25 Weeks 3 Days

Today I had a follow up appointment with the ophthalmologist, Dr. Kidurka, and much to my surprise he told me that some of the swelling has gone down in the right eye. I was relieved to hear that, especially since my vision has not improved any. He reminded me that it will take time to regain the vision, but to remember that I may not regain it all. I do not have to see him again for 4 weeks. We will continue to pray for healing in that eye!!

After my appointment, I went and ate breakfast with a co-worker at a place called Rama Jama's. It is on the University of Alabama campus right by the stadium and is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place, but one of those nostalgic places I needed to go before leaving Tuscaloosa. I definitely enjoyed my greasy breakfast which consisted of bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, grits and a biscuit!! Sad to say, I cleaned my plate, but boy was it worth it!

25 Weeks 2 Days - Sixth Appointment

Today I had my regularly scheduled OB appointment. It did not start off too well for me with a nine pound weight gain on the scale - which of course Dr. D related to the steroids! I will definitely be looking for none at the next appointment! She measured the height of my fundus which was at 22cm. This is good because you should be within 4 cm of how ever many weeks you are. She did another ultrasound to finally get the measurements that Camden would not let us get the last two times, and according to the ultrasound, he was measuring 24weeks and 5 days, weighs about 1 pound 12 ounces and his heart rate was 148. That was a relief to me because I was a little concerned that the steroids might have had an effect on stimulating his growth. Dr. D decided we should do the 1 hour glucose tolerance test in 2 to 3 weeks once the steroids have had time to leave my system so as not to result a false positive. But since I will be headed to Texas for a baby shower in 2 weeks, I scheduled it for 3 weeks.

Also, Dr. Hogan (the neurologist) called personally today to review the optic test I had in his office Tuesday. With this test the score you obtain should only be about two points different between your two eyes, with seven being the maximum. Well, I had an eight point difference between the right and left eyes which pathologically shows the right eye to have optic neuritis. (OK, didn't we already know this?) Anyway, I was very impressed that he himself called. Again, I must say I have been very blessed with the doctors I have had during my care. They have all been extremely knowledgeable as well as have great bedside manners.

Tomorrow I have another ophthalmology appointment, which to be honest I am not looking forward to because I believe that he again will tell me there is no improvement. That is always a bit disheartening to hear. But the good news about tomorrow is I start my tapering dose of steroids, so hopefully before too long will get back to my old self!! (Got to look for the positives!!!)

25 Weeks

Today I went to see the neurologist, Dr. Hogan. He did another full neuro exam and informed me that my spinal tap results for MS were negative. He reminded me that I do still have a chance of having MS in the future and that I will have to keep a check on that. He also performed another ocular visual test where they attach these leads to your scalp and you stare at a light for a minute and it reads how your brain is reacting. He expects the left eye to be better than the right eye (obviously). He also ordered more extensive lab work to rule out any other causes for the ocular neuritis. It will be about a week or so before those test results come back. So, all in all, good news.

When I got home this evening, I finally did my Pilates for Pregnancy video. I did feel some good stretching, but I will admit, it was hard for me to do Pilates because it is sooooo slow paced and I like up beat type things. But, if it will help in the end, I guess I can do it twice a week as recommended by Dr. D!!!

How our baby is growing:

Head to heels, our baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

24 Weeks 5 Days

I finally felt a bit more productive this weekend after 'taking it easy' for the past week and a half. Of course Shane and I went to the Alabama vs. Tennessee football game, which was way too close for comfort. We were both exhausted and in bed by about 9:00 pm. We both blamed it on the sun taking the energy out of us : ) Today we went to church, ran a few errands, and then came home and washed my vehicle. Afterwards, I swept off the back porch, went and worked out, cut Shane's hair, and trimmed Zach's nails!!! It was really good to get back to the gym since it has been about three weeks, but I am hoping that I did not set myself up for being exhausted the rest of the week.

As far as an eye update, yesterday the vision in the right eye seems to have decreased a bit more. I had a visual field test when I first went to the doctor and there was a decrease in part of my visual field, but as of yesterday, I have a spot in the upper right hand corner of my visual field that is now missing. I just keep telling myself that it is a "time thing" and trying to remain patient, which I am HORRIBLE at. According to the information I have found, it can take weeks to months for this to clear up, and there is a possibility that I will not totally regain my vision. So we continue to pray for healing!!!

