How was your weekend?  Mine was Faboosh.  And yes, I’m on an ‘F’ theme

As you know my Dad was out visiting and we had a blast.  Best part about it is knowing he will be back out in January to meet Sawyer!

Friday I didn’t have too much in store, but had to get some stuff checked off the ol’ to-do list and my Dad happily obliged to join me.

First up was the dreaded pregnancy glucose test   We didn’t’ need an appointment, but sheesh, the line was like 50 people long in the lab area.  Blah.  I weasled my way into the front so I could start chugging the drinks, since I would have another hour of waiting before they could take my blood.

The ‘drink’ is about 10 ounces of clear liquid.  Mine was lemon-lime flavored and tasted like those freezie pops you had as a kid, but with about ten times the sugar.  Yick!  Sooo sickeningly sweet!  Right after I had it, I could tell I was already getting a sugar-rush headache. 

When my hour was up, I hopped on the chair and offered up my arm for sacrifice.  I’m a huge wuss, but with pregnancy, I’ve become accustomed to having blood taken.  The guy was quick and easy and two vials were done like that.

Then things started going downhill…

Fast…

My vision became blurred, dizziness overtook me, and I had to put my head down on the table.  My blood pressure immediately dropped and I began to sweat through my clothes.

I managed to shuffle to the bed and lay down, but I was pretty darn close to fainting.  Meep!  I blame it on the supreme sugar rush and then the blood draw causing me to crash.

Not fun, people, not fun!

But let’s move on to the happier times with the father shall we?

Horray for Dad and me at La Fondue, in Saratoga (Do you did my bright red short Michael Kors trench?  Bonus is that I can almost button all buttons…winning!)

Check out their menu – it’s amazing:

My Dad and hubby were most excited about the exotic meats.  I myself, had a hankering for their spinach salad beast with lemon taragon dressing – it’s quite possible one of the best salads I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant and easily could be a very filling meal:

Next up, we did the 4-cheese fondue with a ton of veggies and bread – we agreed that the cheese was super stinky, but tasty nonetheless:

Then came the entrée (though we were already soooo full).  I went with veggies (peppers, zucchini butternut squash, tofu, red onions).  The boys however went with some crazy meat choices: Savage Wild Duck, Teriyaki Sirloin, Alligator Tail, Wild Buffalo, Antelope, and Kangaroo.    They both thought the alligator was their favorite. 

And finally, the piece de resistance – the chocolate fondu.  Come to me sweet deliciousness!  We went with milk chocolate and English toffee bits.  Oh dear god.  I die.  For dippings we had: strawberries, oranges, cookie dough, cream puffs, snickers, pound cake, bananas, marshmallows, grapes, cheesecake balls, rice krispies, apples, and wafer cookies.  My faves were the cookie dough, pound cake, and cream puffs.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it all.

By the end of the meal, we were painfully full.  Can you tell?

What do you think about fondue?

Have you ever fainted?

Best thing about your weekend?

Day 654-

When I got there the tech was able to take me right away saving me the time it usually takes to be waited on and have to listen to the stories of aliments of the elderly clientele. But it didn’t give me time to read the article in Retired Life Motorhoming…A Trip to Serenity. (I just pocketed the magazine for later and saved the $3.50 it would have cost me at the news stand.)

This delightful chore done I decided to stop at Costco on the way home…saving gas and money…and drop off the prescriptions I had been carrying in my wallet for a week and there by allowing me to remove that reminder string on my ring finger. Since it was going to be a twenty minute wait, (and why does it take so long to fill a little prescription bottle with a month’s supply of pills any way?) I decided to take the dogs back by the airport and take the daily half hour walk that the doctor ordered to reduce the love handles that seemed to have found their way onto my waist overnight.

Upon returning to the store I noticed that there were an awful lot of elderly people there. They shuffled through the aisles discussing wither this was a better place to purchase their laxatives, Geratol and other senior health aids. Their half step walk impeded my speed and I was near run over by an elderly gentleman in a three wheeled electric powered scooter. How is it that this guy still has a license to drive any motorized vehicle…anywhere! The buses from the retirement home must be making repeated trips to fill the store today for their weekly outing.

I decided to forgo the usual stroll through the free food hand out at the tasting counters as there were a lot white haired citizens who seemed to plan their trip to Costco to coincide with lunch time. Guess I was going to have to wait until I got home to eat.

So I headed for the cereal aisle grabbed a box of raisin bran…to make sure breakfast would not be forgotten tomorrow and so that everything would be back to normal…headed to the pharmacy to pick up my blood pressure, cholesterol and heart medications, paid at the checkout counter, picked up my new progressive bifocals at the eyeglass counter and headed over to the information counter to make sure I had the new senior day shopping calendar so next time I need a few things and a free lunch I was not to be impeded by senior citizens.

When I got home I checked the mail and was pleased to see that my afternoon nap would not be filled with dreams of worry about where my new AARP card and large print Reader’s Digest were.

He joked that it was cute, “Aww, we get to have our blood drawn together.”
I responded with the thought of Angelina Jolie in my head (come on, she’s on a lot of people’s minds, I’m sure) and I said we should ask the people at the hospital if they will put our blood in vials to wear around our necks.

