Hello, Complications!

I'm almost 28 weeks pregnant today and have been waiting for the 27-week post until I had my doctor's appointment this week. I was expecting my glucose test and a typical OB check-up. My glucose test went ok. I had one done several weeks ago and had no side-effects. This time, I got some low blood sugar shakes towards the end, which concerns me. The doctor told me to quit taking my metformin at my last appointment - it's a drug typically used to control glucose, but I was taking it to make me ovulate. My guess is that I failed the test, but we won't know the results for a few days. I spoke with the doctor about it and he says that if I failed it, it can be treated with a prescription. This was ok news.

The doctor measured Emma and listened to her heart - happy as a clam. She LOVED the glucose this time - she was doing the shimmy-shake in the waiting room!

I've also been having the weird episodes that I mentioned last week. I feel like my chest is heavy, I get light-headed, and feel like I'm going to pass out. My heart races and I can hear it in my ears. There's no correlation to activity or food. It's happened right after I've eaten, as soon as I get out of bed, walking down the hall, walking around the grocery store, etc. It's happened off and on for the last few weeks and is a little scary. My thyroid tests came back beautifully, which is making the doctor think that it's "pregnancy induced tachycardia." Basically, your body has a lot more blood in it when you are pregnant and has a harder time pumping it effectively. Tachycardia means that I may have an irregular heartbeat, causing it to race at times and make me feel faint. He told me to lie down as soon as it happens, as a lot of women with tachycardia actually DO pass out. Scary. He said that he wants me to see a cardiologist immediately, and had his nurse call and schedule the appointment for first thing on Monday morning. They will likely do an EKG and make me wear a 24-hour heart monitor at home to record any incidences. He also said that they likely won't be able to treat it, but it is important to know anyway. I did some research later and am a little more calm about it. Many women get it and are very rarely treated for it because it isn't too severe and the meds for it are more dangerous than the actual condition itself. We'll see what the cardiologist says.

The last complication (haven't there been enough for one office visit!!) is protein in my urine. He didn't seem too terribly concerned with this. If it's in conjunction with high blood pressure (mine was my lowest ever) or swelling, it could mean preeclampsia, which could be dangerous. I am still able to wear my wedding rings and have no swelling in my ankles or hands, so he's thinking that it's nothing. After looking online, it could be as simple as a urinary tract infection or other kidney issue causing the protein. He said that often times in your third trimester your body doesn't filter things as effectively as it would normally.

You can see that this has been quite a day. I left the appointment completely devastated and terrified of what all of these things could mean. I've since calmed down and am trying to have faith that God is in control of all of these things. I've got excellent doctors who I trust wholeheartedly and know that if there is anything wrong, they'll find it quickly. I am scheduled for another OB check up and an ultrasound in 2 weeks. I'll keep you all posted on my cardiology appointment. Keep us in your prayers, although I'm sure everything will be fine in the end.

Here's a picture of a precious onesie that I ordered a few weeks ago. As soon as I saw it, I HAD to have it - it's so true. I can't wait to see her in it!