First point - the results of last week's bike ride
I think my last post was ... last Monday? We had a busy weekend, signing the counteroffer from the sellers of our (hopefully) future house, and going on a 20-mile bike ride. Yeah, that bike ride, it was LOVELY! I don't think I really mentioned it (it actually was very beautiful), or how badly I had to pee pretty much the whole time. Or how I got off my bike after 15 miles and ran behind some bushes to pee. Or how on Tuesday I started breaking out with ... POISON OAK.OMG, my friends, I don't know if you've ever had poison oak. I have. I have had it many times, and I always have it really badly, sometimes requiring steroids to get it under control and help my body fight back. After one particularly serious bout, I wasn't sure that the skin on my legs was going to grow back normally, and I thought I'd be left with hideous scars. And I'm talking about the skin on about 3/4 of my legs, not dainty little patches. I always end up having to wash everything I touch, including sometimes my hiking boots, the steering wheel in my car, and anything else I can think of.
This time I'm a bit luckier - I have several huge spots of oozing, weeping mess (the biggest one about 6 inches in diameter, I guess?) - on both hips, my left quad, two on the side of my right thigh, my right shin, and my right ankle. I'm miserable. I spend my days rubbing on various anti-itch remedies, and bandaging up my legs so I don't make a mess of my clothing (with little success - hello, laundry!). Luckily, after a few nights, I am able to sleep again. I'm hoping this clears up by the end of the week. And I will never again assume that I won't get poison oak from road biking. I'm clearly talented enough to pick it up anywhere.
Second point - my level 2 ultrasound!
Perhaps this should have been the first point, but poison oak has taken over my life and overshadowed just about everything else.
The ultrasound went really well - the babies looked fantastic, except for one thing. I don't know if I should worry. They both had cysts on their brains. Should I worry? The doctor came and spoke with us and said it was relatively common, and that they would expect them to disappear by around 24 weeks, or else sometime during the third trimester, and we should follow up to check on them. And that was it. I'm trying not to worry too much, but any advice or experience would be much appreciated in the comments.
Otherwise, it was great. They are beautiful. First, they confirmed for us that Baby A (Tadpole) is a girl and Baby B (Turtle) is a boy. They had also switched sides, I guess, but Tadpole was still the "lower" twin and Turtle was the "upper twin". We think we have names picked out, but I'm not sure if we've finalized them yet. The ultrasound tech also completely surprised us by switching to 3D in the middle and showing us their faces! We got some great pics, which I'll have to post later this week.
Third point - life in general
Everything else right now is gravy. The house we're buying is looking great, the inspections went well, but it needs a new roof. Which is actually a good thing, because the current roof is hideous and we were going to replace it anyway, and now the sellers have to pay for it (it is a not-quite-flat tar and gravel roof). My architect sister is busy drawing up floor plans and making virtual 3D models for us to make our renovation decisions, and we'll meet with a contractor hopefully quite soon. I'm not sure we'll be able to pull this off before the babies are born, but I am hoping that maybe we can manage somehow.
My husband is also sick, again. He never gets sick, so I was shocked to come home from my book club meeting yesterday and discover him on the couch with a fever, for the second time this season. I am a little worried about him, and also hope that I don't get it too - I really don't need a fever while pregnant (and while having poison oak).
I'm keeping in shape by biking and using the rowing machine at the gym - I'm hoping to keep it up as long as possible.
So that's my life - there's so much more going on, but I don't want to write a novel.
PLEASE - if you have anything to add about brain cysts seen in ultrasounds, I would love to hear about it! Thanks!!!
Hope all's well for all of you.
I would have a hard time not worrying; however, it's slightly reassuring that they told you the cysts are somewhat common and that they expect them to disappear. I'm glad it went well overall for you though.
ReplyDeleteI've never had poison oak, so I can't say I know how you feel but I do feel bad for you! How long does something like that take to heal?
Oy! Poison Oak?!?! You poor thing! I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any words of wisdom about the cysts, but I will be praying that they will disappear as your doctor said they will.
Hoping the cysts dissapear soon - on its own! Check out this post/blog about cyst: http://afewgoodsperm.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-freak-out-pregnant-woman.html
ReplyDeletePoison Oak, ugh. I've had it a couple times as well. Once I fell into some bushes, both getting poison oak and breaking my arm. It itched so bad I was sticking a coat hanger down the cast.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're dealing with poison oak. I've never had it, but my sister regularly gets poison everything and is always so miserable for weeks! Hope it heals fast.
ReplyDeleteI'll be praying that your doctor is right and those cysts are nothing to worry about!