Exploding head and NT Scan
On Saturday I had my IVIg done by a nurse in my own home. She actually had to travel 2.5 hours to my home and then she forgot the Dextrose Solution. The dextrose is an IV bag of fluid that they use to flush the actual Gammagard (Gamunex) with. It's basically like saline. That way they can keep me well hydrated and hopefully prevent some of the side-effects of the IVIg. The nurse ended up calling Dr. Z and asked him if she could please do this one infusion without the Dextrose. She said she would have me drink a lot of water and hopefully that would make up for it. Dr. Z wasn't happy but said that since he didn't want me to wait any longer he would agree this one time.
We did the infusion and it took about 4 and half hours. I felt fine throughout it and was happy I could do it in my own home and not have to drive all the way to San Fran to have it done. I couldn't believe the many supplies the nurse had though. All of which I get to keep since I purchased them...can't wait for this bill! I even own my own IV pole now.... should make an interesting hat rack when this is all done with.
About 3 hours after the infusion a bad headache started up (Sat evening). If you've followed my pregnancy to date you'll know that I've had about 6 migraines in my 1st trimester. Not fun. My entire family suffers from migraines but this is ridiculous. Typically I had 1-2 a month before my pregnancy and was able to take a medication to make them manageable. I knew pretty quickly that this headache was different than my others. Migraines are bad but this was just different and maybe even worse. The front of my face, especially around my eyes and at the temples felt like it was going to explode. The pressure was so intense I couldn't help but cry from the pain. Just touching my eyelids was incredibly painful… My blood vessels were huge and you could take my pulse by touching any vein on my face. This didn't let up at all and I had my NT Scan on Monday w/ the high risk OB/GYN (Dr. H). He's located about 45 mins from home and I managed to drive there. My husband met me there since he works nearby. We had to wait over an hour for our appt and I'm sure that all of the patients in the waiting room thought I was the highest risk in the room. I was shaking, pale and couldn't stop holding my head. I looked like hell. In fact J said it looked like I'd just come back from a 24/7 week long bender of drinking and partying all day and night long. Basically he was saying yes, you look like hell. Finally we had our NT scan and we saw both babies. One was measuring exactly on date at 13 weeks 3 days and the other was measuring a little ahead at 14 weeks. This concerned Dr. H a little just b/c you really want to do the NT measurements before the babies are measuring 13 weeks 6 days but he said it could be b/c the baby was stretched all out so he decided it was still okay to go ahead and do the measurements. They looked great and had strong heartbeats. He did the measurements which took forever b/c the babies wouldn't cooperate. One was dancing all over the place and wouldn't sit still for a second while the other was kicking back like a cool cat and wasn't going to roll over to make it easy for the doctor. Dr. H kept pushing and pounding on my tummy to try and get him/her to move but it was not working. Finally the baby was in a decent enough position to take the measurements. Dr. H wouldn't tell me anything at all b/c he said we had to wait for the blood tests to know anything. I caught some of the measurements and it sounded like the largest were 1.6mm for one of them and 1.4mm for the other so I'm hoping we're okay. Those sound like good measurements from everything I've read. I should find out the official results in a week or so.
He didn't even attempt a try on the sexes and I didn't care. I was so happy to see the babies growing and thriving. It makes it all worth it.
It amazes me that they are doing so well when I feel like death run over twice. I'm a little concerned about my weight too. In the beginning of my pregnancy I lost 5 pounds b/c of the hyperthyroid issues and then I put that back on plus 3 pounds. So I've really only gained 3 pounds over my normal pre-pregnancy weight. Not good at all since I started out a little underweight. I was told they wanted to see about a 10 pound weight gain on me in the 1st trimester since I was pregnant w/ twins. I actually can't believe I've only gained 3 pounds. I have a little baby bump and my boobs have already gone up almost two sizes. I hardly recognize my own chest. It's just so hard to focus on food when you feel horrible. And I get sick to my stomach w/ the headaches so that doesn't help. Going through the kidney stone and thyroid issues wasn't helpful either. And I can't believe the amount of protein I'm supposed to eat...150 grams a day for twin pregnancies. Are you kidding me! I could easily be a vegetarian. I eat some chicken or fish maybe 2 times a week pre-pregnancy. So now I am really trying. I'm eating high protein yogurt, more milk, lots of eggs, cheese and having meat entrees every night when I can get the food down. But even that doesn't amount to even half of the protein I should be getting. I tried the protein powder smoothie idea and couldn't force it down. It was so chalky...yuck. I need to try some different brands of whey protein powder or something.
