How Quickly Things Change

I took my urine and had my blood drawn yesterday with the test results being given to Dr. Hodges today for my appt. I showed up a few minutes early and drank my glucose for the 1hr glucose test for gestational diabetes. I got called into the office and weighed - 176 lbs - and pee'd in the cup. Jodi tested my urine and saw that there was a large amount of protein in it - a hallmark sign of preeclampsia. Then Dr. Hodges came in and asked Jodi to get my test results. We talked a little and she came back with the papers. Dr. Hodges looked at the papers and said, "oh, shit - it's HELLP Syndrome". Instantly I began to cry - knowing that this means we are in a bad spot. He asked if I was okay, and I said "No". He hugged me and cried and said he didn't want this for us - he was hoping it was all overkill to have me go through all these tests, but he was glad he did because we caught something very serious. I asked what was next, and he said I had to be admitted to the hospital. I cried more - this was really scary. He asked me what I was most worried about - I said, the baby, the house payment, the dog - everything. I wasn't sure what was going to happen. He sort of ran through things with me. He said he wanted to keep me pregnant for a couple of days to get steroids on board to help the baby's lungs - but otherwise I wasn't going to be pregnant for long. I asked him to call Dylan and tell him, since I didn't think I could talk on the phone. Dr. Hodges went and called Dylan and I sat there trying to come to terms with things. I was going to have this baby much sooner than I thought - was he going to be okay, would he live, what is his future like. I didn't even consider the fact that my life was in danger due to this illness. It didn't cross my mind.

Dr. Hodges came back and told me what would happen next. I would drive to St Lukes in Boise - go to the second floor and be admitted to labor and delivery. He would fax over orders for admission. Then he would see me in the morning to run blood tests and see how things were progressing. I was scared, but I drove myself to Boise, and got admitted. They did an admission exam and got me settled into Room 8. I called Dylan and let him know and he came to Boise to comfort me and be strong for me. They started me on Magnesium Sulfate to keep me from having seizures due to my high blood pressure, and gave me the first shot of steroids to help Aidan's lungs. They got him on monitors, and he looked great. I laid there wondering what the next few days would bring.