As far as Camden goes, he seems to be doing great!! He is a moving machine in there, and seems to stay positioned so that it is the right side of my stomach that is moving. I just love when he kicks. It puts a smile on my face every time!! I know that will change as space becomes more cramped, but for the time being it is a joy.

How our baby is growing:

Our baby is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (about the size of an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

24 Weeks 2 Days

Today has been an extremely discouraging day for me! I have, of course, been struggling with my vision, but have been pleased with what I thought was progression in the right eye. The gray hue has not been there, nor the points of clarity amidst fuzziness. It has just seemed out of tune. Well this morning when I woke up, I felt as though I had taken a step backwards. The same type of symptoms that I had experienced with the optic neuritis had reoccured. Now, I have tried not to get to excited about any of this, knowing that it will take time to heal, but after I had seen what I thought was improvement, I just did not expect a back step. So I debated all morning at work if I should call the ophthalmologist or not and finally, after coercing from a co-worker, I called after lunch. They asked me to go ahead and come in and let them re-exam me. Well, what I had hoped was paranoia was not. According to Dr. Kudirka, the eye really has not improved at all. He states there is still a lot of swelling in the right eye and that it really was going to take some time and not to be surprised if some days seemed better than others. Honestly, I guess I needed to hear that, but I can assure you, I was taken back. It is so frustrating to know that I have done all that is asked of me in regards to taking the steroids and then having such ill affects from them with no noticeable improvement at all. I also think part of my problem is that this Prednisone is causing me to feel depressed, which is not my "norm" at all!!! I have prayed and prayed for healing of the eye as well as protection for Camden from the medication. Apparently, I need to hand this whole-heartedly over to God and allow him to do his will and work favorably upon the situation.

24 Weeks

Just a quick little entry to say how I am feeling. I have gained almost a pound a day of fluid and am up 6 pounds as of this morning. My legs and abdomen seem to be where the fluid is building up the most. I started wearing support hose today to try to help with the edema. This morning Dr. DiPiazza called and left a message on my voice mail reviewing some of my lab results with me from the weekend and also just really checking to see how I am doing. She was concerned about my glucose being elevated, as well as my sodium being low. She just recommended I lay off of the plain water and have Gatorade and watch the sugar intake. (Glucose being elevated is a side effect of the steroids, so we were not really surprised at the elevation.) She is the most considerate person and I am so fortunate to have her as my doctor!!! Anyway, I called back and spoke with the nurse and informed her that I checked my sugar at work this morning and it was 97 which was better than the numbers from the weekend. I also informed her of the 6 pound weight gain and the fact that I did not notice the gray hue in the right eye (the affected eye) but the fact that my vision in the left eye was blurry (which again I related to my glucose being elevated). She spoke with Dr. D and called back and had me have more lab work drawn today, which I did. When I got home, I went through my stash of contacts and found a different contact to try in the left eye which made the vision much better. It is like I told Shane, I think my left eye had been a little off prior to all of this, and then had to compensate when the right eye went bad and now that the right eye seems to be getting better it is letting the right eye do the work. Well, I have another ophthalmology appointment next week and will discuss that further with the doctor then!

23 Weeks 5 Days

Yesterday was a day of relaxing, infusions, and football. Since Dr. DiPiazza had told me that she did not want me to go to the Alabama football game, Shane invited his Uncle Ronald (who lives in Birmingham) to go with him. I was excited that they were able to share that time together, but a little more selfishly, I was excited that his Aunt Manya was going to come over and watch the game with me. Once the boys left, we decided our food agenda, which once again was a good one for me. We decided we were going to the Waffle House for a patty melt and hash browns. YUMMMM!!! I don't even know the last time I ate that, because that is not a place Shane cares to go! So we ate there and came home and watched the game on TV. We were both pleased that we were able to watch the game in the heat, versus the cold that it was outside!!

Today, my last infusion was at 10:00 am and then I was able to discontinue the darned IV. I was so excited to take that darn thing out. The home health nurse came around 11:00 am for my last blood draw and to discharge me from their services. I unfortunately had to miss church, but Shane did go. When he got home, we headed out to Target and Toys R Us to register. It really wasn't until today that I started feeling the real effects of fluid build up. Up until this time, my only real side effects from the Solu-Medrol were a slight headache all day as well as bad reflux. But today, it was harder to breath, hard to get up and down, and I felt like I was loosing my voice all day. That, in combination with what I considered was a little stress from registering, pretty much tired me out. I enjoyed picking things out for Camden, but felt at such a loss if I was really picking the right things we needed. I decided in my heart of hearts, that honestly if he has love, comfort, protection and all the basic things he needs from Shane and me, the others are things that will make our lives easier, not necessarily his. So, I put my trust in my friends that have given me great ideas as well as a few motherly instincts, and pray that the list has the main things it needs!!!

