The Good, The Bad, The Stuff Ben and Jerry's Can't Fix

Monday afternoon I had my last monthly doctor's appointment.... you know what that means? We are onto every two week appointments. I know, right?

Anyway....

Since it was considered my 28 week appointment, not only did I get the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite doctor's in the practice, I also got to see the phlebotomist for my 3rd trimester blood work, got to drink a bottle of glucola (fruit punch flavored and cold- party on) and get my TDap shot. In other words, there was no getting in and getting out this time.

All in all the appointment went smoothly, the TDap shot didn't hurt (at the time), my phlebotomist couldn't have been nicer or more skilled and my doctor was happy with my weight, my blood pressure and even better, Baby Berg finally figured out how to go head down. It couldn't have been a better appointment. Well, I could have done without the dizziness and upset stomach from the glucola but what are ya gonna do? It's necessary. 

We discussed my blood work and what it entailed. My blood panel would be more comprehensive then the typical panel to ensure everything could be evaluated fully. We also discussed the GD test and what the cut off levels were. Knowing my hatred of blood draws, my doctor joked she'd get the prayer squad on my results, which made me snicker. We also discussed how I was feeling. I told her that I was really happy with how my pregnancy was progressing and while I don't want to wish it away, I would be very happy to have a glass of wine when the end of May rolls around. She howled while telling me she couldn't wait to go home and have a glass herself.... I guess we were both having a case of the Mondays.

Since I'm resourceful (read:snoopy) and have access to my medical information online, I was happy to see my lab work was available for me to view the following night (after stalking the hospital website all day). 

And that's where the bad news came.

My blood work came in with multiple red flags. My palettes are low, my red blood cells are off, it's obvious anemia is starting to show its ugly face. I was so upset over those results, I barely noticed I passed my GD test with flying colors.
In hindsight, I should have just backed away from the computer, and put the ipad down. Being as upset as I was, I couldn't see the forest for the trees. It won't have mattered what was said to me or what good news I found in my research. It was doom and gloom.

Since I didn't have GD, I settled on watching some NCIS and finishing the pint of Ben and Jerry's I had been working on for the past week. The ice cream sure tasted good, but it didn't lift my broken spirits.

I went to bed that night feeling sad and defeated. All the iron rich foods, all the vitamins, all the research, was it helping? Would I end up right back in the same position as last time? I didn't help that Mr. Berg was working late so I didn't have anyone to tell me stop worrying. That and I couldn't find a way to get comfortable. My right hip was killing me from a long day of being on my feet, my left arm was killing me from my TDap shot. Since laying on my stomach isn't possible and laying on my back prevents breathing, I was a mess.

Poor Mr. Berg came home to a very sad, very weepy wife. Being the smart man that he is, he gave me some Tylenol, kissed my forehead and promised me that the sun would come out tomorrow.

And it did.

Be it the Tylenol or the good night's sleep, I woke up with a better frame of mind. After I got to work and was able to reread my lab results I was able to look past the red flags and see the numbers for what they really were. As in, slightly below the cut off. Nothing was dramatically out of line, most numbers appeared to be better then when I was pregnant with Ryan. 

After speaking with my doctor in the afternoon- my rational side, the side that saw the numbers for being "not that bad" was reassured. Some of the numbers are typical for a pregnant person. Some of the numbers are a little lower or higher then they should be, but again, nothing is so dramatic to make anyone worry. We just keep monitoring, try to get some extra rest and of course, try very, very hard not to stress. (easier said then done right?)

While it looks like yes, there will be some issues to face again. At least we know, we can prepare. We can pray and hope like hell what happened before doesn't happen again. I call it being positively realistic.  Think positive thoughts, be realistic about the outcome.