Wake-up times and Nosebleeds and 26 Weeks...oh my!

What a crazy week it has been!  A and I started our new schedules the first of the year, working 4 10 hour days instead of 5 8 hour days, and it has been quite the project getting used to it.  We're nearly done with the second week, and I'm still struggling to get my butt up that extra hour and a half early.  Why is it that going into work an hour earlier requires an extra half hour of prep?  I'm a night time showerer, and I used to be able to roll out of bed and be ready to walk out the door 30 minutes later no problem.  With this shift in leave time though, I'm lucky if I'm ready within 50 minutes of getting out of bed.  I don't know if I'm just getting slower because it's harder to move quickly or what, but it's really annoying.  I wasn't counting on loosing an hour and a HALF of sleep, just an hour, so this is totally throwing me off!  I have GOT to get myself to bed by 10.  Then I'm in pretty good shape.  Any later than that, and getting up on time just doesn't happen.

Monday night turned into quite the eventful, albeit craptastic evening.  I got out of a meeting about 2:45, got back to my desk, and about 3 my nose started bleeding, again.  Ok no biggie, I clamped down on it, sat relaxed at my desk for 5 minutes and figured it would be all good.  Not only did it not stop, but what was a one nostril bleed turned into a double.  So I clamped down on both sides and figured I'd give it another 5 minutes.  Tick Tock Tick Tock, 5 minutes later, still bleeding...GREEEAAAATTT.  OB's instructions were to call if I had one last longer than 10 minutes, so I call.  The nurse tells me to keep up the pressure and add ice in 5-7 minute increments and if it hasn't stopped by 3:45 or 4 I should probably got to promptcare.  Ok.  A runs down tot he corporate nurse and gets me a couple crack pack ice packs and I sit with ice and tissues on my face for the next 30 minutes.  3:45 rolls around and I think we might be done so I sit up from where I was leaned over my desk and woosh!  Here it comes again.  So off to Prompt care we go.  We get there, my BP is really high (for me, still not be concerned high), and the doc can't see the source of the bleeding, so when it's still bleeding after another 10 minutes there, he sends me upstairs to the ENT.  The ENT does her thing with the scope down my nose, sees the source and say we're going to try packing your nose first.  So she shoves some cotton halfway to my brain, and we sit for another 10 minutes (probably at an hour and a half of bleeding at this point).  The nurses up there were so sweet, and I was so grateful to them, you could tell we were keeping them from going home.  Anyway, 10 more minutes go by, we pull out the packing (which attached itself to my toes at this point) and wait...nope still bleeding.  So what now?  We'll have to cauterize it she says.  Oh BOY!  She sticks these brown chemical laden swabs up my nose and rubs it all around my open blood vessel.   Let me just tell you this is one of the most UNCOMFORTABLE experiences I have ever had.  Never mind the wooden stick halfway to my brain or the cold metal nostril spreader stretching my poor nose 3 times its normal size, that crap sting like a $&^#$*!  The NP warned me that I was going to want to say a bad word, and although I didn't curse at her, I did almost puke right there on her nice white lab coat.  We left there around 5:15 with all sorts of fun stuff for me to squirt up my nose and strict instructions not to blow my nose for 2 Weeks!  Are you serious?  I've made it so far, but if this sinus congestion doesn't go away soon, it's going to be a loosing battle I'm afraid.  So I spent most of Monday evening being miserable and most of Tuesday recuperating.  I feel much better now, and I do have to admit the saline gel and spray is helping to keep my nose a little softer on the inside, but I still don't like it.  Oh well, when you figure this is really the worst problem I've had so far, I consider myself pretty lucky.


Survey Time!
How far along: 26 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: (As of 01/04/11) +10.8, 215.8
Maternity clothes: All maternity or stretchy knit skirts (I LOVE my Old Navy roll top skirts!). I cleaned all the pre-pregnancy clothes out of my closet this weekend. I got 2 new pair of Maternity pants that I love, but haven't been able to find true leggings or tights which I still need. Any suggestions?
Stretch marks: Another new one on my belly, this time on the right. It's still small, but I can see it starting to form. The ones on my hips from puberty are ANGRY! I've started using Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion for stretch marks, and it is taking most of the redness, tightness, and itching away. Loving it!
Sleep: Crazy good actually. I sleep through the night most nights, and although I have to pee pretty quick as soon as I get up, I'm not waking up in the middle of the night either
Movement: Lots and lots and lots! I love it! Felt the first batch of Hiccups this week, so FUN!
Cravings: Nothing weird...whatever I see an add for!
Aversions: Pretty much gone.  My love affair with food is back!
Gender: Team BLUE!!!!
Symptoms: Heartburn and Sciatica and in full force I keep a bottle of antacids in my purse, in my desk at work, in the bathroom at home and in the family room! Nose bleeds of course.
What I miss: Beer.  I'm not a big drinker, but I do appreciate a good beer now and again, and have to go all football season without one has really stunk.And this is really hard because A is a homebrewer, and had his homebrew club meeting this week.  I went to pick his "happy" butt up and they were sampling someone's Red Ale, which happens to be my favorite. :-( 
What I look forward to: Painting in the nursery and setting up furniture :-)
Moods: Up, down left, right, in, out....depends on the minute
Milestones: First Hiccups, starting to accumulate baby stuff.
Medical Concerns: Nose bleeds are the big one.  I'm ready to be done with that.
Weekly Wisdom: Listen to your body.  Do whatever it tells you it needs. 
Best moment this week: New Haircut on Tuesday!  I LOVE IT!!!!