In the Hospital

I am writing this post from a hospital bed.   Yesterday, I was admitted to the hospital because I was severely dehydrated.  My lips were chapped and cracked, I was having fainting spells and my muscles kept cramping.  Also, I had lost five pounds in two days.   In other words, I was a mess.  So, Dr. B admitted me to the hospital.   

I had really hoped that I would be discharged within a few hours of being admitted, after getting some fluids.  But that was not to be.  My initial tests showed that I had a potassium deficiency and a ketone level of 80.  Zero is the ideal level.  Eight is the high value within the normal range.  Not only was my ketone level ten times what it should be at the time I was admitted, until two hours ago, the level kept going up, not down.  And the other frustrating thing, five people were unable to find the baby’s heartbeat with a Doppler. 

Dr. B stopped in this morning to see how I was doing.  She said not to worry about the baby, as it was fine on Wednesday and even severe dehydration for two days wouldn’t have permanently harmed the baby.  Prolonged dehydration would be more worrisome, which is why drastic measures had to be used to get the ketone level down and the potassium level up.  Dr. B said she wouldn’t let me go home with the levels outside of the normal ranges.  Dr. B continued my “nothing by mouth” diet.  No food…no water…no ice chips.  Nothing but an IV drip pushing a liter of fluid into me every hour and a half. 

The good news is, I have a tray of jello, broth and juice in front of me right now…and those things never looked so good.  About two hours ago, my ketone levels dropped from 80 to 15.  The ketone level is holding steady at 15 and my potassium has made it back to normal.  While the ketone level isn’t exactly “normal,” Dr. B agrees with me that it has significantly improved and that I am ready to “challenge” myself with liquids.  If I tolerate the liquids and my levels keep showing improvement, I may get to go home as early as tonight or tomorrow morning (much better than the “in a few days” prediction).  Being the patient person that I am, I’m pushing for tonight.

Being stuck in the hospital really makes you appreciate the comforts of home.  I miss my soft bed.  I miss two little furry friends waggling their tails every time they see me.  I miss being able to fall asleep to the sound of the television (no TV’s in the shared room I am in…UGH).  I miss having the option of eating or drinking when I like.  I miss my privacy (I have had to share a bathroom with two other pregnant women having the same problem as me…I’m not a fan of shared bathrooms or listening to other people get sick).  I miss my independence.  Having to push the nurses’ call button for every little thing and then wait for the nurses to get around to me is irritating.  I don’t want to leave the hospital so early that I end up right back in here, but I REALLY want to go home…and I really want my next visit to the hospital to be the visit where I am bringing my baby into this world.