A Different Kind Of Life

Chapter 93

May 3, 2017

10:30pm

Columbia Presbyterian Hospital

New York City, New York

"Well Doctor Huntzberger, your sister looks perfect. I don't have any concerns with her at all. I am confident that she will be released first thing tomorrow morning. She is 33 weeks along now, so as long as she remains stress free, I don't see any reason why she shouldn't make it to her due date. The baby is in the proper position, her fluid level is fine, and everything looks absolutely normal. She shouldn't have any other problems."

"That's great. Thank you so much for checking her out." Logan said as he stood by the door to Rory and Honor's hospital room, speaking to Doctor Peterson.

"As for your wife, I didn't see too much free flowing blood in her uterus. Most women bleed for around two weeks post childbirth, and it usually starts out similar to a very heavy period, then tapers off. Other than the anemia and low blood count, everything else looks normal. I think getting the transfusion tonight will help her immensely. Has she been nauseous or vomited at all?"

"Not that I am aware of. She's just been a little bit dizzy and lightheaded."

"Those are both very common after giving birth. What I suggest for right now is getting the transfusion done tonight, then running the same tests again in about 12 hours to see where we stand. If her levels are back to normal, I would be ok with her being discharged at the 24hour mark. Normally, I would keep her for further observation, but because she is going home with you, and you are a licensed physician who is trained to take care of this exact situation, I have no problem releasing her into your care, knowing that she will be receiving the same exact care at home where she is more comfortable, as she would receive if she were to remain inpatient. However, if her numbers are still low, or for some reason, worse, I would recommend that she remain inpatient for further treatment."

"That all makes perfect sense. What do you think about the gestational hypertension? Do you think that we are out of the woods, or would you recommend further monitoring?"

"I want to say that you are most likely out of the woods. There is no real way to know immediately. I don't necessarily think that she needs full monitoring, but one thing that you can do is either download a heart monitor app on your phone, and monitor her heart that way. Or, you can get her a smart watch. You can get them from Apple, or a cheaper version literally anywhere else; Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, anywhere, and have her wear that. All of those have a built in heart rate and blood pressure monitor, and they backup to an app on your phone. You can easily monitor her that way, and the app will alert you if there is any dangerous or suspicious activity going on."

"I will definitely do that. That is a great idea."

"If you get a watch, have her wear it on the inside of her right wrist. It will feel strange for the first short while, but as you learned in medical school the blood flow in your body goes to the right side first, and is the strongest passing through. By the time it moves to the left side, the blood is on its way back to your heart, and the flow has slowed down. You will get a much more accurate reading on the inside of your right wrist, than on your left wrist."