Being Your Own Advocate - Rant!

Many who know me will understand that I'm not good with confrontation as majority of the time I will shy away from a situation before anything gets too sticky. When it comes to my health though I can definitely be labeled as a passive patient, at least up until Friday May 25th, 2012 that is. It all started with a couple nights filled with cramps, chest pain and lower back pain to make me realize how important it is not only in life but also in a pregnancy to being your own advocate.

Throughout the last month or so Alex and I were having concerns about the pregnancy as I was constantly having pain no matter how much I laid down and took it easy. Despite my complaints about pain and discomfort within my last couple of appointments, I was told that everything looked and sounded good and that whatever I was feeling was ultimately "normal" in a pregnancy. While I kind of just took what the doctor said and tried to move forward Alex along with family and friends felt that something was going on and it needed to be addressed.

A painful call to the doctors office to try and get an earlier appointment turned into me talking to an advice nurse and being put on bed rest for a day with a scheduled visit to see the doctor the next morning. Though Alex was told that he was allowed to go to appointments with me his SLPO informed him that he would be having 6 straight hours of training Friday morning and asked if I could go by myself. We were both a little upset about this but I told Alex that I would just drop him off in the morning and drive to office by myself and let him know how it went when he calls me during his break. I got to the office and was called back within a couple minutes and walked into a room with the nurse who asked me what brought me into the office today. I responded by informing her that I called yesterday morning to see if I could get an earlier appointment and when the receptionist said we typically don't do that, she did have me talk to a advice nurse. Once I was on the phone with her and told her what I was feeling she advised me to go on bed rest for the day with a scheduled appointment to see the doctor the next morning. She shook her head and then informed me that the doctor will probably not come in to see me since I saw her two weeks ago and that I have a scheduled appointment in another two weeks but that she would go and check.

A couple minutes later the doctor walked in with the nurse. Using her typical line in response to my complaints I out of the blue responded with "You have been saying this for the last couple of appointments now and I honestly don't understand. You told us that having a bicornuate uterus is rare and that my pregnancy is now considered a high-risk one which leads us to believe that my pregnancy is anything but normal. I have no idea if what I am feeling is normal and would like to understand how you believe it is without doing any investigation?"

With a good pause she just looked at me and said with your situation we do need to be concerned and aware of how your body is responding and then ordered the nurse to grab some gloves and informed me that she was going to check my cervix. With a somewhat shocked look on her face she ended up turning to the nurse again and asked for a swab kit. Oblivious to what was going on aside from having a woman standing below me checking my cervix, she told me that she was going to get a quick swab and be done. After she finished and sent the nurse off with the swab she turned to me and informed me to not be worried but that at 26 weeks pregnant my outer cervix was dilated and the cramps that I have been having may be actual contractions. A little surprised but ultimately thankful that I was checked out I nodded and asked what this meant? In short the swab she took can be tested for fetal fibronectin which is found in vaginal secretions and can determine if a woman is going into preterm labor. I would now be sent to the hospital along with this swab to be monitored and tested.

Keeping in mind that I am by myself and that Alex is siting in training at this point without a car or cell phone I tried to stay calm and drove to the hospital. About 10 minutes of roaming the halls with my swab, I arrived at Labor and Delivery and was immediately admitted to the hospital at 11:40 am on Friday May 25th, 2012. Luckily twenty minutes into my stay Alex called and I was able to inform him that I was just admitted to the hospital and that however difficult it may be, he should try and get over here. I really should have him tell the story of how he got to the hospital an hour and a half later because it was incredibly entertaining. Luckily though my 8 hour stay in the hospital was almost like a practice run for what we will be dealing with in the coming months. My swab came back negative for preterm labor but I was having contractions which they were able to stop and control. For now, I am on an oral medication to help stop contractions on a daily basis and have been put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. Though we don't have family nearby to help out, the Military has been really great and understanding of our situation and will hopefully get the paperwork done on Tuesday to have Alex be put on hold so that he can come home and help take care of us.

So after reading our rant what have we learned... 1) Blimpys has amazing food and if you have one in your hospital or one nearby you should definitely eat there, 2) A three-round shot of Terbutaline may cause you to have Hulk like characteristics, 3) Always be prepared for unexpected situations, and most importantly 4) Be your own advocate; I understand that doctors go to school and know what they are talking about but sometimes they too need to be questioned.