I Know, I Know...

What's the point of having a blog if I never write on it, right? Sorry... no real good excuses, I just haven't made the time! :) I'll try to do better... There's lots to catch up on, so I'll jump right in. Things have been going pretty well with my pregnancy. I'm getting bigger... sort of looking like Shamu, in my personal opinion. I'm at my parents' house right now, and I don't have access to any pictures, but I'll try to get Michael to post a couple from home tonight - or I can do so when I get back mid-week.

Spring Break was last week, and Michael and I were fortunate enough to accompany my parents on a trip to Hilton Head. It was beautiful. We got some good rest & relaxation time together, which was so nice. Poor Michael... whenever he comes home from work, all I want to do is "visit" and he just wants to rest! (I've been resting alone all day!) He's such a good sport about it, though. Anyway, we were able to sit by the pool a couple of times (I even had enough strength to walk from our villa down to the pool that was next to the beach. Beautiful!) We enjoyed lots of good seafood, some shopping time (some in the wheelchair, some with me walking!), and several good games of Uno! It was a great trip - we enjoyed so much being with my parents and just getting away from home.

During our week at Hilton Head, I started having some weird pains... I wasn't sure what was going on, but they didn't last too long, so I didn't worry too much. We came back home on Thursday, and since the pains were continuing, I called my doctor's office on Friday to be sure everything was okay. The nurse told me that I'm probably having contractions - but that it wasn't a big deal as long as they didn't happen more than a couple times a day. I was instructed to lay down & rest - lots of extra relaxation and fluids. Now don't get me wrong, when I was working, this would have been the best thing anyone could ever say to me... but now that I'm at home all the time, I don't have that same desire for constant resting! :) Nonetheless, we took her advice. Michael pulled out the hideaway bed in our couch so I could lay down when I was downstairs, and I took a few extra naps over the weekend. I'm doing okay now. I think I had probably just been more active than "my" normal... and that may have kicked in some of the contractions. I'll continue to take it easy & I'm sure everything will be fine. I go back to the OB on Wednesday for my next appointment (complete with the glucose test! Yummy!), so I'll talk with my doctor then. I'll post another entry after I know a little more.

In other news... we may have an answer to a HUGE prayer. Those of you who know me well know that I was diagnosed in 2001 with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). This autonomic disorder causes my blood pressure to drop very low and my heartrate to rise very high whenever I stand (or sometimes sit) too long. Before pregnancy, "too long" was defined as anywhere from 10-30 minutes of standing. By the second month of my pregnancy, POTS had kicked in and 30 seconds was "too long" for me to stand. That's why I'm out of work until delivery. Well, we've been praying for healing... but in all of the reading and research I've done since my diagnosis 8 years ago, I've never seen or heard anything about a "cure" - until now...

A few weeks ago, Michael's mom (Judy) came to visit us. What a great help she was! She and I had lots of time while Michael was at school to visit and chat. I was telling her that I was concerned about whether or not I would need a C-Section. Shortly after my POTS diagnosis, my mom & I went to a Support Group meeting; almost everyone there was in a wheelchair - except for me. When we started talking to the women who had POTS, most of them said that their symptoms came on or got much worse after giving birth. Since then, I had read on message boards and other websites that a C-Section is sometimes recommended for women who have POTS. Judy mentioned that she had a friend from high school who is a high-risk OB. To make a long story short, Judy's friend (Carolyn) and I got in touch with each other. Carolyn found out that there is a cardiologist who works in the same hospital as she does that SPECIALIZES in POTS! This is extremely rare. Honestly, it's surprising when a doctor has even heard of POTS... much less someone who focuses on it! This cardiologist has a daughter who had been diagnosed with POTS, too. Carolyn gave me his phone number and said that he was more than willing to speak with me. Wow! So, I gave him a call...

When we talked, he explained that through his research, he has come to believe that POTS is caused by some type of head injury. (I've had several... okay, enough with the jokes!) ;) Anyway, he also said that he believes that he has found something that will CURE POTS. There's something called Cranial Manipulation. There are less than 500 doctors in the US who perform this treatment. (These are medical doctors, not chiropractors or therapists, that he was talking about. I've been to a cranial therapist before, but these dr's go through 4+ years of training, plus residencies, etc.) He had me look up a website (www.cranialacademy.com) & there are 2 doctors in NC (none in SC) who are certified in this field - one in Durham & one in Fletcher (in the mountains). Well, when I told the cardiologist where they were (about 3 hours away), he said that it probably would be too far b/c you shouldn't drive more than an hour or so after the appointment. He mentioned some medications, but obviously I would have to wait until after I deliver & finish breast feeding to use any meds. He did say, though, that he'd be happy to speak with my cardiologist here in Charlotte once the time for meds comes. He kept talking about the Cranial Manipulation, though. He mentioned his daughter who had POTS - at about the same level of symptoms as I'm having now. She went to one of these doctors & after finishing the therapy had no more symptoms for 10 years. Ten years! After that amount of time, the problems came back. She went back for more cranial work and hasn't had any problems since. Pretty amazing. But... I'm too far away. Well, when I talked to my mom she told me that the doctor in Fletcher is less than an hour from Spartanburg. SO, I'm going to give this a shot. My first appointment is on today at 1:00.

This post has already gotten WAY too long... I'll write more in the next couple of days once I know what's happnening with the cranial manipulation & the contractions. :) So much excitement!

Love to all! ~Julie, Michael, & Jr. :)