Another Trip to the ER

I was pretty sick on Tuesday night...and not the throwing up kind of sick...the other kind.  Being that kind of sick really makes my ovaries angry.  I didn't sleep well because I was sick...and I was hurting pretty badly.  


I slept of and on until about 10:30am.  When I woke up, I made myself some toast and had a big bottle of water.  I was still sick...and still hurting.  I started to feel really lightheaded and dizzy.


Mike was at work.  Richelle was at work.  My dad was coming over at some point in the afternoon, so I didn't want to bother him any earlier than that.  I sent Robyn a text asking what time her flight landed.  Not until 7:30pm.  I called Rob...he said he could come take me to the ER, but I told him I wanted to eat something else, drink some Gatorade and rest for a bit before deciding what I should do.  He agreed.


About that time, Robyn called.  She asked what was going on.  I explained it all to her...and told her I was making some pasta with meatballs and drinking my last Gatorade.  She told me she would give me 30 minutes to eat and call her back.  I agreed.


Before my 30 minutes were up, my doorbell rang.  I figured it was my dad.  I opened the door to let him inside, but instead of coming inside he said, "Let's go."  I was thinking to myself that I didn't want to go anywhere and that I felt like absolute crapola...so I turned back towards the open door and asked, "Where do you want to go?"  He replied, "The hospital."  


I'm pretty sure this was the point I started whining about not wanting to go to the ER and that I was feeling fine...I know I tossed in there somewhere that I didn't want to spend another $140 on the copay.  He half-laughed, but said, "After everything you've spent already?  Get in the car."  He used the more stern Dad voice, so I grabbed my purse and headed out the door...in slippers.


I asked my dad who called him...Robyn or Mike.  He just looked at me with a blank stare.  So, I sent Robyn a text..."You're in big trouble."  All she sent back was a smiley face...so I knew it was her.   I called Mike to let him know I was headed to the ER and asked him to stay at work...I told him I'd let him know if I needed him to come.  He reluctantly agreed.


I checked in...told my story to the people at the registration desk and was taken back pretty quickly.  I was seen by a PA I hadn't met before...his name was Andy.  He's the best I've seen so far...well...as far as the ER goes.  My nurse, on the other hand, was a royal B*&%$.  She needs a new job...one that she enjoys maybe?  The doctor I saw this time was also much better than the last one.


Turns out I was dehydrated (from being sick) and I have a UTI.  I was shocked about the second half.  I have had more UTIs than I can remember...I can tell I'm getting one before I have it.  But not this time.  My lovely nurse told me, "Pregnancy changes everything."  Well no $%&*, Lady.


While at the hospital, I got a bag of fluid, had my blood taken, gave a urine sample...and was loved by my parents, Raelynn...Richelle came too.  Raelynn pulled up a chair close to my bed and held my hand.  She likes to tell me to take care of the baby...I always reassure her that I will.  I just love her.


Richelle took me home and stayed with me until Mike came home from work.  Luckily for Richelle, he came home early.  


On the way to the hospital my dad looked at me and told me I was very lucky to have the support system I do...so many people that would bend over backwards to make sure I had what I need.  More people that love me than I know what to do with.


He is so right.  I am so lucky.  I have the best family and friends.  My sisters help me so much...I don't even know how to properly thank them.  There is never an inconvenient time.  They never think it's too much.  They are so amazing.  Everyone should have a family like mine.


p.s. I called Dr. Behera's office in hopes to talk to her about what's going on with me.  I talked to her assistant, but she was unavailable.  I really want Dr. B to talk to Dr. A...my ovaries are measuring WAY different now than when I was Dr. B's patient.  Were talking about 40mm different.  So either my ovaries are getting bigger, or something is off.  I wouldn't expect the measurements from two different offices to be exact, but being off by so much has me concerned.  Especially with all the pain I am experiencing...not to mention the second round of bed rest.

Over My Ovaries

I have been experiencing quite a bit of discomfort...the entire time I've been pregnant.  I have dismissed most of it as just the way I get to feel pregnant.  We didn't get pregnant in any normal way, so why would my pregnancy be normal? 

By the end of every night, I am in pain...with intermittent pain throughout my days.  I normally wake up feeling pretty dang good, so I'll take the pain the way I've had it.  By the end of the day my tailbone is also quite uncomfortable...but again, I just figure that's what pregnancy feels like for me.  

No complaints.  I am just happy to be pregnant.

I felt pretty bad last night.  I didn't sleep well at all.  When I woke up, nothing had changed.  The pain was still there...and that made me nervous.  Mike has been asking me to call the doctor for a few weeks, but I always brush him off.  They are just going to tell me the same thing like always- baby is good...I have huge ovaries.  I refuse any pain meds offered...and just keep going with life.  I'm fine with it...it's just the way I get to be pregnant...and I'm fine with it as long as the baby is okay.

