This is an account of tragedy, raw pain, sorrow, and celebration…
I am sorry to bore you all, but if this blog helps one scared woman or man, then my self help therapy (since this is what my blog is, personal therapy, where I can unload all) has been worth it and I have done my duty… I am hoping that by writing this here I can maybe, somehow help myself as well….
This entry is a chronicle of two weeks of terror….
HRH, Bull , Bluehair, and families are numb today. We have suffered a loss so tragic, and no reasons or causes can answer the WHY…
HRH and Bull have been impatiently awaiting the birth of BUMP since we first took a home test. HRH and Bull have been trying to have a child for some time now, and we thought our prayers had been answered when the little digital stick said “PREGNANT”.
We were thrilled. HRH first thought it was the dreaded menopause, since she is getting to “that” age.. But, NOPE, all the signs were there (minus the vomitting, thank GOD for GBS).
We began making plans for the future with BUMP and were all looking forward to a little one to arrive around Thanksgiving this year (HRH had her fingers crossed that the blessed and much anticipated event would happen around the 25th, for personal reasons). Bull was thrilled as this would have been his first child (Bluehair is mine from a previous marriage, but Bull claims him as his own flesh and blood son, no step children here, only “OUR SON”). The grandparents were all excited, driving us nuts with advice. Friends and family from near and far (on several continents) were busy making plans, going bonkers shopping, etc.).
So many lives affected..
Enter last Saturday, the day everything changed. Well, was about to change…
4 April 2009.. A day noone will soon forget..
As usual we were called to run errands for MIL, and forced to endure LUMP’s annoying presence and constant innane yakking…
Typical day….
But it wasn’t a typical day but none of us knew it yet..
I noticed a light spot of brown when I went to the loo.. Bull, being a first time dad, and Bluehair, just being Bluehair, rushed me to the nearest hospital Emergency Room.. (OK, I chose the closest hospital.. my mistake.. )
Get admitted almost immediately.. I tell them I think I am having a miscarriage.. (Mother’s know, don’t we, when something isn’t right?)….
Spend 6 hours in the ER, two Ultrasounds, pee test, and a ton of conflicting data..
Ok, We are told the spotting I am then experiencing is “OLD BLOOD” ( well hell sure, I’m old, so is my blood..) and it’s no cause for alarm, the cervix is still closed, so very good signs..
Results for urine testing comes back “CLEAR”??? Uh, pardon, what do you mean “CLEAR”? No answers, (those would be explained another day, at yet another hospital).. The sad shake and look of the nurse who gives us this info speaks volumes.. As if to say “I am so very sorry, but you are not pregnant”… But WE ARE Pregnant I want to scream…
Results for Ultrasounds come back, they can not find BUMP… I am told I am no longer pregnant…. DEVESTATION!!!! HRH, Bull and BLUEHAIR are shattered…
Enter the Nurse Practicioner….
I am informed that I am 14 weeks pregnant, and the baby is fine, healthy, just a mistake on first glance at the Ultrasound results… Healthy heartbeat, normal growth for 14 weeks, etc..
Hmm we all do a mental count on fingers and discover that would mean we got pregnant around Bull’s birthday… All the more special and that this child would be coming around Halloween.. Special!! But weird since I got my monthly 25 January??? Ok, I have heard it happens in some cases, so who knows.. Just elated and relieved all the same….
