Thanks for all of the encouraging words. When push comes to shove, I know labor and delivery won’t kill me—I’m just not looking forward to it at this point. I’m not sure which I would prefer; having four months to fret about no epidural, or having planned on one just to find out when I arrive at the hospital that it’s not an option. In a way four months is better because I have plenty of time to read up on all of my natural pain relief options.
As I was reading up on my medications I found out that my blood thinner is derived from pigs. I thought it was kind of interesting that the warning label said, “Do not take this medication if you are allergic to pork.” Until I read further and realized why. I won’t go into detail about what anatomical part of the pig it comes from because it might gross some of you out. I can’t seem to shake the “this little piggy” rhyme from my head now, except I keep replacing the words with “this little piggy thinned my blood.” Hopefully after four-six months of this I don’t start oinking :)
My pain level has improved significantly. I still hobble around, but I’m getting much faster at it. The mornings are the worst because I’m all stiff and bed sore. My saint of a mother-in-law has been here helping for the past few days and before that my saint of a sister drove up to help out. I’m not sure what we would have done without their help. Maggie has had fun playing with cousins and her grandma, which has made it possible for me to lie around and recuperate. I feel mighty lazy, but when I stand up to do something the pain and stiffness reminds me that I can’t do much right now.
Last night we ran to town to see about getting me a few more pairs of my compression stockings. Before we went I told my mother-in-law that I had no idea what they would cost. I said, “they’re really not that different than thick nylons, so I don’t see why they should be more than $5 a pair, but since they’re something medical I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re around $20 a pair.” I was planning on spending about $20/pair so I wouldn’t experience too much shock when I found out the actual price. Apparently I was estimating WAY too low. The gentleman in the store was very kind, and knew right away I had a blood clot when he saw me walking. He was sympathetic and told us that his wife just had a blood clot. He measured my calf and thigh and found my size. He explained that they were a nicer sock than the kind they gave me in the hospital and because of that they were a little pricier. I told him that was fine because a) it was the only kind he had in stock and b) I was still expecting somewhere near $20. Then he said “these are 55”. The only response I could choke out was, “dollars?” I was hoping to buy about three pair to get me through the summer since I have to wear them everyday and night. Plus they take a long time to dry each time they’re laundered because they are better off air drying, so having at least three pair would make life much easier. Anyway, after we heard the price we decided we’d price them a few other places before we paid $55 for ONE pair of socks. I don’t want this to sound like we’re asking for donations, or can’t afford them because we’re really doing just fine. I just have a hard time spending $55 on one pair of medical thigh high stockings.
So that’s the latest. I really appreciate all of your prayers. The man in the store last night reminded me that it could always be much worse. His wife had a post-partum blood clot because after their baby was born it had to be flown to Primary Children’s Hospital. The long drives back and forth to
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