Friday, May 16, 2008

The First Checkup and BLOOOOOOD

So I finally had my first prenatal today. It went well. I had my blood drawn and it was not bad at all. I didn't even panic when Emily said, "Yeah, let's take care of that TODAY." Actually, I think I'm going to do a few more of the small blood draws just to keep up with my iron level.

Actually, this pregnancy is going to go a little differently than the last two. Emily and her midwifery parter, Julie, are sharing patients and so I will go back and forth between the two of them for my prenatals and they will both be at my labor (more than likely. I think Emily would be broken-hearted if she, for some reason, couldn't make it. I know 'cuz she told me so :) ). So, I'm curious about this Julie woman. I have a feeling she might be a little more pushy than Emily is about taking supplements and such. Emily is really cool about letting me do things my own way and if she has advice, she's very gentle about giving it. I don't know about Julie. From the few times I've met her she's seemed really nice, but... well, I just don't know yet. It'll probably be fine, I'm just picky when it comes to who's taking care of me. I think if I hate Julie I can just tell Emily and would just be able to just see her. For now, I know it helps Emily out and so I'll give it a try. Like I said, I'm probably worried/annoyed for no good reason.

So, getting blood drawn today reminded me of getting blood drawn at the hospital when I was a kid. It happened sometime around my lymphnoid-could-it-be-cancer(?) scare when I was 7. For whatever reason Daddy had to take me and I'm pretty sure Mom gave me a death warning not to act terribly and scream like I did when she was around (eventually, I learned [read: was threatened with my life] to "scream in my mouth"). So, Daddy and I went into this area where a bunch of guys in their BDUs were getting shots and whatnot. I sat down (and apparently looked pathetically terrified) next to a soldier getting a shot/blood drawn. He must've seen how scared I was, so he reassured me that he "always [cried] during a shot." They stuck the needle in, and he then proceeded to "boo hoo." But he was "very good" and didn't move or squirm while he was getting poked. Then he wiped his tears and reassured me once again that it was OK to cry.

Well, I bought it. Hook, line, sinker and all that. I was fully convinced that this ripped man in army boots was truly upset and hurt when he had to get his shots. So I felt very brave. The memory is vivid enough in my mind that when I look back I can remember his face and see how much he was hamming it up all to give a pitiful little girl some comfort.

So, all that was to say that today, I was very brave. And I didn't even cry.

22 comments:

Shannon said...

Oh honey, I have to get my blood drawn at least once a month (Don't you hate when people call you honey? It's so patronizing). Have you seriously not had blood drawn since then? I'm a pro now, I even watch the needle go in. But I never have a buff military guy helping me through (Adam doesn't come usually).

The worst is when you have to have your child's blood drawn, when they go past the heel poke and into a real needle. It's called a "butterfly" because it's a tiny needle attached to a plastic thingy that looks like a butterfly so they can hold it. You sit down, pin the kid down as best you can, and hold on for dear life because he's going to scream like no tomorrow. It's the worst ever, Asher's had it done twice. I cried.

Last month (I think) when I went in to get my blood drawn, I had Asher with me, and the guy at the desk told me to go back and request a specific guy (we'll say Steve, I don't remember his name) and tell him we needed 6 vials drawn. Sensing an AWESOME joke, I did, and the guy tried to hold it together and was like, well, let me see what it's needed for. Then I felt really bad, so I told him it wasn't true, and he looked relieved and laughed. Apparently he had just said that he had drawn blood from every child on the base that day, so the other guy was messing with him. Those nutty phlebotomists.

I didn't realize I had so many blood stories. I have more, about the screaming girl clawing her way out of the room, and the guy at the desk who was so rude to me last time that he made me cry (don't mess with a pregnant lady, yo). Anyway, I'm proud of you!

Shannon said...

Let me clarify that when I talked to Steve I told him the 6 vial blood draw was for Asher, not myself. You probably got that, but just in case.

Adena said...

Yeah, I've had blood drawn by Emily a few times throughout the last two pregnancies, but I kind of paniced when the idea is brought up. Not SEVERELY, but I do have to psyche myself up a bit.

Yeah, besides the heel poke, we haven't had to deal with needles with the boys. I'm not looking forward to that day.

Anna Farley said...

Yeah, getting blood drawn really doesn't affect me. The only thing that almost happened to me was that I almost passed out when donating blood, but that was just because I hadn't had enough fluids that morning. Then I got free orange juice. Who doesn't like that:)

Carynanne said...

I have been advised against giving blood because every time I have tried, I have passed out. One phlebotomist tried to explain that it is a reflex reaction in some people that causes their blood to rush toward the inside of their bodies when they sense danger. Some sort of evolutionary life-saving measure. I didn't catch the name of it, though, because I was semiconscious.

I had to get Lara tested for Hashimoto thyroiditis once, so I had to hold her in my lap while they took her blood. She did remarkably well- whined and squirmed, but no screaming. BTW my endocrinologist says you all need to get your antibody levels checked even if you don't have symptoms because it runs in families among females and, unchecked, increases you chances of diabetes and a host of other maladies. So there. I told you.

Yeah, and Shannon-- I only got my blood tested at the beginning and for the blood sugar test. That's what NORMAL people do. ;)

Carynanne said...

Know what? I lied. I had to get my thyroid levels checked like 4 times too.
But I'm still NORMAL.

Colleen said...

