Well, I wasn't expecting that

From pretty much all I've heard and read, the first trimester is supposed to be a bear. Morning sickness, exhaustion, etc. Mine was a breeze. No morning sickness at all, the only thing that upset my stomach was coffee. I took more naps than usual but that was it. Some days I forgot I was pregnant. The second trimester is supposed to be when morning sickness subsides, when your energy returns; it's the positive time of pregnancy for many women.

For me, not so much. I spent the first week of my second trimester sick as a dog with a cold. Sick as in bed for four days, lost five pounds sick. Second week I spent recovering from the cold, still exhausted but not coughing so much. Third week, I felt better but still not 100%. Then I got a stomach virus.

This past weekend started out great. Nate and I did some shopping, went out a couple of times, and were just having a really nice time together. Saturday night I was watching a movie and noticed my stomach hurt. I took some Mylanta before I went to bed. I spent the next few hours tossing and turning because my stomach ache was getting progressively worse. It hurt to move. I hobbled to the couch a couple of times (hobbling because it hurt to stand up straight and stretch my stomach) because sitting up seemed to hurt less than lying down.

Around 5-6 a.m., after no sleep at all, I threw up. I started drinking liquids. Everything I drank, I threw up. I waited until 9 a.m. and called the answering service for my OB. I got the doctor on call, whom I haven't met in person yet but soon will, and after hearing my symptoms he said he thought this was not pregnancy related, but some kind of bug. "There are a lot of things going around right now." He said he would prescribe anti-nausea medication and offered me a choice: suppositories or a pill that would dissolve under my tongue. After puking everything I had ingested into my body for the previous three or four hours, I had no desire to stick something up my butt (not that I generally have this desire). I chose the pills.

I tried to rest. After not sleeping all night, my cough and congestion had returned. Oh, joy. The pharmacy didn't open until 10 a.m. so I waited while Nate went for the perscription. He got back, I took the pill, and slept until 2 or so. After I woke up and ate some soup, Nate told me that the anti-nausea medication I had is what they sometimes prescribe for patients undergoing chemotherapy. Three pills cost $80.01, after my insurance paid for $50. So those three little pills really cost $130. Sorry, $130.01. All I could think was: like people with cancer don't have enough problems, they are totally screwing them with the drug prices. But they have to get them, right? So they charge as much as the market will bear, I suppose. Made me wonder how much the suppositories were.

I'm waiting to see if my second trimester will improve. I have no idea if my energy is better now because I've been sick pretty much all of this month. I hope things get better. I'm afraid of what I could catch next.