The Cranky Ol' Bat

Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - RuPaul

2006-08-02

Still Alive, Still Bloated, Still Lucky

I know I've been horrible about posting here. Can't help it, really. Got a lovely symptom that I did not know existed prior to early July.....pregnancy related carpal tunnel.

Yup. Not only has my tummy swelled, and my poor feet and ankles, so have my fingers and hands. On a good hour, I've just got tingling in my fingertips. Bad moments mean it's to the point where I would sneak an ibuprofen if I thought I could get away with it. Really bad? Let's put it this way.....I'd get hammered if I could hold a glass in my clenched hands, but knowing Joey would be joining me for a margarita or a pharmaceutical happy pill stops me cold. If he wants to indulge when he's 21, ok. But at 31 weeks in utero, he's still too little to give any kind of consent.

Right now, having a pretty good hour, hence the update.

Basically, what has happened is that I've turned into a big, bloated, giant sponge. I retain water like Bounty, I swear. I can literally feel the water sloshing around on the top of my feet when I walk sometimes. Cankles? Oh....you betcha.

Yes, most preggos get that. Big honking deal. But I'm special and it's also backing up into my hands. The water presses onto the nerves in my wrists and fingers, not that there is much space there to start with.

Treatment consists of wearing hand braces almost all day and night long, with the occasional Tylenol when I completely lose my mind and think that it might help. (Never helped me before unless it had codeine in the mix. I pretend it does and pray for a placebo effect, or some distraction to take my mind off of it.)

So, why lucky?

Easy.....my blood pressure is right where it should be. Just passed (barely) my gestational diabetes test, so as long as I stick more or less to the diet all should be well without having to take insulin shots. I'm pretty much textbook with this pregnancy, and all my appointments have been boring. No drama, no "baby at risk" scenarios that the Discovery Health channel makes specials about. The amnio came back perfectly normal, his heart rate is strong, and he thankfully doesn't enjoy kicking the crap out of my kidneys, bladder, or lungs. Joey's a pretty lazy little lump, but a healthy one.

I've pretty much got the one complication that completely spares our little boy, and should go away completely shortly after he arrives.

Considering all the things that could go wrong, damn straight I'm lucky. And you can't convince me otherwise.

It's starting to ramp up on the pain, so I'm ending this entry for now. I'll post when I can, and hope you all are doing well!