Part 2
Part 3
(If you are easily grossed out, read at your own risk)
My (so far) Most Traumatic Night Ever
It was a Tuesday. June 18th, 1996. I had come home from the hospital the previous Sunday evening with a new baby girl, Rebecca. On this Tuesday my friend Lorry was visiting from Redmond, Oregon to see and help with the baby. Also, my sister Jaymarie was there and had been since before the birth. Of course, my husband Jim was there and Rebecca.
That night a family from our church had dropped off dinner. Spaghetti and Italian meatballs. I was vaguely concerned that the spicy meatballs might be a little too much for my baby whom I was nursing. A while after dinner I took a shower and I went to lie down on my brand-new bed. This bed had been delivered that very day. I had called Jim at home the day after Rebecca was born and said I wanted a new bed. Ours was in sorry shape and one night in a good hospital bed convinced me that I must have a new bed. . .NOW! Jim promptly bought one and it was delivered on Tuesday.
Now I was lying on my wonderful new bed. As I was lying there I began feeling poorly. I was getting a crampy, gassy feeling in my gut and it was getting worse. Soon it was a sharp, stabbing pain. I knew then that those meatballs were definitely doing a number on me. I then got really worried that this might have some ill effect on Rebecca eventually. At about 8pm or so I started feeling like I had a fever. I got a thermometer and sure enough, I had a low grade fever. I took my temperature 10 minutes later and it was higher. In fact, every 5 minutes it was higher than the last reading. I informed the group downstairs that I thought I needed to go to the emergency room. We decided that we would ALL go so that Rebecca would be near me when it was time for her to nurse and Lorry and Jaymarie would come to care for Rebecca so Jim wouldn’t have to worry about that.
At nine o’clock I nursed Rebecca and left for the hospital without really fixing my hair or putting on any make-up. (I was more vain then, than I am now!) We arrived at St. Luke’s at 9:30 pm. I was in extreme pain by then. I had been taking Tylenol with codeine regularly for pain related to labor and delivery until I started having these other symptoms. I wanted to know exactly where the pain was and to be able to describe it to the doctor (they always ask about the specifics). So in addition to the painful abdominal cramps and fever, my “episiotomy site” was really hurting and I was having trouble walking upright or even at a regular speed. The admitting ER nurse recorded my temperature as 103° and my pulse at 115 bpm. They said they were glad I had decided to come in.
It was a Tuesday. June 18th, 1996. I had come home from the hospital the previous Sunday evening with a new baby girl, Rebecca. On this Tuesday my friend Lorry was visiting from Redmond, Oregon to see and help with the baby. Also, my sister Jaymarie was there and had been since before the birth. Of course, my husband Jim was there and Rebecca.
That night a family from our church had dropped off dinner. Spaghetti and Italian meatballs. I was vaguely concerned that the spicy meatballs might be a little too much for my baby whom I was nursing. A while after dinner I took a shower and I went to lie down on my brand-new bed. This bed had been delivered that very day. I had called Jim at home the day after Rebecca was born and said I wanted a new bed. Ours was in sorry shape and one night in a good hospital bed convinced me that I must have a new bed. . .NOW! Jim promptly bought one and it was delivered on Tuesday.
Now I was lying on my wonderful new bed. As I was lying there I began feeling poorly. I was getting a crampy, gassy feeling in my gut and it was getting worse. Soon it was a sharp, stabbing pain. I knew then that those meatballs were definitely doing a number on me. I then got really worried that this might have some ill effect on Rebecca eventually. At about 8pm or so I started feeling like I had a fever. I got a thermometer and sure enough, I had a low grade fever. I took my temperature 10 minutes later and it was higher. In fact, every 5 minutes it was higher than the last reading. I informed the group downstairs that I thought I needed to go to the emergency room. We decided that we would ALL go so that Rebecca would be near me when it was time for her to nurse and Lorry and Jaymarie would come to care for Rebecca so Jim wouldn’t have to worry about that.
At nine o’clock I nursed Rebecca and left for the hospital without really fixing my hair or putting on any make-up. (I was more vain then, than I am now!) We arrived at St. Luke’s at 9:30 pm. I was in extreme pain by then. I had been taking Tylenol with codeine regularly for pain related to labor and delivery until I started having these other symptoms. I wanted to know exactly where the pain was and to be able to describe it to the doctor (they always ask about the specifics). So in addition to the painful abdominal cramps and fever, my “episiotomy site” was really hurting and I was having trouble walking upright or even at a regular speed. The admitting ER nurse recorded my temperature as 103° and my pulse at 115 bpm. They said they were glad I had decided to come in.
3 comments:
I'm waiting........even tho I know the story, I want to hear how it ends!! Mom
Btw, there's something wrong with the link to part two here.
Thanks, Headmistress, the link is now fixed. I'm sure I did that linking business in a most convoluted way!! pity!
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