Epidural Complications

Okay so I am finally getting to the rest of the story with baby Emerson.  I forget how much time a baby takes up and then a 3 year old on top of that with a new calling in the Primary Presidency, and my business is taking off, and everything else...blogging has been the last thing on my mind...(well it has been on the top of my list because I don't want to neglect it, but it just hasn't happened).

The afternoon after Emerson was born I got a terrible headache.  The doctor told me that it was probably just from stress, hormones, and the trauma of childbirth.  So I didn't think much about it, except for the fact that it was the worst thing I had ever experienced.  The next day, Emerson and I were able to go home. My mom and sister Kim met us when we got home and it was good to see them and let them see the kids.  Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I just had the worst headache in my life.  I seriously cannot explain what a spinal headache is like.  I am not having an epidural ever again...NATURAL BIRTH ALL THE WAY!  No, really...I cannot tell you. I walked around with my body tight, and no able to move my neck, or think, or breastfeed Emerson the way I needed to (my nipples got so sore and Emerson got a lot of formula).  The only thing that would relieve the pounding in the front of my head was to lay down...but with a new baby, how was I supposed to do that.  As soon as I would sit up to nurse Emerson the pounding would just hit like a hammer.  I didn't know what to do anymore, but cry.  I cried and cried and finally Ben suggested we go to the doctor.  Early that Thursday morning Ben took Emerson and I (my mom and sister watched Braeden). When we go to the UCC on base, I was hooked up to two IV's. One of them was an 8 hour drip of 500 mg (like 4 pots of coffee) of caffeine.  The other was a 4 hour drip of medication to increase production of cerebral spinal fluid.  I seriously just laid in an ER bed 8 hours.  It was so SO difficult to nurse Emerson while I had an IV in each arm and I was supposed to lay flat as I could.  As soon as they gave me the medicine called Toradol in my IV, I felt great.  I was laughing and I actually had a day of relief.  I could not believe that I felt so good.  When we were released from the hospital I felt awesome.  I had four hours until my pain med wore off and I was nervous about that.  During the middle of the night, I got up to nurse Emerson and the pain came back. Pound, pound, pound...I could not think or make decisions...NOTHING!  I hope no one ever has to go through a spinal headache.

The next morning I didn't want to stand up because I knew it would come back.  My mom was supposed to leave and I didn't know what to do. Everytime I would go to the hospital I would cry because I didn't know what do to and I didn't think that I was ever going to get better.  I was taking vicodin and it wasn't doing anything for the headache.  I was at my breaking point in the shower that morning...I wasn't able to take care of my newborn and my family and it made me upset. I didn't know what to do.  Ben suggested again that we go to the hospital and get a blood patch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidural_blood_patch..read about it here). That is where they go in the epidural space and draw blood from your arm.  From there, they inject the blood into the back so that it can clot the hole where the spinal fluid is leaking.  After they did this, I was supposed to lay flat for an hour and see if it worked.  After that hour, nothing worked.  I got up and the headache came back.  I met all of the doctors, nurses, techs and pretty much most of the hospital staff while I was in for this hospital stay.  They CRNA's decided that I needed to be admitted and repeat the process from the day before (with the two IV's).  My mom drove over to base with Braeden and my sister Kim to see me. They were going to drop Braeden off, and go back to Utah if I was going to go home, but by the time they got there, I had the IV's in and I was just laying there.  My mom came in and just cried. She hated seeing my like that and I will never forget the feeling of being completely helpless and needing to take care of my family and I couldn't.  I couldn't take care of my week old baby.  I felt the worst I had ever felt in my life.  I cried and I was so glad my mom was there.  I still get upset when I think about what I had to go through that day.  I needed to get better and be healthy again.  There were so many people needing me to make decisions, but I literally couldn't think to make choices.

That whole day my mom and Kim stayed with me and helped me take care of Emerson.  Ben and Braeden went and stayed home to spend time with each other.  I had a great day with my family because I had the Toradol again and I felt good.  I had to stay in the hospital over night and lay completely flat...I mean COMPLETELY flat all night. I kept Emerson right in bed with me so that I could feed him (so I didn't sleep one bit). And Ben slept in the bed across the room. Technically the staff wasn't supposed to let Ben and Emerson stay, but Ben works in the hospital so we had an in...THANK HEAVENS!

After that night, that really long night...the doc came in the next morning and asked me how I felt. I told him I feel good when I am on Toradol.  I didn't know they have an oral dose of that, but he told me he could prescribe be only 5 days worth of the medicine. It is a super ibuprofen that is really bad for the kidneys so that is all I was allowed.  After that I was released only to go home and lay completely flat for 48 hours. Ben had already taken a lot of time off, but he HAD to take off more to help me.  The day I came home, my mom and sister left.  I was SO sad to see them go because I really needed their help and they had been great help already.  Over the next few days, Ben was home with me and helped me take care of the kids. When the day was up to get off the Toradol, I was so nervous. I didn't need that headache back and so I didn't want to stop taking the medicine.  I did though and the headache DID NOT come back. I was so happy.  I felt like a new woman with a new family.  I was so blessed and I was so thankful for my health by the time I was over and done with this whole thing.  I had many blessings, and it really was a test of faith. I pleaded with the Lord to help me get better so that I could recover and take care of my family and everything else that I needed to do.

I am so thankful for my new little family, and for natural birth. I know it sounds miserable...but it really wasn't that terrible. The spinal headache was worse than the whole delivery.  I am thankful for my family and their help in this whole thing.  I needed their help because really, I couldn't do anything for myself. I love my life and my family.