2.17.2012

Free Trip to L&D

Don't panic. Miss Charlotte is still safe and snug in my belly. =)

But I did get a free trip to L&D today, and I totally blame it on the hell that is Tripler Army Medical Center. Here's the thing about Tripler (ok, more that one thing}:

It's just outside Honolulu.

It's on a freakin' mountain.

It's a nightmare to navigate.

It's just outside Honolulu. {It's there twice for a reason.}

Oh, and it serves all the military {and veterans} on the whole island.

{via}

Please tell me you can see the ridiculousness of the parking setup here. It's dumb and I almost always have to park in the BFE. The OB clinic is on the back side {aka mountainside} of the hospital, where there is one tiny parking lot. Today, I drove around said parking lot for about 15 minutes before giving up and driving around to the front. Enter traffic. Lots of traffic, all of us trying to find parking. Right as I see someone going to their car, some jerk of a Soldier cuts me off and steals the spot. Thanks for stealing a spot from a very pregnant woman, dude. Finally, 10 minutes before my appointment, I found a spot and hightailed it into the hospital, up 4 floors, and across that floor.

Because I got there pretty much right on time, they called me back immediately. And, guess what? My blood pressure was high. I wasn't surprised at all, but I know that's not a good thing. The doctor comes in about 10 minutes later. A male doctor I don't know, accompanied by an intern/student/1LT person. So, I'm a little nervous. {I should note I don't always do well with male doctors. My first GYN experience - which was not good - was with a male doctor... Pretty sure I'm scarred for life.} He takes my blood pressure again and it's still high. 

Then he says he wants to do lab work, a 24 hr urine collection {great} and monitor me in L&D for an hour. I was really more frustrated than worried, but I'll admit that I almost started crying. I just didn't want something else to be wrong with me, you know? 

I found a spot with good reception {yet another reason to hate Tripler} and called Joe to let him know what was going on and headed for L&D. And then I got lost. Apparently the L&D tour did me no good whatsoever. I took elevators up the the 6th floor and somehow ended up on the 3rd floor, without going down any stairs or elevators. {This is what I meant about the navigation...} Thanks to a nice orderly, I finally found my way to L&D.

They got me into triage right away and hooked me up to monitors. The nurse found her right away, and I got to listen to her heartbeat the whole time. =) But wait, it gets better. My blood pressure was totally normal the entire time. In fact, it was pretty darn perfect. Dr. Overreacter can eat his words now. My super awesome nurse agreed that if he'd given me enough time to calm down that it would have been fine. They let me go after 45 minutes because I was doing so well. And Charlotte was doing even better, though she did move away from the monitor at one point. Sadly, they're still making me do the 24 hr urine collection. =( I really, really, really don't want to especially since there's really nothing wrong with me. But the triage doctor thinks it's still "a good idea to have." Bleh. Basically, I just have to do it within the next week. Though I didn't think of it earlier, I'm hoping I'll be able to take it to the lab in the clinic on post so that I don't have to drive all the way to Tripler. If I can, it would really make my life a lot easier. 

So, that was my first trip to L&D. And I'm hoping it's the last before I'm actually in labor. 

Please stay put for a little while longer, little girl!

10 comments:

  1. i had high blood pressure once with my first too. it was the first time i drove the 30 mins down town to my drs at rush hour traffic thats about 6 lanes deep and ive never driven down there either( and i was in our new car). so i was a nervous wreck. got there and what do you know, its high. i didn't have to go to l&d but i did have to stay in the office for 30 mins until it went down. however my little one was not being still with the monitors like your little one. he HATED them. hopefully this will be the last time you have to go until she comes. sorry you have to do the urine collection thing. that does sucks. hope everything comes back fine with all that.

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  2. Tripler is frustrating! I always parked in the front of the building because I was always lucky to find parking there but I would have to walk along ways to get to the hospital. My blood pressure was slightly higher yesterday too but my doctors weren't concern. I think it was a little higher because of the walk to the clinic and being nervous about what the doctor will say about my GD. I'm glad to hear your baby girl is doing great!

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  3. Oh for god's sake. Sounds so fun. Total sarcasm. Hang in there!

    I found out this morning I have GD.

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  4. I hope you know about the parking garage on the mtn side. (?) Parking is always such a pain at Tripler, hopefully your little one comes at some ungodly time, like 0240. Hehe, that's when our Little made his debut and there was no traffic and ample parking. Good luck!

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  5. Glad to hear your blood pressure came down and stayed down while you were in L&D. I actually had preeclampsia with my first, which is what Dr. Overreactor is concerned with based on the tests he's doing with. I'd say since your blood pressure came down, and you probably have noticed any major swelling in your hands or feet (a little is to be expected this far along)you 24hr collection will come back normal and you have nothing to worry about. And bonus you got 45mins of listening to baby girl. I always love hearing those little heart beats :)

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  6. Glad it's all good! I know how the AF meds work...crazy! I've spent the last couple days trying to decide on a hospital to give birth to potential future children in (we just moved, so I have to find a new gyn anyway, so figure it might as well be an ob too), and it's a PAIN.

    I just glanced down to all your sewing projects and they are fantastic :)

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  7. We always parked in the parking garage on the OB side of the hospital. Did you know that was there?

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  8. Awww I wish you would have told me you had to go up there solo today! I would have gone with you--I know that hospital like the back of my hand now :)
    The parking does suck....alot. They were having problems with the nurses and employees taking up all of the upper oceanside parking for awhile, so maybe thats happening again...

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  9. I am glad you are doing better. :)

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  10. This happened to me a lot too!!! I don't know why they don't allow you to rest a bit before taking the BP...Mine was always lower if they would give me 10 minutes...

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