TMI, probably

*Sigh* I’m still pregnant. It’s not exactly like I was expecting to not be pregnant by this point, but my friend Amy had her baby on the ninth and my friend Natalie is scheduled for a c-section tomorrow.

This wouldn’t bother me, but I’m not due until the 27th. Natalie’s due date is technically the 23rd. Amy’s due date was the 20th. So while they should have been my comrades in pregnancy still, they aren’t. As of tomorrow I will be the only one pregnant, with no end in sight—except for the knowledge that eventually the baby has to come out.

When I read that Amy had her baby I went into the kitchen and ate the rest of the oatmeal cookies that I made earlier this week. A consolation prize of sorts, I guess.

I’ll have to make something for tomorrow for when I read that Natalie had her baby. Since it’s Thanksgiving, I was already planning on making some yummy pumpkin treats.

We had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. Everything went well except that I had +1 protein in my urine. Dr. Tarek wasn’t too concerned about it because my blood pressure is fine, but he wanted me to do a second urine test in a sterile cup. Ordinarily this wouldn’t have been a problem since I’m pregnant and have to pee all the time, but I was only in his office for ten minutes before he was sending me out to go pee again. What does he think I am—a machine? I think I could give a sample every half hour just fine, but every ten minutes?! That’s asking a bit much.

So we went into the lobby and I drank a couple of glasses of water and thought about bubbling brooks and leaky faucets while I let Rachel “cuddle” baby Miriam—that usually induces fetal kicks and/or contractions, which in turn promote the need to pee.

While we were sitting there we read the test order sheet. It’s just a page with test upon test upon test listed in columns. The doctor checks off which tests he wants the patient to have and then the patient goes to the lab and the technician does whatever tests the doctor ordered. At least…that’s how it happens here.

In our perusal of the test order sheet, we found, much to our amusement, that I could get a blood groping test.

“Oooh, look!” Andrew said, “You can get your blood groped!”

It was the laughing that did me in—I finally had to pee. We were laughing so hard that everyone in the waiting room was staring at us. But we just couldn’t help ourselves. Of course, we couldn’t help but wonder if there really was a blood groping test since there weren’t any typos anywhere else on the paper. Maybe blood groping and blood grouping are different things…(they’re not, by the way, I can’t find much about blood groping anywhere; it’s the typo of the century).

Hopefully this sample comes back normal. I don’t really know what happens when you have protein in your urine. Andrew and I were joking about it on the way home.

“It’s probably sarcoidosis,” Andrew said, “Or as I like to say: sarcoid. We’re tight.”

“Hmmm, yeah. It’s gotta be autoimmune,” I agreed, “The symptoms point to Wegener’s, though, not sarcoid. Although it could be lupus.”

We’ve watched too much House in recent history, I think.

I looked it up when we got home, though, and proteinuria is actually a symptom for sarcoidosis, Wegener’s granulomatosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. I don’t think I have any of those, though, because it’s also a symptom of pre-eclampsia, a much more likely explanation. Except that my blood pressure is fine. It could also indicate an infection. Or liver failure.

Hopefully the +1 protein reading was due to a contamination in the cup. I’m pretty sure I’m fine, although at times I feel like a walking pharmacy with my daily dosage of iron pills and my prenatal vitamins to keep me going.

Have I mentioned I’m on an iron supplement before? I don’t think I have. Just a few days after having my blood drawn (a month ago), Dr. Tarek texted me—yup, as in sent my cell phone a text message—telling me that I needed an iron supplement. Haemoton. So, I’m taking iron. Because my doctor texted me to do so.

I got my “complete blood picture” yesterday from when my blood was tested last month, culminating in the text from Dr. Tarek. Luckily this time they only gave me the results and only the results—they kept the blood vial (unlike the time they gave me the pap smear, like the actual pap smear, not just the results). I suffer from Normocytic Normochromic Animia. Sometimes it’s amazing what just a little bit of blood can tell you about yourself.

I wonder what my pee will say…