A Christmas Roundup - or - What happened to Christmas?

12/24 10 pm - Joseph & Jac & I drive in to Pasadena to do some last minute shopping at Target (which turned out to be closed) and have a late night dinner at In-n-Out.

12/25 1 am - I wake up with diarrhea and vomiting which continues unabated until 7 am. Grandma & I spend the night on the floor of my bathroom while Joseph takes care of Jac.

12/25 8:45 am - 911 is called. About 20 (seemingly) firefighters and paramedics come and take me to the hospital. Joseph comes along and Grandma and Grandpa stay home with Jac. Jac has been unaffected by this episode and is happily at home. Before I leave for the hospital Joseph purchases Nutramigen Lipil since I have not pumped since 8 pm the night before and have not been storing milk since arriving in LA.

12/25 10 am - Christmas is canceled. Family is called.

12/25 11 am - I pump in the ER for the first time in 14 hours. Major pain and milk that has to be dumped.

12/25 1 pm - I am released from the hospital with 3 liters of fluid having been pumped into my veins and some meds to stop the squirts.

12/25 The rest of the day - I try to drink, eat a little, and pump. All in a haze and while feeling like I have been run over by a truck. I am making very little milk but Jac only has to have 2 bottles of formula.

12/26 - This is where things start to get really hazy (they were only a bit hazy up to this point). At some point in here I have developed mastitis in my left breast. This is the breast that makes 2/3 of my milk so this is a big problem. I am making very little milk and it is quite watery since I have very little nutrition in me. I am finding it almost impossible to eat. I have NO appetite. I am drinking but that is very hard also. It turns out that the mastitis has given me a fever. It turns out it is as high as 104! My OB in Boulder is called, I am given Tylenol and Ibuprofen and fluids and food and finally antibiotics. I am dazed but still pumping. My left breast is 2/3 blocked and making a very small amount of milk (an ounce at each pump if I am lucky) and my right is doing yeoman work to make enough milk for Jacie which I am still doing by the skin of my teeth.

Time passes.

I pump and Jac eats and I sleep and more time passes with Joseph and Grandma and Grandpa taking care of Jac.

I continued to have diarrhea throughout this entire time and Thursday night I started to get scared again. I had finally eaten a bit and my diarrhea had gotten worse and I was very worried that it was not going to stop. I had really not been able to get any proper nutrition.

I started to have a sense of the world again Friday morning - sort of. We went to the see the doctor. He told me to drink - just drink - until my appetite came back. Good advice. And take Immodium.

The diarrhea stopped.

My left breast blockage started to clear today after a great deal of work with heat etc. I had my first solids in a few days this morning - chicken soup and I have had oatmeal and cereal the rest of the day in sparing amounts along with lots! of water.

I am not pumping anywhere near my normal amount but I am staying ahead of Jacie which is enough for now.

I will post more later - pictures etc.