triplet pregnancies can be managed successfully, but there is still a much higher risk of miscarriage and premature birth - and with that, birth defects. I also think about life after birth and I would not be able to provide the same quality of life for 3 as I can for 1 or 2. I am working with the angle that I want to incrase my odds of the most successful pregnancy and birth possible as well as create the best chance at a healthy life for my baby(ies).

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  8. Wow that was some appointment you had. Great about seeing the babies, not so much about the experience with the nurse. Maybe she just didn't know what to tell you about the selective reductions. It would have been best for her to maybe say so or something rather than just ignore you. Hopefully when you see the perinatologist you can get some actual information.

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  9. This is completely unrelated to your post...but, you recommended The Book Thief to Lanie a few months ago, and I recently added it to my kindle. I couldn't put it down, and now that I'm near the end I can't stop crying.

    I am a mess, and it's your fault ;) Really, though, thanks for an excellent recommendation.

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