We rejoice.. What a rush, what a rollercoaster ride we have all been on in less than 5 hours…. He leaves to print out my discharge papers and prescriptions for prenatal vits and iron pills.. We are so relieved.. We did not know how short lived that relief was going to be…
2 minutes later, enter the Radiology Supervisor who informs us all that the fetus, OUR BELOVED BUMP has died that I was 6 or 8 weeks along, that some things with the ultrasounds didn’t look right, (excuse me what do you mean didn’t look right? no answers to that… ) and excuse us, but what just happened in the speard of two minuted to 6 or 8 weeks? 2 minutes ago we were 14 weeks along, now we are 6 or 8 weeks along??? This we ask, and the response we receive leaves us more confused, now instead of 6 to 8 weeks, as this doctor originally said, she changes her story and I am 8 weeks, no explaination, other than a mistake by the Nurse Practicioner… She tells us that yes, they did see BUMP on the Ultrasound, contrary to what the tech doing the ultrasound said, they did detect a heartbeat, but upon further review, it was just an echo of mine.. BUMP was dead, they were sorry but it wasn’t my fault…
Why do people, even medical professionals think that it is ok to share their life story with you, to achieve common ground? I did not care, nor want to hear that this Supervisor had the same thing happen to her? Had she had this happen she would realize that OUR world had just stopped and we were numb….We did not want to hear her commisorate that she had had an early pregnancy miscarriage and it was the same as mine..
No! NO IT IS NOT!!! This miscarriage, or threatened, possible, whatever the fuck they want to term it is unique, just as every miscarriage is.. Unique to the family sufferring it…
Ok, so we are somewhere , sorry accroding to the hospital, were somewhere, between 6 and 8 weeks along, which mathmatically works out, since again a mother knows and this time a mother has a feeling the exact moment she gets pregnant.. At least I do…
I am told to make an appointment with my OB/GYN within the next two weeks…
Rollercoaster crashes back to the ground out of control… Fatalities.. four and counting…
Sunday dawns and I am resolved that “That hospital” sucks and does not know anthing about anything. bull and Bluehair are in complete agreement… So, in an attempt to cheer HRH up, Bull and Bluehair take HRH shopping.. Bluehair is sworn to secrecy, Bull is buying plain wedding bands for now, since it was decided that HRH and Bull were going to apply for their marriage license tuesday… Bull still plans on buying HRH both diamond sets she wanted.. One for our official ceremony (the big shin dig in a few years) and the other for Gretna Green.. He is a romantic at heart… They pamper me even more by taking us oput for sushi at my favorite place..
Over dinner, Bull pops the question and the band on my finger.. Perfect.. God I LOVE THIS MAN!!! Feeling bouyed and happy for the first time in 24 hours, we are all at peace..
Monday morning, and we are all still confused, bouncing between believing “that” hospital, (should have known better than to go to a ghetto hospital used to dealing with only gun shot wonds and death; totally my own pigheaded fault for going there in the fisrt place since it was the closest and let’s face it, I was just as scared as Bull and Bluehair…) and going to another which speacializes in maternity and women, or going to work and making an appointment, (which would have been the 16th.. three days away from today..).
I opt to go to work, though my mind is somewhow not onbugs, I could give a fig.. I take my discharge papers, incase I can not make it through the day.. Almost to the building, I know I can not go to work today.. I have to know something concrete… Bull knew I was going to do this,but let me act tough and want to go to work…
Pull into the parking lot… Spy Dear DOC Y…. I rush to tell her everything.. She and my other counterparts firmly send me packing immediately to go to the other hospital.. Through many tears from everyone and well wishes from my Supervisor (who is a most wonderful woman, so compassionate) and crew, , I am thwarted from working to occupy my mind, and am instead sent packing to yet another ER..
Inform YARL of what we fear, and that we are going now to see if we can get anythign concrete as to whether we are miscarrying or not.. He sends us off with his love.. Yarl is thrilled with the thought of another grandchild and getting the son in law of his dreams.. What can I say?, we are all smitten with Bull, you can’t help but love him.. I know I can’t neither can my family and friends.. He is one of a kind..
Go straight to the ER at this hospital again and am immediately admitted… I am not experieincing any pain, and the spotting is light, and brown.. (so is old blood, but is a tell tale sign…) This hospital does another ultrasound, but explains that at 6 weeks, (ok, so I am only 6 weeks, not 8 or 14… YAY!!! one mystery solved…) the baby’s heartbeat may be so low they can not pick it up yet, totally normal… RELIEF!!!