The other thing we finally decided on today was bedding. As I have said from the beginning, I like the more contemporary things, and really did not want a theme. Of course after us not agreeing on colors, I had ran across a bedding set called Cooperstown that has a baseball type theme. When my mother and I went shopping at a baby store in Houston a few weekends ago she and I actually got to see it in person and mom thought it was perfect. I myself still was not sure. But I gave Shane three different beddings to choose between, and that is what he chose. I must say, it is something I like and think it is fitting for my husband's son!!! : )

23 Weeks 3 days

During my infusions, Camden has been very active which I relate it to being steroids that we are receiving!! I have been able to feel, as well as see, Camden move for a while now, but every time I have Shane put his hand on my belly to feel him, Camden quits moving. Well, Wednesday night after my 10:00 pm infusion, he was extremely active and Shane was finally able to feel him move. I was so glad that he finally got to feel what I believe up to this point has been my favorite part of being pregnant!!

Well, as I said, Camden has been extremely active with the infusions, that is up until mid day yesterday. During our 10:00 am infusion he was extremely active and then after the 4:00 pm infusion I was working on my blog entry so did not really pay attention. But as the evening wore on, I noticed I had not felt him move. So after the 10:00 pm infusion, I was very focused on feeling his movements, which I did not feel any. So I went to bed and laid down on my back, which usually gets him to kicking also, and again no movement. I finally fell asleep, and during my 4:00 am infusion once again, no movement. I laid in bed and waited and waited and did not feel a thing. The OB office opened at 8:00 am at which time I called and was told to come in so they could check the baby. As I was in the waiting room waiting to be called back, a dear friend from church, Sarah Overcash, showed up for her OB appointment and I was so relieved to see a familiar face. Shane was taking a make up test from the one he missed Wednesday and then had class, so I did not want him to miss anymore school. It just helped to know that she was there in that office in case the news was not good. Thankfully his heartbeat was nice and strong at 150 bpm. Dr. DiPiazza was not in the office yet and I was told I could wait and see her, but for me I received all the confirmation I needed. On my drive home I received a call from Dr. DiPiazza checking on me and she recommended that I could go and buy a fetal monitor at Toys R Us or online and maybe would have more piece of mind - that I may definitely do!! She also gave me her cell phone number and was told to call if I had any questions or concerns at all. As I have said before, I just LOVE her!!!!

As of now, I still have yet to feel Camden move, little turd, but I will stay content on the fact that God is taking care of the both of us. As I said in a previous blog, prayer is so powerful and I am grateful for all the family and friends that are praying for us!!!

How our baby is growing:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, our baby can feel me dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), I can see him squirm underneath my clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that his increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as our dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

23 Weeks 2 Days - Unexpected News

I don't even know where to begin, but I will fore warn you, this will be a lengthy entry. First of all, for those of you that know me, I have HORRIBLE vision (-10.75 in right eye and -10.25 in the left). I knew ahead of time that pregnancy could change your vision and everywhere you read it insists that you do not get a new prescription during pregnancy because after birth you will return to your previous correction. A few weeks ago, I noticed a change in the vision in my right eye. It was extremely bothersome to me because I love to see crystal clear and I am right eye dominant. I have a battery of older gas permeable contact lenses and tried each of them seeing if I could see any better, to no avail. I would notice that when I would take out my contacts the right eye would seem 'dimmer' than the left, almost like a gray hue. The other thing interesting is that if I tried to focus on something far away, I could see spots of clarity amidst the fuzziness. Well, deep down I had a feeling it really just was not my vision changing due to it being in just the right eye as well as the gray hue along with spots of clarity. I did a little research and found that there are a few other issues pregnant women can have including problems with your retina and pretty much had decided that was probably my issue. So I made an appointment with an optometrist that my co-workers recommended. I usually see an ophthalmologist but knew that it would take longer to get in with them and the optometrist had after work hours which meant I didn't have to miss any work.

