No, I Didn't Pick It

Update:  Everything is fine.  My platelets are in the 80k range now, but that is still okay.  I am supposed to take it easy this weekend and we are leaving everything as scheduled for next Thursday. 

Between the contractions and the fact that I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life (way heavier than when I delivered either Will or Emma - but that is a whole other post of shame), I am a bit of an achy mess right now.

I spend most evenings in a warm bath to quell the achies and relax before attempting to get some sleep (I say attempt because I have wicked pregnancy insomnia right now).  We get the kidlets to bed and then I soak for at least an hour before going to bed myself.

So, that's where I was last night when I felt my nose drip.  I reached my wet hand up to my nose and it came away covered in blood.  I am not trying to be dramatic, but it was a LOT of blood.  I am sure my platelet count doesn't help, as well as the fact that my hand was wet and smeared the blood.  I am not usually woozy at the sight of blood, even my own.  During my iron transfusions, when the blood would go EVERYwhere and would even pool in a sticky puddle under my arm, and even the nurse seemed startled, it didn't phase me a bit. 

But this?  This startled me a bit.  Especially when I got up (a bit unsteadily) and it dripped into the tub water and all over the bathroom floor.  I then caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and my face was covered in blood.  I went to the door and opened it, and asked M to please come in to help me.  He saw my face and leapt up from the bed.  He got me a wash cloth and helped me to lay down.

"Should you call the doctor?" he asked.

I wasn't really sure.  I know nose bleeds can be a common issue in pregnancy and it was 11 PM.  Our two babies were sleeping peacefully.  I knew if I called in, they would probably insist that I come to the hospital, because this low platelet thing is a bit of an outlier.  When I was in the hospital, I could tell there isn't exactly an established protocol for how to handle it.  No one wanted to be the one to send me home and then have me bleed out somewhere (not that this was ever truly a risk, but you can tell, they just don't know what to do).  I didn't want to go in and then be admitted for truly no reason while they did bloodwork.  I also have a feeling that if we go in, then it will be baby time, just because we are so close to the scheduled c-section.  It isn't that I am not "ready" for him to come, because I AM, but I also don't want him to come earlier than is necessary.
 
I suggested we wait to see if the bleeding stopped.  It did.   

And then I promised him that I would call first thing this morning.  I did.

They wanted me in for a blood draw anyway today, but the nurse insisted that I do it sooner than later.  So I did.

And now we wait to see if my platelets have dropped or if they are still the same.  I feel just fine (well, no different than any other day the past few weeks).  My nose feels a bit stuffy, but nothing out of the ordinary other than that.  I have a feeling this was your run of the mill pregnancy-related bloody nose.  To me, the fact that my nose stopped bleeding is what we should be celebrating.  I might not have an abundance of platelets, but those platelets that I do have??  Clearly, they know how to do their job!