03-9-2009 - hanging up the car keys (for now)

My mood while writing this blog: exhausted

Well, I cant do right for doing wrong!

I have missed a couple of antenatal exercise classes because of the weather (being too hot) or because I have overdone it with walking during the day. I really wanted to make a concerted effort to go to class last Thursday, but I had to take a trot into town to buy a new school bag for DD2. I planned to get it come straight back, have a cat-nap and a shower then got to the hospital for my class.

Being a picky teenager she wasnt happy with any of the bags we looked at and before we knew it I had walked much further than I intended. My pelvis was in agony and it felt like Zach was hanging down by my knees. I half-hobbled half crawled out of the pedestrianised area of town with tears streaming down my face until I could find a low wall to sit on, so I could ring DH to collect us.

He was furious with DD2 for not even choosing a bag in the hour I was on my feet, but said it was more important to get me home.

How I got up the stairs I will never know, but the moment of sheer relief I felt for my pelvis once I had two pillows between my knees was undescribable....heaven doesnt even cut it! After some painkillers I fell asleep, completely missing my exercise class. I awoke in the night with terrible tummy cramps like the onslaught of AF when she hasnt visited in awhile.

I went to the toilet and found I had expelled part of my plug. Fortunately it was only the size of my little finger tip and had no blood streaks or damp patches, so I knew my waters were still intact.

I rang the midwife in the morning, and advised her of what had happened. She told me not to worry unless more plug comes away, be gentle with myself and for DH to be very gentle....he now has mid Jan 2010 ringed in red on the calendar LOL!

I asked if she could find out what had happened to my Physiotherapy appointment for my maternity brace cos it had been over two weeks since the referral. She told me to expect a phone call after the bank holiday to been seen cos I was flagged as urgent.

Later on in the day I received a letter from my manager's boss asking me to attend a meeting at regional office 70 miles away and recommending I brought a Trade Union official or other company employee to sit in on the meeting. The meeting was scheduled for Wednesday (yesterday), I couldnt get in touch with my manager to postpone or even find out what purpose of meeting was, (although the bit about TU official made me think I wasn't there for a "friendly chat"). So I planned to go, allowing 4 hours for my journey so I could stop and rest with my legs up in the car if I needed to.

At almost 5 o'clock Tuesday, the Physiotherapist Cilla rang me to say that my appointment had been fast-tracked at the request of Julie my midwife. She wanted me to attend at 2.30 on Wednesday. With the best will in the world and me driving flat out would take at least an hour. Cilla was really great and said she would see me at 1.30 and she would have her lunch at 2.30 instead. That would work, allow 30 mins for appointment and two hours to do the journey.

Well, yesterday I managed to sneak into a close by parking space just before the heavens decided to open, but I still managed to get soaked as I hobbled in. Cilla the Physiotherapist took one look at me and said "I don't know how much help a brace is going to be.....lay down on the bed and get comfortable I will be back in a few minutes."

After about 10 minutes she came back with two different sized maternity braces and a pair of crutches. "If we are to save the cartillage in your spine, you are going to have to start using THESE (waving the crutches in my general direction), but the brace is going to be of limited benefit I'm afraid!"

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather if it wasn't for the fact I was already laying down!

Rather than let me struggle like a ladybird stuck on its back with legs flailing around, Cilla helped me off the bed and adjusted the crutches to the right height so she could proceed with fitting the maternity brace.

Picking up one of the packs at random, she torn it open and fitted in round me, pulling the velcro tight. She doubled checked to find out how many weeks I had left. When I said 13, she was somewhat gobsmacked. "Ok" she said "you only have another couple of weeks growing room in this brace, because you mustn't pull it too tight as it could stop blood flow to your placenta cos its out there in front of baby. Lets open the other packet and how much extra that gives you!"