The oncall OB does another exam, looks over “that other hospital’s” results and says he has no clue what they are talking about, everythjing looks ok, he can’t explain the 14 weeks, nor the 8 week “guess” nor all the other heartache they caused… But this could be a possible threatened miscarriage.. He is not precisely sure at this stage, we would all have to play it by ear, and watch the bleeding, but it could just be normal…
Discharged again, and off work for at least the next two weeks, and told to take it easy for the next few days, we are more content with having no new news, than two days ago..
I missed my qualifier at work, so two or more weeks off until a new project comes in.. Ok, I can deal with that, besides there is so much to do, doctors’ appointements to make, attornies to see, etc.. We are ok with this.. We are all more optomistic.. YARL has forbidden me to lift a finger around the house.. LOL I am definitely ok with that.. YARL issued the royal edict that HRH is not to carry groceries, laundry, etc, until after this baby is born.. I am ok with this … Infact pamper me all you will.. I am ready…
Bull reminds me after seeing the other hospital and still in limbo, that we can apply for our marriage license, which we do, all smiles.. Bluehair pays for it as his gift to us..
Ok, fast forward to this saturday, 11 April 2009… The day before Easter…
We are on the Bataan Death March in search of the perfect white suit/dress and shoes for HRH to get married at the civil ceremony in… Find both after hours of searching.. Hit the loo, since: I AM (1) gastric bypass and drink more than 2 gallons of liquid a day, and (2) Pregnant and well you know.. We look for the loo long before we look for fire exits….
Hit the mall loo, and there it is, dark red (funny it was the color of a deep port or shiraz, that’s all I could think of) blood, just a smear.. Tell Bull.. Still no pain..
Saturday night it is on and off spotting this shade…
Sunday morning…
12 April 2009: Easter Sunday , the day all Catholics the world over celebrate the rising of Jesus and His defeat of Death… OK, so we believe that.. Why can’t it work for parents of sudden loss too???
Wake up, the on again, off again dark spotting is lighter and more infrequent.. We are being lulled by my traitorous bady into a false sense of hope, but we do not know it yet..
Easter dinner is prepared by Moi and Bull… HRH is still ok, my back starts hurting a tad, but I think it is due to twisting the wrong way to avoid tripping over Skye.. So no panic.. I should have been more alert but I was in a fool’s denial and I know it…
Sunday night, I am now hemorraging every time I use the loo.. Bull is scared, Bluehair is too, but both are optomistic..
2 am Monday morning, I can no longer take the agony, I am bleeding horrendously…
I know I am now in a full blown miscarriage that I was told if it had not occurred within 4 to 5 days of the start of the spotting, was not going to happen.. Unfortunately it took me almost a full week…
Race to the ER of the Women’s hospital, and hemorage in the car park… Scare Bull to death.. He rushes into action.. Isn’t that what anyone in LE does? (remember a CO for many years)
Admitted, stripped of my now ruined clothing.. Hospital gown on.. Still hemorraging… IV in..
Enter oncall OB/GYN.. Doctor Pain..
An emergency D&C because our litttle angel is still in there and will not let go.. and that was it… No more physical pain.. just empty lives, hearts and arms..
HRH had lost her BUMP.. Bull had lost his first child and Bluehair had lost a much wanted sibling..
I sit, numb.. Oh yes the tears come and go, playing peek a boo with me, but they are always near.. I want to cry, I want to rage, I want to scream…
But, what good will all that do? It will not bring back BUMP!! NO, nothing will..
Harsh reality is that BUMP is gone and I had a miscarriage.. Was it my fault? did I do something wrong? NO!!! was it my age? maybe.. but doubtful.. Does it hurt anyless that I was only 6 weeks along??? FUCK NO!!
Miscarriages suck!! They not only ruin the BUMPs’ lives, they destroy everyone’s lives around them as well..
Do I regret BUMP?? FUCK NO!!!
Will I stop trying? (for now yes, we have to) But NO!!!
SO, I end this asking that it serve as aid to one woman who is going thru something similar and afraid of the answers…. If it does not seem ok with you, GO!! GO immediately to your nearest ER… Bitch til someone listens… Ask questions until they are answered…