No More Doctors!

In the past week I have been to eight doctor appointments for my daughters and I. Thursday will make nine. I am so tired of the doctors offices!

Last Friday night Matt laid Brooklyn in bed with me. After about an hour she woke me asking me to kiss her arm saying it hurt. She continued crying and asked me again and again to kiss her. I turned on the light to see that she had a white bubbly rash covering her arms, legs, face and belly. It looked like an allergic reaction to something. I gave her Benadryl and took her down to have Matt cuddle her until he was ready to come to bed.

Saturday night she got the rash again and I had been monitoring what she ate all day. I knew she hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary and she'd had no change in detergent or anything. So Sunday morning I asked my friend who tested her baby for allergies about the process and which doctor she used. I figured we would take Brooklyn in on Monday.

Sunday night Brooklyn got the rash again, only this time after we gave her benadryl, she continued to cry for an hour straight and held her mouth. I took her to the emergency room and the staff was truly wonderful. After waiting forever the doctor saw us and knew immediately what the problem was. He said, "I think it is strep, let's test for that and go from there". Sure enough the test came back positive. He said that when strep is combined with a rash such as this it is classified as Scarlet Fever. Brooklyn was put on an antibiotic for a week and is back to her normal self now.

Monday morning I went to see a dermatologist. I love the dermatologist! He removed a mole and is having it tested though it should be benign and then although I wasn't going to ask about my face he made sure twice that I didn't have any further questions. So the second time he asked if I had other concerns I said that I would love to have something to help my skin, but that I was kind of resigned to always having not the best skin. He prescribed me things that he said he would feel comfortable giving his daughters if they were pregnant and that as an added bonus the one cream should take away the redness that I get on my chin and cheeks when I am pregnant- and it has. Love the dermatologist!

Tuesday I went to the hospital to have my bloodwork done. That's never fun, but at least it is quick. Then we had a couple of days break before we had to go back yet again! Sunday as I was bathing Kennedie for church I saw that she had a rash covering her body. I took her to the InstaCare and she and I both saw the doctor there. Sure enough, she now has Scarlet Fever. I had myself checked as well, knowing how dangerous it can be for the babies and luckily I am fine for now. So Kennedie is out of school for the week.

Monday we had three more appointments. Reagan complained on Sunday that it hurt when she pees. She has a history of bladder infections that we have had thourough testing done for at the hospital. So I took her and we now have all three daughters on an antibiotic! I then had Brook seen and checked once more to make sure her infection is gone. Although the didn't swab her again the doctor said she looks as good as new.

Then I had my OB appointment for the babies immediately following the girls' doctor appointments. I have been looking forward to this appointment for a month. I've never had questions to ask the doctor about pregnancy before, but this pregnancy is completely different. I had a list of questions and would really like to know about the increased precautions for Gestational Diabetes since I have had it twice and am more prone with twins. Also, I really would have liked to talk to the doctor to see if he delivers at Utah Valley Reginal because worst case scenario, if my water broke two months early and I went to Orem Community and had the babies they would likely be transferred to UVR. The last thing I want is to be separated from my babies as we are both recovering. I really would have liked the doctors opinion on that. Also, I have had a ton of cramping in the past month and needed very much either to hear the words, "you are measuring large, there are definitely two in there" or heard two heartbeats or had some assurance that they are both okay.

This doctor spent literally thirty seconds with me. He didn't measure me (as I have had done at every pregnancy appointment ever). He listened to one heartbeat and when I asked about the other one he said, "there's no way of knowing if we listened for a second that we weren't listening to the same heartbeat over again". I've read that so it wasn't a huge surprise. But that was it and the nurse was sent back in. I was so incredibly disappointed. The good news is that I get to have an ultrasound each month to check the babies growth. So the nurse set me up for an ultrasound on Thursday afternoon, my ninth appointment in a week and a half, and I cannot wait for the peace of mind that both babies are growing and kicking.

After Thursday though I would very much like to not see another doctor until March! Thank goodness for flexpay which has saved my bank account! I opted to have a ton taken out of each check for my flexpay so that we could pay for the baby (I thought there was one at that time) and it has already proven to be such a wise decision.