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!
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