I decided this morning that I should give in and make an appointment.  When I didn't feel any better with sleep and rest, I finally felt something wasn't right (enough to call the doctor).

I called at exactly 7:30am when the office opened.  I explained my situation to the girl who answered the phone.  She quickly dismissed me and sent me to Dr. A's medical assistant's voice mail.  That was the same girl who dismissed me a few weeks ago...sent me to voice mail and then I ended up in the ER. 

I decided to let it be for a couple of hours.  I slept a little on and off...and then decided at nearly 11:30am that I wasn't going to get a call back...at least not before the late afternoon (just like last time).  So, I called again.  Another girl answered...so I explained everything to her...and was very clear that I wanted to get in with Dr. A asap.  She said she could get me in a 12pm.    I'm glad we live so close (finally we are't 30+ minutes from one of my doctors).  Mike jumped out of bed, and we rushed to the appointment.

When we spoke with Dr. Austin, we expressed our concern for what I am experiencing.  She was just as concerned.  We discussed some of the scenarios...one of which was removing my ovaries while pregnant.  I felt myself freaking out on the inside.  Not only do I need my ovaries for the hormones (since my thyroid is slowly killing itself), but that would obviously be a final decision on making our biological family.  

I'm not against adoption, but I want to make that decision on my own...not be forced into it.  That doesn't even touch on my concerns about having surgery while Blip is still developing.  That may be the hardest part to get over...I just don't want to put him in jeopardy. At all.  Even if the risk is low.  I don't want to take any chances.

When we finished with Dr. A, we did an ultrasound to measure my ovaries...and to peek at the baby.  Blip is still a boy. He is getting such long legs...and he moves a lot.  He makes me happy...just to see that he is growing and the tiny heart is still beating.

I have another ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday.  That ultrasound will be much more in depth (measuring all of the baby's organs and stuff).  Dr. A wants me on bed rest until at least the next ultrasound.  My ovaries seem to have actually gotten bigger...instead of smaller. Ugh.  I am still hopeful that they will cooperate, but I will listen to my doctor and do what's in the best interest of my health and Blip's health.

Thank Heaven for Little Boys

Patience has never been the virtue at the top of my "I can do that" list.  I have enough to get me through, but when I can avoid waiting...I usually do.  I prefer to use the "buy it now" feature on E-bay...even if I have to pay more.  I rarely wait to tell Mike what I got him for his birthday.  I'd rather miss out on sleep if it means I can finish whatever it is I'm working on. (At least pre-pregnancy...now I just like to sleep.)


As you can imagine, the 2 1/2 years it took us to get pregnant were hard...for more than one reason.  We found out relatively quickly what our issue was...then after Mike's surgery, we had to wait 90 days to find out the results. Longest 90 days ever.  Our IVF cycle started mid-April, but we weren't able to do the transfer until the last day of May.  That's a long freaking month and a half.  It took 11 days to take our pregnancy test after the embryo transfer.  I almost died.


So here we are...finally pregnant.  Time seemed to nearly stop.  Bed rest was beyond any torture I have endured.  The weeks seemed to drag on and on.  Dr. Austin had us set-up an appointment for week 17 to have an ultrasound to determine the baby's gender.  I was only at week 12, so five more weeks seemed like another lifetime.


I finally made it to 14 weeks...and into my second trimester.  I started trying to think of a way to get to week 17 faster.  Since that's impossible, I started looking into getting a 3D ultrasound.  Our insurance wouldn't cover it, but I found a few places that did them for a reasonable price.  Very reasonable.


At 14+ weeks, gender can be determined. (That ultrasound is only the regular 2D ultrasound, but we can go back between weeks 28-33 for the 3D and a 4D ultrasound.)


I called to make the appointment...much to my delight, I was able to get an appointment the very next day.  Next, we invited a few people we thought would be as excited as we were...and life was good.


The ultrasound tech was great...she knew exactly what to do to get Blip moving.  Blip likes to have crossed legs, but that makes if very hard to see parts.  The lady doing the ultrasound (I didn't even get her name?) had me cough, drink juice, sit up, lay flat, etc until she caught a quick glimpse of a very distinct part.

A penis.  She froze the screen and everyone cheered...Mike's mom looked like she was in shock.  I'm sure my face looked the same.  Mike looked happier than I have ever seen him.

I will say this:  Never in my wildest dreams did I think for even 1/2 a second that I would hear the words, "It's a boy!!"  Before my trip to the ER last week, the thought had honestly never crossed my mind.  The last baby boy born into the Buvala family was over 18 years ago...and he was from a non-Buvala male source.  There have been many granddaughters, but that's it...only girls.


Until now. 

14 Weeks

I never got around to posting the pictures from our last ultrasound back on August 8th, so here there are!!

