Epidurals and Scalpels-The Sooner Everyone's Better

Date: May 1, 2008

I couldn't make it any longer. As of tomorrow evening my lifting and bending will have decreased as many as 25 times per day and I'm hoping my pain will decrease dramatically along with it. At my appointment yesterday my doctor walked in and said, 'How are you coming along?', to which I replied 'I'm having more pain than ever in my back.' He looked at me and said, 'I can see the pain in you face.' Great. And here are the options: quit lifting other than when I absolutely have to, ice/heat as much as possible during the day, physical therapy, and narcotics. He suggested we start off with no more lifting. That means no more watching our friends' babies. I don't know 'bout other moms but the availability of icing/heating my back during the day is pretty rare. Going to physical therarpy means lifting more. Wyatt can't climb in and out of the truck by himself! Tylenol Extra Strength does not a dadgum thing! I think I will be purchasing that $15 pool at Wal-Mart again and naming it my PT! Wyatt can walk over the side into it and Abigail can too!!
5 1/2 weeks to the c-section unless I start labor sooner!! I guess in the next couple of weeks I better think about getting a bag ready for the hospital! I need to get a pack or two of newborn diapers. I've already got all the clothes washed...just need to put them in the drawer and hope Wyatt doesn't find them and string them out all over the floor!! He gets great glee out of pulling out clothes from drawers or pulling down stacks of folded laundry! I don't think E will be as gleeful going around picking up all the clothes.
We/I am getting real excited about a couple of things: (they don't necessarily go in this order though and not all of them are on E's list)
1-EPIDURAL=no pain!!! I can't frickin' wait!

2-of course seeing/holding/meeting/nursing J.D.

3-epidural-oh, i said that already


4-the weird taste in my mouth will disappear

5-drinking lots of water again w/o getting acid reflux or indigestion or whatever it is

6-can I add epidural again?

7-shaving my legs w/o getting pissed off-E might be helping me on that one from now on

8-my sister Tegan and her hubby will be here the whole week before Memorial Day

9-going thru the night w/o peeing 3-5 times (notice I did NOT say sleeping thru the night)

10-ENERGY

11-the hormones will lower to near manlike levels in my body

12-I forgot one-epidural (ironically that was the thing I was the most scared about having a c-section the first time. It's not the scalpel, or the skin being folded back and clamped, or the digging around in my nether regions for the baby, or laying naked sprawled out on a cold table in front of a dozen people, or just the fact that it's a major surgery. No, it was the epidural. I've never been afraid of needles and still am not, it's just that it goes between my vertebra!!!!)