I am not allowed to give blood. I couldn't do it even before the cancer because I couldn't do it without passing out and I can't since the cancer because my blood is considered 'tainted'. I cannot begin to remember how many times I have had blood drawn, but the most was when I was doing chemo. Before that, I was notorious for passing out. I have passed out getting my blood drawn and I have passed out seeing someone else get their blood drawn. I have passed out getting contacts (for the first time) and I have passed out getting my teeth cleaned. (I was such a wimp!) It was tough having to go have my blood drawn weekly during my chemo and then having them hook me up with a butterfly needle in the back of my hand to do the chemo. I only blacked out once then; I didn't really actually pass out, just blacked out a little. I think that's what made me tough. Since then, I haven't passed out (except for after surgery when they make you get up even though you aren't ready).
The hardest thing of all for me was dealing with one of my children being hurt or sick. The first time I had to deal with that was when Caryn fell and cut her lip wide open and had to have it sown back together. She was good as gold right up until they tied her hands down so she couldn't interfere with the surgeons. That was when she began to cry and I couldn't stay in the room; I went to the bathroom and just cried. That was the first time I had to deal with a hurt child that was something a kiss and a hug couldn't fix.
And it was scary when Shannon was only 3 and a half months old and the doctor told me that she might have carcinoma. That was the longest week of my life, waiting to see the specialist, only to find out that she simply had a 'lateral muscular atrophy due to intrauterine positioning' and that she would outgrow it before her first birthday.
But one of the hardest things of all was having to hold down Adena when she had blood drawn and had the surgery to remove the abscessed lymph node and had to have her wound packed. I knew she was scared, but it had to be done and I had to be tougher than I felt. I would always cry afterward because I had to be so mean, but it was necessary. I remember telling you that you couldn't scream like that; it was so unnerving for the doctors and nurses, as well as for me. That's why I told you that if you had to scream, you had to do it with your mouth closed. It worked and the doctors were amazed and relieved. I hated that, but it was a relief to know that you didn't have leukemia (which was the initial fear). After that, it was just a matter of getting thru it. I think it is easier for me to be tough when it's just me than when I have to deal with a hurt or sick child. I always felt so helpless because I couldn't fix it and it always made me cry.
Anna hasn't had any real crises like that, or maybe I've just been thru enough that I could handle it better by the time she came along.
It's amazing when I think back on all the things I've had to do that I never thought I could deal with.

Colleen said...

And by the way, Adena, what's with the farleyfarleyfarley byline at the top? What's that apeeaarrrll thing and the bang? I don't get it.

Carynanne said...

Okay. Mom wins.

Anna's nose started bleeding one time, and I handed her some tissues and then went and laid down on the couch because I couldn't handle the sight of the blood. Ewwww. Lara's nose bleeds often like ours did, but for some reason I can handle that. Go figure.

Shannon said...

Thanks for the pep talk, mom. Why did we all decide to have kids again? :P Just kidding. I can't think of any major owwies Asher has had yet.

Well, I win, because when I had gestational diabetes I had to give myself a shot 4 times a day and do the finger prick blood check 4 times a day. So I'm the toughest.

And thanks for making fun of me, Caryn. Next time I'm around you, why don't you fall down and pretend to have a seizure, and then get up laughing and make fun of epileptics. That would be awesome. :)

Carynanne said...

Maybe I will.
I guess it did come across like I was calling myself "normal" based on my lack of seizure disorder. I meant that I was normal just, well, because I'm NORMAL. Although
I may have to recant my declaration of normalcy, however. I just remembered how unbelievably awesome I am.

And mom had to have shots at home for like 6 months. So we'll call it even.

Colleen said...

Frankly, I didn't know it was a competition; I thought we were sharing experiences. That's not a contest I win because I'm better, but because I'm older and, therefore, have had many more experiences. What I listed is only the highlights; there are many more stories that I won't go into for you. So if it makes you feel better, you win. It doesn't really matter to me. At any rate, I would hope that Caryn wasn't making fun of your seizure disorder; only that she was needling you about being better because, well, because she can and she will!
And Shannon, I didn't tell any of you to get married and have kids; I left that choice up to you, so you can't pin that one on me. And besides, your kids are so adorable, aren't they worth it? Just wait till you have this one; you'll love it just as much and you won't even count the cost.

Carynanne said...

Speaking of cost, when when we had Julian, we had to pay 10% of the hospital bill, so when we were in the hospital we had to put $500 on our credit card. This after having walked into the hospital in transition stage of labor, having a baby 10 minutes later with no drugs, no complications, and getting stuck in a room for a day. So the fact that they were estimating the cost to be $5000 was pretty outrageous.

Anyway a couple months later we got a check back for like $280. Apparently Julian was cheaper than we initially thought. We even got a rebate for him. So he really only cost like $220 or so.

Adena said...

Does ANYONE get the "farley farley farley...etc" thing? Please tell me someone did :/

hint: it's a movie quote...

Shannon said...

You got a discount baby! He must have been on sale.

And I know I'm not the toughest. Mom definitely wins that one, even though it isn't really a competition and we were just joking.

I get it, Adena.

Shannon said...

Oh, and guess what I need to go to the hospital today to do! (I'm bringing this topic full circle).

Carynanne said...

Uh... draw blood??

Carynanne said...

And yes- we get the Three Amigos quote. I think mom didn't understand the last half of it-- the "APEARRLL" part. And I think that's because it was misquoted. It supposed to be "A-FARRRR-RRLEEYYYY". A-duh. ;)

Colleen said...

Yeah, it was the last half of the quote that I didn't get. I knew the quote; just didn't understand the last bit. Thanks for the clarification. And as for the cost of babies; Caryn cost $75 (insurance picked up the rest), Shannon cost $500 (we didn't have any insurance then), and Adena and Anna were "free" (compliments of the military).

Shannon said...

Hey, you get what you pay for.

Adena said...

I thought it was some kind of gibberish- so I just guessed at it...

Mrs. F said...

Oh mah gawsh, I am having the best time reading the conversation that you are all having through comments. It is hilarious! You are all so funny!

Your favorite cousin/niece (stop snickering),

Paloma