Half a Day

Everyone,

Since I am down to one thing a day, I thought I’d tell you about my one thing today: my 3 hour gestational diabetes test. Typically with twins, they test you early in your pregnancy for gestational diabetes. I think they tested me first around 18 weeks. And I failed the one hour one. So I went back for the three hour test. Passed! Yay! Sadly, at my last appointment, I was told that I have to take it again when everyone gets tested, between 26-28 weeks in pregnancy. So since I am 28 weeks today, I am here in the lab being tested. Here’s a run down.

8 am- Leave the house with plenty of time to get to my 8:30am appointment. Drive leisurly the 10 minutes it takes to get to the hospital lab (which is the only lab open on Saturdays) and remark to myself that it took less time to get here than to get to my perinatologist appointment on Thursday. (Their office is also by the hospital.)

8:10 am- Arrive at lab. Decide to hang out in car until my appointment time because it’s a lot more comfortable than the chairs in the lab. Rock out to a few songs I have not heard in a long time. Think back on my 14th birthday when my friends and I watched Bennie and Joon and listened to the song during the credits at least 10 times. Wonder where Melissa is right now.

8:20am- Almost slip and fall on the ice/oil in the parking lot. Be very thankful that I am right next to my car and was able to catch myself.

8:22am- Open door to lab and be very thankful that I made an appointment a week before. Every single seat is taken in the waiting room. I sign in, let the ladies at the front desk know I am here for the 3 hour test and I have an appointment. They have me sit down for a few minutes. A nice guy gets up and gives me his seat. There is one good thing about being visably pregnant.

8:33am- Called up to the front. They take my doctor’s orders, send me back with a phlebotomist (vampire) and she direct me to the chair. I try to shut the little arm on the chair to rest my arms on but find out my belly is too big. Sigh…

8:35am- She draws my blood. We have some small talk about kids, and she is amazed I am having twins. She takes 4 viles of blood and gives me a plastic bottle full of bright orange glucose. Yum. At least it’s cold and since I have to do this fasting, I chug it down. I am thirsty!

8:41am- I let the gal at the front know I have drunk my juice and she marks the time. In an hour, I will go back and get another draw.

8:42am- I realize the book I brought is the 5th book in the series, not the 6th. I finished the 5th days ago. Oops. I pull out my other book I am reading (Darcy’s Story by Janet Aylmer, it’s okay) and read it for a few minutes.

8:51am- A small boy with a shock of brown hair comes in with his parents. He announces to the room, “My mommy’s going to get a new baby!” Everyone chuckles and the lady next to me says, “If only he knew what that meant!” Everyone chuckles again. I am entranced with this little boy and start to imagine me with 2 of them. It’s a nice thought.

9:15am- I get bored with my book. I pull out my laptop (or my lapple as I like to call it) and check to see that there are no internet connections in the area. Sigh. Open word and start this document.

9:31am- Listen to the family across the waiting room and the 3 year old is whining to get her dad to go get a drink of water with her. Dad is sitting there with his eyes closed trying his hardest to ignore her. Mom snaps, “What is the problem?” and 3 year old goes to whine at her. She asks older sister (about 7) to take her to the water cooler to get a drink. Older sister does not want to go, she is doing her math. Mom starts to whine at older sister to help her out and just take her to get water. Older sister flatly refuses. Dad finally relents and takes whiny 3 year old to water cooler. Mom says, “Dad of the year.” I wonder why mom couldn’t have gotten up to get her water.

9:34am- Getting very uncomfortable sitting in these chairs. Baby B’s head is right in my ribs and it is so uncomfortable. He will not move away and I am starting to get queasy from the glucose orange drink.

9:40am- Blood draw #2. Listen to now screaming 3 year old in the next room. Feel sorry for her. Butterfly would not like to have her blood drawn. This draw for me hurts a little more than the last one. My skin must be getting sensitive. Next draw is at 10:40am. I decide to watch Pride and Prejudice to pass the time.

10:45am- Blood draw #3. A new vampire this time, and a different arm. Doesn’t hurt as much. Back to the movie! Poor Mr. Collins is just proposing to Elizabeth. He’s so odious!

11:40am- Blood draw #4 and the end. Finally! Another new vampire. She uses the arm that hurts, though. Lucky it’s just a small vile. I gathered up my things a few minutes before this.

11:43am- Done with blood draws! I sit down next to the water cooler and drink at least 6 very tiny cones of water. I am so thirsty! I told Juice I would be home around 1pm so I decide to go and get some lunch and the local sandwich place.

12:35pm- I am done with my soup in a bread bowl and my 2 water bottles full of water. I have also finished the movie. It makes me smile every time I think about it. And now the battery on my lapple is dying so I will go.

Safire