15 and 16 Weeks Pregnant, Travelling While Pregnant, Shopping While Pregnant, More Blood Tests, Another Weigh in at the Endocrinologist's Office, and Colds Suck Way More When You Can't Take Any Medication

Current mood . . . (I'm the grumpy lobster)

I'm 16 weeks pregnant today. It's been two weeks since my last post to this blog, so I have a couple of weeks experiences to put into this post, including being 15 weeks pregnant, travelling while pregnant, Boxing Week shopping while pregnant, more blood tests, my latest visit to the endocrinologist, visiting the chiropractor for another adjustment, and being sick with a wretched cold while pregnant.

The day I was 14 weeks pregnant exactly, I left for a weeklong trip to Kamloops and then Vancouver to see my husband's family for Christmas and then do some Boxing Week shopping and see a friend in Vancouver. Taking a harbour flight from Victoria to the south terminal of the Vancouver airport was harder than before pregnancy, because the diesel fumes and the turbulence made my already nauseated stomach churn and get very close to throwing up for the 45 minute trip. All I could do was try to breathe through my mouth and chant to myself "don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up." Plus, dragging my suitcase (full of all the presents we were taking up to Kamloops plus my stuff) up the ramp at the docks to the terminal was way harder than I remember. I feel like someone has put a brake on while I'm trying to accelerate, so I can only do things at a sort of half-ass speed and force. I guess my body is trying to tell me to chill. This whole pregnancy I've been getting all sorts of messages from my body, the most frequent one being "nope!" It's hard for me to admit defeat and listen, but I guess the body knows its limits and I must obey.

Dark, cold, and very rainy, perfect conditions for turbulence on a seaplane.

On the seaplane.

In the shuttle from YVR south to YVR main terminal to catch my second flight.

Inconvenient and more frequent hunger has started to strike. I had to stop for a snack in the airport before my next flight. When the second flight was delayed, I didn't have time to grab anything to eat, as the time crept into lunchtime, and Air Canada didn't even give us any pretzels or anything to eat on the flight. Then they announced that we might have to turn around and return to Vancouver if we couldn't land in Kamloops because of the weather. Then the little girl beside me started eating a peanut butter cookie. I felt like a caged tiger ready to attack something or at least snarl. I did make it to Kamloops though. The trip exhausted me more than usual and I felt really nauseous and awful the rest of the day. My in laws were excited to see the pictures of the ultrasound that I had brought with me (it's heartening that they're interested in my pregnancy). My husband was able to join me in Kamloops in the evening and we spent the next five nights with his family.

I made gingerbread creatures including cats, angry octopus, and deadly jellyfish. How best to sum up the holidays?

Christmas was a nice affair since my husband's family celebrates it in a healthy and stable way that doesn't leave one feeling like they need treatment in  a psychiatric ward/detox for the next month. And while in Kamloops, at Real Canadian Superstore in the Joe Fresh clothing section, I found one bra, that while not stellar or maternity, fills in while I look for something better, and it was only $8 (this allowed me to stop wearing two old sports bras layered over each other every day which is what I had been doing up until that point).

Christmas morning. My husband first brought me up to his family's place nine years ago to show me what his Christmases had been like growing up. This is our tenth Christmas there.

Christmas night we took a walk to the field where my husband proposed to me nine years ago on Christmas Day.

One of my favourite Christmas gifts was the apron that my mother-in-law made for me.

Triumphant after finding a cheap bra at Real Canadian Superstore.

Kamloops really is beautiful in any season.

The day we were supposed to fly to Vancouver to spend a couple of nights downtown, we went to the airport and found a localized fog. Our flight time kept getting pushed back. After the fifth rescheduling, Air Canada abruptly cancelled our flight. Then all the flights in the airport were cancelled. There was complete pandemonium. Fortunately, we could stay with my husband's parents another night and we managed to get a flight the next day to Vancouver, reschedule our hotel in Vancouver, and then our flight back to Victoria, pushing them back by a day, but it was really inconvenient and six hours at the airport and a missed meal left me with the personality of a gremlin and led to a panic attack while we were waiting in a line to reschedule our flight in the crowded, hot, loud, and chaotic airport. The usual way to reestablish equilibrium after a panic attack, holding my breath for as long as possible and then breathing out slowly (and repeating as necessary until the carbon dioxide level goes back up in my body and I feel calmer) was much harder because I feel so breathless and short of oxygen from being pregnant (I pant when I walk, go up stairs, do housework, and sometimes just from changing, etc. as if I'm the most out of shape person in the world).

