A Post to My Friends and Family

Many have known that I’ve had some neurological symptoms during my pregnancy or that I’ve at least and strong enough symptoms that I’ve been on bedrest since week 11. These symptoms have gotten worse every week since and we confidently know that they’re not due to my pregnancy but could be enhanced from pregnancy. 

I’m being tested for seizures and strokes, but we’re hoping it is Hemiplegic Migraines which just mimic the symptoms of stroke. The biggest flaw with the diagnosis seems to be that I’m constantly suffering from the symptoms and have auras multiple times a day, not just every once in a while. 

All day long I’m too dizzy to do much. I often get dizzy enough I need to lay down for a few minutes up to a few hours. If I start to get too dizzy and keep trying to function through it, I most often start experiencing an aura which can lead to me experiencing a moment of loss of consciousness or awareness. During the auras I get really confused then start slurring my words and have a hard time saying what I need to say. This continues after I regain consciousness and I still have trouble remembering words and I can’t repeat phrases. 

I’ve discovered some of my triggers that bring on these symptoms and auras. The number one is light and light from screens is the worst. I am trying to eliminate screens entirely because their effect of me is pretty awful and lasts for hours. This includes my phone, computer, and TV. The TV seems to be the worst, even if I’m not watching but there is one on in the room I’m in. 

Sound is also a trigger, but mostly just sound from speakers. That’s part of why TVs bug me so much. Talking on the phone is also pretty bad, especially if the phone is up against my face. Thankfully Ben has helped me a lot with my blog and posts so I don’t have to deal with technology, but that brings me to my third trigger, figuring out something. 

If someone asks me a question or I have to try to explain something, that seems to be a pretty severe trigger. I often loose consciousness at the doctor’s office because of this, they ask me a lot of questions that I have to figure out. Board games can also trigger it, but I can’t read well or for long anyways since I’m always so dizzy. 

While the symptoms I’m going through can be harmful to baby, the treatment options are drugs that would be more harmful so I’m most likely just going to be dealing with this throughout the rest of the pregnancy. I’ve gotten better at managing and coping with it though and I’m still overall super happy! Baby sends me little kicks and that makes my heart leap, and I’ve loved being around family through all of this, that has been the biggest blessing! 

I’ve yet to find an activity I can do on my own that is possible while being dizzy or isn’t a trigger. I have tried reading and crocheting which make me dizzy enough I have to lay down right away, and I’ve tried puzzles, adult coloring books and painting by number but those are a “figuring out” trigger. Audio books and podcasts are ruled out because any kind of noise from a speaker is a trigger. 

My favorite things so far are other people’s company (it’s nice to be in such a full house right now), someone reading to me (Ben is good at this), or joining people on errands, any errands, just as long as I’m out of the house and accompanied by someone who is patient with me with my cane and frequent breaks, or is willing to push me in my wheelchair. My favorite is probably walks outside, especially with the weather being so nice. I also like being useful so when someone finds a chore I can do, like grating cheese or squeezing citrus, I really like that. 

One fun symptom that I thought was from pregnancy but probably is from serotonin being released, is that I’ll just randomly get a wave of super happiness for no real reason. I’ll just be happy about whatever is going on or what I was thinking about. 

This has been a really long post, but the main purpose I’m trying to accomplish is explaining why I haven’t called or text or message me back or comment back. Also why I ask for the audio to be turned off in the car or why I can’t join you in a room where there is a TV on. And to hopefully explain that I’m not wearing my sunglasses inside because I think it’s cool or I want to avoid eye contact. Or if I’m talking to you and I’m super confused or stop answering your questions. Please know that I want your company more than anything, even though it seems like I may have checked out for a little bit or even seem annoyed with questions to the point that I’m saying “I don’t understand” or just stop responding. 

At this time I am not looking for diagnosis help or recommendations. I have an amazing team of doctors helping me and working hard to find the right diagnosis and best treatment, including my AMAZING perinatologist who I see at least every 2 weeks to make sure baby is okay through all of this and an expert neurologist who has been all over it and getting tons of tests done. He seems to think my case is fascinating which I think has given me extra attention. 

Feel free to comment or message us, we’d love to hear from you! But Ben is managing the blog and just started his first year as a High School culinary teacher, so his schedule is pretty full and it might be a while until you get a response/approval.

Our 16week Ultrasound