It seems S doesn’t know that Angie and Billy Bob did this. He stood there for a second, cocked his head in thought, and said, “I’d be down with that. That could be pretty cool.”

I was shocked. I would totally wear his blood on a necklace. I’m slowly learning he might be just as twisted as I am.

And then I get on the computer to look for some pictures and I found this one, where the description says something about blood!

I think it’s pretty. The fangs and wings are a cool contrast to the garnet-like red and the flowers that appear to be roses or maybe tulips.

Do I have what it takes to care for the sick and injured all day, every day?  Will they trust me when they’re scared and in pain?  Will my sense of humor remain intact when bodily fluids are squeezing out all around me?

Let’s find out!

I have been joined by eighteen other students in my phlebotomy program and all but one is female.  Only two of these students had prior experience drawing blood from patients while the rest of us started out clueless.  By the second class, the instructor was already eager to have us affectionately “stick” one another.

Whether you are the stick-er or the one being stuck, the newbie apprehension manifests in sweat across the brow and down the spine.

Like so many other techniques that require experience and skill, not many among us want to be someone’s first stick.  And, like other first times in your life, you may need to find the strength to say hell no.  For example, when two shaky hands, a long needle and a meek voice saying, “I’m going to miss,” are coming at you with the intent of invading your arm, that could be a good time to speak up.

Sometimes to distract myself while I’m the  stick-ee, I imagine that I am a pro cyclist and this is just one of many tedious blood draws I must endure to prove that I’m not doping – haters keep saying that’s the only way I could be so fast.  Don’t hate, appreciate.

The good news:  I’ve completed ten successful sticks so far and I like it.  When you see that first flash of blood in the tube, you know you’ve had a good stick and you’re in the vein.

The great news:  Two from last night said they barely felt my needle and they were the best sticks they’d had yet.  Score!  Even the sticks I completed in hand veins between the knuckles went well with not a trace of bruising or swelling.

In the coming months, 120 hours of clinicals await to put my fledgling skills to the test.  With lab time over, I will have real patients with genuine anxiety about needles sitting before me, wishing they could be anywhere but in that chair.  If you have any good one-liner jokes, send them my way.  I have a feeling I’m going to need them.

Started my run about 9:30am.  I ran 14.71 miles with an 8:39 pace.  This run had to be my worse yet.  I’m not talking about my pace at all.  I was tired and I couldn’t turn it around.  I had half a Clif bar beforehand since I thought I was going to die if I didn’t eat something.  I had a cramp below my right rib for the first 4 miles.  I almost called Mick at least 2 or 3 different times to come rescue me but charged though it. 

Minutes after these photos were taken, I was arrested.

Thank goodness I was out by 1pm because I needed to mow the lawn.

FACT — My Garmin has not uploaded two of my last runs and I’m starting to get quite perturbed.  I like to see the little map of my run and I like to see each mile’s pace too.  It gives my great joy to see everything compiled on my laptop.  I BASK in it.

Took poor Brucee for a blood draw.  Little sport was nervous.  Afterwards, he said it was, “no big whoop”.   He said he’ll request that  his next blood draw be taken from his neck.  He’s all talk.

Marla, my little sis, came in to town.  We went and stuffed ourselves with sushi and then did a little shopping.  I didn’t buy one thing.  Yeahhhh me.  Mick’s always telling me to stop shopping.  He’s right.

 American Eagle pants, American Eagle grey/white shirt, Express tank and Steve Madden shoes.

This weekend is our family reunion on my dad’s side.  Family from California (Sacramento area) are in town along with other relatives in Michigan who we don’t get to see very often.  We met up with some of them uptown about 7:30pm.  I have to get up at 4:30am tomorrow morning so I didn’t visit for long.  I’ll see them more Sunday.

So tired.  Have to sleep.

I have grown already. Today connected a husband and wife on the phone. They are each in a hospital for different reasons in different places, and without me they would not have had that ability. It was a blessing to let them talk and to pray with them. That is teaching, faith and growth.
Tomorrow I feel is a big day for me. Please pray I am able to maintain stability, I am not able to have any food, water or medications until after the blood draw which could be close to 10am. I will be up by 6:30am. Just pray for lessend pain and endurance, and above all answers! Thank you my friends for taking the time to read the box I found to be on today! Blessings to each of you. – Jenn

I made a comment that she was fast, but Marty didn’t realize what I meant. Honestly I don’t think he was listening. After she withdrew the needle and told him to hold the gauze he finally realized she had already drawn his blood. By this time both kids were getting pretty silly and Bella had a good laugh about his cluelessness. Turns out the only thing that hurt him today was taking off the bandaid.

In other news, his eyes are clear, his chest X-ray looked good, and we saw another JA mom while we were there. Marty enjoyed his favorite stir-fry and Bella fed half of her popcorn to the birds and a squirrel. We should hear about the lab results and his inflammation levels tomorrow.