Today starts week 14 and the much anticipated second trimester.  Blip is the size of a lemon this week.  I am getting very anxious about our next ultrasound.  So anxious that tomorrow I am going to schedule a 4D ultrasound for next week...instead of waiting until September.  I have stopped shopping (or nearly stopped shopping)...and I really want to work on getting everything together for the nursery and to decorate the toy room.  The furniture is ordered...the crib, dresser and a rocking chair.  I have all my ideas...I just need to be able to start on them.  Okay...I want to be able to have someone start on them for me. :)


I also thought I should journal about my trip to the ER last Thursday.  I woke up with horrible cramping.  This time it wasn't just on one side (usually the right side)...it was like a band going around my lower belly and my lower back too.  Way different than any of the other cramping I have experienced.  

I was also sick in the night, so when I called my OB, she wanted me to go to the ER to make sure I wasn't dehydrated.  Ugh.  I really didn't want to spend another $150 (our new copay for the ER went up from $125 to $150 this year...awesome.) at the stupid ER for them to tell me my ovaries are huge.  Like it's some new phenomenon....nope- it's just me.


Hello, my name is Randi and I have huge ovaries.


My sisters immediately took me to the hospital.  I wasn't dehydrated...and I refused any pain meds (hello...growing a baby over here.  I'll take the pain before I poison my child.), but I did get another ultrasound.  It was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Sydney was with us at the ER, so she came with me for the ultrasound.  I knew it would be the last one she would be with me for, so I was happy she got to be the one to come with me.  The ultrasound tech was awesome.  I knew it was too early to see any "parts," but he still tried at the end.  Blip had its legs crossed, so that was that.  


Everything looked great!!  We have seen the baby's hands and fingers a few times...the baby has even "waved" at us.  This time...to make Mommy super happy...Blip decided to kick its legs for a little show.  It was the sweetest thing I have ever seen.  By far my favorite ultrasound so far.  Just don't tell Mike...I made him stay at work, so he missed it.  Who knew? :)


I did not get any pictures from that ultrasound. Damn.

11 Years

We met at Carrabba's for dinner for two reasons this year.  Sydney is getting ready to move to Anaheim on Saturday and we always celebrate Kyle's life on the day he lost his.

This year feels different from the last decades worth of celebrations.  This day always makes me reflect on the life we shared and the life we lost.  I also always reflect on where I am in my own life...the life I have created since that awful day in 2000.

I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Kyle.  I still think about him in some sense every day.  I still think about that awful accident almost every day too.  It's not a conscious decision...it's just there.

I am proud of how far I've come since that night.  I remember bits and pieces from the weeks following the accident, but I vividly remember thinking I did not want to be defined by my loss.  I did not want my life to be ruined because of my experience. 

Having those thoughts were strange, because I also remember how much I hoped my life wouldn't continue.  I prayed for my life to be over.  There was so much I didn't understand about the plan for my life when I wished for those things.  I am thankful I was given the strength to stand up and move forward just a little bit each day. 

It took me a long time to find it, but I honestly feel happier than I have ever been.  I feel at peace with where I am. I have everything I could possibly want (except my waistline is missing :) ).  

It took Mike and I a long time to figure out how to be happily married.  It took even longer to figure out how to start our family. Now that we're here...life seems perfect.  I can say that even with the health issues I am enduring (thanks to IVF).  I am truly enjoying being pregnant.  I feel so blessed to be carrying this child...the child that has been waiting so patiently to join our family.

It's hard to know how to feel about this day, so today I just feel content with the life I have been blessed with and thankful that Kyle was a part of it for all those years.

River Rafting

One of the reasons this trip idea was started is to be blamed on Regina.  She, her family, Trent's family and some in-laws on Trent's side head up to the Snake River every summer.  Regina raves about the river rafting and the beauty of Wyoming. 

The idea to go with Regina evolved into the trip we ended up taking.  It evolved from camping to renting a hotel room...which became way too expensive...so that evolved into renting a house with my parents and Richelle's family.

When we started planning our trip, I was nowhere near being pregnant.  The point of the trip for me was to spend time with my dad...and the rest of my family.  River rafting sounded like a great time, but once I was pregnant...it was not in my trip plans.  Luckily, everyone else still got a chance to try it out...while I took pictures and helped drive people to and from.
 

I even got the chance to pick Miss McKenna, Carsen and Jake up from their much quieter rafting trip Trent took them on before starting the fun portion of the river.  We drove to Alpine and got snacks before heading to Lunch Counter (a set of rapids) to take pictures and see our rafters.  The four of us had a blast together...drinking root beer and laughing the whole time.

