Just How Strong Are We??

So, I have been inspired by yet another 2 HGers.  I am soooo thankful for my online HG support group! I have met so many wonderful women! Its crummy that we have come together because of HG but BECAUSE of HG we have come together and for that I am thankful!

First I would like to share a Youtube video that was shared.  I am happy to share this! it really says A LOT!!!

Matthew West-Strong Enough


The second thing I would like to share with you is a post from a fellow HGers Blog. A few days back, I posted about "What pregnancy "does" to us" What I didn't include was what pregnancy can do to us WITHOUT even being pregnant. And the road that we all take or TRY to take to get pregnant. The "things" that we endure...take this in and just think about it...... and know, know matter what the outcome, it happens for a reason, and it is happy. Despite what you may think at first, and how it may not be the outcome you want....it is a Happy one.

 From a fellow HGer---
So, I have been talking to some people lately about my pregnancy. As they pointed out, it seems like I had quite the complicated pregnancy. Someone told me recently they admired all I went through. Might be the nicest thing anyone has said about all this. So, as its been just over a year since my bleeding scare, I thought I would share this. For everyone who has no idea what I went through, and for other women out there struggling. In this post I will try to stick mainly to the medical, not the financial or emotional issues if possible.


I had a miscarriage. I had another miscarriage. I had some basic infertility testing done by my OB.  Blood work.   I had an HSG which they shoot dye into you and watch with radiography to see if your tubes are open. They both were. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I did 4 rounds of Clomid, a drug in pill form that for me had difficulty side effects. I had an ectopic pregnancy that was initially missed on ultrasound and diagnosed as a miscarriage. I am 'lucky' I had had two previous miscarriages and knew this wasn't the same. I told my OB who did a repeat ultrasound and found the ectopic. I was treated with Methotrexate via two intramuscular shots in my butt. This is a chemotherapy drug. It failed. I had so much blood in my abdomen it pushed on my diaphragm and caused shoulder pain. I had laparoscopic surgery and they were able to save my tube. I did 6 more rounds of Clomid with no success. I got an appointment with a reproductive endocrinologist, aka an infertility doc. They took 15 vials of blood. I started on Synthroid, a pill for hypothyroidism that I don't really have but my number was higher than the clinic likes but ok for the general population. I began having monitoring of blood and internal ultrasounds every other day, sometimes every day. I was injecting myself with Follistim, an subcutaneous medication to make me produce eggs. At the time the blood and ultrasound said too, I injected myself with Ovidrel, a subcutaneous medication to make my ovaries release the eggs. I only had one. We did IUI, where they inject my husbands sperm into me using a syringe and tiny catheter. I did follow up blood work. We were not pregnant. We did the same thing the next cycle. One egg again. 2nd time however, we were pregnant. Great news!  However, I had large cysts on my ovaries from the medication. The one was so large the docs were seriously concerned I would develop an ovarian torsion, a medical emergency where your ovary twists around itself and needs emergency surgical removal. Thankfully this did not happen. I had follow up bloodwork and ultrasounds. The pregnancy looked great. I was having what I believed was morning sickness. They gave me some oral dissolving Zofran and handed me off to my OB.

I lost 20lbs in twelve weeks. I was hydrated via IV in the emergency department on more than a couple of occasions. I was placed on a subcutaneous injection of Zofran (an anti nausea drug typically used for chemo patients) that constantly infused into my body. I was on the highest dose allowed and I stuck myself with a new needle 2-3 times a day in my belly or thigh until I was 38 weeks pregnant. I did not remove my pump until after my son was born. At one point I took Reglan, another anti nausea med in liquid form for about 12 weeks. I tried this in my pump however it caused me to have anxiety and hallucinate. I took Phenergan, another anti nausea med via suppository as needed.  At 17 weeks I had a major bleed. I was diagnosed with placenta previa and placed on bed rest, which I would remain on some rom of until my delivery. At about 28 weeks my potassium got so low that I blacked out and had to be hospitalized. I was on IV potassium there then a pill when I finally got to go home. I took steroids which finally got me back to my ore-pregnancy weight by the time I delivered. I went into preterm labor a few times, that was stopped with injectable medication called Breathine and a pill called Indocin. I had non stress tests. I had so many ultrasounds I imagine my uterus sounded like a train rolling through it which is why my son can sleep through anything. I had an amniocentesis at 37 weeks. I was induced at 38. I had an easy and quick delivery thanks to Pitocin and a walking epidural. I had a cervical tear that caused me to hemorrhage and need packing. I passed out trying to get out of bed. At 6 days postpartum I was diagnosed with a kidney infection. 2 days later I was hospitalized. I had cat scans, a HIDA scan, ultrasound and an upper endoscopy. I was tested for rare immunological issues and had an allergic reaction to medication 4 different times. I ended up having a duodenal ulcer that was so bad it was black and a yeast infection in my esophagus. They assume this is from the steroids and vomiting. I returned home a week later. I had PPD and PPA which I got treated. 

Why do I tell you all this really?  Well, to anyone who is going through a difficult pregnancy, I know there are a lot of stories out there without happy endings. I know you may feel alone. But this is my story, and my son is worth it all. He escaped relatively unscathed. He stayed one extra night in the nursery for hyperbillirubenemia. He has torticollis from his position in the utero and plagiocephaly from the tort. He has reflux and is milk intolerant. He is sweet, and loving and laughs and smiles all the time. Sometimes, there really is a happy ending.