I am thankful tonight not only for the expert hands during venipuncture, but also for the eye doctor that offered suggestions for Marty’s light sensitivity, the PA who made sure we got our prescription and other orders, and the Target pharmacist who goes above and beyond to make sure we have what we need and know how to use it. I also appreciate my online JA/rheumatology family who have offered suggestions and support during our recent medication switch. I am extremely grateful to the Masonic Lodge for providing services to children in need, and the volunteers who both raise funds and staff many clinic positions.

This is a good day to be Marty and Bella’s mom.

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Every law enforcement officer deals with this issue.  The suspect is under the influence of narcotics. Let’s assume that you have probable cause to stop a vehicle for erratic driving.  Upon contact with the driver you suspect the driver to be under the influence of narcotics.  You arrest the driver and at the time of booking attempt to take a blood draw.  The suspect refuses to submit to a blood draw.  Do you have a right to force the blood draw in this case?  Meaning the administration of some level of force to be able to obtain the sample. 

Do you see any issues in taking the sample without court intervention?  Is there need for a court order to take the blood, since narcotics dissipate at a rate far less than alcohol?  Your suspicion is that the suspect is under the influence of narcotics and not alcohol.  Doesn’t the driver have the right to refuse to submit to a blood test, ultimately, lose their driver’s license through DMV proceedings and take their chances at court for you establishing probable case for the arrest? 

Let’s assume that the suspect is not driving a vehicle but is instead a pedestrian somewhere.  For whatever reason you make contact with the person and determine that the person is under the influence of a narcotic.  You arrest the person for a violation of Health and Safety Code Section 11550 and take the person to jail.  You want to gather evidence of the crime which is the suspect’s blood.  The suspect refuses to comply in giving a blood sample.  Do you have the same right to force a blood draw?  Is there any difference between driving the vehicle and being a pedestrian?  Without the blood evidence it is only your word against the suspect as to whether a crime was committed. 

The above examples show the reality of the Constitution on a daily basis.  There may well be a time period in the future where a warrant may be necessary to take the blood for someone under the influence of narcotics.  This would be based upon the longer rate in which the narcotics stay in the system.  The usual argument for acquiring the evidence without a warrant is the rate of dissipation of the evidence in the blood stream. 

In the above-cases, both scenarios still allow for the sample to be obtained by law enforcement.  P.O.S.T. still trains that the need for blood and the dissipation of narcotics still justifies the warrantless intrusion. Most agencies have procedures to take a forced blood draw if the suspect refuses to provide a sample.  For a forced blood draw it would be important to have a supervisor present on the scene helping to document the situation.  There should also be the use of a belt recorder or audiotape to document opportunities of the suspect to comply prior to the sample being taken.

There are many places of coercion that are newly available for unethical professionals to use against parents.  The first is, of course, in the context of delivery (i.e. do THIS NOW or your child will DIE) while the second comes in the form of pediatricians.  Let me be clear – I do not think all professionals are predators.  Although, I must admit, that it seems as though ethical professionals who work within the confines of evidence based medicine and non fear based tactics seem to be in the minority of my experience of late.

Most recently, I had the experience of bringing my child with anemia to the physician for a follow up hemoglobin test.  For those interested in numbers his rating was a 10 where as the normal range was 11-14.  Due to that one point he was put on iron supplement drops to ascertain that it was merely iron deficient anemia and not anything more nefarious at work.  [Thank you internet for demonstrating again why I should never use you when looking up medical conditions.]  When a child doesn’t respond to the supplements I knew a blood test in the form of an actual draw would be standard.  It makes sense.  If iron is not being processed by the blood the reason should be sought out.

Thanks to a few panic inducing google searches I reacted as any good parent (though perhaps misguided) would when they heard the nurse say, “He’s still not at an 11″ and went with what turned out to be a very quick and traumatic series of events:  My kid was held down by his father while the nurse took two vials of blood from his arm.

As he cried and sought comfort, the doctor informing us that we would get the results in the next day or two, I wondered at if there was indeed something wrong.  Time passed as we did a bit of redirection of fear and upset and went to Target for a few needed items.  Then it dawned on me.  No one told me the exact reading this time around.  They merely told me what it wasn’t.

The first thing I did when we arrived home was to place a call and ask what that precise reading was.  Come to find out it was a 10.9.

Iron was being absorbed and processed!  Yeah!!!!

Immediately anger set in.  My fear was used against me.  Information was deliberately withheld and my child was traumatized for no conceivable good reason all while ratcheting up the cost of the bill we’ll have to pay.  Bills for diagnostics that are NECESSARY are not an issue for me.  None.  I want my child to have the care he needs.  But this is completely inexcusable.  My parental fear was used to traumatize my child without necessity other than what I consider to be the necessary victimization by the pediatric practice.

I take responsibility for not asking that question of what his level was; the assumption being that his levels had not risen when the nurse addressed this.  The truth remains that there should be no ambiguity and those seeking to provide CARE for their patients should not be performing unnecessary procedures and submitting their patients to superfluous trauma/harm.  If doctors wanted to prove their validity, to demonstrate to the populace that they are worthy of our faith and trust, I would strongly recommend that they act in accordance with an ethic and perhaps even eschew the lobby that allowed them a monopoly on health care to begin with.  Fear is not something that should ever be used against a patient or their family; truth is.

