I’m sure after my last post of the attack of the killer ankles, you’re all sick of hearing me bitch about swelling… but I’m not quite done 🙂 Sorry! Prior to my swollen bliss, I thought of swelling as just an annoyance. It makes fitting into shoes totally impossible, it looks nasty and makes you feel even more like an umpa loompa (as my friend called it) than you already do, and it makes you feel stiff. BUT, now I know there is a lot more to it. It’s actually quite painful.

For my feet, I am currently only leaving the house in two pairs of shoes. These sexy beasts are my daily go-to’s… go great with every outfit. Wait… no they don’t. They make me look like a pregnant frump in every outfit. I knew it was something…

My sexy sneaks.

The other pair are my tennies and I only wear those for my workouts and walks with the hubs. Thankfully, I’ve still been managing to work out and have been taking lots of walks with Marky & the puppito. That seems to help, even if it’s just mentally. There is something so uplifting and empowering about breaking a sweat and kicking some ass at nearly 9.5 months pregnant.

Anyway, I’ve found that random things will make these feet just go nuts. Usually heat or I don’t know… a misalignment in the stars. But then, all of a sudden, they get SO hot and huge… like the pictures in my last blog. Woof. The only thing to do at that point is lie down. So, that’s my recent foot joy. While I’m complaining a lot, I will say, I think the biggest bother is that I can’t wear cute shoes. So, hopefully that puts it in perspective. Manageable in terms of pain, frustrating in terms of my vanity.

My hands… that issue is a little bigger because it’s not the swelling that’s an issues, it’s the Carpal Tunnel I’ve developed due to the swelling. I literally sleep with one of these beasts on each hand… every night… making me feel like a damn seal. I have flippers for goodness sake.

Seal flippers.

Then, when I wake up, my hands are so stiff/numb/in pain/etc. that it takes a good hour for me to actually be able to make a fist without excruciating pain. That makes brushing my teeth very interesting. And while things improve greatly after that first hour, I still have total numbness in three of my fingertips on my right hand (all day, every day), tingling up and down both hands to my elbows, and an inability to put too much pressure on my wrists. It’s so special. Now, again, this WOULD be manageable; however, it makes me pretty nervous about childbirth. I’m hoping and praying that the pain will subside before that point, otherwise I feel I will be at a disadvantage. Alternative birthing positions rely on supporting yourself with your hands/wrists/arms.

Mark has been trying to give me acupressure on my hands/wrists/arms, I have two chiropractor appointments this week and am thinking of trying out acupuncture. Hopefully this blend of activity will help relieve a little pressure on my sausage fingers.