Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Military Tricare Pregnancy Experience - 7 Weeks and 6 Days

  During week 7 I felt and looked like death!
  142-143 lbs (losing weight rapidly)

  Literally a day after my last post things got really bad and worse then I would have ever imagined they would.  I went from pretty much never vomiting to vomiting everyday, 2-6 times a day.  From the end of week 6 until yesterday when I was 7 weeks and 5 days I was sick as a dog.  I was weak and could not stand up straight much less walk or stand for long periods of time.  The most I could really do was sit up in bed and eat and walk to the bathroom.  I would vomit every single meal I had, I would vomit snacks, I would vomit anything I drank, and I would also vomit when I had an empty stomach.  The only thing that prevented me from vomiting was sleeping so everyday I would just try to sleep the day away.  My nausea was so the worst I had ever experienced, it was so uncomfortable that it was almost painful.  Vomiting on an empty stomach and the morning is the worst, there is nothing but stomach acid that comes up.
  So you are probably wondering why I didn't just go to the doctor, and have I had my first prenatal appointment.  Well I did not see a doctor of any sort until yesterday and that was not a result of not trying.  I wanted so badly to seek doctors care but Navy Medical has been a pain in the ass from the start and still are being a pain in the ass.  Mind you I have Tricare Prime, this insurance became effective December 1, 2013 and this appointment I was trying to make would have been my very first introduction into the military healthcare system.  I did not think any of this would be a big deal.  As someone who has a Masters in Healthcare Administration I can say what they are making me go through is absolutely ridiculous, the healthcare system is very hard to navigate for someone who is just entering the system, and lastly they give you absolutely no choice in your care.  Its either you do what they want you to do or you get no care at all.  One thing I know is with my pregnancy, labor, and delivery I want choices.  So I will be changing my plan but I still want to explain what they have done for me so far under the plan I am currently on.
  I called to make my first appointment and hopefully get my first prenatal visit.  I was told I could not make an appointment until I did a walk-in (which at could do at anytime without an appt), and took a military provided pregnancy test.  I thought ok I could do that, but I had to wait until a day that my nausea wasn't at its worst.  I went in and took the pee test and was told it would take 5 minutest to get the results back, so I waited.  I also asked while I was there if I could make my first prenatal appointment after my results came back.  That is when I was told before I could make my first prenatal appointment I had to take a 3 hour First Time Parent class.  It was told to me that this class was mandatory in order to make my first prenatal appointment.  So I asked what exactly would take place in this 3 hour class and explained I would never be able to make it through a 3 hour class with the extreme nausea I was experiencing.  They told me that the class would introduce me to the place I would be giving birth, what each appointment would include for the next 9 months, and the facilities I would be visiting during these visits.  Now me taking this class made absolutely NO sense.  #1 I am too nauseous and sick to take a 3 hour class.  #2 I am giving birth in a non military healthcare system in Maryland so I need no introduction to their labor facility as I will not be using it.  #3 I also do not need introduction to 9 months worth of how they proceed with there appointment because I move back to Maryland very soon and would likely only have 1 appointment in their facility.  You would think that they would understand that I needed to see a doctor immediately for my nausea and violent consistent vomiting. How hard is it to understand that I did not need their 3 hour course, taking it would make no sense, and that I needed to see a doctor immediately?  But nope they told me I still had to take the 3 hour New Parent Class before I could make my first prenatal appointment and that they would try to fit me in that day so that they could treat my nausea.  All I wanted was my nausea treated at that time, so that worked for me, and I would figure out the rest later. They made me wait there for almost 2 hours before telling me well they are over booked and could not fit me in for a quick appointment and that I should either go to the ER or make an appointment the following day to treat my nausea.
  So I called to make the appointment for my nausea the following day (I didn't want to go to the ER for something so simple), one thing at a time I thought.  I would deal with what I would do about getting around that stupid required class once I dealt with my nausea.  Once I called they then said that I couldn't even make an appointment for my nausea since it was related to pregnancy and that before I could make that appointment I had to first take the 3 hour class. Otherwise I should just go to the ER.  I have always thought the ER is for emergencies, broken bones, heart attacks, strokes, or other health problems that occur after hours.  But for some reason they thought I needed to go to the ER regardless and I was not allowed to make any type of pregnancy related appointment until I took that 3 hour class.  So at first I tried to wait out the nausea hoping it would get better because I thought going to the ER did not make any sense when they could just make me a quick doctors appointment.  My nausea never eased up and only got worse and worse.  I lost 5 pounds and was clearly getting really dehydrated.  So finally yesterday when I was approximately 7 weeks and 5 days, I drove 45 minutes to the military ER. 
  They prescribed me with Ondansetron (Zofran 4MG) for my nausea and vitamin B-6.  Today I am still nauseous, have very little energy,  and weak but I no longer vomit and I am no where near as sick as I used to be.  Thank God for that.  But I am still trying to change my insurance plan and I am very disappointed in the military healthcare system.  I plan to change it to Tricare Standard which means there will be a lot of cost sharing, I will end up having a lot of out of pocket expenses, but that is absolutely worth it if I can avoid the BULLSHIT!

