Well, we can't say for sure what made us sick. Seth's sickness lasted only a few days. Thankfully, Evelyn was safe. I didn't seem to be affected until a day or two after Seth. Many of you have had food poisoning or stomach flu or something similar and you know the majority of the day is spent on or around the toilet. I was terrified that it was a virus or something contagious at first so I sent Seth out to buy the largest bottle of Lysol he could find. I bleached what I could first and then Lysol-ed everything. I washed the linens and scrubbed kitchen surfaces just to be sure. We washed hands all day and sprayed after every bathroom trip: Toilet seat, toilet handle, sink knobs and basin, soap pump and door knobs. It became a kind of ritual.
Obsessive? Maybe. I can handle me being sick, but my heart absolutely breaks when germs go after my baby. I was just concentrating on keeping Evelyn well, and after a few days she seemed to be fine. Now, I didn't ignore my health or Seth's. I made sure we ate and drank appropriately. I researched diarrhea in pregnancy and made sure I kept extra hydrated and ate as much as my tummy could handle. After Seth got better and I didn't, I started to worry. I kept thinking that I was getting better because when I woke in the mornings, everything seemed to be fine and working properly. As soon as the afternoon came, I had to camp out in the bathroom. This am I/am I not thing lasted a couple of days and I couldn't take it any more. I was scared for the baby because I had also read that diarrhea could be a sign of miscarriage. I made an appointment at a clinic so I could get some peace of mind.
During this whole episode, I was still researching financial aid options as well as private insurance companies. Even though it would be upwards of $400 per month for individual health plans, it seemed better than the tens of thousands in the long run.
You learn new things every day. Pregnancy is considered a preexisting condition. We couldn't buy insurance if we wanted to because I wouldn't qualify. I sure was tired of hearing that sentence.
My visit to the clinic went fine. The doctor got on to me, of course, because I had not gotten prenatal care yet. I was 13 weeks. She did an exam and my cervix was healthy and closed and she didn't seem to be too concerned with the diarrhea. The only thing I left with was a bill and a referral to an OBGYN. Fine, at least my cervix was behaving.
I went home, nerves and belly already feeling better and began calling the list of OBs on the back of the doctor's referral. Seth and I set up a mini call center, calling clinics and hospitals off the list. I also had a list of OBs I had found on the internet that I had taken a liking too. When asking for a quote, we got the same answer over and over. First appointment would be $1000. $1500. $1200. We also got a few, "Oh we can't tell you that"s. Day ruined.
Later on that week, my hard working mister was preparing to go on a trip to Seattle for a conference. A trip that he had worked extremely hard for. Hard enough that the company paid for his round trip airfare. For two! Unfortunately, we couldn't afford an extra ticket for Evelyn, so I was unable to be his plus one. It was fine. He deserved to go, so he invited his dad to accompany him. Evelyn and I took him to the airport on September 20th, a Thursday, at 11.
Evelyn and I had an uneventful morning. I was feeling achier than usual, but it wasn't a big deal.
3pm. I start to bleed. Seth is gone. I start to panic. I called him and we decided to wait and see if it gets worse. He is due back on the 22nd. I wait. It is gradually getting worse, but it isn't horrible...kind of like a regular period. I pick him up from the airport Saturday evening. Well, the flow got heavier, so Sunday, September 23rd at 2pm we head to the ER.
I am 14 weeks pregnant.
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