So, my appointment was Tuesday at 5:30 pm. I was taken back and the usual work up was done by the assistant. Then the optometrist, Dr. Bonds, came in and first tried to correct my vision without success. I was seeing 20/40 out of the right and 20/20 out of the left eye. Before looking in the back of my eyes, she mentioned that she thought it may be the same retinal problem I was thinking. After she looked in my eyes, she informed me that it was definitely not the retinal problem because the retina looked great, but instead that I had a lot of swelling in the right eye, the vessels looked very irritated and the optic nerve was swollen. She called in another optometrist and after he looked in my eyes, he seemed very concerned. He was very honest and said that they needed to do a visual field test as well as other testing. So, during the visual field test Dr. Bonds came in and asked me who my OBGYN was and if I had her phone number. I handed over that information and proceeded with the testing. Once I was taken back to the exam room she came back in and told me that they had called the OB on call as well as the neurologist at the hospital and felt that I needed to go to the Emergency Department for an MRI as well as some lab work to rule out any type of tumor or giant cell arteritis that could be causing the swelling or ocular neuritis. So I texted one of the doctors I work with, Dr. Hemstreet, and asked him to call the ED for me to try to expedite things, which he of course agreed to do. So off to Druid City Hospital Emergency Department I went.

When I arrived at the ED at 7:30 pm, it was jammed packed with a six hour wait. I registered at the desk and they took me directly back to a triage room where I was triaged within 5 minutes, and then back in an exam room within another 5 minutes. Talk about service. I got tickled when the registration clerk came in my room and kind of looked me up and down and asked puzzled if I was in an accident or injured. I told him no. He said, "Well I am trying to figure out why they have you as a Category 2 which is the highest acuity category you can be unless you are receiving CPR." I just chuckled and explained to him that one of the doctors I work with called ahead and talked to Dr. Posey, one of the ED docs. Thank the Lord for Dr. Hemstreet.

After being in my room about 15 minutes, Shane showed up with his backpack full of study material as well as snacks. It just so happens that my timing is impeccable because he had two tests scheduled for Wednesday, each being in his more difficult classes. I hated that he had to spend his time in the ED with me instead of studying at home. Within 30 minutes Dr. Posey came in to see me and took a history and then ordered the MRI as well as lab work. He explained to me that with optic neuritis there is a strong association with MS (multiple sclerosis). He said that this is one of the first signs and how people figure out that they have MS. They were looking for lesions on my brain as well as any type of tumor. Shortly thereafter, a very sweet RN (who is also pregnant) came in and started an IV and drew some blood. Within minutes the MRI tech came and took me to get an MRI/MRA of my head. That was a very interesting experience. It was very loud which must have startled Camden because he was very active during the whole 20 minute test. But the MRI tech was very personable and nice and I appreciated the time he took with me. I was taken back to my exam room afterwards at which time I was able to eat the snacks Shane brought me, but I didn't eat them all because I was ready to eat a good supper upon our discharge. Within 30-45 minutes Dr. Posey returned to tell me the MRI was normal. YEA!!!! But the bad news was he needed to do a spinal tap to make sure that I did not have increased intracranial pressure and also to obtain spinal fluid to send off for further testing, including an MS profile and that they wanted to admit me for further neurological testing by Dr. Lucy (a neurologist) as well as probably start me on IV steroids. Now I was not a happy camper and extremely concerned. I have worked in an ER and know all about spinal taps and that is one of the many things on my list that I never wanted to have done to me - mainly because I just don't like the idea of someone sticking something in my spinal column. I questioned him about who was going to do it and he had informed me that he would be the one to do it. Again, I was leery, but up to this point I did have a good feeling about him and appreciated his honesty with me as well as his bedside manner.

They moved us to a different exam room and within 15 minutes Dr. Posey came in with a nurse and explained the spinal tap to me and had me assume a fetal position, which I must admit is not easy with a baby in your belly. But whatever I needed to do so that he could successfully do the spinal tap with one stick, I was willing. He talked me through the whole procedure, and to be very honest, it was not bad at all!!! He was able to measure my pressure right then which was right where it should be. He told me afterwards that he was actually going to send me to radiology and let them do the procedure under fluroscopy, but knew they would not check my pressure and if you want something done right to do it yourself, so that is exactly what he did. Sounds just like my father, so once again I was reassured!! The other thing I learned while sitting and listening to the nurses in the hall, was that Dr. Posey was to leave at 11:00 pm and it was 11:15 pm when he did the procedure, so he actually stayed over to do the procedure!!! Also, as he left the room, he requested that I call him on Wednesday after 3:00 pm when he returned back to work and let him know how things had turned out. What does that tell you about him? Another point for him!! So I was told to lay flat for 40 minutes or so to let the area clot off to help prevent the dreaded headache that can occur after a spinal tap. I did just that and after about 45 minutes they came to get me to take me up to my room on the OB floor.

