I originally took the day off to take Kumquat to her check-up and I lucked out to get another appointment for myself the same day. Unfortunately it turned out to be a rougher day than expected.

The first appointment was at 10:30 am for Kumquat’s 15-month check-up.  It was pretty routine except she got two shots and a toe prick that made her scream at the top of her lungs.  By the end of the visit, we learned that she is anemic, has a minor ear infection, and needs to get some blood work done.

We went home after that appointment and she got in a good 2-hour nap.  Then it was time to head out again.  This time we picked up Jes on the way to CPMC for my 2:30 pm consult.  Why, you ask?  Well, last week I had several days of a sharp pain behind my belly button.  I’ve had this pain twice before (once a year ago and another about 2 months ago).  This time seemed worse so I saw a doctor on Friday afternoon.  She said it was an umbilical hernia, which was caused by my pregnancy.  The abdominal wall has a weak spot around the belly button and she could feel a little bit of my intestines poking through.  Gross, huh?

Well, she referred me to this surgeon and after he examined me, he recommended surgery to repair it with some stitches.  It’s not big enough for a mesh patch to be placed but it was enough to warrant surgery because he would rather fix it before I decide to get pregnant again.  Apparently it’s common for women after pregnancy and mine is so small that it doesn’t protrude or anything.  I have a co-worker who had to have the repair while she was pregnant with her second kid, which is not the ideal situation.  Luckily, Jes was there to help me make the decision to have the surgery.  It’s an open surgery under local anesthesia and sedation that should take 45 minutes and I can go home the same day.  However, I’ll have some lifting restrictions (25+ pounds – a.k.a. a 15-month toddler) and it should take 4 weeks to completely heal.  I’m going to be contacted in a couple days to schedule the surgery.  Not sure if I’ll have to take time off work but we’ll have to see if I can get light duty.

The next step was going next door for a pre-op EKG.  It was a quick 5-minute stop and super convenient.

Then we went downstairs to the CPMC Lab for Kumquat’s blood draw.  There was a bit of a wait to register and then all hell broke loose.  This photo was taken while the phlebotomist was just checking for a vein.  In the end it took both of us to hold her down and poor baby had to have 4 vials of blood taken.  By the end, she was all snotty and upset but her G-raff and a big hug from Jes fixed it all.  The doc is hoping to rule out thalassemia and we’re crossing our fingers for a healthy Kumquat.

So there’s our crazy day.  It was definitely NOT a relaxing day off but I’m glad I had the whole day off to get things done.