Febuary 26 - Day 20

Nothing too significant to report over the last two days. The slightest activity leads to a spike in blood pressure., so practically confined to a lying down position. Very uncomfortable. The protein level had a significant jump and the doctors seem to think that given the increase it is likely to continue to increase at an even more rapid pace. They will be checking the protein level again within the next couple of days. I know this was a boring post. I'm tired. Maybe I'll have better material tomorrow.

February 24 - Day 18

Had the Internet been working here at the hospital today, I might have had this post up earlier. I'm not pointing any fingers. Steve, can we count on having a signal when Ginny delivers or should I make sure I have my wireless card?


Mostly status quo today. Protein level has increased to 417, but doctors still are not concerned. Its seems that even at 500 they will not induce labor, unless there are other worrisome symptoms. Siobhan (Ginny's BF and a neonatal nurse practitioner here a Stony Brook) says she delivered a baby whose mom had a protein level of 1200. BP and other preeclampsia symptoms have been stable. Some contractions, but nothing too strong or regular. The MRI of the brain came back "normal". The radiologist says brain density is consistent with observed stubbornness and not indicative of "abnormal" pathology. There is nothing he can do. I'm seeking a second opinion.


Ginny has been made a little more comfortable thanks to two big pillows and a steak dinner compliments of Aunt Marion. Still, she is eager to get out of here. Apparently, Collin is eager to get out as well:









"Let me out of here"

February 23 - Day 17

Nothing exciting since Friday night. Today Ginny's BP readings remained in the 150s over high 80s, except when she was active. Active now means sitting up in bed, so she tries to remain lying down as much as possible. Tomorrow, we should get another protein level, which measures how well the kidneys are functioning. Prior to admission her levels were about 150, upon admission there were about 320 and have remained at that level. So long as they are under 500, her doctors are not alarmed, but would prefer to see the level stay where it is now.

Least anyone thinks that Ginny has staged an elaborate ruse to secure a sorely needed vacation, below are some pictures of Collin. This is his head.

It seemed large, and I suggested that he might take after me. Then we got a clear picture of his foot, and the doctors were amazed at its size. Ginny became resolute that he is going to take after her.

Although LeeAnna continues to hold out hope that he is actually a she, the picture below seems to answer that question once and for all.

A measure of either her persistance or capacity for denial, even after seeing the picture LeeAnna remains optimistic that Collin will somehow come out Lillian.

Apology/Explanation

It has come to my attention that my attempt at humor in my original post may not have come through on the written page. I did not mean to discourage anyone from calling me or Ginny and am sorry if I caused anyone to feel that way or hurt any one's feelings. We do appreciate every one's concern and I thought the blog might be a fun way to keep people even more informed. Please continue to call and visit and I will be more careful about how I write. Sorry.

2-21-09: Welcome to the Sullivan Family Blog

Welcome to our new blog. I got the idea to start this blog because so many family and friends are concerned about how Ginny is doing. I thought I would put a post up each night on how she is doing. Here is the first (which would have gone up last night, but for the controversy (see today's post)):


Two weeks ago, Ginny was hospitalized because her doctors diagnosed her with mild preeclampsia, which is a condition characterized by high blood pressure. It could remain "mild" or become "severe", either gradually or suddenly and quickly. The doctors can not predict if or when it will accelerate. If it does accelerate, her blood pressure could go dangerously high and lead to stroke or seizure. The only "cure" is to deliver the baby, Collin.


Because her blood pressure rises upon any activity and because the condition is unpredictable, the doctors have been reluctant to send her home. Right after she was admitted, she was given steroid injections to develop the baby's lungs in case he had to be delivered early. There are no negative side effects to baby or mom.


Since then, her preeclampsia symptoms have been stable, suggesting that she might remain mildly preeclamptic. Thus, yesterday, her doctors were going to release her. However, she developed a severe head ache in the morning, which got progressively worse to the point that by 4:00 pm, it was bordering on the most severe headache she had ever had. As headache and visual disturbances are also a symptoms of preeclampsia, the doctors changed their minds about releasing her. Then, at about 8:00 her blood pressure spiked to 185/107, and a nurse suddenly came in and told us we were going up to labor and delivery. Ostensibly, it was so she could get IV medication to reduce her blood pressure, but it also appeared that if they couldn't bring it down, they were going to deliver the baby.


Once up in L&D, her blood pressure came down, without medication, and after a couple of hours of monitoring, we were returned to her room. They did, however, decide to do an MRI of her head to rule out potential other causes for her headache. She had that today. The results are not "officially" in, but our "source" tells us they are negative. Her headache was back to baseline today (2 on scale of 1 to 10) and her BP was down to what it has been, generally 150-160s over 80-90s.


So for now, it looks like Ginny will remain confined to her hospital bed until Collin makes his appearance. She is bored, but can not read or use the computer much because of the headache and visual impairment. Strangely, however, this does not seem to have impaired her ability to shop online.


Until tomorrow.