It really has been a long month. First it was Andy's whole cat scratch fever issue ... he contracted the illness (which causes flu-like symptoms) at the very beginning of the month. He was diagnosed with the Bartonella henselae infection and spent a few days in bed thanks to fever, fatigue, nausea, aches and pains, swollen lymph nodes, etc. According to our vet, the illness is way more common in cat owners than you'd think. It is transmitted to the cat via contact with a flea or tick and is essentially the feline version of something like chicken pox in humans. Cats contract it as a kitten and build up antibodies to it that essentially prevent it from catching it again. It causes no symptoms in the cats/kittens, but causes an infection akin to the flu in humans. Most cat owners have had the infection ... but they thought that they had caught a bad cold or the flu.
Well, Andy just never got better. We found out that the the round of antibiotic therapy via Z-Pak was useless, as azithromycin does nothing to combat the bacterium. He was later placed on a proper therapy with Augmentin, but the lymph nodes in his groin kept swelling and hardening. A second Bartonella henselae test showed that the infection had cleared up as the cat scratch fever culture came back negative. So why was he getting worse?
He was referred out to a surgeon who, after a CT scan and an ultrasound, feared that the problem could be lymphoma. He said that the affected nodes needed to be removed ASAP. So, Andy had surgery on Monday afternoon. The surgeon said that they did NOT look cancerous upon a gross anatomical survey, but he sent them to pathology anyway.
After two days of draining a Jackson-Pratt drain every hour and keeping Andy doped up on Lortab, we found out the whole truth. No, it wasn't cancer. It WAS, however the Bartonella henselae infection causing the problems ... but that it was because the lymph nodes malfunctioned. They kept the toxin in the body instead of flushing them out and were, in effect, calcifying. YIKES!
He's doing better. The JP drain was removed. He's still a little sore, but better.
HOWEVER ... I ended up at my OB's office shortly after we left the surgeon's office.
Last night at work I noticed that I kept getting these pains in my cervix ... like someone was sticking it with a needle. It wasn't terrible, so I figured it was yet another benign pregnancy ache. They didn't go way today. I lost my mucus plug on the way home from the surgeon's. We called the OB who told us to get to the office ASAP.
My cervix if fully effaced and I am dilated. Great. I was given a shot of dexamethasone (a corticosteroid) to help Anna's lungs to mature and will get another injection tomorrow ... my doc said that I could very well deliver Anna this weekend ... at 32 weeks gestation. I am now on bedrest.
Yip-freaking-pee.
Now, we're basically down to one income since I changed chains less than a year ago. We're going to have to tighten our belts so that we aren't struggling over the next few weeks. I hate having to deal with money issues, you know? I don't want to have to touch what we have in savings, but with Bella starting school in a month and such, I admit that I am concerned with how our budget will be affected.
Thank God that we have like 98% of the stuff we need for the baby. According to the "to do" list that I've got on the computer, we only need to get a handful of stuff:
- Glider / Rocking Chair
- Diaper Wipes Warmer
- Sleep Positioner
- Medical items -- infant Tylenol, Mylecon Drops, Pedialyte
- And more of the basics -- changing pad covers, diapers, formula, and Platex breastmilk storage containers
- We also need to get the carpets professionally cleaned
- I need to get four baby gates, too, but those aren't a pertinent need yet.
I plan to call the insurance company tomorrow, pack the hospital bag, and tie up a few lose ends here.
On a positive note, I DID get that uber cool Sit-N-Stand Stroller by Baby Trend that I really wanted. Bella loves it, too ... she can stand and look at the baby or sit and cruise. And Bella got her personalized nursing scrubs in mail today, too. She is going to wear them to the hospital on the day Anna is born.
Ah, well ... I need to go for now. I want to send out a couple of emails, get my laundry out of the dryer, and begin packing the bag. Oh, and I need to put some ice on my butt because that injection site is still sore as hell.
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