So it's now Weds and my head is a little better...not a lot. I pretty much spent Sat through today in bed and only got up to spend some time on the computer to read a few blogs and try to eat. Yesterday I gave in and called the local OB/GYN and begged for him to help me. He prescribed some pills that have codeine/butalbital/caffeine in them. They must be safe enough since they were prescribed by an OB/GYN but the pharmacist freaked me out by saying he wouldn't recommend then for a pregnant woman since they're a class C drug. So the bottle is sitting in front of me and I haven't taken one. I will though if it starts to get worse again. I just can't take it anymore. I'm doing the ice packs on my head and I tried Sudafed thinking maybe that would help with the pressure. Don't even mention Tylenol, b/c that might as well be sugar pills for the good they do. If you have any other ideas for relief from headaches/migraines in pregnancy let me know b/c I will worship you forever if you can take away this pain.
And that has been my week so far. And to end on a positive I have to say nothing, absolutely nothing compares to seeing two strong little babies on a u/s screen. Those images from Monday will get me through... at least until the next u/s :-)
Labels: 2nd Trimester, NT Scan
posted by Keeping The Faith @ 2:09 PM
16 comments
16 Comments:
OMG, you poor, poor thing!
Really, you couldn't pay me to do the infusion without the extra fluids, because even with them I got a migraine the last time. But I know by the time the nurse got there you just had to move forward...see!
...you ARE Super Woman. Told ya!
I'm so sorry between the headaches and not feeling well in general it's so tough to get enough food down. But it does sound like in spite of all the challenges, the babies are doing great so that shows how tough they are!!
I hope the IGIVs are over for you, do you get your blood drawn in another 3-4 weeks to check the killer cells?
I'll be thinking of you and I'll try to call you later this week to check on you. Hang in there, you're really doing great :-)
Oh honey, you poor thing. At least you were at home instead of traveling and feeling so bad. Hang in there. I have had a bad headache for about a day now and that sucks enough. I'm terribly glad it isn't a migraine but it is different than headaches I am used to. I don't know if it is because of my face or what. I did take my blood pressure and it was okay. I'm sure your doctor gave you the RX because it isn't as bad to take a class C med now that you are in your second trimester. Obviously it is what he does. Pharmacists are just super cautious, as they should be. I hope you feel better!
I'm so sorry about he headaches. Unfortunately I don't have any advice there.
So glad about seeing the babies! Congratulations!
You are a trooper. In fact, I think you may be my new hero. I suffer from migraines as well - only one every 6 weeks or so - and they are miserable. I can only imagine a super-migraine on top of everything else that you are dealing with. It is a testament to your strength that you can see through all of this and still be so excited for the babies.
I honestly think that taking one of those pills might be ok. I can't imagine that one pill would cause significant harm, but what do I know. It just sounds like if you are feeling better, you can eat more, which will ultimately help the babies. But I completely understand your hesitation.
I hope your pain ends soon and congratulations that the babies are doing so well!!
Faith, Hi! I'm also pregnant with twins (15 weeks) with headaches (not as bad as yours, but daily) and no interest in food. My doctor said 75 grams of protein and I've been struggling to get that! Anyway, I wanted to suggest an alternative that's worked for me so far. I get high-protein "ensure" drinks, mix them with ice and a little vanilla ice cream, and have a shake once a day. It has 15 grams of protein and doesn't taste powdery at all. I'll hope that you can find something that works for you, and hope you feel better in the coming weeks!
I SO feel for you with the migraines. I wish I had a miracle cure for you because they are just miserable. I'm always worried about what doctors really know when it comes to meds...my REvtold me to go ahead and take my prescription migraine med when I got a migraine right after the transfer even though it was a class C but I just couldn't do it. Then, my Ob/Gyn told me that I could only take Tylenol 3 and not to take the prescription med so I was totally confused. She gave me a script for Tylenol 3 but I haven't used it yet...have you tried that? I agree that regular Tylenol is worthless for migraines but I've heard that Tylenol 3 is kind of like valium so I guess it just kind of numbs you or at least helps you sleep.
I'm so glad you got to see the babies and that they are thriving!! Their measurements sound very good, too.
Hope you feel better soon : )
I've been reading your blog for some time, but have never responded - to yours or anyone else's in fact. But I feel moved to write to you.
I am so sorry to hear about the problems you've been facing in becoming pregnant, and now during your pregnancy. But I want to thank you for facing it all with such courage and good humour. Like you mentioned in a recent post, I too can find blogs depressing at times, but not yours. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with such good grace and a giggle - it means a lot actually.
Wishing you and your husband love and laughter in the months and years ahead.
Emma.