At about 12:00 am we ended up in the room and I was greeted by two wonderful nurses. Once again I was tickled because the RN's name was Warreen (who while she was pregnant craved seafood and always ate ice cream with shrimp on it) and the LPN was Classie. They were just great. I told them both I would be looking for them upon my return in February. They were baffled as to why I was there, thinking that I must be having problems with my pregnancy, and were intrigued that I was there due to an eye problem. Even so, they were interested and eager to learn about my diagnosis, as was the other nurses I had throughout the day. I was really concerned about Shane getting home to get some rest prior to his two big tests, but when the nurses asked him if he was staying, he talked to them like he was going to go home and let out the dogs and come back. After they left the room, I told him he had to go home and stay home because if he did what he had planned, he would be lucky to have even 2 hours sleep before his tests at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. After the nurses came in and out to get things situated and bringing me some chocolate ice cream and graham crackers (since by now I definitely missed the supper I thought I was going to eat upon discharge), I convinced Shane to go home and stay there. But bless his heart, you could tell that he did not want to leave. He probably stood there with his back pack on his back for thirty minutes before he finally left at about 1:10 am. Around 1:20 am, the OB doctor on call, Dr. Poist came by to see me and told me that the neurologist would be in to see me later that day, that it was really out of the OB realm.

I was able to sleep from about 2:00 am to 6:00 am with only a few interruptions. Warreen came in about 6:15 am and gave me a menu and told me I could order whatever I wanted from the cafe for breakfast. She was aware that I have been loving breakfast food while pregnant and recommended their omelets. So at about 6:40 am I called and ordered a bacon, cheese with tomato omelet, a biscuit with gravy and grits. It arrived within 30 minutes, and I must say was very good, especially the biscuit with gravy!!! That morning, the cardiologist I had texted, Dr. Hemstreet and Jeremy, his CRNP, came to visit, as well as another cardiologist I work for, Dr. Lewis and John, her CRNP. It meant a lot that they came by to check on me. When Dr. Hemstreet was there, he asked if I heard anything from Dr. Dipiazza and informed me he thought she may be on vacation because he had not seen her car in the parking garage in a week. Shortly after they all left, one of the other OB doctors came and checked on me so I figured that Dr. Hemstreet must be right about Dr. D.

Up to this point, I had been really doing well, but after I was left alone that morning, I had a huge meltdown. All I could think about was that somehow the steroids they wanted to put me on would affect Camden and as a mother you do everything to protect your child and now I may do something to harm my child. Luckily as I was having my meltdown, Lorrie (one of my dear friends from Houston) called and she was able to look on the internet and tell me all about ocular neuritis as well as how that and MS are related. It helped give me a grasp of the whole situation and let me really think things through so that when the neurologist showed up I could have my questions in order. Also, with the information she gave me I felt like I could be more specific with my prayers since I was really at a loss. Amazing how God works!!

Well, much to my surprise, Dr. DiPiazza showed up around 9:15 am. I was so relieved to see her because I trust her completely. She told me that they would probably want to start me on steroids which would definitely be fine at this point in my pregnancy and not to worry. She asked me how I was doing and I told her about my meltdown and she was very comforting. I could see that she too was concerned and as of yet the spinal fluid results had not yet come back, but she did know that the MRI showed no lesions which was positive. I had told her what Dr. Hemstreet said about him not seeing her vehicle and she laughed and said that she had gotten a new car - a convertible Mini Cooper!! That so fits her. She said it is very different from her hand me down Exterra she had and that her children, age 14 months and 5 years old were very close to her now in the Mini Cooper. Too funny!!!