Did that get your attention? No..ah darn it..gotta come up with a better one next time.
Okay, I had my blood drawn and some other physical tests this morning, which means I had to be fasted starting midnight (no food, no drink and that includes water). The person who drew my blood might be her first day doing it. She poked my arm at the middle part, which I clearly knew that wasn’t the right place. I sort of told her that it should be the one a bit on the side. Well what she said? She said that my vein was really deceiving and poked at the place that I told her. DOH!

The weather was really cold/cloudy and rainy! We’re in May, aren’t we supposed to have sunny and a bit warmer weather?

on our way to grocery store

Don’t get me wrong…I do actually enjoy this kind of weather (and right after I said it out loud, the sky cleared up and the sun came out. Grr..just can’t see me enjoying something huh??)

I had a super late breakfast: coconut pancake, braised coconut shredded chicken and sliced of whole avocado.

I made this coconut pancake after seeing the recipe on Nom Nom Paleo. Actually it was her husband’s, Fitbomb, who came up with this. I didn’t remember exactly what he put in his, but roughly my coconut pancake had:
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

I fried them with 2 Tbsp coconut oil on medium heat.

The pancake was on the bland side (I purposely did it that way since I don’t want it to be sweet anyway), but it was on a drier side. After checking back the original recipe, I figured I forgot to add at least 1 Tbsp of fat (butter or coconut oil). DOH! Well, I still finished it and saved the other one for a snack.

I couldn’t have enough of yucca root fries,  so I made another batch, which also the last batch.

Because of those, I didn’t really have a proper lunch. Pretty much I polished off the entire plate throughout the day. Even as my post workout meal.

Had some strawberries, which I made a little effort to cut off part of the stems away. Usually, I just pluck the leaves and left the stems and I am not embarrassed to admit that I just swallow the entire strawberries including the stems.

I was so happy when these babies finally arrived!!

Red Boat Fish sauce, a Paleo approved fish sauce! No sugar added, no chemical, no gluten, no gimmicks! Just anchovies and sea salt, that’s it! Authentic from Vietnam and I can’t wait to add these into some of my cooking or use it as a dip! Woot!! Big thanks to Nom Nom Paleo who spread out the word of this item gem.

So finally I got a chance to cook the white perch fishes that I got 2 days ago. As I mentioned, when the fish is fresh, just need to salt them a bit then pan fry them and enjoy it!

Served with a dipping sauce (mixture of juice of 1 lemon with 3 tsp of Red Boat fish sauce). YUM!

Red Boat fish sauce tastes very differently from other fish sauces that I’ve had before. It’s not as fishy and salty. It’s just perfect! I’m pretty sure it’ll be wonderful as part of marinate as well!

I’m still pretty full to have a dinner (blame it all to the morning fasting that threw my eating schedule to a whack!), but these fishes and the dipping sauce surely tempt me….A LOT!

I’m still in my Desperate Housewives marathon, but don’t get me wrong. Although I still spend quite sometime in front of my computer, 80% of the time I’m sitting on my stability ball. How’s that not a great core workout?

Have a great evening everyone!

**UPDATE**
Ok I just had my very light dinner although I wasn’t hungry but I rather eat something now rather being starving later midnight. Btw, Kath is having her first blog giveaway! Go visit the post to learn more how to win $30 Amazon.com voucher!

We arrive and I make sure they have all the past files they need. Then the doctor comes in. Wait, let me set the scene. The traditional small exam room with a few kids toys and books. Charlie and Gage both fell asleep a half hour before we got there in the car, both still tired, irritable and quickly getting on each others nerves. They were also starting to act like they were caged animals and couldn’t get out of the room. OK, doctor comes in and I explain we’re there because Charlie’s asthma seems worse this summer. He goes through a list of questions not realizing Charlie has EE or all the food allergies. This appointment quickly turns into something I wasn’t expecting.

1. The doctor was more concerned with Charlie’s nutrition or lack of and insisted I meet with the nutritionist. I’m all for that, been waiting on a good one to come along.

2. The doctor thinks this new cough Charlie has isn’t related to EE but instead hay fever. He’s not 100% though. So we have new meds for that.

3. There’s a new blood test called microarray -  determines the allergic profile in children and adults. It tests more than 100 allergenic proteins and has been very helpful in identifying patients with serious allergies to peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and tree nuts proteins without the risks of a food challenge. It also includes the usual allergens dust mite, cat, dog, weed, grass and mold proteins… The concordance with ImmunoCAP is better than 90% at 10% of the cost per test.  It provides a more complete picture of allergic sensitizations.    So at the end of the appointment Charlie had the blood draw. I won’t go into the details of that but we’re down to 3 nurses and mommy holding him down now.

