Sunday, February 15, 2009

An unexpected trip to the hospital...


Although many of you already know this, I got to test out the nursing staff at Martha Jefferson Hospital a few weeks early.
Savannah and I were visiting our friends Heather, Brooke and Haiden on Tuesday when my heart started beating rapidly... at first I didn't think much about it, but as the evening wore on things didn't get any better.
I called the doctor and he suggested I lay down and drink plenty of fluids (which I'm beginning to think is the standard answer for a whiny pregnant woman).
After an hour with no relief I called the doctor back and he decided to meet me at the hospital... so off Pat and I went once he got off work.
Needless to say, it wasn't a little problem... by the time I got to labor and delivery my heartbeat was almost 200 beats per minute. The average person's heartbeat is between 50 to 80 beats per minute so we had a big problem.
Although they were afraid I had a blood clot in my lungs or legs, a CT scan came back negative for anything like that. They determined that my fast heartbeat was due to my pregnancy and made worse by a Sudifed pill I took for congestion (which is supposed to be safe for pregnant women).
I spent two days in the cardiac unit and had a labor and delivery nurse come in each shift and listen in on Julius... who was a trooper throughout the entire ordeal and his heartbeat never lowered.
I don't want to brag, but Julius and I were celebrities on the floor (and among the minority of patients who were not comatose - according to the nurses). Three nurses came into the room Wednesday night and started dancing when they finally got my heartbeat back to normal.
I got out of the hospital Friday afternoon and have been taking it easy this weekend while everyone else helps get things ready for Julius... who is now scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We're so glad that things are better now, really scared there for awhile. Love

Linda said...

Glad to here you are better.
Love ya.