With the first brace still in place, she started to wrap the second brace around only to find a gaping 6 inch space where the ends of the brace didnt even meet. Realising that she had used the biggest one first, she said "These are the two largest sizes we have, I need to make some further enquiries for you, cos that baby is only gonna get bigger. I will call you in a few weeks to let you know what can be done."

So after some practical tips about using the brace and crutches, I made my way back to the car in significantly less discomfort than I had made my way in. I was horrified to find I only had 1hr 30 mins to make the journey to the office. My fingers had not long started tingling with Carpel Tunnel as I started driving, but I knew that I would find driving with the splints on a near impossibility and if I stopped to massage my fingers and forearms I would never make the appointment on time.

Well, somebody up there likes me, I had green lights all the way, no traffic so gear changes were kept to a minimum. I got there with 15 minutes to spare. So I splinted up and got my crutches with hospital notes under my arm and gingerly made my way across the puddled soaked car park in my flip-flops.

Well the boss lady was in a head-chopping mood as she had the head honcho from HR with her.She turned to me and asked who I was and who I was waiting to see. When I said my name, a puzzled look came over her face before she asked if I had "anyone with me" when I said no, as I had to come straight from the hospital, she apologised profusely before asking me to wait while she made some urgent phone calls before starting our meeting.

Was I for the Chop? Were they gonna take my car and leave me stranded 70 miles from home? Boss lady apologised profusely again saying she had just been on the phone to my own manager to request her immediate presence at the meeting, but she wanted to know all about my pregnancy complications starting from now and going right back to when I first found out I was pregnant.

Although it appears I had been summoned to be disciplined or worse sacked, within minutes of talking, showing my hospital notes and references to dealing with the firms occupational health it was clear that Boss Lady was more concerned with the failings of others to give me appropriate work suitable to my limitations. She checked to make sure that payroll had fulfilled all their legal obligations, and that HR made a note of my file to ensure any payment queries are referred directly to her to ensure I am not inadvertantly "short-changed" on my maternity pay.

My manager knocked to come into the meeting as all the last details were been written down on the notes for the minutes, despite seeing the crutches and the splints she proclaimed in front of the Boss Lady that "I will have you out out in the field selling again within the week even if you have to go out on rollerskates!"

Boss Lady was not impressed, so called for a brief recess so I could get a cup of tea and biscuits before I attempted the long drive home. After an hour I was called back in, with my laptop all updated and my photocopy of the meeting minutes, Boss Lady summarised that I was not return to my active duties until after maternity leave, and that we would proceed with the previously discussed plan of business based educational study rather than actual work so I was not under any pressure deadlines which my carpel tunnel could cause me difficulty. My manager was then instructed to help carry out my laptop and notes to my car to ensure I didnt slip on the wet floor with my crutches. At that is where my good luck ended!

After safely getting to the car, I then had a 3 hour drive home in the worst traffic imagineable, I just HAD to stop for an hour to have McDonalds and a COMPULSORY chocolate milkshake. When I got home I wasnt hungry so went to bed.

Kids first day back at school so it was chase chase chase, then off to see Julie the midwife. "Tut, tut Ketones through the roof again!" she said. "If you are waking up hungry in the middle of the night, then for goodness sake eat something, its more important that you have your breakfast at 3 in the morning and another one at 10, cos if you're not eating neither is Zach. Your kids are big enough to get themselves breakfasted and off to school, but Zach is relying on you!"

Then the bombshell "Now you are on crutches, you are gonna have to give up driving, no more jaunts like yesterday." I thought I was getting quite nifty at getting them in and out of car, so now I have to look at all my upcoming appointments to get DH to play chauffeur for me!

"And, in the nicest possible way I dont want to see you at my exercise class until after he is born. The most exercise I want you to do for now is Pelvic Floor that is it!" Yes Sir! that certainly told me.

After filling a few vials of blood for the vampire department, I was done. I truddled home in the car for what is the last time for a little while to contemplate what happens next.

Fingers crossed I pass my diabetes test....I've gotta have something go my way!