4. Once we get the blood test results back we will base Charlie’s diet off of that. I asked though what about conflicting results. For instance, I have seen Charlie break out in blisters on his lip from mustard and we have seen him get an itchy mouth from beef. The allergist said that those are local intolerances and he can either eat them or avoid them according to his reaction if he wants it. I’m not 100% on board with that and neither is Nathan. The allergist said it’s not a true allergy just an intolerance. So I’m thinking his focus is mainly on true anaphylactic reactions. We’ll see. My head is swimming tonight with all this info.

5. Charlie will be scoped soon. Waiting for the nurse to call back with the day and time.

6. The doctor is more curious if Charlie’s EE isn’t caused by outdoor allergens instead of food since he doesn’t have major reactions to food. We’ve only had minor ones such as hives, itchy mouth and some blisters. Seriously can I put him in a bubble if it is outdoor allergens?

7. We did walk away with a new asthma plan. Starts with the green zone – mild, then yellow, last is the red zone – extreme. Well Charlie’s red zone is how we end up treating Gage when his colds get the best of him and he ends up in the hospital. I told her that and she looked at Gage and said “Does he have an asthma plan?”  I told her no and we now have an appointment for Gage to see the allergist in July. He’ll get basically the same testing Charlie had today.

8. I am going to push Nathan until he gets the new blood test done. I think it will help.

9. Charlie left today with 10 prescriptions – 6 of them were new meds.

10. I did start to have a pity party in my head on the way home but really in the grand scheme of things we’re just fine. The doctor I think was trying to get me upset a few times being sympathetic and saying oh how hard it must be to deal with all this and I told him flat-out “We deal with it like we deal with everyday. We don’t dwell on it and we keep going. No sense in sitting around being worried about it.” By the look on his face I don’t think it was the reaction he was expecting.

We’re the Root’s, not quitters! 

Two and a half hours later we finally walked out of the hospital. I don’t know how I managed to keep my cool with the boys the entire time. I honestly don’t remember the last time they didn’t listen to word I said. They were horrible. Of course this is all while I’m trying to soak in tons of new info.

Don’t forget it’s National Eosinophil Awareness Week

p.s. Family be ready for copies and an education on our new action plans. You will need to know and understand them.

Day 503-

According to mayoclinic.com, the drink is “a sweetened liquid (called Glucola), which contains 50 g. of glucose. The body absorbs this glucose rapidly, causing blood glucose levels to rise within 30 to 60 minutes. A blood sample will be taken … about 60 minutes after drinking the solution. The blood test measures how the glucose solution was metabolized (processed by the body).”

During the week leading up to the test, I tried to prepare diligently. As advised, I ate my usual diet, with fewer sweets (to counteract all the pasta, cake, and Carvel ice cream I’d consumed in New York the weekend prior). I ate sparingly at an event Keith’s battalion held at a favorite barbecue joint the night before the test. And that morning, I skipped breakfast and drank only water.

We arrived at the doctor’s office at 8:20 AM. Ten minutes later, a lab technician came into the waiting room and handed me a bottle of the dreaded drink. “You have five minutes to drink the whole thing. I’ll be back in an hour,” she instructed.

I untwisted the cap and steeled myself. Then, tentatively, I took my first sip. And to my surprise, I actually sort of … enjoyed it. Sure, it tasted like flat orange soda. But for someone who loves sweet stuff, all of that sugar was actually a welcome treat.

“This isn’t bad!” I proclaimed, as I took another gulp.

Keith cracked up laughing. “Ewwww!” he said, pointing to the top of the bottle. “Look at all the sugar that’s condensing!”

I couldn’t care less. I downed the Glucola in four minutes, then indulged in a gossip magazine for the next hour while Keith answered work emails. I didn’t have any of the physical reactions I’d been warned about, such as heartburn or dizziness.

When the lab technician and my regular physician’s assistant came to fetch me for the blood draw, I confessed that I’d actually liked the drink. The assistant, who has two small children of her own, looked at me as though I were nuts. The technician shook her head and said, “Well, I guess there are plenty of worse things we could have given you to drink.”

Since then, I’ve told many people about my experience—friends who’d been pregnant, my obstetrician, my perinatologist. They’ve all had the same reaction—a mixture of “You are so strange” and “Well, good for  you, I guess!” The important thing, though, is that I passed the test with flying colors.

The whole thing reminds me of an experience my dad had nearly six years ago, after he’d suffered from cardiac arrest while driving and got into a bad accident. He’d lost oxygen for several minutes before being resuscitated and hospitalized, and it left him with short-term memory loss and other, shall we say, odd behavior. My mom, brother, and I were visiting him in the hospital when a nurse came by and give him a large cup of some gross-looking substance to drink in preparation for a medical test.

“This is not going to taste good,” she warned him, “But I’m sorry—you have to drink it.”

My dad then proceeded to slurp down the entire drink as though it were a smoothie, even offering all of us a taste. We all laughed uncontrollably, much to the dismay of medical staff passing by. I thought my dad was seriously crazy then, but who knows? Maybe this strange palate runs in our family.

Moms: Please comment and share your experiences with the glucose tolerance test. Is there anyone else out there who, like me, did not find the Glucola to be so bad? Or, am I seriously crazy?