PS: A masseur friend taught me a great Indian technique for dealing with bad head pain. I find this amazingly beneficial - I hope it works for you too. Ideally, you need your partner to do this for you. Lay on the bed and have him sit behind you. Ask him to cup your forehead in one hand, and the back of your head in the other. Now he needs to press together really hard, as if he was making a sandwich - his two hands are the bread and your head is the filling. He should hold the grip for as long as he can, and then gently release. Repeat for a few minutes. If he's not there to help, you can try it on yourself, but I find it's not quite as effective.
(Temporary) cure for a bad headache: pound your big toe with a hammer.
I'm sorry, I'm no help. I really feel for you, though. That must be awful.
I have had some luck with acupressure (pinch the skin between your thumb and forefinger). What Emma said sounds good, too. But I've never had migraines, so I really don't qualify to answer. I hope you feel better soon.
So glad to hear that you had such a great ultrasound, even though you're feelng so crummy. Definitely try a different brand of protein powder in the smoothies - when I was having my worst times and not eating much, at least the smoothie was something I could get down. Try adding something creamy to it, I've found that creamy stuff helps hide the protein powder chalkiness - like yogurt, or banana, or even ice cream.
I've had some migranes, but not as bad as you are describing. My solutions in the past have always been a combination of tylenol or excedrin, plus sudafed and also some caffeine. It's the combination that seems to help. and of course a dark room, but I'm sure you're already doing that one. sometimes some benadryl in the mix helps too.
Have you tried acupuncture?
And I think that probably the lack of nutrients might be contributing to that headache - so do try to get something down - even if just a milk shake.
I just found your blog and wanted to say congrats on the twins! I am so sorry your head hurts so bad. I wish I had that wonderful advice you are seeking for healing!
Hope you feel better soon!
Faith,
I'm so sorry that you are still having migraines - and this IVIg-related one sounds like it was a whopper. I hope you don't have any more... but I don't have any advice. My headaches are all of the "normal" hurting variety. Nothing like what you've been going through.
BUT - great news with the NT scan. It sounds like the measurements are right on - and I'm sure your blood tests will come back great.
I know you are feeling crappy, but like you said, knowing that those babies are thriving in there must just warm your heart. A great feeling.
those NT measurements are GREAT!!
I 2nd the acupuncture recommendation, both for the migraine and the nausea.
I'm pretty sure that Sudafed is considered class C as well - meaning it's not guaranteed safe b/c there haven't been any double-blind studies b/c no one wants to submit their baby to a trial. But it's considered safe to use. You might look into that and it might make you feel better about the meds you were Rx'd.
In any event, I hope you get to feel better very soon, you're well overdue for it!!
Holy cow! That's just hideous. As a fellow migraine sufferer, I feel your pain. I normally get 3-4/month, and without meds, am crippled by the pain. Since I've been pregnant, the character of my migraines has changed, but they've become more frequent. I had one that lasted nine days straight, but the intensity of the pain varied throughout the day. Usually they're at most 3 days, and crescendo and then disappear on the last night. The only thing that I've found that helps a little now that I'm off of the meds is putting an actual ice pack on my head. It sounds ridiculous, and it's certainly not a cure, but it does take the intensity of the pain down a notch or two from excruciating to just plain painful. I also try to stay in a dark quiet place as much as possible. Don't tell anyone, but I also have a cup of caffeinated coffee when it's bad. It helps a bit, and I figure it's better for the fetus than forbidden meds.
I am SO sorry that you're dealing with this. I'm glad that your doc had mercy on you and prescribed something that you can use in case of emergency. I wish that my doctor would do the same. I wouldn't take it unless it was really bad, but I find it frightening to be in severe pain and to know that it can go on for days without my being able to do anything about it. Just having the meds in hand would be reassuring. IMO, if you really need them, take them. Your OB wouldn't have prescribed them if they didn't think that the benefits outweigh the risks.
My OB says that the migraines should start to improve in the 2nd trimester. I really hope that she's right. It must be twice as bad with twins. I really feel for you, and hope that you feel bettere soon.
OH MY GOSH, Faith! I have been gone way way too long. Thinking of you, girl and praying for some relief! You are amazing!
Donna said...Take the meds. Won't hurt the babies, it is perfectly accepted at this stage of pregnancy. Ice packs, yes, but heating pads may work better, it just depends on what your head responds to. Tylenol 3 is tylenol with codeine. If you can keep it down, it also will help. Not heavily prescribed because of the risk of addiction, not because of a risk to the babies.
I myself took tylenol 3 when pregnant with my daughter (alot), she is getting her masters degree now, so no worries!
as someone who also gets gammagard and is dealing with infusions, i just wanted to cheer you on. i get sick for about a day after each treatment. but as a mom, i do whatever i have to do to keep myself around for my two babies. you just do it, kwim?
anyway, hang in there. i love the idea of the hat rack ;-)
Post a Comment
<< Home