And let me add here to the travelling portion, the heightened sensitivity to smell that pregnant women have, makes travelling absolutely gross. There are way, way too many smells already when travelling, but when they are magnified it is really, really, really, really, really gross. Perfumes, halitosis, body odour, moth balls, cigarettes, alcohol, diesel fumes, food . . .  Ewww!

The next day, we flew down to Vancouver and then caught the Canada Line into downtown. I had difficulty handling a suitcase with carryon perched on top plus my purse and on the escalator going up to street level, the suitcase didn't get fully on a step and toppled over and pulled me down with it. I have never fallen on an escalator before and found it particularly terrifying when I was already highly anxious, exhausted, and not feeling well from travelling. I wrenched my right shoulder and neck and did something weird to my right knee, plus my tourmaline ring took a bite out of my right ring finger (I still have a scab over a week later, but who doesn't love jewellery with an attitude?). I was worried I might have injured the fetus, but so far nothing seems to be different. So, when they tell you that you're off balance and really not the same as you usually are when you're pregnant, I guess they're right. I'll have to be more careful.

Vancouver means delicious sushi at one of my favourite Japanese restaurants, ShuRaku, where the sushi chefs are excellent.

That night I developed pain in my right shoulder and numbness down into my right arm. I've had this before when my neck has been really out. I suspect that the tenseness I've been feeling, plus the fall on the escalator set something off. Over the next two days, my husband massaged my neck and back and things settled a bit, but it was really uncomfortable.

Lovely weather for Vancouver.

Shopping in Vancouver around Boxing Week is something I've done almost every year for 15 years. My sister and I used to shop for easily 12 to 14 hours. Well, I did not have anywhere near that stamina this trip. Firstly, I find I'm not walking as fast as I usually do and that I tire more easily. Secondly that neck and shoulder tension is really annoying and I abandoned wearing a purse after the first night and just stuffed my trench coat pockets. Thirdly, inconvenient hunger intervenes more often than it usually does and I find myself just wanting to have a cup of tea or a glass of water and a snack and a chat, rather than searching endlessly for something that I know won't solve my problems or make me happy. And finally, too many bathroom breaks are needed to shop successfully. I am still having to pee more often than usual and when I walk a lot, I get thirsty, then I drink more, and then I have to go pee even more.

Mmm delicious tuna sashimi in Vancouver.

But with the encouragement of my best friend from junior school and my husband, who both accompanied me shopping, I searched for a few items of clothing that will work during my pregnancy (hopefully). I mostly avoided actual maternity cloths because they seemed to be basically the same as normal items of clothing but really, really, really expensive and often in really crappy materials. I found a few tunics at various normal stores, a ruched maternity top at Old Navy (the ruching looks kind of weird but some article extolled its benefits when the stomach was more full, so we'll see), a normal dress in a bigger size at Old Navy, and a few pairs of leggings at Forever 21. I wore one of the pairs of leggings one day and it developed a line of holes down one leg, so I returned all the leggings and I'm still left with no bottoms (for more on Forever 21's disposable leggings see my post on my overpackaging blog). I have hit up an old school mate as to where to look in Victoria for maternity clothes, so I'll be taking another run at maternity bottoms sometime in the near future (especially because my main pair of leggings from Walmart now has holes in it, so things are getting kind of desperate).

Look at that Vancouver sunshine!

