Hospital stay, take one

Things I learned during my overnight hospital stay while pregnant but not in labor (in no particular order)…

1) Our choice to cancel cable TV was quite possibly one of the best decisions we've ever made. Yes, my time could be better served staying away from Netflix as well. But having spent my stay watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Desperate Housewives of Orange County, I feel it's safe to say I became dumber while hospitalized. As my friend Patty would say, my brains were most likely beginning to fall out of my ears from all of that terrible TV.

2) If you are in a packed waiting area at the hospital known as "the baby factory" in a major city, but you are not having contractions, people are going to look at you funny. The admin staff will keep glancing your way to make sure you haven't passed out. Clearly the woman falling out of the wheelchair through each contraction goes first. She is obviously followed by the lady who is pacing and moaning amid baffled looks at you and your not contracting belly. I tried to convey the "it's okay" sentiment with my eyes. The staff totally got it because I sat there for an hour contemplating taking up residence on the floor.

3) You could spend days in a big hospital (twice) and go visit countless friends there without having any clue how big the place is. I was transported via wheelchair by some truly lovely people to various locations. After the third visit to a new area I stopped trying to place where I was in relation to my room or anywhere else I was familiar with. Instead I simply enjoyed the hospitality. I don't know if that's their only job, but the people who transport the patients all over creation are the happiest, friendliest people I have ever come across.

4) If you do get admitted to the baby factory but the baby isn't yet coming you get the the least desirable room possible. One nurse I had even called it "the dungeon". Seth said it felt like a jail cell due to the toilet just sticking out of the wall. None of that really bothered me once I got in the room because that meant I had avoided the stretching out on the waiting room floor scenario.

5) Pregnant night nurses with kids at home should be given medals. Or free vacations. Or free weekly massages. Or all of the above.

So, here's the quick version of what landed me in this situation. I've been having dizzy spells, light headed feelings, and complete out of it days for weeks now. They are off and on, but when they're on I'm down for the count. Tuesday I tried to wait it out in the afternoon and the kids ended up watching two movies after their respective camps. I still couldn't tell you what those two movies were. I went to see my OB yesterday morning and realized on the way there that it was a terrible idea to drive myself there. After waiting in her waiting room for a while I entered her exam room and promptly dropped my basket. This is a favorite phrase used back in the day by some of my favorite friends when they would become that girl who maybe had too much to drink and started crying. I'm not talking about the slow, small cry. This is more like the straight up ugly, devastated sort of cry that hits you suddenly and without warning. This is when my OB suggested we head to the hospital and have some testing done. I had already exhausted other tests at her office over the past few weeks. It was time to really see what was up.

At first I felt silly for going to the hospital. I kept thinking I would feel really silly if it turned out to be nothing. Then, after contemplating using the waiting room floor as a place to "feel better", I decided I was taking the right step. And nothing is what you want it to be anyway right?

Basically nothing is what it was! Sort of. A lovely combination of low blood pressure, having a less than stable pelvic floor (due to having big babies), and something called a Vasovagal response all led to these episodes. It's a good thing I've never really been the fashionable sort because these are a permanent part of my summer wardrobe now. Don't they look awesome with flip flops?

I also have to hydrate even more, add extra salt to my diet, and rest when I can. Basic stuff. Fingers crossed these things do the job or I get to go a few times a week to get IV fluids.

Here's to finding out all is well except for minor changes to be made!