so glad to be home

Well things got a little interesting yesterday to say the least. I arrived at the hospital at 6:30, which was miracle in itself that I was on time. :) They prepped me for the procedure, and everything went as planned until I woke up from the anesthesia. My bleeding wasn't subsiding, and I was passing baseball size clots every 10 minutes. Not good. My O.B. was very concerned, and they transferred me to a different room to insert a uterine balloon to help put pressure on the blood vessels and stop the bleeding. However, at this point, I had lost around two liters of blood, and I was tingly and feeling dizzy, and when they inserted a foley catheter to drain my bladder, I experienced a vasovagal response which is the same response that people get when they see blood and faint. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low, and there were doctors and nurses flying around everywhere trying to get me stabilized. At one point, I overheard my OB tell one of the nurses that I was scaring her, but at that point I was so out of it. During all this chaos, they had started a morphine drip to help with the pain, and I start to notice my arm has red patches forming on my skin. I said, "Um, is my arm supposed to look like that?" My OB was like, "Nope, that would be an allergic reaction. You have got to be kidding me!" haha Wonderful time to discover an allergy, right? So, in the craziness, they put another IV in my other arm just in case, and I was just crying because I really wished that Bill was with me. However, in retrospect, I'm glad he wasn't in the room, because he would have been terrified and felt helpless.
Finally, my blood pressure started to stabilize with the medicine they had put into my IV line, and I started feeling a little better. And the best part was that the foley catheter which is a balloon inflated in your bladder ended up stopping the bleeding since it put pressure on my uterus from the outside. So, they didn't need to insert the uterine balloon which was a relief since just prepping for it was painful.
To be on the safe side, my doctor had me stay overnight, and I got to go home this morning. I am resting today, and the doctor said I will feel pretty exhausted for the next couple of days while my blood supply replenishes itself. I didn't lose enough to require a transfusion, but I did lose enough to cause a headache and dizziness when I stand up. So I am taking it easy, and I hope I'll be somewhat back to my normal activity level by Monday.
I have been thinking about this experience, and I have come to a couple conclusions. I mentioned in a previous post that a suction D&C like I had is basically the exact same procedure as an abortion. I obviously had complications, but I was so thankful to be in a hospital, and it is scary to me to think about women who go to these little clinics for abortions. This same complication could easily occur, and my experience makes it very clear that having an abortion is far from a "safe and easy procedure."
Also, if you ever need a dose of humility spend the night in a hospital with a urinary catheter draining your bladder through a tube into a bag. It's very humbling to walk around with a bag of pee and a tube taped to your leg, and it is even more humbling to watch a nurse pour your urine into a bucket and dump it into a toilet... lovely, right?
Well, I will keep you all posted. The tissue that was removed has been sent to pathology, and we should know the results by early next week. My OB did say that nothing looked abnormal or concerning, so that is positive, but I am anxious to hear the official results.
Thank you for all your prayers; I know that they were working. My guardian angel had a long day yesterday, and I prayed the Memorare a few times before going into the operating room. I know our Blessed Mother was also looking out for me.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

Amen.