For the past several weeks I have been moody, cranky and generally disagreeable. I’ve been blaming it on the stress at work and family drama. Yesterday, I called my best friend, Terra, so we could bitch.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me! It feels like I’m coming unglued.”
“You could be pregnant,” Terra suggested.
“Pregnant? Gravid? With child? No way.” Then, memories of the two big blizzards we had in December creep into my head: All the snow kept me from getting to the drug store. I’ll just take a test for my peace of mind.
The mini-ELISA had a positive result. OK then. The “pregnant” band is light. I’ll try again in the morning.
Try two: Pregnant.
My head is spinning. Mouse_Spouse is thrilled; he looks forward to being a father. I don’t want to get my hopes up before seeing a doctor, but the 99.9% accurate claim on the box can’t be false advertising.
::Deep Breath:: To Do List: Make doc appointment. Research pregnancy. Talk with Spouse. Talk to cats. Talk to Dr. Boss.
Public Service Message: This post may contain Gratuitous Smilie Usage (GSU) due to topic and excitement. Continue reading at your own risk.
Holy DON’T Smoke! You’re pregnant!
Congratulations! I have to admit, I did wonder not just at your general grr-ness lately, but your unprecedented…fecundity…in starting provactive and sexy threads lately!
Yay, little mouselette(s)!!! But before that…the Tit Mouse Fairy!
I quit many years ago. I’m a little bummed that, for the good of everybody involved, I seriously cut back on the soda pop.
Yeah, my moods have been very strange. Back in November, my doctor had me discontinue my depression/anxiety meds because I didn’t feel like they were helping and the doc wanted to start with a “clean slate.” (I’ve been on this drug for nine years, so there was a possiblity that I had developed a tolerance.) After a couple of weeks, my libido came back (yeah!), so did my doldrums and anxiety .
I’m also kicking myself. Another friend, Kestrel, has been having a lot of work troubles. We did a ritual asking for a change in our careers. Looks like the Divine decided I needed a BIG change. (That’s it, I’m swearing off of magical work. I seem to end up in the hospital somehow.)
I’d assume you are definitely pregnant - any line on the results line should be taken as a positive result. False positives are a bit unusual, but you mentioned a doc appointment, so there you go.
I’ve got three SilverKids myself. You are in for the ride of your life!
Before I took this test, Mouse_Spouse and I were talking about me going to school full time, so we were already looking at living with a reduced income.
The job hunt hasn’t been going well, so I’ll discontinue it for now. Once I have a Dr.'s confirmation, I’ll have to make my pregnancy offical with the boss and change some of my lab procecures: No more radiation. More safety precautions with the chemicals. I’ll have to do some research on the drugs we use with the mice (immune repressives, anesthesia, etc.)
I hope so. My mouse contact is not casual: gloves, gown, face mask, hair bonette, shoes covers. I look like a surgeon. (Well, I’m kinda a surgeon. I’ve been training to do heart transplants in mice.) Also, as you said, the animals are in a clean environment and designed to have a limited immune system - or none at all.
**Lots ** of thoughts and concerns. That’s what the doc’s appointment is for.
May be TMI:
A few years ago, I was pregnant. The fetus wasn’t developing correctly. I was given the option of “waiting it out” or having an abortion. I chose to terminate the pregnancy; I felt a mix of relief and guilt after. Last year I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. When I was researching this disorder, I found out that prenancy complications and abnormal fetal development can be caused by the inblanace of thyroid hormones. I don’t want this to happen again.
Many Congrats Mouse_Maven and Mouse_Spouse!!! Pleeaasseee feel free to email me any time! Since we live in the same state I’d be glad to help in any way! Please keep us all informed. I am asking our Goddess to keep you in good health! I am beaming with happiness for you two!
This page on toxo. in cats and this wikipedia article explain that rodents are intermediary hosts of toxo. They get it from eating around cat poop from a recently infected cat or transplacentally from their mothers, then another cat eats the infected mouse, and then poops out oocytes that can be picked up by humans. So it makes sense, if you have a wild rodent problem at home, to eliminate that step in the viral chain.
But they are only intermediary hosts, they do not themselves shed toxo. oocytes that can infect pregnant women.
I am not a doctor, nor your doctor, and you should check with a doctor of your own, of course. But make sure, since it’s part of your job, that your doctor knows the actual pathway of toxo. transmission (cat–>rodent–>cat–>human) before she forbids you from doing your job out of ignorance, instead of logical medical advice.
AND, **Zsofia **is right, if you have cats, there’s a good chance you already have it, which means there’s no harm to the baby. Only infections DURING pregnancy are dangerous. Your doctor can check you for antibodies at your first visit, and if you’re positive, then there’s nothing you need to worry about. (But we won’t tell your husband that, if you want to use pregnancy as an excuse not to clean the litter boxes for 9 months!)
I’m a little bummed that, for the good of everybody involved, I seriously cut back on the soda pop.
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