Page 25 of Ghost's Obsession

I grasp her hand more tightly and nod. “Yeah, of course. If that’s what you want.”

She just nods, biting her bottom lip.

Patch checks her vitals and says, “Up onto the exam table if you please.”

I help her step up and sit with her legs dangling over the side.

He glances at Heather and his voice softens. “You’re pale and dehydrated. Ghost said you’ve been nauseous, throwing up a lot, shaky, and seem unsteady on your feet at times. Is that true?”

“Well, yes. I’ve also been thirsty. My urine is dark, and I’ve lost a little weight. I thought something serious might be going on until it occurred to me that I might be pregnant. I took a pregnancy test that came back positive.”

Patch looks thoughtful. “It’s probably related to the dehydration. I’m going to run some tests, but I’m going to tell you right now that you’re displaying a textbook combination of symptoms that point straight to hyperemesis gravidarum. It’s like morning sickness but worse. It usually peaks around the start of the second trimester, but in some women, it can continue throughout the entire pregnancy.”

“Is it serious?” Heather asks.

“It can be. Especially if you’re dehydrated.”

Heather begins to tear up. I rush to her side and put my arm around her shoulders. “Your bedside manner sucks today, doc.”

Patch looks up. “I just want you both to understand the seriousness of the situation. It can be serious, but with antiemetics—and IV fluids if needed—it is treatable. I’m going to have my phlebotomist do a blood draw so we have an idea exactly how many weeks pregnant you are, and my medical assistant will give you instructions on getting a clean-catch urine sample for us to test. It’ll take an hour or so for most of the results to come back.”

“I don’t understand what I did wrong to make this happen,” Heather states quietly.

“It’s nothing you did. We don’t fully understand what causes hyperemesis gravidarum. It just happens for some women.”

Heather hesitates and then speaks with a trembling voice. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save my baby.”

“Don’t worry,” Patch tells her. “You’ve come to see me early, some women try and battle it out thinking it’s just regular morning sickness. As long as you follow my instructions, the probability of a safe pregnancy is high. I’ll go and arrange those tests right now.”

After he slips out the door, Heather lays her head on my chest and I hug her tighter, using both arms. “Sorry about that. I hope he didn’t scare you, Patch is a good doctor. I promise you that.”

She turns her head to look up at me. “I know I’m probably being an annoying patient, what with showing up without an appointment after waiting too long to seek help. It’s the brain fog, I think. It’s been bad the last week or so.”

“Whatever is causing this, we’ll get you sorted.”

Before she can answer, a woman knocks and then walks in with a blood draw kit. She’s happy and smiling. I step back and she makes polite conversation and before we know it, she has three vials of blood drawn.

After the phlebotomist is done the medical assistant comes in with a urine cup and a couple of alcohol wipes. Then she proceeds to explain what a clean-catch urine sample is and how to go about making sure it’s clean. It is fascinating information in that TMI kind of way.

Heather returns from the restroom wearing a gown and carrying her clothing. I quickly take the clothing from her and help her back onto the exam table.

I rummage through a nearby cabinet and give her a clean blanket. She quickly wraps it around herself, and I pull up a chair next to her. For the next hour or so I make casualconversation while we wait for her lab results. The time flies by for me, and before I know it, Patch walks back in.

“We got your labs back and it looks like you’re almost nine weeks pregnant. Judging by the symptoms we talked about before and your labs, I’m giving you a diagnosis of HG.” He quickly adds, “Don’t worry, I’ve managed a lot of these kinds of cases.”

I ask worriedly, “What do we need to do to get her better, doc?”

Ignoring me and looking at Heather, he says, “For starters, I’m going to give you an IV to rehydrate you. I’ll also prescribe you something for nausea. That should enable you to keep food and liquids down. Eat and drink as much as you can, even when you aren’t particularly hungry or thirsty. I’m also going to give you a script for prenatal vitamins that are in gummy form, which should be easier on your stomach than capsules. If you end up having trouble with those, we’ll try a liquid form.”

“I can still work though, right?” Heather asks imploringly.

“No reason why you shouldn’t. But I don’t want you doing any strenuous activity for a few days. Do you have family that you can stay with? Once you’re rehydrated the dizziness should ease off, but until then it’s best that someone keeps an eye on you.”

I immediately speak up, “She can stay with me. I’ll look out for her.”

Heather nods absently. Her eyes are downcast as if she’s still trying to get her head around what’s going on. Maybe it’s not how I wanted it to be, but I finally get my wish of moving her out of the garage.

“Any more questions?” Doc asks gently.

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