Thursday, June 19, 2008

Smarter than the average blood test

This is what I think of blood tests.


Many of you have been on pins and needles to find out the results of my second blood test. Am I pregnant or not? Am I crazy? Am I imagining the symptoms and my pee tests were just 2 freaky erroneous ones stuck in the same box at the manufacturing plant? If you think you've been dying of curiosity, imagine how I've been feeling! What is going on!? I know I'm pregnant!! I don't get these symptoms otherwise! I have crazy bad carpal tunnel pain all the time, I'm gaining weight while exercising and eating healthier, my fat pants are about to burst and are giving me some seriously embarrassing muffin top, my stomach "feels" different when I knead my mushy flab, my abdominal region is seriously pooching straight out (I resent all you girls who can hide it until you're halfway done...Kylene!), I'm getting headaches, I've started to be bothered with insomnia, people are asking me if I'm prego, the list goes on... I don't care what the test said, I KNOW I'm pregnant. There's no imagining this! Why would I want to imagine a pregnancy so soon after giving birth anyway?

Well, I've called the lab close to 50 times it seems since 4:45pm yesterday to try to find out my results, only to not have anyone answer or to be told the machine had to be calibrated before they knew. Now remember, your hCG levels should double every 48-72 hours if you're pregnant, hence the second blood test. I looked online, and it said anything over 25 would consider you pregnant. Under 5 is not pregnant. Now, my first test was 79, which would make you think I was pregnant, just not very far along yet. But it was waaaaay too low when you match it up with the first day of my last period. I told the doctor I am NEVER regular with my cycles, so that's why he had me take another test and see if the number doubled. I finally got a hold of my doctor's nurse at about 11:30 this morning, and she checked my numbers. Now it's 177! Ha! I told them so! I am definitely pregnant!! I have to say, I'm very proud of myself. I don't know too many people who can tell they're pregnant as early as I can. Aside from my pregnancy with Talea, since it was my first, I've known I was pregnant BEFORE I took a test, and I can't tell from a missed period since I only cycle about twice a year. Way to go, T!

Okay, now I just have to wait until July 3 to find out my due date! I hate waiting! This is what I think of waiting.

If you know me, you know I'm not a patient person. Hyrum and I have a guess for our due date though. We bet it's right around Kiersa's birthday, within days. I pay attention to my body I guess. Watch me have two Valentine's babies! I'll let you know once I find out. The funny thing is, I was supposed to go in to the doctor for a pap smear in July anyway, so might as well kill two birds with one stone, right? Why would I got in to my OB if I wasn't pregnant! Psh! What a waste that would be!

If I get another pyogenic granuloma with this pregnancy, I'm going to scream! If you saw the nasty alien growth on my nose during Kiersa's pregnancy, you know how lame it was. Only less than 5% of pregnant women get them, but usually it's children who get them. It looks like a bright red dangly mole that bleeds profusely and constantly, sometimes without any reason. It's a result of an injury usually. I had a strawberry on the side of my nose that looked a little like a spider vein, so I poked it hoping it would bleed, empty, and go away. That was the worst thing I could have done. While pregnant, your body produces a ton of extra blood vessels (so I'm told) that go crazy producing more blood for the pregnancy. When you get an injury, like the small pin poke I gave myself, your body goes crazy into hyper-overdrive trying to repair it, and instead of getting it back to normal, it produces a growth that bleeds like nothing you've ever seen before. I would rub my eye and accidentally slightly graze the PG and in an instant, blood would be pouring down my face. If you're pregnant, DO NOT injure you're face or gums. Those are common places to get them. Let me give you a visual of what a PG looks like, in case you were fortunate enough to miss out on looking at it the first time. Wouldn't want you to feel left out!
Here's my nose before. Just turn your head to the side to see it since for some funky reason downloading it rotates it, and I can't force it to not rotate this picture! (That's my baby sister, Shira, with me.)


And here is the growth when it was only about half it's normal size because I'd already choked it off twice with thread. It grows rapidly, so when it was sticking about 1/4" off my nose and I couldn't hide it under a band-aid anymore, I'd strangle it with thread. It would grow back within a week. Do you know how long it takes to get into a dermatologist? Months!!!!


Here I'm trying to cover it under a band-aid.

And here is my permanent scar after the dermatologist removed it. It's definitely not perfect, but after living with a bleeding freak thing for over 2 months, I didn't care. Taking it off was enough for me! When my face gets tanner in the summer, the scar doesn't tan so it's more noticeable. I'll always remember Kiersa's pregnancy when I look in the mirror. She gave me my first couple of stretchmarks too! Naughty girl! She scarred me for life in 2 ways! She was a cinch to push out though, so I've forgiven her.

3 comments:

Our Pratt Pack said...

It's funny how a quick and easy delivery makes you forgive... I remember cursing Boston before he was born for making me go full term after delivering at 36wks with Mia but since he came out on his own he was forgiven!

John-Maren Goodman said...

Okay now I know that my sisterinlaw is so in-tuned with her body that it's not fair! I wish I was that good! I pretty much guess, and of course watch for a missed period when I'm trying to get pregnant, but there are those very curious, and weird rashes or bumbs I get right before I find out I'm pregnant, but I haven't trully proved those are because I'm pregnant!~ Anyway I love that the baby is still there and safe, and I'm really excited for your kids to have another baby sibling! They'll be so close as friends! Love you guys!!

The Lanyons said...

Are you more likely to get a PG if you've already had one? If so, lets hope it ends up on your toe or something.