An Emergency Trip to the Doctor's Office

My second trimester has officially begun. It kind of started off with a scare. I had been experiencing tremendous pain on the right side of my body (my back and abdomen) for several days. I didn't know if I had hurt by back, if maybe the baby was putting pressure on me and that was causing the pain, or if it was a possible bladder infection. The pain got so bad that I could not move from the couch! At that point I decided to stop toughing it out and call the doctor. They wanted me to come in the next morning and have some tests run to make sure everything was okay. So, we went ahead and moved my monthly appointment up a week and I went in yesterday. While I was there, I decided to talk to my doctor about everything that was going on with me. I had heard that there was a possiblity that I could take anti-anxiety medication durning my second trimester. This of course would be a last resort, but I just knew that I could not continue to experience chronic pain day in and day out without getting some help. When I am severly sleep deprived and have to deal with chronic pain for long periods of time, it causes me to have a lot of anxiety and depression. Since things hadn't gotten better, I decided to lay everything out on the table. My doctor is super conservative and was adimate about me not taking anti-anxiety medication. I asked him about other things such as chiropractic visits to help with pain, and he was against all of that as well. I didn't feel too much hope, but then all of the sudden he became sympathetic and offered me some hope. I had been told that there was no other nausea medication that I could take that our insurance would cover. My doctor's nurse screens his calls and I seldom get to talk to him over the phone. I was going by what the nurse had told me. However, that was not true. Now, I don't know that my doctor loves giving this medication out to just anyone. He probably has a list of drugs that he gives out, and I am sure that this one was further down the list. Things probably have to get pretty bad before he gives it out, but he prescribed it for me and told me that he would refill it as many times as I needed. I guess all that I shared finally helped him realize that I really did need something to help me feel better. I think 10 weeks of discomfort and pain was enough suffering to help finally get his attention. He was super sweet and accomidating. I was afraid that once again he would tell me to tough it out-it would be over soon, but that is not what he said. I could tell that he genuinely felt bad for me and wanted to help me out. What a relief! Apparently, I did not have a bladder infection but Dr. McAlpine believes that my intense pain is being caused by the residual Endometriosis that I have all over my organs. As my body rearranges to accomidate the baby, it is aggravating the Endometriosis. The good news is that since I no longer have a cycle, the Endometriosis cannot get worse. However, I can still experience pain because of all the changes my body is having to endure. I had been suspicious about the Endometriosis, but really wasn't sure what was going on. Enduring the pain of Endometriosis has been one of the toughest things I have had to deal with in life. I had really hoped that my pregnancy was the end to this, but it just seems like one more thing I have to deal with. My doctor has said that as the uterus shifts over the next few weeks, the pain should get better. I hope so. Please keep me in your prayers regarding the following:

Pray that God will encourage my heart. I don't want to lose hope, and I do not want Satan to steal my peace and joy. The Lord has given me the desire of my heart, and I do not want discouragement to destroy my passion for being a mother. I also do not want to be so fearful that I do not want to have more children in the future.

Pray that my new medication helps with the nausea and anxiety. It is not an anti-anxiety medication, but I have found that nausea medications typically help with anxiety. Pray that I will not have an allergic reaction like last time. I desperately need to be able to get some sleep, and I also need some relief from the pain.

Pray for God's continual provision during this time while Scott is not working. Pray for his orders to come through soon. Pray that God will help me feel well enough to contribute financially. It is really tough for me to work when I am feeling really bad.

Pray that the pain in my abdomen will settle down and that I will be able to get back to normal life again.

Pray that I respond well to my new iron supplement. Pray that my iron level goes up quickly so that I can start feeling better and not have to take it any longer. I am still really battling fatigue.

Pray that the baby will continue to grow strong and remain healthy in spite of all of the stress and anxiety of life right now.

Pray that the Lord will heal my body and that the Endometriosis will really have a chance to heal during this pregnancy.

Thanks for the concern and sympathy. I am trusting the Lord for complete healing and restoration as well as a healthy, happy baby come December. Thanks for agreeing with us for God's best!