I got a spinal tap on Tuesday June 18th. After another episode of increased blurriness and brightness in my vision - my vision decreased to 20/70 in my L eye and to 20/40 in my right. They could only assume that the pressures in my brain had gone up and wanted a lumbar puncture ASAP. So, they told me they would get me in - if not my neurologist would get me in himself in the ER. Well, they couldn't get me on the schedule, so he met me at the ER and performed the spinal tap on me himself.
He said he expected pressures to be in the upper 20s, normal range is 10-20. He had to stick me twice, first needle was too small and didn't produce the fluid results. Second needle worked. Ouch. And then pressures were 12. Stumped my neuro. He drained enough cerebral spinal fluid to create a new me. He pulled out his little black book of neurology, ordered a laundry list of lab work to check for bacterial infection. He ordered things like toxoplasmosis, cat scratch fever, all kinds of crazy stuff.
I woke up Wednesday and went to work. Before long I couldn't sit up right without my neck stiffening, my head pounding and vomiting. I went home and rested. That day, Dean McGee Eye Institute called and wanted to set up an appointment for that day. They were able to fit me in on Thursday and I found a driver (my mom) who could take me since I still could not sit upright.
Thursday we drove to okc. I rode in the back, of course that's not safe, but I had no other choice. Arrived and spent most of the exam laying in my side in an upright chair. The doctor there was amazing and came to the conclusion that I was losing lots of color and vision but he believed 80 percent chance it would return. He diagnosed it optic neuritis and said it was either brought on by pregnancy hormones or was auto immune that was brought out instead of suppressed by pregnancy. I continued to be miserable from headaches.
Woke up early Friday and headed back to the ER right after shift change. They got me in right away where I requested an epidural blood patch to fix the headaches. They wavered a bit but had no other treatment options so finally agreed. An epidural blood patch is where they draw blood from your arm and the. Immediately out it in your epidural space to help "patch" the holes and normalize pressures in your brain. Immediate relief. I spent the rest of my weekend resting and gimping round. Since my back had been through a lot and I was 38 weeks pregnant I was pretty stiff and sore.
My OB appointment was that Monday. I went in and talked to my OB, and told him everything that had gone on and how the vision issues were in fact continuing to get worse and were pregnancy related. He wanted to do an induction that night! After talking with him we managed to to arrange an induction starting Wednesday night. I went back to work and the more I thought about it, and knowing I wasn't dilated or effaced at all, and he was still way up in the rafters, I decided to just request a c section for Thursday. I mean, I had already been through do much that past week and my back was still killing me, I just wanted it to be less stress on everyone.
I worked Tuesday and then started my leave in Wednesday. Camden and I had a special day together, he came with me to my pre op appointment at the hospital and we did east he wanted to do which was go to chicken fil a and play and go swimming. We had a good time, stayed up past nap, took a nap together and snuggled. It was fantastic.
Little did I know the end of my week and the beginning of the next were going to be a life changer in the most unexpected way...
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