My Daily Routine {Fall 2016}

I also currently take Celebrex/Celecoxib, Protonix/Pantoprazole, & Pulmicort/Budesonide

Interstitial Cystitis and Pregnancy

So, in the last year, we did a whole of stuff - got married, changed careers, bought a house, had a baby (those last three were only two weeks apart!). I did not have an easy pregnancy or delivery. I can say that as far as IC symptoms go, pregnancy was a total breeze! I did, however, end up with other issues, primarily insomnia and gestational diabetes, neither of which were fun. However, I did not have a single issue with interstitial cystitis. If anything, I felt better than ever.

Post delivery? Different story.

My labor was pretty much horrifying. I won't go in to details, not because I am one to shy away from bodily functions or fluids, but because, quite frankly, I'm still traumatized by the whole thing. However, I will share with you that I left the hospital with a 4th degree tear. Whatever you do, DO NOT Google it! Essentially I tore completely from hole to hole and then upwards, through my rectum, requiring somewhere in the realm of 45 stitches (I don't know the amount for sure because they wouldn't tell me!), both internally and externally. I repeat - DO NOT GOOGLE THIS. It cannot be unseen. So, the many layers of stitches, combined with all the nerve damage from my years of dealing with IC, plus the typical strain on pelvic floor muscles associated with pregnancy pretty much destroyed my whole undercarriage area. And healing has been a biatch.

Pain? Urgency? Burning? Sensitivity? Incontinence?

YUP. I got them all!

I don't know what it is, but the only things I ever seem to "win" when the odds are about a billion to one are terrible autoimmune diseases and medical related shenanigans. The doctor who delivered me said she had not had a 4th degree tear in 5 years. Yeah, there was like half of a percent chance that this would happen. There was also like a 3% chance I'd get gestational diabetes, a 4% chance baby boy would be born on his dude date (he way), the list just goes on. Why can't I just win the PowerBall?

So yeah. The burning has resolved itself, but not after I was treated for a nonexistent UTI, so I got a nice dose of unneeded antibiotics. Aside from the PTSD, what I find to be the most distracting is that my scar is pretty painful - any slight tugging or pulling (and you would be surprised how much it turns out you use that muscle/area in daily life) is uncomfortable or painful. It's also just kind of a dull ache all the time. Once again, I cannot use any soaps with strong artificial dyes or perfumes (I usually prefer bar soaps and I have been avoiding anything with peppermint in it, as that really irritates me) and I also cannot wear thongs. The perineum area is so sore that any direct contact is very painful.

It has been suggested that I use massage to try and soften the scar tissue or maybe break it down a bit, so I've created that combines recipes for scar tissue recipes and blends for pregnancy aftercare that I'll post shortly.

I Would Sell My Soul for 8 Hours of Sleep {Slight Exaggeration}

This is my new favorite thing! It's funny how sometimes a smell you don't particularly like at first becomes addicting. I've had that happen to me two times in the past few months. A couple months ago my cousin brought over these cute bottles for us to make linen sprays with (she's super crafty). My son hadn't been sleeping more than two hours at a time and I basically felt like my brain was melting my body was dying, so I decided to make a Sleepy Pillow Spray.

I was not the biggest fan of Cedarwood at first, but now I am loving the earthy scent. I find it grounding and relaxing at night. I spray it all over my and my husband's bed and my son's linens. I am happy to report we have finally made it up to 4 hour stretches. Once, we even got to 6 hours! *confetti*

Here are the best days of my life so far: The day I finally got my PhD; The day I got married to my Hottie Smarty Pants Husband; and like, I guess, a some day, few days after my son was born when I had recovered enough to not feel like I was dying and realized I had a wicked cute kid. However, those will all be replaced the first night I get an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. Because #priorities.