Drip Drip Drop

Nope, it's not the start of that chipper song from - what is that from? A ballet? A musical? I suddenly don't remember. But the tune sure is stuck in my head.

Anyway, the drip drip drop I'm writing about today is far from chipper or cute. I had quite a little scare on Tuesday night that resulted in a midnight ER visit. Oh the joys of being me and having quirks. I never get the normal stuff, like headaches, morning sickness, or hangovers. But bring on the Bell's Palsy, non-growing toenails, and most recently, a bloody nose that wouldn't quit.

It all started out of the blue. I was changing Lillian into pajamas when I saw a drop of blood hit the carpet. Great. We're in a rental, and I'm bleeding on the cream carpet. I grabbed a tissue and figured it would be enough to contain the bleeding. I must have sneezed too much during the day. Welcome, harvest season in the valley!

At 11, I had my own pajamas on, teeth brushed, contacts out... nose pinched. Still bleeding. So I went to Web MD and followed the instructions for stopping a nosebleed. I wasn't too worried, since the bleeding wasn't heavy and it would stop when I kept my nose pinched. But I couldn't keep in pinched all night and I just wanted so badly to go to sleep.

I followed the instructions to squeeze the soft part of the nose and apply ice for 10 minutes. The bleeding started up right away when I let go. I did two more 10-minute freeze-outs. No luck.

I then woke up my DH, who promptly flew out bed and freaked out. Right away he asked if it was something happening with the baby. I calmly reminded him that miscarriages don't come out of your nose. He then got on the phone with Ask-a-Nurse, who said I'd better get to the ER right away.

Thankfully, it was a very quiet night at the hospital. I was seen immediately, and after we tried a few different options, the super-nice doc decided to cauterize the inside of my nostril. Whatever... at this point, I just wanted to sleep. He told me to put on a gown (for my nose?) because the burning flesh would probably make me sneeze. With an eye roll, I dressed in a gown and asked him to return and get the show on the road. Sure enough, this guy knew what he was talking about. I sneezed about a dozen big hard sneezes, with blood spraying everywhere except into the washcloth I was trying to use as a hankie. It was disgusting!

Wouldn't you know, there was a second section in my nostril that was also bleeding. So he had to go in again. Ick. Much deeper this time. The sensations going through my face were by far the grossest feelings I've ever experienced. There's no way to describe the sliminess.

Anyway, I guess it's my side-effect to pregnancy. An icked-up nose. I knew it was a stuffy problem (that's the symptom that made me think, "Hmm. Maybe I'll take a pregnancy test. My nose is stuffy out of the blue.") But this doc said that the inside of my nose is plenty "mucked up" and that I'd better get on some allergy meds to avoid more bloodbaths. He sent me home, with a dry nose, at 2:30 AM.

I sometimes wonder if I'd just rather be normal and have expected side-effects. Then again, morning sickness sounds pretty awful, too. Regardless, everything's fine now, although I'm still tired.

Have a wonderful long weekend, friends! Rest up if you can! (I hope to get my rest on an air mattress. All I ask for is one hour. Isn't that reasonable enough? Keep your fingers crossed for me!)