Shane had emailed all of his professors the night before and informed them of the situation that was going on. He emailed his 10:00 am professor (which was his second test) and asked if he could take it earlier. He never did hear from him and stayed at school till about 9:30 am waiting to take the test and when the professor never showed up, he headed to the hospital. He knew that this particular professor would not have a problem with him taking the test later. I was surprised to see him that early, but very glad he was there. We both took about an hour nap or so and finally a little before 12:00 pm the neurologist, Dr. Lucy, showed up. He asked me a battery of questions and did a very thorough neuro exam on me. He probably stayed in the room 20 minutes or so and then said he was going to go review all the tests that had been performed up to this point and then would return to talk to us about everything. While he was gone, two of my coworkers, Sonya and Cheryl, came by to visit which was nice. Not too long after they left, Dr. Lucy came back in and told me that he had reviewed all the tests and there were definitely no lesions on the MRI and the blood tests were fine. Three of the four spinal tap results had returned, which were good, but the MS profile would take about 2 weeks to receive the results. He had done further research on optic neuritis and had looked at the different studies as of how to treat it with high doses of steroids IV for four days and then oral Prednisone for two weeks thereafter. He said he had talked to Dr. D and she was in agreement with the steroids. The studies show that someone at my age has a 50% chance of developing MS within 15 years due to the optic neuritis, but there is a decreased chance with taking the steroids. He did say that he is very conservative and does not even like to give Tylenol (which I so appreciate because I am conservative in that respect also) but if I was his wife or daughter, he would recommend taking the steroids. He said that he would hate for five years down the road for MS to show up and me wonder "what if I would have taken the steroids." I questioned him about if my vision would improve and the studies show that some do and some don't, but he thought it would improve. Before leaving he told us a lot about MS and how treatment had improved so much in the past 25 years he had been practicing and if I did ever receive that diagnosis not to think that I would automatically end up in a wheel chair. He was very matter of fact and informative, which we both appreciated. He told us to think about everything he had said and he would go ahead and write the order for the steroids as well as an MRI of the neck to make sure I had no lesions since MS lesions can be in the head or neck and leave me the material he had researched about all the studies regarding treatment for this. He said that if I would like to talk to Dr. D before I decided that would be fine too. After he left, Shane and I decided to proceed with the steroids and it wasn't 15 minutes later and there was Dr. D. She was so excited that it did not appear to be MS - she was very concerned about that. She again reassured me that it was fine to take the steroids. She said the only side effect to the baby could be a cleft lip and palate, but that is completely formed by day 56, so that should not be a worry since I am well beyond that. I asked her if I could go back to work and she told me I needed to wait until Monday. I asked her if I could go to the football game on Saturday and she told me no!! UGH!!! I didn't want to miss a game. She told me that I would probably not feel well at all on this high dose of steroids and may have nausea. She said I would likely gain weight, that she had a friend who gained 15 lbs on this regimen and that my appetite would increase. Boy, everything I was so looking forward to!!! ; ) In the meantime, our pastor, Jon Quitt, and associate pastor, Jonathan Cook came by and visited and prayed with us. Amazing how news travels (via Facebook I am sure). I appreciated their visit more than they could imagine!

So they came to get me for the MRI and at that time Shane left to go take his truck home and have a friend bring him back to the hospital so he could drive me home. When I got to MRI there again was the same MRI tech from the night before, Michael Allgood, and come to find out, he is the son of one of the sweetest RNs I work with. He got his personality honestly and I was glad to see him again! After the MRI, I returned to my room and the lab tech came and drew the lab, and then my nurse came and started the Solumedrol IV as well as gave me my discharge paperwork. The case manager came in and got my infusions set up for home and before leaving the hospital I had already spoke with the home health as well as the infusion therapy nurse who would be arriving to the house upon our return to instruct me on how to give myself the infusions. Right before I left, Dr. Bonds (the optometrist) called to check and see what all they found, and I did call Dr. Posey and gave him an update. I told him that I would not get the MS profile results for 2 weeks, and he asked if I again would call him and let him know how they turned out. (At this point I have decided that I must be a freak of nature since they are all really anxious to find out the findings and end results!)

We left for home and arrived at 5:30 pm. On our drive home, Lorrie called to tell me that she stays in touch with a pathologist she worked with in the lab and his wife happened to be a Neonatologist. Now Lorrie had spent the whole day on the internet researching ocular neuritis as well as MS and was concerned about me receiving the steroids. She actually had the opportunity to talk with the neonatologist who reassured her that what they had planned was the right regimen and she had never seen any adverse effects to a baby from this. She states that I was at the best part of my pregnancy for this and if I had been closer to 32 weeks or so, they probably would not have given me the steroids. So, all things seemed to be pointing in the right direction. By 6:00 pm or so the infusion nurse showed up and I had him go ahead and move my IV from my right hand to my left forearm so that I would be able to better maneuver the infusions. I was given the orders of giving myself infusions of a high dose of Solumedrol every 6 hours through Sunday, and then I would change to Prednisone by mouth for 14 days. The nurse told me he was concerned about the high dose I was receiving due to my pregnancy, but his wife has been a neonatal nurse for 32 years and he called her and she reassured him that was the proper dosage and it would be fine, so he felt much better about it. Once again, good confirmation!!

