Today, I'm 23 weeks and 1 day pregnant and we had a routine office visit. I had some heart palpitations last week following a migraine treated with Fioricet that was pretty scary. It lasted for several hours, persistently, and then made a comeback sporadically on Thursday. The on-call MD on Wed said he thought they were caffeine-induced, thanks to the Fioricet. No problems Friday, but they made another appearance on Saturday and Sunday. This got me a referral to a cardiologist. Great. Another specialist. But, when you're dealing with your heart, you just can't take chances. Especially when you and a baby are depending on it. They also drew some blood to check for anemia and thyroid problems since these can cause palpitations as well. AND, we've made a (possibly temporary) change in migraine medication, so we'll see how that goes. Since the 2nd trimester began, migraines have become a weekly event.
Also, I've had an aggravating, dry, hacking cough since I got a severe sinus infection over a month ago. Since my last appt, 2 weeks ago, I've noticed that when I cough, it feels like part of my innards are trying to escape near my belly button. I started thinking it was a hernia. I got the Dr to check it out today. Yep. It appears to be a hernia. Yay. No treatment; they're pretty common in pregnancy thanks to stretching and hormones. They usually correct themselves after pregnancy, unless they become severe during pregnancy. I'm betting that having my gallbladder removed just before becoming pregnant didn't help matters since that required having my abdominal muscles sliced open.
Next in line -- I've noticed over the last year that my left knee becomes very stiff and painful after a lot of walking, or after my long days at work. It's gotten worse since becoming pregnant. I mentioned this today as well. I can only imagine that this will become much worse the further along we get in pregnancy. I received a probable diagnosis of Patellar Tendonitis. Great! What's the treatment? During pregnancy, ice. Just ice. Well, and rest and maybe some Icy-Hot (which I've tried). Usually, they treat with NSAIDs, which are, of course, a no-no during pregnancy. She said Orthopedics are very uneasy about treating pregnant women, but if it becomes too severe, there may be another referral coming, OR may have to reduce my 12-hr shifts to 8-hr shifts. My goal is to work until delivery. We need the money. Plus, I don't have much vacation time or any ST disability.
Some good news (finally). I've only gained 4.4 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost weight in the beginning, and have gained all of that back plus the 4.4 lbs. Since I'm already overweight, I'm really watching my weight with this pregnancy. I'm not dieting, but eating sensibly since the extra poundage means increased risks to both me and Abigail. Also, we realized just how much of my abdomen is consumed by my uterus. It seems unlikely for there to be another 17 weeks worth of room in there. I guess that's why women who've reached term talk about the baby's feet being stuck in their ribs. There's no where else for those cute piggies to go! Abigail's heart rate on the doppler was in the 140's. Thommy got a few more tips from the nurse about best ways to locate Abigail during our nightly doppler ritual.
All in all, a good appt. As long as Abigail is well, all is well. Next appt is in 2 weeks.
