The Logistics of Life, Complicated by Misunderstandings and Misnomers of HG; complicated further by Post HG!

Have you ever woken after a night of broken sleep knowing that you are going to have one of those days? The type of day you wish you could go back to bed and repetitively smash your alarm clock hitting the snooze button again and again and again… That’s how my day started… lol. My phone rang a little before 9:00am; yes, to answer your question I was still in bed. The baby had woken during the night and was ready to play at 2am. Eragon’s motto is 2am party my crib!!! When Daddy woke up for work he discovered a happy playful little boy at 4:30am and he was surprised. However, I was not because I had been up with him doing my best to convince him that he wanted to return back to sleep; Wishing that I knew a form of baby hypnosis.

So, when the phone rang just before 9am; I glanced and saw that it was My Best Friend of 15 years Melissa. I wanted to answer but I was just too tired and I pressed decline. I knew I could call her back. However, a few moments later, Little Miss Sophia had other plans of waking me up. She started texting, “Where is the blog posted?” A few minutes later she text, “I am looking for it and can’t find it on MySpace or Facebook.” I replied, “Google”. Wanting to send her on a semi wild goose chase; my little bit of fun for the day. She said, “K”. She really wanted me to send the hyper link to my blog in an Instant Message immediately. However, what is the first thing you have to do when you wake up? Of course everyone got the answer right! Potty Time… So, I replied in a text, “I am on the Toilet or I would send you the link!” At this point she was getting anxious she was really intrigued and I wanted to hurry and get on with my day so she could read it...

Quite frankly I was nervous that she was going to hate what I talked about in my blog yesterday. I finally gave in and just sent the link to the blog! It was too late now! What was done was done; I had already published it to the worldwide web. Therefore, I sat there nervously awaiting her response. Sitting on the edge of my seat; biting my nails. As I patiently waited I sent her an IM; “There are 4 entries since I stated this journey I will be blogging everyday! It is helping.” She then replied, “I am glad that it is helping and I will read them.” She then stated, “I have read the first one, loved it. I feel your pain and frustration and that is exactly what I told Stacy today. I told Stacy that you wanted me to be on the same page as you and to be over excited. But, I just could not be. I needed you to know what I feel and that way when you have things that may come about because of the surgery; you wouldn’t say why didn’t you tell me this?"

It was at that point that I agreed with Sophia. I knew that there were possibilities that things could go wrong with the surgery. I also knew that the procedure was expensive. It was at that point that I realized that I wanted to do this on my own without the surgery. I know that I can do this and that I have many great people who love me and will support me. While she was still reading I said, “So, are you upset about my blog?” “No”, she said. I love your blog. You must continue blogging. This blog will be able to reach others who have suffered from Hyperemesis just as you have and may help them in their moment of weakness. She continued on… I think it is great you are touching on a topic that not many get. What you are doing is going to help others be able to learn how to cope; while you help yourself and your family at the same time and I will be a main character tomorrow too; that’s pretty exciting."

Sophia said, “I love you and I am glad that your phone cut out yesterday when you were saying some not so nice things, I didn’t hear any of them. lol....I was just talking to myself for about 5 minutes. I replied, “I am glad to hear that you didn’t hear the things that I had to say. Truth is I didn't really want to say them to anyone. I just feel trapped in this body.” She retorted, “I know I know and I am sorry you feel this way, but we will work through it okay. I want you to know the things that I am feeling for you, and then if you decided to go further with the surgery I will support you.” I then told her, “I think it is going to be a great blog and someday book that will help others see the true daily struggles those who have suffered from HG go through.” She said, “Yes, so true.” I then replied, “Thanks for always letting me vent. It helps... Perry, well, he gets the whole enchilada when it comes to my feelings I hold nothing back... Sophia stated, “I don’t want to nag at you. I have had a day or so to think about what I want to say to you. We will talk (not nag) tomorrow okay?” I left off by telling her “Thank You! Yeah, I haven't decided yet! But you will be one of the first to know besides me and my hubby of course lol…Sophia then replied, “I am glad that you have not made your mind up just yet, because that allows us time to talk about it. I told her that I would see her tomorrow.

On another note, last weekend we bought a new car in Las Vegas. We had 10 days to register it in California. So, off to the DMV we went Little Eragon and I; to stand in the line that wraps around the building like a vine that is never-ending. After three times of standing in the line; I finally made it inside the DMV doors; me and over 50 other people who were told that we would be seen; however; we would only be able to complete one transaction. What? That is crazy. I just waited in the line three times and had to leave the line twice to go feed my baby and now I can’t take care of the two items that I am there to take care of. I know, that is not their fault; that I am nursing my baby. However, the poor customer service that is received when we go to the DMV is brutal. As I approached the clerk’s desk; she looked at me like I should no exactly what I need to do. When I wanted to ask questions she acted like that was against the law. My hope is that some of our tax dollars go towards sending these DMV Employees to Customer Service Boot Camp! That would be tax dollars well spent.

Tomorrow I have a surprise for you and I will reveal the name of the person of whom I speak! After almost 5 years I reconnected today, with someone that I love very much. We were able to talk and let each other know how much we care for one another. We lost contact 5 years ago when some of my family members were concerned about my children and they blamed me for things that were out of my control. HG caused me to lose several of my babies during pregnancy and temporarily I lost contact and was only allowed supervised visits with my only two children at the time who had survived HG. I believe that this happened due to the lack of knowledge concerning this pregnancy disease/disorder and Misunderstandings and several Misnomers surrounding this disease. When this happened I lost contact with my family. I felt betrayed because when I needed them the most they gave up on me; without knowing anything about HG and its many complications to both the mother and her children; not to mention post HG conditions.

They judged the situation and me saying that I was somehow to blame for my symptoms of HG. Sighting wild accusations to name a few; me being attention seeking, bulimic, not to mention Munchausen’s Bi Proxy and blaming me for things that were out of my control both physically and psychologically because of HG. These same accusations are often placed upon a multitude of Hyperemesis Gravidarum victims. Just like other diseases, disorders or illnesses that were beginning to be understood and now are highly understood through research and education; HG was and is in the Infancy of being understood due to the lack of research and education. Both my husband, myself and the HER Foundation founders; Kimber MacGibbon, AnnMarie and Jeremy King are considered Experts by many; such as Loma Linda University Hospital of California and are often called upon to educate others on the many facets of HG and the complications thereof; because of our life experience with HG.

It is because of our understanding of HG that I was able to tell the surprise person that my sister who at the time lived several states away also suffered from the same illness; furthermore my sister and I had no contact with each other for thirteen years during that time and discovered later that we both suffered from HG during pregnancy. This aided in validating in her mind what I was explaining to her about HG and how it put a wedge between us and many other family members due to their lack of understanding of HG. My hope is that through our experience others will be able to understand the seriousness of HG and how important it is for family and friends to help the Mother and her immediate family through the pregnancy and do their best to comprehend that it is not within her control.

It makes me very happy to know that I have so much support. My hope is that others will be able to gain the same support in the future.