Curious Julia Goes To The Hospital

"But it was her business to be satisfied- and certainly her temper to be happy; and all was soon right again." Jane Austen

I re-read Pride and Prejudice in its entirety yesterday (it is incredible how much reading you can get done when you wake up in the middle of the night and then spend the rest of the day in a quasi-sedated bed stupor) and this quote made me smile. It works for me.

The only way I can justify continuing to try to have another child is if we enjoy ourselves while we are doing so. Otherwise that is sort insane, right? I mean, it would be unhealthy to allow our disappointments and frustrations with never-ending genetic issues to sabotage what is, in every other respect, a great life.

Are you with me? Are you hip to my happy?

The D&C was fine. They accidentally over-sedated me so I was in the hospital a little longer than anticipated. People kept coming over and slapping me on the face while I burrowed further and further under that dreamy hot-air blanket thing.

"Wake up!" they'd say. Slap slap slap.

"Uhnnnnn," I'd reply.

According to Steve, we spent a couple of hours doing this.

Then there was my blood pressure. The big number at one point was 60. 60 over something littler. 30 maybe. I am not sure what that means but I do know that I had to have an escort in the bathroom and it involved more slapping.

Finally, it turns out that I was severely dehydrated. I don't want to be indelicate, but the nurse repeated a story involving catheters and volume measurements so tiny you usually only see them in reference to vietnamese cinnamon or red pepper flakes. Personally, I think a little dehydration is to be expected when you tell someone they cannot even swallow their own spit after midnight let alone a nice mug of tea but they were displeased with that too. They didn't slap me for it but they did make me stay in the recovery room until I absorbed three jumbo IV bags full of fluid.

So I was there a while. Getting slapped. And reading. At last Steve took me home and fed me soups and blue Gatorade and I was asleep for the night by 7:30.

Not a bad Monday, really. At least I got to skip communist playgroup.

Comments

[julia]

Glad you're home, glad they took good care of you through the dehydration, still sorry you had to deal with it at all. I hope they have something valuable to tell you when all results are in (about the genetics). This sounds lame no matter how I try to say it, but I want to tell you that I am impressed with your strength and humor in all of this.

[ManhattanAnne]

Leave it to you to have the bad luck to get dehydrated even with the dawn D&C. Didn't I warn you about that??!! Anyway, glad it's over and your spirits are rising.

[Jenn]

Glad you are doing ok after that. 60/30 is dangerously low. I hope this is last time you have to go through this.

[Heather]

Glad to hear you're feeling better. To make light of the moment, can I get over-sedated? Work has been crazy lately. Sounds like fun to be drugged up for it. They're already slapping me (verbally).

Just kidding, though. Very glad to hear you're feeling better. Keep having fun trying.

[Emily]

Glad you're home and o.k. I'm thinking of you.

xxxooo,
Em

[Cricket]

I'm so glad you made it home and are vegetating. Quite the reader, huh?

I went thru severe dehydration with my first endo surgery. Took 3 bags IV, some sort of record. The only way they'll let you out is to pee, so drinking through the nausea is a primo goal. Pure misery, too.

Rest well.

[Karen]

Glad you're home, safe and sound.

[Marivic]

Glad to hear you're in capable, Gatorade-bearing hands and the snowplows have someone else's number for once. Take it easy,

M.

[Summer]

How can you be so witty and amusing after all you've been through? Bless you, Julia, and may you soon keep us all laughing through times of great good fortune.

[Kerry]

Hey there- I stumbled on your blog through another and while I don't know you I felt compelled to drop off a hug. I'm so very sorry.
I've had four my self and it definitely doesn’t get any easier.

[Brooklyn Girl]

Glad you're home, my friend.

[Dead Bug]

Thankful that you're OK; though you're clearly very calm about it, that would have scared the bejeezus out of me.

--Bugs

[Sheridan]

You are a very wise woman. And lovely to hear that you are home and Steve is taking good care of you.