I decided that I would put myself on a 10 and 4 regimen so that I would only have to get up once in the middle of the night to infuse myself. Since then, the infusions have gone well. I have not had any nausea or really felt bad. Although, I do think it has increased my heartburn. Also, Camden is very active after the infusions are complete, which to me is not surprising. This morning the home health nurse came to draw my blood because they have requested that my electrolytes be checked daily while I receive IV infusions and then once a week while I take the Prednisone my mouth. UGH!!! I do believe I am already tired of being stuck. At 2:30 pm today I attended an appointment they set me up with an ophthalmologist and after a full dilated exam he confirmed everything we knew and wanted me to follow up in 2 weeks. My vision did improve to 20/30!! When I asked him if my vision would return fully, he said he thought it should, but there was a chance it would not be as clear. I am also to follow up with a neurologist in 2 weeks, but it will not be Dr. Lucy because he is just a neurologist in the hospital. Since my hospitalization, I have found out that all the doctors I had were the best there is from Dr. Posey to Dr. Lucy. I must say I had an awesome experience which I was not expecting from the stories I had heard from many of my patients.

How you will find me receiving my infusions at 10 am, 4 pm, 10pm, and 4 am!

I know that God has had a hand in every bit of this and I realize even more that all of life's experiences prepare you for what will come in your future. I worked for an ophthalmologist all through nursing school and my first job out of nursing school was for an ophthalmologist who owned a surgery center and we did eye surgery. One of my greatest loves has always been eyes and I would love to work in that field again. Also, I worked in an emergency room and was very prepared for what I was in store for. I believe that all these things as well as my relationship with the doctors I work for helped me with this whole experience and am grateful for everyone that was involved in my care. I really don't think this experience could have been any better. I am also so grateful for all my friends that have been praying for us and continue to pray for me and the health of Camden. As we all know, prayer is a powerful tool!!!

22 Weeks 5 days

We returned today from a wonderful trip to Texas. Thursday and Friday was Shane's fall break, so we decided we would take the extended weekend to visit family. One of our main missions was to deliver a big screen TV that was in Connor's room (which is turning into the nursery) to Connor at his new home in Lumberton. Also, my parents were to be in Houston to take care of my nephews since my sister and her husband both were going to be out of town. So the plan was to stay at Shane's parents on Thursday evening so we could see just how big that new nephew of ours, Gavin, has grown, as well as celebrate Shane's, Connor's and Ron's (Shane's dad) birthdays. It amazes me how much Gavin has grown since we had seen him the beginning of June and now at the ripe ol' age of 5 months he has a sweet personality and smiles a lot. He was such a great baby while we were there and I enjoyed being able to love on him and hold him - gave me a good glimpse of what is coming in our direction!!


On Friday morning we left at about 10:00 am to head to Tomball to my sister's house. She and her husband had plans to be out of town for the weekend and I really wanted to see her before she headed out, which I was able to do. My family honestly never thought they would see me pregnant so it was fun to see their reaction of the baby bump. The boys had early release that day, so they were home by about 1:15. My gosh they grow like weeds!! I was soooo very glad to see them and can't wait to live closer to them!!! They have a house for sale right across the street from them that Mason thinks would be the perfect choice for us, as do I, but not in our price budget!! : ) Of course Mom and I did a little shopping. My mission was mainly for a new bra - which all I can say is UGH - that was a horrible experience and I now realize just why I have put it off as long as I have!!! Of course we went out and ate Mexican food that evening, which is something I ALWAYS have to do when going home since there is just nothing like good Tex-Mex here in Alabama!!

On Saturday, Braden had a soccer game at 8:00 am, which it was cold and misting the whole time, but of course I wouldn't trade that time for anything!! He is such an awesome soccer player and that day got to be team captain which he was really excited about.


