I am now 34 weeks and one day pregnant, but on friday of last week, at exactly 33 weeks, i woke up sick. now, this would not have been SO bad, if this weren't the FOURTH time i have been sick since being pregnant. each time, it's started out the same. congestion, sore throat, basic feeling of dying slowly. the first time - around 7 weeks - the OB essentially acted like i wasn't "pregnant enough" to treat and told me to see my primary care physician. my primary didn't want to b/c guess what? the OB should do that. it was a constant running in circles. eventually, the primary treated me, thank goodness. by the the time i was sick this time, i was fed up. i had an appointment with the OB on monday already scheduled and was determined she was going to freaking treat me. i BEGGED her for some medicine - oh and this is after ending up in labor and delivery because the baby wasn't moving like she should, which also was contributed to my being sick. anyway, with the OB i calmly explained that it was near impossible to get into my primary care physician when sick, and that i knew this was a sinus infection or something similar, b/c well, i know my body, and Robitussin DOESN'T FREAKIN' WORK! her response, just tell her that we want you to be seen, blame it on us. WOW, thanks for your concern.
so, since my primary care physician couldn't see me for three weeks, i ended up at urgent care. and guess what? after a 2.5 hour wait, i was told i have bronchitis. BRONCHITIS, people. i have asthma. i have ended up in the ER once this pregnancy b/c of asthma. and you know what? bronchitis and asthma DON'T MIX, especially when there is a baby depending on my ability to breathe to survive.
finally, i have an anitbiotic, and though still wheezing and coughing and in general feeling like i am dying a slow death, things are looking up. the thing that makes me ANGRY though is that the OB didn't bother to follow through on anything. i never get sick, except for the ocassional sinus infection, and so my educated guess is that b/c they wouldn't treat me the first time i was sick, it never fully went away. and now, seven months later, it has developed into something much more serious. and being sick brings so many implications for pregnancy and preterm birth. i know i am dehydrated. that can lead to preterm birth. i can't eat anything usually, and when i have eaten its been ice cream for the last week b/c it helps my throat. that's not good for baby's development. again, i have asthma, cannot breathe like i should, which means baby may not be getting the air she should. the whole thing just makes me angry. i depend on them to protect my baby and her health and well-being. the fact that my health - which is the only way she gets her health - has been so disregarded this entire pregnancy just frankly, pisses me off. and you know, i probably wouldn't feel angry at all if just once the OB - any OB in the practice - had bothered to pick up the phone and coordinate care, but instead, they're too busy, and i'm just not important enough. heaven forbid i get more than the 2 minutes they spend with me at each appointment.
in other words...next pregnancy, a very different OB, and next appointment, a very angry patient who expresses her feelings very honestly.
No comments:
Post a Comment