The day we were supposed to return to Victoria, it started to snow in Vancouver. It had been fine until then, but New Year's Eve Vancouver chose to return to its strange snowy winter. We called Harbour Air and they said that so far the flights were going out. As we walked around downtown, the wet snow did not seem to be letting up and we were getting covered in huge snowflakes and soaked. We returned to the hotel and called Harbour Air again. They told us that our flight was cancelled and there would be no replacement flights. The weather was too bad for the seaplanes to fly. Our only hope of getting out of Vancouver for under $800 (thanks to Canada's very, very, very expensive domestic flights) was to catch the ferry, but we had no car. I did not want a repeat of the dragging suitcases and falling on an escalator to the Canada Line, so we inquired about cabs and limos from the hotel. It turned out that a limo wasn't much more than a cab, so we ordered one to get out to the ferry. We couldn't believe it when a Lincoln Navigator was there to pick us up from the hotel. My husband and I had met exactly 10 years earlier in a chauffeur driven Lincoln Navigator on the way to a New Year's Eve party with mutual friends. And we capped off the decade by sitting in the back of a chauffeur driven Lincoln Navigator. Life works in mysterious ways. The vehicle was 10 years newer and we were 10 years older. Full circle, yet so much has changed.

Getting soaked in wet snow in Vancouver seems to be a recurring theme for our trips.

In the back of the Lincoln Navigator, 10 years old (and hopefully wiser).

At the ferry, we had to wait a while and the ferry was late leaving, but we cloistered ourselves in the SeaWest Lounge. My husband wondered if we should go and have a meal (we were into dinner range by this time), but I reminded him of the time that I had violent food poisoning from a BC Ferries meal and how I didn't want to risk food poisoning while now pregnant. He agreed. A ferry ride home got us to the door at about 7:30 PM. If we had taken the harbour flight we would have been home hours earlier, but at least we made it. We ordered in pizza and had a quiet New Year's Eve with our very meowy cat, who was happy to see us again.

Ten years since we met.

The cat was not impressed with the fireworks on New Year's Eve. I'm wearing my new cashmere robe in this shot and haven't gone a day without wearing it since Christmas when my husband gave it to me to replace my old and holey cashmere robe. That was my other favourite Christmas present.

My husband was off to Halifax again very early Monday morning.

Tuesday morning, I had blood tests for my thyroid and the second set for the IPS (the screening including two blood tests and an ultrasound to look for various disorders including Down Syndrome) I don't find out my results until I see Dr. Down next week.

More blood tests!

One of my new tunics from Vancouver.

At the endocrinologist's office on Wednesday, it was revealed that I had gained 2 kg or 4.4 lb in the one month since I had seen him last. He repeated again that I didn't have to gain ANY weight during this pregnancy. I told him that I was trying my best. He then said that he wasn't concerned about my weight gain, but that I didn't need to gain any weight during my pregnancy. Right. Well, for the first 14 weeks or so, I actually didn't gain any weight at all and in fact lost 0.2 pounds, but it seems that now I'm well into the second trimester, my  body is starting to gain some weight. Given that I'm pregnant this isn't surprising (at least it's not to me). And I did just come from the Christmas season, so food was different, more plentiful, and much more indulgent than normal for me.

With regard to my blood tests, my T4 level had dropped significantly and my TSH level was creeping back up (in other words going towards the hypothyroid range again, great for weight gain and feelings of depression and lack of energy, so this may further explain my weight gain and some of my feelings of continuing gloom). My endocrinologist said that my levothyroxine dose would have to be raised to 125 micrograms per day in order to put my thyroid levels back at optimal levels. My liothyronine dose will remain the same.

He also discussed how much treatment of thyroid disorders has changed during the course of his career and how we still don't really know how treatment of pregnant women for thyroid disorders has impacted the fetuses because there hasn't been a comprehensive study done of the IQ differences between the babies of women with hypothyroidism that weren't treated and women with well controlled hypothyroidism who were treated while pregnant (poorly controlled thyroid disorder in the mother can cause brain damage and IQ loss to the fetus).

He also told me that I need to try to bring my anxiety level down now that I'm well into my second trimester. Maybe now that the "festive" season is over this will be easier.

The endocrinologist called the fetus the conceptus. He didn't like our nickname of "the thing" or "the thing from the swamp." I tried to explain to him that since we don't know what it is and it's floating around in amniotic fluid, it kind of is the thing from the swamp right now (plus I find that by making it more funny and less personal, I can deal with the concept(us) better, because I'm still feeling really nervous about the possibility of things not working out and having another miscarriage, despite being into the much lower risk second trimester.)