Monday, January 20, 2014

The Truth About my Pregnancy - The Struggle

6 weeks and 5 days

PHYSICAL

Expected: 
- I am nauseous almost every waking moment of the day.
- I have only vomited once so far, thank GOD.

Unexpected:
- My skin has actually been pretty good, way better then it was before I got pregnant.  I haven't been able to take care of my skin the way I normally did due to my tiredness and nausea.  But even without washing my face as frequently as I used to and even without being diligent with my acne skincare routine my skin hasn't really broken out.
- My skin also doesn't get as oily as it used to, and my lips stay dry and chapped.  I never used to have chapped lips to the point of bleeding but that happens pretty frequently now.
- Bubble guts and diarrhea.  TMI I know, but I will always keep it 100%
- All scents including my own scent and my husbands scent makes me sick and nauseous. Cooking is something I absolutely can not do because the scent of food makes me gag.  The smell of chicken is the absolute worse.  I can not eat chicken!  Matter of fact I can not eat meat of any sort unless its breakfast meat like bacon or sausage (and I can only eat it for breakfast no breakfast meat for dinner!).  Perfume bothers me, the smell of cleaning products bothers me, hair and skin care products I can not stand the smell of.  Basically the only thing that does not bother me is FRESH AIR!
- Today something new started for me, I spit.  One of my friends told me she spit during her pregnancy a couple of days ago I didn't really know what she was talking about until today.  My mouth now produces excess saliva that I can not swallow because it feels gross and it makes me want to gag.  So every few minutes I am spitting out massive amounts of saliva.  I have a spit cup and bowl next to the bed.  I just feel like a gross mess.
-  I knew I would likely be tired, but I didn't realize I would feel bed bound.  I haven't cooked or cleaned my home in weeks.  I have no energy to shower, wash my face, do my hair, get dressed, walking to the bathroom or the kitchen is enough work.  I look like a sloppy, sick, gross, mess.  And I feel bad that I am not working and am not doing my "wifely duties".  At this point my husband is doing it all, he is working, taking care of the home, and taking care of me.  I feel so bad!
- I have an appointment to get my car serviced Friday and I do not know how I am going to make it.  This past weekend we had an appointment to renew our lease and I wasn't able to make it, we asked if I had to be there and she said yes.  So I have no idea when I will have enough energy to go to the leasing office and enough confidence that I will not vomit while I am in the office.  I also need to make my first prenatal appointment but I am super anxious about it because I heard the first one is the longest one and I do not know how I will make it through without vomiting especially because clinics/hospitals have such strong odors.  I hope to make an appointment for next week which means I should be 7 weeks pregnant.
-  I always thought I would be able to document my entire pregnancy through video vlogs and as of yet I haven't had the energy to get myself together enough to be on camera. 
- I am very surprised that I have no lost weight, I am still 147-148 lbs despite the fact that I have been eating a lot less.  I noticed the one time I really filled my stomach up and was really enjoying my food is the one time I vomited.  So I am now very careful with how full I allow myself to get