I am pretty scared of needles.  Or, I guess I should say I was pretty scared needles.  After my experience giving birth I feel like I can handle needles better.  But I will have to wait until the next time I have to get a vaccination or give blood to be sure of this.  When I gave birth to my son I was poked 3 times.  I think this is pretty standard.  I am sure if there are special circumstances, they can find more reasons to poke you, so be prepared. 

The first time I was poked was when the nurse was putting in my IV.   Keep in mind you do not have to get an IV if you don’t want one.  If you are trying for a natural birth and you are getting enough fluids, there is no medical reason to have an IV.  If you want to get an epidural, the IV is required.  A lot of women experience a drop in blood pressure when they get the epidural.  The saline solution delivered to you through the IV helps keep your blood pressure constant.  Keep in mind once you have the IV you have to take it with you everywhere.  This can reduce your mobility.

My IV was placed on the back of my left arm, about 4 inches above my wrist.  I didn’t think about it at the time, but this was a pretty good placement.  Some women have to get the IV on the back of their hands which can be quite annoying.  If you can request a location, go for the arm. 

I had never had an IV before. I thought it was like giving blood, where the needle is stuck in you and left there for a while.  That is not how an IV is done.  The needle is only used to insert a catheter into your vein.  After the catheter is in place, the needle is removed.  The catheter and the tubing connected to it are secured on your arm with lots and lots of medical tape.  The most annoying part of this process is the tape itself! When you move, it pulls.  This makes you think you are pulling on your vein, but don’t worry, you’re not!  

A creepy observation about the IV:  The IV works based on the principals of physics.  Specifically- gravity!  If your injection site gets higher than the bags of fluid flowing into it, fluid moves out of your body (read: BLOOD) and into the tubing.  When I first saw this it scared the crap out of me.  But, when I put my hand back in my lap, the blood went back to where it was supposed to be.  In response to the posted question- I don’t know what happened with my IV when I was pushing.  I forgot all about it. 

Another creepy observation: You know how in the movies, if a tiny air bubble enters your IV you die?  That is not the case with an IV into your arm.  Some of the tubing on my IV had to get changed out.  And as the nurse was leaving I noticed an air bubble (a fairly large bubble) moving rapidly down the tubing towards my arm.  I pinched off the IV and made my husband go get the nurse (he went running and screaming into the hallway like any good labor support team member would do!).  The nurse came running in and reassured me that it was fine… and the air bubble went in.  Obviously, I have lived to tell the tale. 

If you get an epidural, the IV stays in place until you pee on your own (not into a catheter).  This was about 12 hours later for me.  Then the nurses come and remove it.  You are left with a small piece of tape on your arm covering some gauze.   It took over a week for me to get the tape residue off my arm.

The second time I got poked was for my epidural.  I guess this is actually two pokes in one: the numbing medicine and the needle in to the epidural space.  I was SUPER freaked out about this.  But, the numbing medicine was about 100 times worse than the needle to the back (since you are numb).  I actually jumped and cried out (like a baby) when the numbing meds went in.  Again, the needle does not stay in your back; it is used simply to put in a catheter.   Then the entire thing is taped you your back.  The worst part of the epidural was when they ripped the tape off my back.  I guess because by the time the epidural comes out you’re a mom; they assume that you can take it and show no mercy. 

The last time I got pricked was after the baby was born.  The doctors wanted to check my blood composition to make sure everything was okay after the birth.  To do this they need a sample (just like when you get blood draw in the doctor’s office).  I only know about this pricking incident because my husband told me about it.  I slept through it (yes, after giving birth you are THAT tired- someone with a fear of needles can have their blood drawn without waking up).

Day 461-

(Post for 3/21)

After getting to sleep later than I would have liked, I woke up at a decent time before my appointment. I had some yogurt to put something in my stomach then changed, grabbed my blanket and book before heading to the car. I read more of The Anatomy of Hope while Mom was driving to Tigard for my blood draw, trying to keep my anxiety down by concentrating on the book, but I was unsuccessful.

When we parked, my body seemed to plead not to walk in there, my muscles contracting and freezing in attempts to lock me in place. I, despite my body’s resistance, went on, knowing I needed to just get it over with.

I didn’t need to sit in the waiting room, so I walked back to the IV center that I have visited every month for close to a year . It was full today, something I have never seen, and all the adults were at least twice my age. I sat in my unnecessarily loud chair, the leather’s noise seemed to double in the quiet space which did not help me blend in. As I waited for my doctor to come back I wanted to ask why the other adults were there with IVs connected to them, to learn their stories, to know their names, but incoming footsteps halted this plan.

It’s the heat packs that green-light the increased heart-rate of what’s to come, because when they’re brought out the tube box and butterfly packaging tags along. I turned my face out of habit, watching the window that shows the imagery I could paint blindfolded with memory. I felt incredibly guilty that both the blood tech and my doctor were with me, surely I did not need both, but I just hoped that with all the people in the room I would not pass out and embarrass myself further. Thankfully my vein decided to cooperate today. When she pricked I wasn’t fully sucked into the black abyss of pain, her “It’s in” thankfully pulled me to the rescue.