I spent part of this week drafting a background document that my husband has to send to the ombudsperson who is trying to resolve our dispute with our insurance company, who is still refusing to pay the balance of our prescription drug costs from our fertility treatments (they have short changed us by about $6,500). Sadly, it doesn't surprise me that an insurance company would rip a policy holder off because I used to represent plaintiffs all the time against greedy, dishonest insurance companies who preferred to take premiums and then not pay policy holders what they were entitled to. I'm just pissed off that I have to spend the time doing this and have the increased stress, which isn't good for me, especially while pregnant. But I feel it's important to keep insurance companies on their toes, because if no one speaks up they will become increasingly dishonest and abusive towards policy holders, who are more vulnerable and not able to defend themselves.

The cat is really tiring of being smothered.

And now onto the rhinovirus. Monday, I had a terrible sore throat and stuffiness starting in the evening. Not surprisingly, Tuesday morning I woke up with a full blown cold. Colds suck worse now because I can't take any cold medication. Last time I was pregnant, I came down with an awful summer cold and was on the verge of getting a sinus infection when I had the miscarriage and was then able to take cold medications and decongest my sinuses. I am worried about the possibility of a sinus infection from this cold too, as I am really, really congested and all I can do is take some Tylenol and use saline spray and drink lots of fluids and eat and drink citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C. Plus, being really sick when you're living alone is awful. I know that I have no one to turn to if this worsens and I have do everything around here myself and I'm already so exhausted that I just feel like a reanimated corpse. Fortunately, my husband returns tonight, so I'll have someone to witness my misery and share my virus with (just kidding, I really don't wish this rhinovirus on anyone!).

So, so sick. Ugh I hate colds.

At least I have a companion who's always down to nap.

Today, I went to the chiropractor for another adjustment. My neck and shoulders and upper back have continued to be very tense and sore and my low back and pelvis are still going through something. I would have rather stayed home because I was feeling so awful from the cold, but I knew if I left the adjustment any longer, things would worsen. It doesn't help that I've had myself propped up on more pillows in bed, because I'm so congested. The chiropractor said that I'm very tense and that I should return in a week for another adjustment, but sooner if I have any numbness down my right arm again (I'm hoping that my neck has settled after that fall on the escalator though. I haven't felt any numbness in a week now).

With regard to physical and mental symptoms in general over the past two weeks, I would say that feelings of nausea have decreased, though some days I still feel pretty awful or I'll get short bouts of nausea usually when I've waited too long to eat or I've eaten too much or something too rich (indigestion seems to be happening more often now too), but the feelings of exhaustion have continued to be a real pain. While I did manage to get out for a few walks on the trip, including some quite long ones in Vancouver while shopping, I'm still feeling inordinately tired. I have noticed more nasal congestion (and my husband when around says more snoring). This is apparently normal from increased blood flow which makes the sinuses swell. Constipation still is a problem on and off, but with a high fibre diet, psyllium in the evening, and prune juice every day, it's generally better. On a positive note, I would say right now that my skin has settled down and is looking more clear. The breast tenderness is still pronounced and annoying. As I mentioned above, my body feels tense and sore. I find it difficult to get comfortable in bed and I know that's not going to improve. I'm still having very vivid dreams and a lot of nightmares, which sometimes startle me awake and leave me in a highly anxious state trying to settle back down to sleep for the next hour. With regard to my mental state, I feel slightly less anxious and depressed than a couple of weeks ago, but still not in a stable state. I suspect the lithium level is still not quite right and in any event, the stress of the holiday season, travelling, and continuing family strife is not conducive to feeling happy, stable, or calm. I am hopeful that my mood and anxiety level will improve.

The latest amaryllis in my collection put on a spectacular show.

And now the cat and I await my husband's return from back east. He'll be home for a few weeks probably, so hopefully he'll be able to come with me to the developmental ultrasound (18-20 weeks) if that happens before he leaves to go back east for work. I still have not received an appointment from the ultrasound clinic, so we'll see. Also upcoming, more blood tests, this time to measure my lithium level and kidney function for the perinatal psychiatrist, another appointment with the perinatal psychiatrist, ongoing and now monthly acupuncture, a monthly check in with my maternity doctor, Dr. Down, and another visit to the chiropractor. And I'll be going for an electrocardiogram or EKG/ECG of the fetus at Victoria General Hospital on January 27th.

The cat will be happy not to be the sole focus of my affection for a while.