EMOTIONAL

- I honestly feel depressed, very depressed.  Its a result of a mixture of things such as feeling extreme sickness, my lack of appetite yet I still feel hungry, eating is one of the biggest struggles and I worry I am not giving my baby enough nutrition.  Everything sounds gross but if I do not eat my nausea just gets worse.  The lack of energy to do anything or even leave my house has me super down.  And I feel so bad for my husband that he now has to carry my weight.  I feel, look, and smell gross so clearly that has a big effect on my mood.  Lastly, although I knew if I got pregnant my husband would miss most of my pregnancy what I did not know was how sick I would be and how much I would need him at this time.  So my largest fear is what I will do in the future when he deploys which isn't so far away.  I can't imagine being this sick without him!

SPIRITUAL

- I have never prayed so much in my life.  I pray about everything even things that most people would normally take for granted.  Even if I have one minute of not being nauseous I thank God.  I am constantly praying for relief.  I pray before I leave the house and during every trip outside the house that I will make it without vomiting or feeling extremely sick.  I thank God whenever I can eat my entire meal because is very rare lately.  I thank God whenever I can get a well balanced and/or healthy meal down.  I then pray that I do not vomit it up, although I have only vomited once I have been so close to vomiting so many other times.  I pray all day and all night for a healthy happy baby.  I pray for a healthy pregnancy.  I pray that the Lord will see me through it all and that this phase will end shortly.  Its just been so hard yall so hard.  I have always thought if I did have children I would at least have 2 because I never wanted to have an only lonely child.  But this is seriously making me rethink it.  I can not imagine going through this again.  Worst part is most books I read say that I might go through this phase for another 6 weeks or until I am 12 weeks and that will just be killer.  I just pray pray pray and pray and the Lord is the one who helps me make it through everyday without breaking down and just sobbing honestly.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Nausea is Killing Me

6 weeks and 4 days (I think)

I know the title of this post sounds a bit dramatic and I don't want this blog to become a place where I complain.  But then again I am going to be completely honest with yall.  I am experiencing extreme discomfort 24/7 as it relates to nausea, loss of appetite, bubble guts, extreme tiredness, and todays new development VOMITING! 2 day after we got back from our honeymoon my hubby went back to work, we then found out we would have to leave the following day to Norfolk, Va.  He had training there all week this past week.  We just got back from Norfolk on Saturday.  I didn't start feeling nauseous until we got to Norfolk.  I don't know what it was about being back up north but it was torture.  Being nauseous, the cold weather (which I am not used to anymore living in FL and just getting back from Puerto Rico), and living out of a hotel was no fun.  They were doing construction right outside our hotel so the strong smell of fresh asphault really got to me.  I could smell it even when we were inside our room.  The whole time we were there I tried to mostly just stay in bed.  We obviously had to go out to eat for every meal, and we went to see a movie twice, but beyond that I felt like I was bed bound.  Now that we are back to Florida I am for sure bed bound.  I just feel more sick then ever.  We have been back for 2 days and the nausea just continues to get worse.  My appetite continues to get worse as well.  I am at the point where all I can eat is soup.  For breakfast I try to eat eggs, bacon, sausage, and bread.  My hubby likes to cook a full out breakfast but it seems to always be a fail, I can never get even half of it down (I typically love his breakfasts).  For lunch I eat soup, and for dinner I have soup again.  I also have half of a homemade pizza bagel as well.  That's all I can stomach. BUT tonight after I ate some soup, I vomited immediately for the first time in this pregnancy.  I felt a bit of a relief from my nausea after but I am praying that vomiting won't become a new part of my daily routine.  The whole time I was in Norfolk my biggest fear was that I would vomit while I was out eating in a restaurant.  That is one of the reasons why I do not leave the house now because I feel like I can vomit at any moment.  Thank God I am not currently working!
My husband has been so helpful so far.  He is constantly catering to me, serving me breakfast, lunch, and dinner in bed, and getting me anything else I need so that I do not have to get out of bed if I do not have the energy to do so.  I feel really bad though, since I am so nauseous and have no appetite eating is so difficult.  I do not feel like I am giving my baby a well balanced diet.  I always planned that the day I got pregnant I would eat lots of fruits, vegetables, ect. But I can't stomach anything and if I force it I will just gag and vomit it all up.  So at this point I just eat what I can.  They also say crackers are great to eat when your nauseous, but I can't really stomach that either.  I can force 4 crackers at the most then I am over it.  I really do not know what to do.  I just want some relief.
I just keep in mind that the most important thing is the health of this baby and I will go through any and everything I have to just to have an end result of just that.