After gingerly lifting my arm and putting my sweatshirt on, I walked with mom to the front to pay the co-pay, double-check for Thursday’s appointment, then headed out. I wanted to read on the way home, but I wasn’t successful with my head spinning, whether it was usual dizziness or from blood loss I don’t know. Mom had the rest of the day off, so we had lunch together at home then she read while I rested.

The pain has continued to increase. I’m getting more and more dizzy each time I stand up, the pain is always difficult, but the twitching seems to brag that I don’t have control over my body.

Today I saw I had some new comments on my posts, so here they are:

For Abbie, who commented on this post.

Thanks for writing about your journey, it is always helpful to listen to what others in the same situation as I am go through.

It’s really interesting that you picked up a book by Jerome Groopman, if I am not mistaken I am reading one of his books LITERALLY right now called “Second Opinions”. He is an incredible writer and his message is amazing.

He should certainly be written to about the cause of raising awareness for Lyme and especially Chronic Lyme. There is a campaign going on right now for Physician Awareness so I will be including him in my bunch of letters, for sure. What a coincidence that I stumble across your blog and we are both reading books by the same author, while we both have Chronic Lyme.

So, in conclusion, nice to meet you! Keep your head up :)

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond! If I can help, that’s all that matters to me. Wow, what are the odds that we’re both reading Groopman books? You’re right, he is incredible. I’m glad you’ll be including him your letters, he seems like a great resource and advocate. It was nice to meet you too, Abbie. Stay strong.

For Ms. Colleen Abela who responded to this post.

Hello! I am a mother who has Lyme disease… I was on IV for 25 weeks.; however, my doctor has cancelled his treatment for all lyme patients because of government funding. I am currently not being treated and therefore, my symptoms are returning with vengeance. I’m now looking into naturopathic medicine as well as going to the States for treatment. I was wondering if you are from Canada or U.S.A? Also, have you seen the documentary “Under Your Skin?” about lyme disease? I’m from Ontario and was also wondering if you had any doctor recommendations in the area… or somewhere around Ontario? Who is your current doctor, if I may ask? Sorry for all the questions.. but we’re desperate! Thank you, hope all is well.
-Colleen Abela

Hello Colleen, I’m sorry about the difficulties you’re facing with Lyme in your life. What was the government’s reasoning for cutting the funds? Did it have to do with Lyme, or just health care in general? I live in the US, in the Pacific Northwest. I have seen, and actually own, “Under Your Skin” and it is a very powerful film that I suggest every Lyme warrior see. I do not know any doctors personally in your area, I’m sorry. Don’t worry about the questions really, I don’t mind. My Lyme doctor is Dr. Stacey Raffety who you can learn about here if you’re curious. I hope that you will be able to find treatment before things regress too much.

If any of my new readers have any questions, feel free to leave a comment on a post and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Goodnight readers.

Day 433-

Wednesday-

Despite it being late-start, I had to arrive at school late since I had a blood work appointment at 9 in Tigard.

The anticipation of the draw was the worst part, and I attempted desperately to dive into the world of the book I was reading so I wouldn’t remember my coming fate. No one was there when we arrived, so I had the room to myself, instinctively choosing my usual recliner. As I sinked into the cool leather I took deep breaths, imagining myself in the day’s happy place but I couldn’t fight the gradual increase as Dr. Rafferty busied herself with the supplies.

When she pricks, the darkness wraps me in its arms, the pain taking place of the blood in my veins as the seconds drag by like hours, leaving me disoriented and vulnerable to the blood-hungry needle. The pain, to my luck, was for naught since my vein decided to not give enough blood, so she had to try again, sending me back to the purgatory in my mind. Even though she barely drew any before my vein gave out, the prodding took enough out me to leave my arm purple and swollen all day, so I went through the day using one hand (which was not easy in Tech Apps.)

Thursday-

Thankfully my arm was mobile again, but that embarrassment was only moved to my hair when I was called Pocahontas for my braids all day, it was so embarrassing especially since I’m not even tan enough yet. I had to put classes into eSIS during Tech Apps and our Vice Principal, Mr. Ramberg, recognized my name from our school paper which made me smile that he knew me for my writing.

Friday-

I only got about five hours of sleep the night before so I was tired, but thankfully my day went well at school. My classes were fairly relaxed, but the best part of the day came that night when I watched the new Supernatural episode, and it was amazing as usual, but emotional nonetheless. This week’s Meta Episode is going to be great, I am brimming with excitement.

Saturday-

Saturday was a wonderful day with mom. The day began on a high note with the wonderful sunshine seeping into my room and drawing me outside, and after getting dressed mom and I left to head over to the chiropractor’s office. We got a good deal of an hour-long massage for $20, so we both had an hour with Alex, and it was very relaxing.

Once we got home I finished my amazing book, The Winter Garden, and if you haven’t read it I highly suggest you do. It’s a tear-jerker, but in such a great way. The rest of the afternoon I just relaxed until mom and I got ready to head out to Mt. Hood Community College for our “date” night. Their current production is the play adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and it was beyond entertaining. Their final showing times and information can be found here, and if you end up going I guarantee you’ll be laughing throughout those two hours.

