So on Wednesday night last week I was feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks, and I had some pain in my lower abdomen. It was right before bedtime, so I took one of the Utemerin and promptly went to bed. The next morning I felt normal, but during my appointment on Friday I decided to mention the incident to my Doctor. He said that having pain in my lower abdomen was a concern since my incision from my last C Section is there, so during the Ultrasound he very carefully looked at the area around the incision. Sometimes my appointments feel a little rushed (there are always a lot of patients in the waiting room), but the Dr really took his time and looked at me very carefully. I also had a cervix check and the Dr took a look at my uterus from that direction as well with another ultrasound. It took a while but it was nice to know that the Dr is willing to take his time when there is a concern and not rush things.
The Dr. said that my uterus looked like it might be a little thin in the area around my scar and encouraged me to take the Utemerin three times a day and to visit a specialist at the Red Cross Hospital here in Nagoya on Monday. He had the nurses fax the Dr and make the appointment for me. My C section date is only three weeks away at this point. I'm not too worried about it, I think my Dr is just being super cautious, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. The Dr told me that if the specialist at Red Cross feels it's necessary than all my care will be transferred to Red Cross. My current hospital, Kaseki Byouin, is a nice looking private hospital, but it is kind of small, and I don't think they have an Intensive Care Unit, which must be why my Dr is considering transferring me. Personally I hope that I am not transferred, since I am already familiar with Kaseki and it's closer to my home, but I guess we'll have to see.
So I've started taking the Utemerin everyday, and it's actually pretty awful. I didn't notice anything strange the first time, I guess since I fell asleep soon after taking it, but now that I'm taking it regular I've felt the side effects very keenly. The nurse had warned me about them and told me to endure it, for the baby's sake, but they are quite unpleasant. About a half hour after taking the meds I get terribly jittery. My hands shake pretty bad, my heart and breathing become more rapid, and I feel like I can't even concentrate on things. This lasts for about an hour and then starts to fade, and then I don't feel well for an hour or two afterwards. By the time I feel normal it's usually time to take it again. I'm putting up with it for now, but I really hope the specialist at Red Cross tells me everything is fine so I can stop taking it.
On a side note, I thought I'd talk a little about the examination rooms at Kaseki. From what I've heard and read they seem to be a typical set up in Japan, but it's a bit different from the US so I thought I'd mention it. The main consultation/examination room is divided into several parts using curtains. There is usually two women in this room at one time. For example, there is often a woman having a consultation with the Dr while I am being prepped by a nurse for my ultrasound. Doesn't allow for much privacy, which kind of surprised me (in the US I always had consultations with my Dr in a private room with just the two of us and the occasional nurse.) The other thing I found interesting was the curtain set up in the part where they do cervical checks, pelvic exams, etc. (Basically anything that requires taking your pants off and sitting in a chair with stirrups). There is a curtain that actually comes down right in front of your face, obscuring your view of the Dr while he does his examination. The first time I sat in this chair, naked from the waist down, with the curtain in front of me, I found it very... disconcerting. Without asking permission I pulled at the curtain and, to my relief, was able to move it aside quite easily. The nurses, and the Dr himself, did not try to put it back, and they didn't say anything about it either, they just continued as normal. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only patient who moves it, but I haven't had the nerve to ask. The nurses didn't seem surprised so maybe they have other patients who do it. One time, just recently, a nurse who noticed it was open pulled it back in front of me (probably out of habit) and I just moved it again. Anywho, just a little cultural difference I noticed (in the US I never had a curtain separate me from the Dr during anything.)
On Monday I will have my appointment at the Red Cross Hospital and I'm a little nervous, because I don't know if the Dr there speaks English. Also my Dr. told me that it's the biggest hospital in Nagoya, so I hope I can find my way around it! I'll let you all know how it goes.
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