Friday, January 10, 2014

4 weeks & 2 Days Update

Starting weight - 147-150

I still haven't started a video vlog, but I plan to as soon as I get around to it.  So much has changed since my last update.  I actually feel pregnant now.  I don't just have enlarged painful breasts but I also now feel extremely tired.  I just got back from a 1 week honeymoon in Puerto Rico 2 days ago so I am beyond exhausted from that.  Add to that I am in my first trimester and I feel like I have not slept in a month.
We left for PR January 1 and stayed until January 8.  From the moment I got there I noticed that I was having very faint cramps.  Not painful, nothing like period cramps, but cramps non the less.  It actually worried me a lot a first. I constantly checked my underwear in fear that I would start bleeding and lose the baby.  At night I normally drink 2-4 glasses of water before bed but I noticed when ever I tried to do that I would get terrible stomach pains so I quickly stopped downing so much water at one time.  I checked baby center and WebMD and realized mild cramps in the first trimester is completely normal but I will never get used to that feeling and will always fear miscarriage when cramps start up. 
I know most women say they often forget they are pregnant in their first trimester because they have no belly, but I feel like the random faint cramps along with huge swollen painful breast are constant reminder. To add to that around 4 days after I got to PR I began feeling extremely tired.  I pushed myself as much as I could because I wanted to enjoy my time there.  I was always motivated to wake up at the crack of dawn and begin my day and stay out as late as I could but by my last 2 days there I literally couldn't move and get out of bed anymore.  I even had to cancel our last trip to downtown San Juan because I was just too darn tired.  The first 2 times we went downtown it was nighttime so I didn't take any pictures so I was so determined to go downtown during the day so I could get some good pictures.  But that's how tired I was, I never made it back there on our last day, I am so sad not to have any pictures from downtown San Juan. 
The last constant reminder I have that I am pregnant is I could not do any of the water sports, I could not do any rock climbing in the rainforest, I could not go horseback riding, and I could not go ATV riding. Basically every activity that was offered had a disclaimer that if you are pregnant you were not allowed to participate.  It didn't bother me though because I feel blessed to have a baby on the way.  Lastly I could not eat sushi, drink alcohol, I had to watch my caffeine intake, and I was constantly googling what I was allowed to consume, what products I am allowed to use on my skin, and what activities are safe for me to do.  Thank God Puerto Rico (especially our resort) is so beautiful I thoroughly enjoyed myself despite the fact that I didn't get to do that much besides eat, relax on the beach and around the resort, hike, and walk around downtown. 
The day we flew back home was the first day I began to feel nauseous.  Being tired and nauseous is a pretty bad combination.  Everything I do feels like a major chore now. I suck on preggie pops that I got from Babys R Us when ever I feel queasy.  I do not feel that it works though lol. Today was the first day I could not get out of bed, felt the most tired I have ever felt in life, and felt like I wanted to vomit this morning.  Sometimes I feel really hungry but if I do not eat at that time then I tend to completely lose my appetite.  I had a late dinner today because my husband got home late from work, and by the time he got home I lost my appetite. I am trying really hard to eat better, including fruits and vegetables, and also cutting back on soda. 

I will leave you with pictures of my recent pregnancy purchases and some pictures of me on my honeymoon.  Basically what I looked like at 4-5 weeks preggers.