Bell's Palsy

Two and a half weeks before our daughter arrived (when I was only 33 1/2 weeks along) Luke left for his last TDY (work trip) before the baby's due date.  He was going to be gone for a week.  My mom decided that was cutting it too close (she delivered me at 34 weeks and expected me to go into labor early) and decided to come stay with me while Luke was out of town.  I was so excited!  I put off finishing the nursery and picking up last minute baby items so I could do those things with my Mom.  We were going to have so much fun! 

The night she flew into town I woke up with a bad headache and funny/blurry vision.  I dismissed it as one of my very common (and much more frequent since becoming pregnant) migraines.  I tried to take it easy and hoped it would be gone by the time I went to pick up my Mom.  It wasn't, and I noticed while driving to the airport that my blurry vision was much worse than normal.  Not to mention, it was kind of weird that it had lasted all day. Usually the blurry vision I get with a migraine goes away after about 20 minutes.  I picked up my Mom, explained I had a migraine and I wouldn't be much fun that night.  She laughed and we made plans to do fun things the next day. 

The next morning I was annoyed to find my headache and blurry vision had not gone away.  I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for that morning and decided I would bring up my migraines.  Maybe my doctor would have some ideas to get them to go away.  My vision was so bad I asked my Mom to drive us to the doctor.  At my doctor's appointment we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat and talk about my plans for delivery.  My doctor noticed I was looking at her funny and asked if I felt alright.  I told her I was on my second day of a migraine and my vision was really blurry.  She told me if it didn't go away I could call for a prescription of a narcotic (which was all I could take while pregnant).  I hate narcotics and decided I would never call.  Two days later, on the fourth morning of blurry vision and a bad headache I called.  I was mad my horrible vision and terrible headache had ruined 3 whole days of fun with my Mom and decided this migraine would never go away on its' own.  I was surprised when the nurse told me my doctor wanted to run a full preeclampsia panel on me at the hospital and I should head there immediately.  I knew I didn't have preeclampsia and so I wasn't worried at all.  I thought, ok, I go to the hospital get the tests done and then she'll give me something for my headache.  No big deal.  My Mom drove us to the hospital (since I still couldn't see).  A room was waiting for me by the time we got to the hospital and they started the tests right away.  It was kind of fun.  My Mom and I got to listen to the baby's heartbeat for a whole hour while they monitored my blood pressure. 

The nurse asked me a million questions.  How long had I had blurry vision?  This was the fourth day.  What kind of blurry vision was it?  Double vision.  Double vision?  The nurse did a double take.  Did I have double vision?  Yes, is that weird?  She didn't answer.  Hmm. 

After preeclampsia was ruled out and I was getting ready to leave (they gave me a big shot of something that was supposed to help my headache and a nausea pill) the nurse looked at me and said, 'You know, I think I'm going to go talk to your doctor one more time.  I just have a bad feeling about your double vision.'  Not what you want your nurse to say.  She came back a few minutes later with a wheelchair.  'Your doctor and I agree that the double vision is troubling.  I'm going to take you down to emergency so they can check you out and get a neurologist to look at you.'  I thought, 'what?  It's just a migraine, right?'  I still wasn't very nervous.  The nurse took me down to emergency explained my symptoms and (I started to get nervous when)they took me immediately to a room.  I don't have a lot of experience with emergency rooms, but I know when you go to an emergency room at a major hospital on a Friday afternoon you wait in the waiting room forever.  I had been expecting to sit there for a few hours.  Nope.  They heard I was 34 weeks pregnant and had double vision and BAM, I was in a room with a tv.  Weird. 

I was surprised when I didn't have to wait in that room very long before all sorts of doctors and nurses came in and out with questions and tests.  Long story short... double vision is bad.  Apparently, if you have double vision, AT ALL you are supposed to go to a hospital.  Not wait four days.  Words like, stroke, blood clot and aneurysm were tossed around.  I'll spare the details but it scared me to death.  Doctors were talking about taking my baby (via c section) and then going straight to surgery on my brain. 

Poor Luke was at an airport in LA (scared to death) trying to get home and we were only able to call him when we got new information because there was no cell phone reception in my emergency room. 

After a lot of tests, eye exams and an MRI (that lasted 50 minutes... when you're 34 weeks pregnant and have to lay on your back without moving 50 minutes is a horribly long time) stroke, blood clot and aneurysm were ruled out.  I cannot tell you how relieved I was to know I would be able to continue carrying my baby, and that I would still be around after she was born. 

Luke finally got into Tucson at around two in the morning.  I have never been so relieved or excited to see him. 

Once everything scary was ruled out, the doctors started thinking I had a "complicated migraine" and started me on magnesium.  By the next morning, when I continued to show no improvement they did a few more tests (mostly I just followed a light with my eyes) and they decided I had developed Bell's Palsy.  A nerve in my right eye was paralyzed. 

They kept me in the hospital three and a half days.  I was given steroids to try and improve my vision.  When I asked what the side effects of the steroids could be for my baby, I was relieved to hear I was being given the exact same steroid given to women who go into preterm labor to help the baby develop.  If anything, baby would be ready for an early arrival. 

I didn't know it at the time, but when Grace was born two weeks later I was so grateful for Bell's Palsy and the steroids I received as treatment.  It meant I didn't need to worry about the baby coming early.  I knew she would be fine. 

You often hear that our biggest trials become our greatest blessings (or at least, we will be grateful for our trials one day) and while this trial scared me to death I did not have to wait long to see the beautiful blessing it provided.  Our beautiful baby girl was born two weeks later... completely healthy.  Maybe she would have been healthy anyway, but I believe a loving Heavenly Father blessed me with a way to ensure she would be ready for the world when she entered it. 

My vision is almost back to normal now.  I am so glad things worked out the way they did.  

Next blog post is about Grace's birth!