diagnosis: exhaustion and dehydration

Friday I worked a 12 hour shift. 12 hour shifts are easy. Really. I swear. It sounds like a long time, but really, it’s not.

Around 12:30 AM I had some pretty nasty cramps that reminded me of contractions. It actually had me doubling over. Then, to top it off, I was having some sharp pains every time I moved. But the baby was moving around, so I thought everything was cool. I got up at 6, went to work and felt fine.

Around 9:30 I started having some uncomfortable back pain and pressure. The baby was still moving, so I just chalked it up to being super pregnant and moved along. I figured I’d just ask my doctor when she rounded what she thought.

When she got to the floor she basically put the fear of God in me and told me to page my OB to hear what she had to say. Of course, my luck isn’t that great, and it was the doctor that I’m not too fond of that was on-call. (Side note – she wasn’t attentive at all when I was in labor with Claire and coupled with the flake nurse I had, they completely missed some late decelerations which put her at major risk.) So I started to cry. I felt as if going to the hospital would be completely unnecessary and that I was just experiencing growing pains and lax ligaments. And I was partially right.

After 3 hours of being strapped to a baby monitor and poked and prodded, the ER doctor came to the conclusion that along with my growing pains I was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. I was kind of in disbelief until it took them three times to get an IV into me. I’m usually a really easy stick, but they said my veins were so skinny they couldn’t thread the catheter.  They gave me a bolus of IV fluid and told me to take it easy. However, the doctor said I can continue to do what I do as long as I take breaks. So 5 days a week, I’m good to go. Work days are another story. Meh, I’ll do what I can.

Today, that’s what I’m doing. Taking it easy. So far today I’ve showered (at 3 PM,) baked banana bread, ate food, drank water, read and cuddled with the kids. Plus it’s my birthday, so I get a free pass to not change any diapers or do anything, really.

I’ve never been diagnosed with exhaustion before. But, being as my eyes are half open right now, I guess they’re right. I’m pretty dang tired. Exhausted, actually. And apparently it’s enough to make me feel the way I did. So I’m going to go to sleep. Because it’s my birthday and I can.