Category Archives: Health

My Sanctity of Life Week Post

Posted on by

I heard on Air1 that it’s Sanctity of Life week and I felt like I should weigh in. (In other words, free posting topic!)

My Sanctity of Life story comes from my pregnancy with Daniel. At one of my appointments, Dr. Awesome asked if I wanted the MSAFP test (it tests for Down’s Syndrome and spina bifida). I didn’t really feel like getting it but Jon wanted it so I gave in. A week later, Dr. Awesome herself left a message on my answering machine at home which was a red flag. (Nurses usually call with test results. Dr. Awesome calling meant something was wrong.) It turns out that the test came back elevated for Down’s Syndrome and they were getting my 3-D ultrasound scheduled in Great Falls ASAP. After getting 5 phone calls in a 10 minute period, my co-workers caught on that there was a problem and a lot of them were freaking out for my sake.

I was more angry because the reason they were getting the ultrasound moved up was so that they could do amniocentisis if need be and abort the baby if the amnio came back showing Down’s Syndrome. Seriously, if Daniel had been born with Down’s Syndrome, we would have been OK with that. He was a WANTED child and would be a LOVED child.

The 3-D ultrasound showed that he was fine (and the “elevated” level was a 1% chance which I wish I’d known — it would have saved a lot of people a lot of worry). The doctor doing the ultrasound (my peri-natalogist Dr. Fabulous) was the one who delivered Daniel two months later so it was good that I had the patient relationship with him.

Learning That I’m Not Alone

Posted on by

When I saw that the Promise Walk had a northern California event, I emailed the organizer and offered to do some social media stuff (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.) for it. Little did I know that I would eventually become one of the organizers.

It’s been humbling to read some of the stories of my fellow organizers who not only got hit with pre-eclampsia as I did early in their third trimester (or even before), are HELLP survivors who ended up in the ICU, or lost their baby because of the pre-eclampsia. A number of walkers are doing the walk as part of their healing process just as I am and it’s comforting to know that I’m not some bizarre anomaly, that other people have dealt with the developmental delays, the feeding issues (preemies who had feeding tubes or ventilators have really underformed oral muscles and texture issues), and that it is completely possible to have a healthy pregnancy after pre-eclampsia. (Not that I’m considering one any time soon…)

Monday morning (after getting up to change Daniel), I had a dream where Sara Sidle of CSI had it and died. (They weren’t sure that the baby was going to make it.) I was in a complete rage at the doctor for letting Sara die (which does unfortunately happen with pre-e, especially if it’s HELLP and the liver ruptures) and I was ripping up books, beating people up, etc. I think it was my subconscious expressing the anger I have that women still die from this (especially in 3rd world countries where pre-natal care can be non-existent).

Please click the graphic on my sidebar and donate. I don’t care if it’s as little as $1. This is a cause about which I feel passionate because I survived it only because the doctors knew what they were doing.

You’ve Got to Be Freaking Kidding Me…

Posted on by

CNN.Com: Medical journal: Study linking autism, vaccines is ‘elaborate fraud’

The doctor who perpetrated the fraud (who has been stripped of his medical license) is actually *DEFENDING* the study. Bimbo actress Jenny McCarthy is perpetrating the lie that all this information is being put out in an attempt to prop up vaccine makers.

OK… how about this: WE DON’T HAVE THE PROBLEMS WITH ALL THESE DISEASES THAT EXIST IN THE THIRD WORLD BECAUSE WE VACCINATE OUR KIDS!!!!! Seriously, all the problems we’ve had with whooping cough outbreaks are because morons don’t vaccinate their kids or themselves.

It reminds me of the House M.D. episode where some simpering woman in the clinic tells House that her baby is getting “mommy protection” (i.e. breastfeeding) instead of vaccines and House replies sarcastically that “mommy protection” is only good for about 6 months.

VACCINATE YOUR KIDS, PEOPLE!!!!