A few days in a hotel....

...would have been a lot more fun than spending the last 3 days in the hospital.

I woke up Sunday at 2 AM with extreme bladder and right side back pain. I mean, extreme. I tried to cope and get back to sleep, first with Tylenol, then 2 hours later with some Vicodin. Two more hours later I was whimpering/crying/thrashing with the pain. I tried taking a hot shower to see if I "just" had slept funny and that is why my back hurt so much. The shower didn't help and drying off and getting dressed made the back pain worse. I waited till a "decent" hour to call my friend Dana who is a midwife to get her opinion. She said "Go to the emergency room NOW". **gulp** Okay, okay.

Hubby took me to the ER at the hospital I am hoping to deliver at (we haven't ever used this hospital for a delivery, but I have been there for a couple of friends births and each time I am impressed), which is not very close to our house, about 20 min. away when there isn't any traffic. I walked/hobbled into the ER while hubby parked the car. They take one look at me and put me in a wheelchair. I tell them I'm 20 weeks pregnant and they call the labor and delivery dept. and basically decide they will send me up there and if they don't want me/don't think that is where I should be, they will send me back down.

This was a real blessing. I did not have to spend anytime sitting in the ER waiting room, or wait for hours to be seen, all the while in a lot of pain. I went right up to a tiny labor and delivery "observation" room (since I wasn't having a baby I didn't need the big rooms that are all set up for delivery's and newborn care). I was in a bed immediately, with tests being run, pain medicine administered and an IV started not long after I arrived.

Based on my symptoms and test results they were thinking bladder infection with a kidney infection and/or kidney stone. I was started on IV antibiotics, hydration and pain control. An ultrasound of the kidney didn't show any obstructions or stones, so we kept to the treatment of a kidney infection. Meantime, they monitored the baby a few times a day, but he/she is a very happy camper, in spite of my illness and misery.

I never knew kidney infections hurt so much. As my before-mentioned-friend Dana describes the pain, it is like someone in stiletto heals is stepping on your back, right through your kidney. Yup, that sums it up.

I spent Sunday, Monday and half of Tuesday in the labor and delivery dept, occasionally hearing the "noises" of transition or pushing and the delightful sounds of newborn baby cries. I think if I was closer to my due date it would have been harder to leave there without a baby in my arms. As it is I have 19 weeks till my due date, and about 17 weeks till my OB plans to do the c-section because of my still VERY complete, placenta previa (had an US of that while I was in the hospital, since I was just "lying around" with not much else to do and was going to miss my scheduled US at my OB's office, because I was in the hospital), barring any problems making an even earlier delivery necessary.

All the nurses were so great and they all said "good-bye for now, and I hope to see you when you come back to have this baby". I am so thankful I chose to go to this hospital. It was great!

For now, the plan is 10 days of oral antibiotics, pain relief as needed, rest, see the OB in a week, etc. Further out plans still include bed rest at 28 weeks, which is now 7 weeks away. AFTER I am back on my feet again, I need to get back to working on school planning and figure out what we are going to do about meals when I am on bed rest.

Our wonderful church family is helping us out this week and bringing in meals through the weekend.

After I got home today all I have done is mostly sleep. You know, a hospital can be a great place to "rest", but not so great for sleep. I haven't slept more than 2 hours in a stretch since Saturday night. It is no wonder that once I crawled into my own, comfortable bed, that I couldn't keep my little eyeballs open any longer.

Next up: trying to get ready for a family camping trip that is next week. Eek!