Woes of pregnancy

It's been just shy of a month since I last saw my obstetrician. Today was my next scheduled appointment and I was eager to see the man who will be delivery our son. I met Jason at the hospital in his office a little early so I spent some time with him and his coworkers before we headed across the street for our 3:20 booking.

Our OB is pretty damn cool, sought after, and experienced. It's safe to say he is revered. I liked him from the moment that we first met. Jason chose him for us, knowing what I wanted in a doctor and since the two work at the same hospital it was a no brainer for us that "the best" would be for us.

The last month has seen the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall and during this time our pregnancy has seen more hiccups than we would have liked.

I have not gained any weight since my last appointment. Nothing, nada, zip. I likely would have put on some more poundage with all the ice cream I have been consuming, yet due to the removal of my wisdom teeth x 2 last week, ice cream is all that I have been eating. So the scale stays at the same point. This is of course good news and not the best news. Trust me when I tell you the baby is not starving.

We thought I might have a vaginal hernia due to a variety of symptoms, yet we were assured I do not. What I do have though is vaginal edema. Oh joy! My vulva or more appropriately my perineum is swollen with fluid. The answer is to wear a jock strap or really tight mens underwear. It's a good thing I have a sense of humor hey?

My blood pressure is good and the rest of my overall health is going well enough.

The teeth issue though is a big one. I was diagnosed as having a very painful phenomena called "dry socket". It happens to only 5-10% of people who have their wisdom teeth removed and is so horrid that to acquire it means people have copious amounts of empathy for you. And doctors prescribe controlled substances, namely Percocet.

The nerve that lines the bottom of my jaw is alive and on fire, making me feel as though death is a viable option to this suffering. The clot that should be filling the extraction site did not form, or fell out in pieces between the stitches, leaving the nerve exposed and sensitive to air, saliva and debris. Beyond-not-good.

Dentistry and obstetrics do not go together, so my dental surgeon and OB have been coordinating my care and the dolling out of drugs. It's been a juggling act of keeping the baby safe and ensuring I need not suffer endlessly, especially given how severe the tooth and mouth pain is. And to make matters worse, the teeth were impacted, meaning that the stitches run into my cheek and not just in my gums.

Health matters a lot. Being not well means that I feel crappy, and feeling crappy changes my emotional state as well. It's hard to be happy when wrought with overwhelming pain.

Soon enough my mouth should be feeling better and shortly there after I will be giving birth. Then we will have plenty to be celebrating and also to be recovering from.

I need an electric heating pad, or rather, my back would love a heating pad to alleviate the mid back ache that is plaguing me. Do you have one that you are willing to part with? My pregnant back would be forever grateful.