I told you all in my last post that I would inform you all what this 6 month mark means to me. It means I am coming along despite the struggles I have been faced with.
Let's go back and start in December. Yes, I was still pregnant at this point. In December, my protein levels started dropping. I started with levels in the 120s. I was working 60ish hours a week that month and eating well, but the baby was taking all my protein! By the first week in January I was 7 months pregnant and had levels down in the 50s and 60s. I was beyond tired and constantly felt like I was going to faint. Since I worked with sharp objects, my boss thought it would be a good idea for me to stop working. My levels continued to be unstable for the remainder of my pregnancy.
Then, on March 12th, my little lovebug was born!! I had dreamt of holding her in my arms for so long!! Labor was hard on me, physically and emotionally. But that was only the beginning of my hardships.
Everyone always told me that babies were pure bliss, but they never mentioned how hard it would be emotionally. Before she was born, my protein levels were extremely low, immediately after I had her they went through the roof. I don't have an exact number, because the hospital never told me what it was, but I sure felt the effects. We stayed in the hospital for 5 days, and to be honest I don't remember a lot of it. I was so foggy I couldn't think straight. Good thing my husband was there to hear what the doctors had to say because I couldn't think well enough to retain the information they were telling me.
In the first few weeks that we were home getting settled into a new life, I was dealing with "the baby blues." (Where the hormones are going down at a fast rate, leaving mom to feel extremely emotional for no reason at all.) Dealing with the Baby Blues was something I never expected to have to do. I wasn't aware of this "condition" until I was leaving the hospital. The Baby Blues are supposed to go away in the first few weeks, if they don't then it turns into Postpartum Depression.
I was counting on the Baby Blues to go away, but they never did. I wasn't thinking of harming myself or my family, but I was dealing with some terrible anxiety. I talked to my doctor at my 6 week check up, and she told me that I had Postpartum Depression/Anxiety. She prescribed me a low dose antidepressant. As soon as I got home I emailed my specialist to inform her of the new medication and make sure it wouldn't affect my levels in a negative way, or the Kuvan I was supposed to take. I say "supposed to take" because I wasn't taking it at all.
With the new little one and all the new tasks that brings, I had forgotten to reapply for NORD, the organization that helps with my copay for Kuvan. My application is only good for the year, as in calendar year. My application had expired on January 1st, and since I was taking a lower dose of my Kuvan, I was able to make my current order last until the baby was born.
My specialist told me that we should get my protein levels under control before I try the antidepressants. She said that my current protein levels could be causing every symptom of Postpartum Depression that I was experiencing. I was more than happy to hear that. Something in me wanted so badly to not have to take the antidepressants, and I don't know why. I, immediately, updated and submitted my Nord application. A few days later, I got a letter in the mail telling me I was approved once again for NORD, and I ordered my next refill of Kuvan.
I started taking my Kuvan regularly, as I had done before. Things got better!... Or at least for awhile. Even though I was taking my Kuvan and eating correctly, my levels were fluctuating and I felt the affects for sure! By this time, I couldn't just email my specialist, she had retired suddenly. I was lost, I didn't know what to do.
I decided after a while that I HAD to do something. It was getting hard to go through everyday life, it was affecting my coping, communication and thinking skills. It was affecting my relationships with everyone around me, and I couldn't let it go any longer. I emailed my representative from Biomarin, the maker of Kuvan. She told me that I needed to get in and see the Nurse Practitioner that was seeing patients at my clinic until they hired on a new specialist. I called my clinic to set up an appointment, they wouldn't schedule me. Instead, they had me speak to the Nurse Practitioner over the phone. I explained what was going on to her, and she suggested I cut back on my Kuvan, lower my dosage. She said taking too much Kuvan could cause some of the symptoms I was having. I went from taking 1800mg of Kuvan a day down to 1200mg a day.
I have been taking the lower dosage for a few weeks now, and I am not so sure it is completely solving my problems. It is helping, however.
The last 6 months have been the most eventful, wonderful, and bliss filled time in my life. But it has also been the most challenging and trying months in my life. I am still a work in progress, but one thing is for sure... God sure did bless me with such a wonderful little family!
Until Next Time,
Laura
P.S. I hope you all enjoyed this post. It was very hard to admit to myself and now the public what I have been struggling with. It's embarrassing to admit.
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