Gah! What now?!

I know, I've been doing alot of bitching lately... but honestly it feels like this last trimester has been an uphill battle!

I had the cold from hell followed by the bladder infection that made my crotch feel like someone had ripped one of my labia off.

This was then followed by suddenly high blood pressure which lead to me not being able to work anymore, then I got the stomach flu which lead to me breaking out Travolta's diaper rash cream to relieve the hell I was in... then I accidentally dropped the top in the toilet, and I sure as hell wasn't going to fish it out!

Just when I thought I was in the clear, I began to get SUPER itchy... like all over, especially my hands and feet. This lead to a self diagnosis of Hemolysis Elevated Liver enzyme levels and low Platelet count or HELPP (or something like that) at 3 am.

Thankfully it's not that, but it may be Obstetric Cholestasis... yay! But they're not sure because my blood test results dance around more than my son does. Here's what I found out about it....

Cholestasis of pregnancy is a rare condition that results from a liver problem.

Roughly 2 percent of pregnant women may develop this condition,

which occurs when bile fails to flow normally in the small ducts of the liver.

This results in bile salt accumulation in the body and can cause excessive itching.

This itching is more intense than other forms of itching.

Some women scratch so severely they end up with small tears in the skin.
This problem like many other pregnancy related skin conditions clears shortly after delivery.

In some cases your doctor may recommend an early induction depending on the severity of your condition.

Many women who develop cholestasis of pregnancy will develop the condition in subsequent pregnancies.

Lovely! So I may be able to expect this the next couple of times too? That's it, I am really pushing for twins next time!

I am so itchy and taking Benadryl helps but makes me so tired! I decreased the dose so I can actually carry on a conversation, but it's still hard.

I can't even take it today because I have to drive home from my cousin's place early so I can get more testing done at the hospital... day 3 for 3!

My hands are swollen and dry from scratching, as are my feet. I try not to itch, but sometimes I itch and don't even notice!!! I was cutting vegetables last night when I happened to notice I was going to town on one of the baseboards with my toe! Oops!

I know all of this will seem minor once my little man arrives, but until then it's scary... especially when I read "sudden stillborn". That makes me nauseous! :(

I was really wanting him to be born on the 15th of January (to win the Sears contest!) but I think I want him out earlier... just to get him out of this screwed up oven before he burns!

Poor little man.