Sunday-

Sunday was relaxing. When I got up, mom and I took a walk around the neighborhood before having breakfast. She started the chicken for our homemade chicken noodle soup, and I finished my homework before taking a nap. Bri and Bailey came over after basketball, so we had soup for dinner and a Supernatural season one marathon, I think I can say they are fans now.

Monday-

Today was my Lyme checkup and it went well. Although I didn’t give a lot of blood she was able to run enough tests to see that my kidney function is good, but my liver levels and Vitamin D count are still low, so I’ll have to increase my vitamins even more.

She was shocked to learn that I was in school full-time, but I had to explain to her that it’s either being in more pain and being in school, or in normal amount of pain stuck at home, I don’t have an option that lowers it to a tolerable level.  I told her about the increase in anxiety and twitching and she said just to keep an eye on it, but it should decrease as I just adjusted to school.

Her plan for me is that next month, assuming I’m staying the same as I am now, I should be getting off the antibiotics to see how I do.

There are two possible situations that could arise with this: the first is that I get off and start to rebuild my immune system, or I relapse which would mean I would switch to injections that have to be placed on my backside (and we all know how that worked out for me last time, seriously I would have to have her put in an IV, I can’t do injections.) We’re hoping I wouldn’t relapse though, so I’m praying for some improvement.

Once I came home I made sure I didn’t have any homework, I made some lunch and settled down to enjoy the Supernatural marathon on TNT.

*****

As for pain, things are slowly getting worse. I can feel it when I get up, the vertigo that leaves me grasping for something to hold me steady. I can feel it in the twitching, the pin-pricking and quick shocks that shake me like I’m speaker with bass on too high. I can feel it in the serrated daggers that dig deeper and twist sharper when I move, and although I can keep the mental block up, I can’t help but worry the microscopic damage that’s happening to me throughout the day.

No matter though, I’ll push through. I haven’t come this far just to let it win now.

Goodnight readers.

Day 427-

Well today was not one of my best days. After waking up this morning from a creepy dream, I left my hair in its natural curls and got ready for school.

Although classes themselves weren’t too bad, my anxiety increased as the day went on. First period I had to get caught up from missing yesterday, and since I’ll be gone tomorrow too I wasn’t sure if I’d be missing the test which thankfully I won’t be. Second period was split between the class and forecasting which only tripled my anxiety since my transcript and credits are all kinds of messed up.

Physics thankfully wasn’t too bad even though I missed new notes, but the lab was fairly easy, I was just frustrated that we covered new concepts while I was gone; that always happens, when you’re there nothing happens, but the moment you leave everything changes.

As the periods went on, I could feel myself getting more wound up, the schedule today screwed me up, since we were on a half hour assembly schedule I didn’t know when class would be done and how much I needed to pace myself for assignments.

By Tech Apps I was stressing, Spencer was trying to teach us some things on Word that the sub did not the day before, and trying to finish with her choosing not to answer questions was not helpful. We worked until the bell without her usual warning, and even though my next class was on that side of the building I was worried that I wouldn’t make it on time.

Thankfully I was able to wind down some in journalism with my friends. Ironically my good friend, Samantha walked by me and said she was happy I was back in class since I was a little bubble of sanity (sorry if that’s not completely correct, Samantha, please don’t smite me with your editing powers ) which I found quite ironic since I was on the verge of an anxiety attack all day.

Diego was in class today and Emily was right, he does passionate when he speaks Spanish. I asked if I could nickname him, so he is now passionfruit to me. We talked about how glitter is the herpes of art supplies, and that a glitter monster would be one of the most powerful out there. I wish I had talked to him before, he is a very interesting fellow.

Once the last bell rang, I got out of there as fast as I could and I was more than thankful to greet the cold air that chilled my skin when I stepped outside. I tried to push through my homework before I laid down to rest, and it wasn’t until after dinner that my anxiety hit its peak.

It slowly grew over the evening, starting with the nervous tingling in the pit of my stomach then expanding to include the hot sweats, the shaking and twitching and increased heart beat. I tried to take deep breaths and remind myself that there was nothing to get worked up about, that nothing was wrong, but it wasn’t working. In a matter of minutes I was teetering on the edge of an attack, so close to regressing, but I put on some of my favorite calming music and did my mom’s fool-proof trick of the “happy place” soon enough I was breathing normally again. Thankfully Jensen Ackles came on my iTunes since his voice always has a way of calming me down, and after a while, him, Jason, Chase and Michael were able to calm me down.

The cause I’m not too entirely sure of, but I feel it’s cause may be a combination of a few things: missing school, well school in general, the monthly immortal test, and getting blood drawn tomorrow. My blood draw is scheduled for 9 tomorrow, but with traffic I’m figuring I’ll miss my morning classes. I know I’m just psyching myself out because Dr. Rafferty shouldn’t have too much of a problem drawing it out, but even the thought of it just makes me sick.

I’m hoping tomorrow my anxiety will be lower, but I’ll be packing my medicine just in case, along with pain medicine since my left arm will be black and purple from the needle.

Goodnight readers.