ER Scare: Part 1

Many of you already know about my recent scare over Easter weekend, but I wanted to go ahead and write out the details as a way of remembering.

I started having some anxiety attacks with the severest one on Thursday, March 20, the day before Good Friday. I'm used to having bouts of anxiety and thought the attacks would pass soon. By Friday, I was having more anxiety accompanied by abdominal pain that increased to cramping by that night. It was strange because it wasn't my normal "time" and the pain did not decrease with medication. I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night with intense back pain but was able to fall back asleep. I decided on Saturday morning to have Beef take me to the emergency room.

The doctor was concerned that I either had an ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in a fallopian tube) or my appendix had ruptured, but the pain was too low to be my appendix. She ran tests and determined I was pregnant. It was a shock to us because I was still on schedule with my time of the month although the last one was abnormally long. We thought I must have been about 4 weeks pregnant. The doctor ordered an ultrasound that revealed nothing. It was just too early to tell. I was sent home with instructions to follow up with my doctor in a few days to see if I was still pregnant. The doctor was concerned that I may have already miscarried with my last menses. The nurse also informed me on what to expect if I was to miscarry. Beef and I were a little too apprehensive to be excited about the pregnancy due to all the pain I was having, but of course we wanted to have the baby.

I awoke on Easter Sunday at 5 am to intense cramping on my right side. I thought I was about to have a miscarriage but there was no bleeding. The pain was so severe I was scared for my own life. The doctor had told us that if an ectopic pregnancy ruptured, I could die. Beef got on the phone to my mother, who is a nurse. She and my dad would come up to get Scamp, but I told Beef just to go ahead and call an ambulance. Within 5 minutes two fireman were at our door followed shortly by two paramedics. One of the paramedics was our friend Chris who comes to our Thursday night get-togethers. He rode in the back of the ambulance with me while Beef stayed behind to get Scamp ready. It was nice to have a friend beside me.

I arrived at the hospital and was shortly met by my parents followed by Beef and Scamp. Beef said he had to lure Scamp out of bed with the promise of Easter candy. She came in with her Halloween bucket stuffed with Easter candy. They got me stabilized with pain medication, then we waited for the surgeon to arrive...

I will finish up the rest of the story tomorrow.