When nothing is going right

We recently had a really tough few weeks. It started with my 21 month old getting a super high fever while I was in class, which for her is kind of normal so at first we thought nothing of it. But later that day once I was home from class it got up to almost 105 which is when you start to worry she was also very cranky and did not want to eat or drink which is not within her normal for when she has her fevers. We looked in her throat and it was filled with sores we took her in to the to the pediatrician and they confirmed that she had Herpangina is an acute viral illness in children. The symptoms of it are Blister-like bumps in the mouth, often in the back of the throat and on the roof of the mouth

• Headache

• Sudden fever

• High fever, sometimes up to 106°F (41°C)

• Pain in the mouth or throat

• Drooling

• Decrease in appetite

• Neck pain

It is much like Hand Foot and Mouth the very awful and common illness of young children. Herpangina can last up to 7 days and is very contagious and dangerous to pregnant women as it can cause low birth weight and some other dangerous side effects for the unborn baby. Being 20 weeks pregnant this was a scary thought.

As she was coming down with this awful sickness I began to experience some bad pains in my right side that were not going away or getting better no matter what I tried. My husband came down with Herpangina so they were both sick with high fevers and awful sores in their throats.

I was on the internet looking at causes of sharp pain on the right side some common ones are gas, constipation, and round ligament pains. I waited to pass gas to be sure that was not it tried finding a comfortable position to be in that would not still hurt but nothing was working and I was beginning to worry it was Something that was a warning sign of something more serious and that I needed to go in to the Emergency Department and have that ruled out.

We decided on a trip to the hospital. Being that I was 20 weeks pregnant I got a trip from the ED to Labor and Delivery to be checked out. They ran some labs and said I looked fine that it was likely some muscle or ligament pains to go w and come back if it got worse. I had yet another night or no sleep I could not find a comfortable position and laying down at all was more painful than sitting up but it all hurt I was miserable and frustrated that I felt like this but was told I was fine. The next morning we went back to the emergency department then labor and delivery. They ran the tests again and said they looked fine they ordered an ultrasound and a anatomy scan of the baby. Both checked out well so I was told to go home and get a heating pad and do some stretches for a sore muscle maybe take some Tylenol. I questioned this and reminded the doctor I had gotten zero sleep was in pain more when I laid down and that nothing helped and stretching made it worse. I was even more frustrated and upset that something seemed wrong but I was being told I did not know my body. This is my third pregnancy and I had never had a pain like this I had experienced right ligament pains and bad sciatica that made walking difficult but nothing like this. I had a big project due for grad school so I focused on that and decided if the pain was the same not worse I must be ok because they said I was. I powered through 2 more days and got my presentation together. I had class that afternoon and evening and needed to present but first I had a follow up with the OB from being hospitalized. She said saw me looked over the labs again and said everything looks ok but if the pain doesn’t get better or gets worse to go back in. Shortly after leaving the office I began to feel not well the pain got a bit worse and I began to get nauseous but I had to present so I continued on to class. My partner and I were presenting last so it took a while before it was our turn and we had a dinner break first as the evening went on I began to feel worse I was not able to eat I was too nauseous and began to feel like I may need to have a bowel movement but when I tried nothing. I presented and then was having a hard time focusing and knew I needed to leave and go home so I left class early. I got home and my husband said I did not look well I decided to try to lay down and see if I felt better I could not lay down and the pain was too much I had to go back to the Emergency Department. Since my husband and daughter were still getting over their cold I had him put me in a wheelchair and leave me there to be checked in and checked out. I sat alone and worried I knew something was wrong and was so worried they were going to tell me again that nothing was wrong. I was taken to Labor and Delivery they came in and said they would be running all the tests again and doing another ultrasound to see how things were going. I was given a GI Cocktail one of the only cocktails you can enjoy when pregnant and it actually was really yummy I am guessing because of how ill I was. More bloodwork results and another ultrasound that was inconclusive they decided it was time for an MRI and the surgeons to be notified Incase I needed to have surgery. The MRI was long and I was so uncomfortable then I was wheeled back to my room to wait for the results in came the doctor to let me know it was my appendix and I would need emergency surgery and the surgeon and anesthesiologist would be in soon to talk to me about it. I called my husband and told him to come right away to the hospital that it was indeed my appendix and I was having surgery soon. It was now early morning on Friday and things moved quickly yet slowly I had so many worries and concerns bouncing around in my mind. Would baby be ok? What if something went wrong? How hard recovery would be? I tried it calm myself and told baby that we were brave and strong and too many people needed us so we had to get through this successfully. They wheeled me back my husband and daughter walked me to the door of the hallway to the OR and off I went. The anesthesiologist and the nurses were all amazing and kind. The surgery went well they were able to do it laparoscopic which was the outcome they hoped for. Baby and I were doing well.

One of the biggest things this experience has taught me is that we know our bodies and if the medical providers are not listening to us we must advocate and make them hear us and our concerns. They almost did not do the MRI and my appendix was so close to rupturing that it would have ruptured if they had not done the MRI and discovered it and the outcome would likely have been catastrophic.