After our quick Alpine trip, we drove to Lunch Counter & the Big Kahuna...Trent's dad told me how to get there and where to walk down to see the boats go by.  I don't think we could see the Big Khuna, but we were in the perfect spot to see Lunch Counter.  According to Trent, Lunch Counter is usually smaller than Big Kahuna, but because they had 200% more snow this past winter, the river was running a lot different.

We got there just in time to see one of the surfers everyone talks about.  He was done by the time we got down to the water, but another one started up...so I got a couple picture of him.  It really was amazing to watch...and shocking that the surfers don't wear life jackets.

After a few minutes, I could see Trent's red boat...and a bright yellow life jacket.  Most of the jackets were orange, but Neal (in the front of the boat) had a bright yellow one on...so I knew it was the boat we were waiting for.  Trent was guiding the first boat.  He had Regina, Richelle, Sydney, Neal, Mike, Anthony and Derek (in the middle).

They saw us and waved...before they hit the rapids.  They made it through the rapids...and the next boat was approaching. 

The second boat was guided by Kyle, Trent's brother. In his boat he had his wife Jen, Savannah, Brooklyn and two of Kyle's friends (I never met them, so I have no idea what their names are).  They didn't quite make it through the rapids.  I think their boat was too light.  It's funny now that everyone is okay, but at first it was a little scary.

  

 

Our group only got to go rafting twice.  That was a disappointment for everyone, but it was hard to communicate (since we had no cell service) and the boys spent a lot of time fishing...so it worked out okay. 

I hope we get to go back.  I would love to try the rafting experience.  Jen & Kyle had a baby girl in February.  I got to hold her a bit...and day dream about my own baby that will be exactly the same age next summer.  I can't wait.

Grand Tetons

I loved driving through the Grand Tetons so much I hoped we could go back and see more.  Lucky for me, everyone voted to go back and visit Jenny Lake...and take a quick boat ride to see the Hidden Falls.

There was a short hike, but it was worth it.  The Hidden Falls were absolutely beautiful.

Fishing

I don't think our trip turned out quite the way all our fishermen expected, but they did find some good fishing spots almost every morning.  

I was going to tag along one day to get pictures...instead we just met up with the boys while they were out.  Mike was too far gone to get any pictures of him, but I got a few of my dad.

After a few days of the older boys fishing...and the little boys being left out (thanks to the false advertising about fishing from the house), we loaded up Mike, my dad, Carsen and I  into the truck and headed out for some Carsen time.  He wanted to go fishing so bad, but he's too little to wade...and he didn't have the right gear to do it anyway.  So Grandpa took just Carsen out...I went along to take some fun pictures and Mike went along to fish with the other two.  Carsen asked that only us four went on his special trip.

Carsen had a blast and caught a bunch of fish.  He is such a sweet boy...and he needed some good, solid attention.

I can't wait to go back so Mike can have the fishing experience he wanted.  I also loved that part of the country.  It was so beautiful.

Snake River Retreat - 9875 S US Highway 89, Hoback, Wyoming

Mike, Billy, Sydney and I were the first four to arrive at the "cabin" we rented for our stay at the Snake River.  Let's just say...we were a bit disappointed. 

The brick house was RIGHT off the highway and yard was VERY overgrown.  There was broken glass and garbage in the grass...making it impossible for the kiddos to play outside. 

We found the "river access" path, but after the Mike and Billy went down to the river once, they wouldn't let anyone else go down the path.  It was too steep and unkempt.   The website for the house led us to believe we could fish from the river access AND the porch, but there was no way to do either. 

It wasn't safe for the little boys to go down the path...if they didn't make it down the horrible path safely, they would have ended up in the river.  The weeds growing behind the porch not only blocked the view of the river, but made the already impossible task of trying to fish from the porch even more impossible. 

We let ourselves inside to find a stagnant smell...as if the house had been vacant for months.  The house was not messy, but it was dirty...and had cobwebs just about everywhere they could be.  We spent a good hour or two dusting and cleaning everything from a thick, dirty dust.  Even the couches were covered in dust.

I tried to call Richelle to talk to her about our findings, but there was no cell service...as promised.  The internet connection did work...at least it did some of the time.  When it did work, it was slower than dial-up.  We all needed to get on-line and pay bills, but Carlys tried first and it took her nearly two hours to pay two bills.  I decided mine could wait.

Our best surprise was the water pressure.  If the washing machine was running, the shower and sinks had only a dribble of water coming out.  If someone was in one shower, and someone else wanted to take a shower in the second shower...the first shower stopped running completely as soon as the second shower was turned on.  It was very Motel 6 of the place.

Richelle saw a mouse...that was one of our favorite finds.


My favorite part (other than the water pressure) was the traffic noise.  The house did not have an a/c unit, so we had to have the windows open to survive.  The traffic did slow at night, but by early morning it was a steady flow.


Although the house turned out to be a disappointment, we still enjoyed our time near Jackson Hole.