I don't really know where to start my story. I knew I had preeclampsia |
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I don't really know where to start my story. I knew I had preeclampsia but I had so much going on in my life that I didn't suspect or even think something could happen to me. Lets start when I was 16 weeks pregnant. I was traveling into the mountains, a snow storm hit so fast when I rounded the mountain, I lost control of my vehicle and hit a ten passenger van head on. It was a very scary moment. I remember hearing a pop. I didn't have blood anywhere. My windows weren't cracked. I couldn't open my door. I couldn't find my cell phone to call my husband. I was lost. Finally, a gentleman pried open my jeep door. He let me use his phone. The only thing I could get out of my mouth when anyone would ask if I was okay was... I am pregnant. I AM PREGNANT. What have I done. I never should have gotten up this early to travel in the mountains. I AM PREGNANT. I finally reached my husband at 5:13am. I explained I don't know if the baby is okay. I don't feel any different except the top portion of my right leg moves and the lower portion doesn't. I knew then the "pop" I heard was my femur! I waited. waited. waited. for the paramedics. They couldn't get a helicopter in because of how bad the snow storm was and the first ambulance got stuck. I luckily had two great road workers that came to talk to me. The paramedics finally arrived. Brian and Brian! I remember one Brian being crankier than the other. The nice Brian was soothing. He kept assuring me that the baby should be fine since I wasn't very far along and I was wearing my seat belt correctly. I got into the ambulance and away we went. Nice Brian straightened my leg in the ambulance... without drugs. I remember thinking.. YOU have got to be kidding me. But I honestly don't remember the pain to this day. I wish I could one day say thanks to the road workers who gave me their coats because shock had set in and I was shaking. I did in fact break my femur. To advance further into my pregnancy I lost my job because I was on bed rest except for physical therapy. I was the bread winner. Apparently my husband couldn't handle life. We were having problems to begin with but now they were escalated. My parents moved me back home to them, three states from where we were. They didn't care if my husband came or not. My husband did return to my home town with me. Our problems didn't get better. He didn't get home some nights until 5:30am after a night of drinking. About the 5th month of my pregnancy my OBGYN found a band around my baby's heart. WHAT? Did this happen from the accident? How could this of happened? They told me not to worry... Seriously??? How can you tell a mother that? I tried not to worry but I could basically only be up for necessary moving. UGH. About the 6th month the word preeclampsia came up. I didn't want to know anything more. I was done... So.I.thought. I waited. waited. waited. waited. for things to change for my husband and me. They didn't. I was swelling.EVERYWHERE. Even.my.nose.was.HUGE! I had elephant feet. I didn't want to know how much I weighed any more. I was just gross and huge. My husband left me about 7 months pregnant. Pregnant.at.my.parents house. No.husband. THANK.GOD.FOR.PARENTS. He returned about two weeks later. Of course I let him come back. Things didn't get better though. About 36 weeks pregnant, I went for a routine visit to my OBGYN. They wanted me to keep my urine for an entire weekend. I did! Monday came, went to my OBGYN. He tested it and came into the room. I won't forget the words... You need to go the hospital to be induced. What? Everything was a whirl wind. I didn't ask why. I didn't know protein in my urine was bad (yes, this is where most people would have been completely on top of the whole preeclampsia thing but remember I was done with hearing things at the time. I know it wasn't right but it was, what it was. I was given medicine to speed up contractions. My water was broke for me. I was in labor for 18 hours. I wasn't progressing. Nothing was happening except exhaustion. I went in for a C-section about 8:00am on July 26. I had a BEAUTIFUL baby boy, Hunter Thomas. He weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces. He was 18 inches long. I don't remember much after that point. They couldn't figure out why I wasn't producing any urine. They couldn't figure out why I barely had a blood pressure. I had no color. They waited. 24. hours. I finally was flown to a more advanced hospital. I was bleeding internally. I had an IV in my neck. Blood being pumped into my body. It wasn't helping. I went back into surgery and a bucket full of blood clots was taken out of my abdomen. I was given nine more units of blood. Twelve total when it was all said and done. I was in the hospital for two weeks after I had my son. He was at home with my parents, my husband, and his mom. I was in a completely different town away from my child. I didn't feel like a mom. When asked why this happened. No one could give answers but my doctor who saved my life told me, it was a combination of things but preeclampsia played a factor. I didn't ask much more. Maybe I should have so that I could have a better understanding of what happened but it just didn't matter to me any more. My son was safe at home and so was I. I am now a happily divorced single mom who loves my son more than life itself. |
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