Later that afternoon, I got to do something that I thought was very awesome. Mason has his first communion in a few weeks, and his church does something I find very neat. They go to a place called the Pottery Wheel and make and paint a chalice, then this next weekend they make their bread and then the next weekend they have their first communion. My sister thought that since I am his God-Mother it would be a perfect thing, since she was out of town, for me to go with him to make his chalice. I really LOVED that opportunity more than she knows. Each child actually got to help the potter mold their own chalice and then paint it. I can't wait to see the finished product after it is fired!!!


Later that evening, Melissa let us have our own little birthday party for Braden since neither my parents nor myself will be there for his birthday. My mom had made and iced cupcakes and he got to open his gifts from us. I think he was surprised by it, but we took plenty of pictures for his mom!!

Of course, today after driving through a few neighborhoods trying to get a feel of where we would like to live, we headed back to Alabama. It is never easy leaving my family, but luckily I will be seeing them a lot here in the future due to a baby shower on November 14th in Texas that I am SOOOO excited about and then my sister and her family are coming for Thanksgiving and then my parents are coming for Christmas. I have so much to be thankful for and to look forward to!!!

22 Weeks

Today is Shane's 35th birthday, and bless is heart I did not make it the least bit exciting for him!! We recently purchased him a new truck, a bed cover for his truck and his class ring, so he knew it was gonna be slim givings from me, which of course he did not mind at all (but for some reason I felt a bit guilty about it!!!) I did give him a new University of Alabama hitch cover with a locking pin so no one could still the precious item, which he liked. Since we are leaving Thursday morning to head to Texas, we decided I would not make him a cake, but I did stop at Publix and get a giant birthday cupcake so he had some resemblance of a cake!! I did not take a picture one of this wonderful event, and know I need to get on the ball with that because I will not want to miss one precious photo of this baby when he gets here!!!

Which, speaking of this baby boy, I do recall that a week or so ago I said I was going to reveal his name, and have not done so. What a better day to do it on than Shane's Birthday.

Camden Cade Hood

Camden means winding valley so we wanted a middle name that has more meaning to it, which Cade means pure. So there we have it and now I can start referring to him by his name instead of Baby Boy Hood!!!

How our baby is growing:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, our baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside the womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

21 Weeks 3 Days - Fifth Appointment

Today was my fifth appointment with Dr. D. Of course, still love her!!! I did not gain any weight from the last visit, which was a relief to me. But like I told her, I normally have morning appointments and my last appointment was in the afternoon since we were having the ultrasound to figure out what we were having, so I didn't feel the last weight was that accurate anyway. So, I have gained 10 lbs - which is right on target for the 25 to 35 lbs that she wants me to gain. She wants me to get a Pilates tape and do it at least two times a week to help stretch out my legs and my back since I am on my feet all day. She also mentioned me wearing compression hose on our trip to Texas next week to prevent blood clots. I had already read that we needed to stop every two hours to allow me to walk around a bit, and when I mentioned that to Shane, he was not very thrilled because we are the type that like to stop one time and one time only to get gas and pick up fast food. So this will definitely extend our trip time!!! My favorite thing she mentioned that is from here on out I should get a pregnancy massage at least once a month!! Doesn't that sound just delightful??? Well, unfortunately that does not fit into our budget, so I mentioned to Shane that he was in charge of that! I suspect that by the end of my pregnancy I will be able to say that I never received a massage during pregnancy!!! ; ) My follow up will be in four weeks, and then three weeks after that is when she wants to do the glucose tolerance test, and then I believe I start going every two weeks. February will be here before we know it!

Since Baby Boy Hood did not cooperate last time for measurements, I again got to see my precious angel. His heart rate was 140 when the nurse took it by doppler, but during the ultrasound it was 156. He was very active yesterday morning, so during the ultrasound he had his hands pretty much everywhere and tried to be uncooperative when she was attempting to get his head measurements. I tell you what, if he continues to be ornery, we are going to have our hands full!! : ) He was not shy to show us that he is definitely a boy and I have no fear of buying boy items!!! By the end, she was able to get the measurements she needed, and as usual gave me some great pictures.

A 4-D image of his face and body with his hand by his face.

A 4-D image of his head and body (that is the cord in front of him).

How our baby is growing:

Our baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long - the length of a carrot. His initial fluttering movements have turned into full-fledged kicks and nudges. I am discovering a pattern to his activity as I get to know him better. In other developments, our baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.