[Rebekah]

Julia, I'm so sorry it was a rough day yesterday. I truly hope you never have to experience that again. You're indominable spirit is such an inspiration to us all, and I hope that the rest of your recovery goes quickly and smoothly. I've been thinking of you all day and praying for you and your family. (((BIG HUG)))

[terri c]

So glad you are safe at home w/Steve. With all that slapping, I wouldn't have been able to remember a thing that I read... I sure hope you can rest and feel better soon, and hope something useful to you comes of all this...

[shelly]

Glad you're home now where nobody's slapping you. Aren't warm blankets and drugs the best thing about the hospital? Wish we had one of those blanket ovens. The dryer just isn't the same. I'm sorry for all you've all been through. Feel better.

[Christine]

Also glad that you're home. And not being slapped.

[Mollie]

Here's to enjoying yourself a lot more.

[Kat]

Well, hey, now... anything to get out of communist playgroup. Right? (I swear, is it something required for all MN residents? Like vaccinations. What is it... can't get into kindergarten without a diploma from the communist parent education thing. My friends who live just outside of Minneapolis go to it and I think it's brainwashed them.)

Anyway, I've been thinking about you. Sorry you landed in the ER with dehydration. And of course even sorrier about the D&C.

I am ever in awe at your ability to get through these continual disappointments with the translocation. I am struggling with it a bit myself right now... since we're TTC again.

I know this is a hard time... but I wish you a speedy recovery and some super-cute Patrickisms in the morning.

Kat
MaternityGenes

[Coralie]

Whew. I'm glad you're home and getting to curl up with a book.

Take care.

[Rae]

Julia

You have a great point about not letting the quest for another child overtake the life you have which in every other regard is wonderful. I feel quite similarly.

My first 3 m/cs were devastating emotionally - and I felt like this quest for another child had totally overwhelmed our family to the point taht I wans't even enjoying the precious boy I do have.

Somewhere, somehow I did a relasignment and i'm, enjoying what I do have so much more. My fourth loss was ad, of course, and I wish my baby hadn't died, but it was easier to bear than the others. Maybe because I knew i had survived three times before and I knew i'd survive again?

Your attitude of "well I've survive the worst so I may as well keep trying" is sometimes scary and sometimes inspiring. I commend you for it. I don't know whether that's quite where we are yet but we are certainly on the way there.

Sorry the d&c wasn't without drama.

[Toni]

Glad everything went...can't say well (considering the slapping..that's not well)...again, you know what I'm trying to say.

Glad you're back.

[Jen (yup, another one)]

Glad it's over and you survived with good spirits even amid distressing complications.

I have to commend you for your choice of recovery reading! My post-anesthesia mindset is more on the level of People magazine or (gasp) TV. You go with your bad Jane Austen reading self!

[Diana]

Hmmmmm. Communist playgroup vs the S+M hospital. Something about that strikes me as a no-win situation. Glad the drugs were good. Jane Austen makes everything better.

[LT]

Pride and Prejudice is truly the greatest medicine ever invented, very smart move. Please take care.

[anja]

That doesn't sound very nice, despite the black humour... Hope you're recovering well. You're in my thoughts.

[Jen]

Glad you are home safe and sound. I've done the same thing everytime I've been put under for surgery, problems with blood pressure, shock, dehydration, it gets rather tiresome. The heated blankets are delicious, but I'd still rather skip the whole ordeal.

[Scully]

Glad to hear you're keeping up with literature while dealing with all of this.

Hope you're feeling better and the slapping has discontinued.

Unless of course you and Steve are into that kind of thing.

[trina-p]

I may have missed it but did you post the story behind Patrick saying "What the hell is going on here"?

Hope...(just that)

[oliviadrab]

I am glad you are home and no one is slapping you anymore. Much love hon.

[Danielle]

Sorry but I can't help but chuckle thinking that Communist Playroup prepares Americans for Capitalist Daycare.

Danielle

[Danielle]

I've been following your saga and should probably post some words of encouragement. I wish I knew what to say. All I know, is that if you've managed to have a son, anything is possible.

I truly wish you the best.

Danielle

[Crystal]

I can't make it better, but I can give you my super-secret trick for making mango and sticky rice...

Would mango and sticky rice help?

I made some tonight, I could shove it through the phone grain by grain, if it will make you smile....