The last two weeks.... Part one

So on January 22nd a week after Nolan came home sick from school and ended up with an upper respiratory infection, I spiked a fever. After a night full of acetominophen it was under control and gone but left me with insane mucus and a very bad cough. I spent the weekend coughing and hoping I'd recover fast. When it hit Monday and my cough seemed worse I called the OB. Once again, they said they wouldn't see me sick so I had to go to my GP even though I was almost 38weeks. 

GP diagnosed upper respiratory infection that was pretty severe and gave me a rescue inhaler with steroids and an antibiotic. I did saline nebulizer treatments in between. If you know me, you know I prefer no medicine while pregnant and during delivery. Even when not pregnant, I take medicine that heals but not that just masks symptoms. 

After having influenza A a few short weeks before this in December and now this new issue, this pregnancy I have been forced to medicate just to get through. 

For the past week or so before this (all of January) I had been somewhat itchy. No rash was present and it wasn't really where my skin was stretched. On Tuesday Jan. 27 I started getting unbearably itchy. It was enough that I couldn't sleep most of the night. I rewashed all my clothes in free and clear and took a water only bath a few times. Still no rash and only mild normal swelling. I worried maybe the antibiotic I was taking had made normal itching worse and also googled and found out about Cholestasis of pregnancy. Basically it's where your liver isn't functioning properly and bike is building up. Other symptoms fit too. I got in to my OB Wednesday morning and was still coughing horribly and relying on the inhaler. 

Doctor checked and monitored baby who was moving well and then ordered liver rests fearing cholestasis (liver issue) too. He switched my antibiotic as a precaution. He then said they could do the bloodwork draw there immediately and would call results of liver testing back to me ASAP. Turns out when I went to the nurses the test require fasting and they sent me home to wait until the next morning, Thursday, and to go to a lab for the draw. 

We went out to lunch all together and my cough started getting worse again back to somewhat nonstop. During nap time I laid down too and used my rescue inhaler as needed. When I woke I had an intense backache across my lower rib cage along my side and back. It was excruciating when I coughed, which was very very often. Bracing didn't help as this would shoot across my back not really belly. At this point, I rated the pain a 10 out of 10 ranking up there worse than the natural labor I'd done with Carter. It was evening time when I realized I wasn't sure I could wait all night and try to go back to my OB in the morning. Tim agreed after seeing my pain levels and knowing my normal tolerance. We dropped the boys in to bed and called our neighbor who was amazing and hung out at the house. Off to the ER we went.