Ectopic Pregnancy (Jan 2013) The Journey

Photo Credit: https://notesonawhiteboard.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/the-journey-to-outstanding/

You know those movies where the main character has the worst luck and everything seems to go wrong? On the morning of some important meeting at work their alarm doesn't go off, they sleep too late, and have to rush to make it on time. Then when they are driving to work they get stuck in traffic, their car breaks down, or they get a flat tire. After going through extreme lengths to make it, they find out that they lost their job. When it seems like all is lost, we see the character bolt upright in bed realizing it was only a bad dream. 

This is kind of like what was happening to my husband David, my cousin Nikki, and I as we made our trek from Utah to Savannah, GA almost three years ago. Everything seemed to be going wrong. After our leaving time is delayed because of bad weather, we get caught in a horrible blizzard. The condition of the hotel room we stay in for the night is less than desirable, to say the least. We get pulled over and Nikki gets landed with a hefty ticket. David accidentally breaks my sister's futon during our stay at their house. Our car breaks down and we get stranded in a small town in the middle of Nowhere, Texas. To top it all off, I'm pregnant, hormonal, and an emotional wreck because I'm bleeding and I don't know why. It was a nightmare that I wanted desperately to wake up from but I couldn't. I couldn't because it wasn't a dream, it was reality. 

There we were stranded in a small town called Tyler, Texas after having car problems on New Years Day 2013. After deciding we couldn't afford to wait for it to be fixed we decided to rent a U Haul and pull the car the rest of the way to Savannah. We had to spend the night because the U Haul rental place was closed for the holiday. After a long day and night of waiting, morning finally came and we made our way to the truck rental place. It was a miracle we made it without having to be towed because our car was still having trouble accelerating.

 It was a bit of a struggle getting the truck. Once again, things seemed to not go our way. The size of truck we originally wanted wasn't available so we had to take a larger truck. The rental place had to locate a trailer for us to load the car on to.  They also had to figure out a way to get our low riding vehicle up onto the trailer. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity to me, we finally had everything ready to go and were on our way. 

Photo Cred: https://rachelkennedyactress.wordpress.com/category/quotes/

If you have ever traveled long distance in the cab of a U Haul truck you will know it isn't the most comfortable of rides. If one or two individuals are traveling then the cab might have an ample amount of space but we had three people to squeeze in there. Not only did we have three adults crammed together but I had put my feet up because of my condition. The poor person who wasn't driving often had my legs laying across their lap. Not only did my traveling companions have to deal with me lounging all over them, but they had to deal with me being a cranky, worried, emotional, hormonal wreck. I'm grateful Nikki and David made it through that trip without going insane. 

So there we were smushed into a cab of an empty U Haul pulling our broken down car behind it. We were way behind schedule and my family in Monroe, Georgia, where our next stop was, were anxious for us to arrive. We planned to make it to my Aunt's house that night but after all of the delays we had getting the U Haul situated we got on the road later than we had originally anticipated. Nikki and David both expressed the desire to keep going even though it was getting late.  I on the other hand did not want to continue driving. I wanted to be able to actually lay down to put my feet and legs up. It was also time for me to use my next round of progesterone. 

Nikki and David suggested I could do so in the truck or at a bathroom during a pit stop. Even just the thought of this disgusted me and I firmly objected. There was no way I was going to put in a progesterone suppository while in the truck or in a dirty gas station bathroom. I desperately wanted to get a room for the night. Not only to be able to lay down on a bed and have a decent bathroom in which to use my medicine but I just needed to get out of that U Haul for a few hours! Eventually they got sick of my whining and we stopped to get a room for the night. For the sake of everyone's sanity, I think we made the right choice to stop. 

The next day we made it to my Aunt's house in the early afternoon. Unfortunately we missed the family gathering that had been planned for us and we weren't able to spend the night like we had originally thought.  We were fortunate enough to be able to spend time with some family members and have a break from driving for a few hours. (I'm especially grateful that Nikki was there to spend time with our Aunt Dot. This trip was the last time Nikki was able to see her before she passed away.)

Nikki and Aunt Dot

Photo Credit: http://quotesgram.com/it-will-work-out-quotes/

So far in the trip the bleeding I had been experiencing was off and on. At times there was nothing and my mood would lighten a bit. Other times I would bleed heavier and the worry would sink in again. While at my aunt's house I lay down on the couch and fell asleep for a bit. I remember at one point getting up off the couch and going to the bathroom and found that the bleeding had picked up again. A feeling of sheer panic ran through my body and I couldn't keep myself from crying. I knew something wasn't right but I didn't know what. Have you ever had the feeling that something was very wrong but you can't pin point what it is and you don't know what to do to fix it? I went and got David and expressed to him how I was feeling. Luckily, I am blessed to have a patient, loving, husband who can stay calm during hard situations and who knows how to comfort me. He was able to calm my fears a bit. Even though I was still scared, with his, my cousin's, and most importantly the Lord's help I had the strength the continue on having faith that everything would be ok. 

Cousins Nikki & Elaine with Aunt Sara

We couldn't stay at my aunt's house long. We needed to make it to Savannah that night. Nikki was flying back to Utah from Savannah the following day. So we said our goodbyes and, to my distaste, climbed back into the truck. We made it to Savannah very late and started to look for a hotel to stay in when, for the second time during our trip, we see flashing lights behind us. Once again, poor Nikki has to face talking to a police officer. He asked her if she realized that the trailer was fish-tailing in between lanes. We told him we were looking for a hotel to stay in for the night. He told Nikki to quickly find a place because she looked tired. Luckily he had pity on us and didn't give us a ticket. We did as directed and quickly found a hotel to stay at for the night. We were so grateful to have finally reached our destination and we all crashed with exhaustion. 

We didn't have time to sleep in and relax that morning. We got up early, had breakfast, checked out of the hotel, dropped the car off at a repair shop, and took David to his new student orientation for school.  Nikki also wanted to at least see some of Savannah before her flight left that afternoon. After the very limited touring we did downtown and a short trip to Tybee Beach, we took Nikki to the airport. Once we got back to Savannah we dropped the truck off at the U Haul place, got a rental car, and found a hotel to stay in until we found an apartment. After settling into the hotel room my phone started to buzz. After answering it we found out that Nikki's flight had been cancelled and she would have to stay another night in Savannah! Oh the irony of one more thing not going according to plan! After debating whether or not to go pick her up from the airport, Nikki decided to stay in the hotel that the airline was providing for her. We were a bit relieved. It would have been nice to spend another night with her but we were also emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted from the long trip and needed to rest. 

Nikki and I at Tybee Beach

At the time I couldn't understand why it seemed like everything was going wrong. Even now I sometimes wonder why we just didn't take me to an urgent care or emergency room. It wouldn't have hurt to seek medical advice but knowing now what I didn't know then, I know things worked out the way they did for a reason. The Lord was aware of us and our situation. I know He watched over us and helped us through that difficult journey and has helped us through many others since.