Missing the little things!

Karen: Today my brother and sister in-law are coming in for a visit for Christmas. They have a 2.5 year old little boy who is just adorable and Miya cannot wait to get her 6 year old paws on him!  Said sister in-law is also expecting, about five weeks ahead of me (a great source of envy!). I am beyond excited ot have some company and someone to commiserate with.

But in preparation for our visitors I have managed to work myself into a nauseated ball of exhaustion just by doing a few little things like showering and blow drying my hair!

I miss showering daily (or almost daily). It's such a simple pleasure that we ordinarily take totally for granted. Usually 20 minutes in a nice hot shower is bliss, but lately, it's a total nightmare. The temperature fluctuations leave me disoriented, faint and incredibly queasy. So I've had to reduce my showering to about twice a week, and hair washing even less frequently!

I miss drying my hair without using every spare unit of energy left in my body. I literally have to go lay down after a shower, and then again, after drying my hair. It's pathetic!

I miss make-up. My skin has not seen any more than lip balm in the last 5 weeks. And to add to the sense of deprivation, I have developed several skin disorders as a result of hormones and dehydration. I have some lovely exzema along my hairline and eyebrows, which is red and flaky. I also have teenage-like acne on my chin and nose!! If ever I really needed make-up...!

I miss food! I miss craving and enjoying food. I miss the enticing smell of good food cooking on the stove or baking in the oven. I miss savory flavors like garlic and onion and herbs (all horrible nausea triggers right now). These days, I eat what I know will stay down and I don't enjoy a moment of it. The only things I do actually enjoy, I have to avoid in large quantities; sugary baked goods. Last pregnancy I was on the borderline of having gestational diabetes. I don't want to even flirt with the condition this time around. I also developed gall bladder disease, which has miraculously resolved itself after following a fairly low fat diet. To add butter laden baked (or fried) foods back into my diet could mean a relapse, which would be disastrous.

I miss fresh air. I've been out only a handful of times since week 6. The few times I've ventured to do more than see my OB, I've ended up paying for it with the next day in bed. I remember this exhaustion lasting well into the second half of my pregnancy 7 years ago, even though I was no longer as sick, the weeks of sedentary life had robbed me of all my strength and stamina. Even though I'm not quite as sick this time, I've still weakened in much the same way and anticipate a long and slow recovery after the baby is born.

Alright, enough feeling sorry for myself. It's Christmas, my favorite time of year. I am going to enjoy it no matter what! And I must remember to be thankful. At the end of this horrible condition (and there IS an end!) I will be rewarded with something absolutely priceless. I don't know of any other medical condition that can leave someone saying "It was worth it!".  I am very lucky to be able to count down the days until this is gone for good! That would be 205 days or less. :)