The boredom of bed rest

Lying in the bed for over a week now makes it hard to come up with a topic to write about for a column. My time has been spent going to the doctor twice a week, doing homework, reading a little, doing a little homework, napping some and watching a lot of television.

I'm getting a little tired of it. I'm ready to get up and be able to do things for myself again. I don't want to be concerned with staying on my left side all the time. I'm tired of worrying that every little headache means my blood pressure is going up, which it usually is. I can't wait until this baby is born.

Luckily, everything looks great with the baby. We had a biophysical profile on Monday, and she scored an eight out of an eight. During the ultrasound, we were able to see her practice breathing, which indicates her lungs are stronger and getting stronger every day. Right now, my doctors are more worried about me, as my blood pressure is rising each time I go in. At my last appointment, it was 142/96.

Most people have said to me, "Oh, I would just love a week's worth of bed rest." It sounds really good when you first hear it. You think relaxing, you think not having to worry about anything, no housework, no cooking, no grocery shopping. Well, it's partly that, but instead of doing it, you are now worrying that it's not getting done. I am an independent person; I don't like depending on others to do my work for me.

During this past week or so, I've learned a few things. Some of them probably won't do me any good in the future, as I hope never to have to do this again. But, here are a few of the things I've learned.

1. I don't really care for daytime television. I watch a lot of the Hallmark Channel, because one of my all-time favorite shows, The Golden Girls, comes on every morning. I don't like soap operas, and most of the time, I try to find re-runs of shows that come on at night that I love.

2. Bed rest makes sleeping at night almost impossible. For the first few nights, when I would wake up at 2 a.m., I would just toss and turn and try to sleep. It didn't work. So, now, I either read or watch a little television.

3. Bed rest makes you tired. It seems like it would be just the opposite, but I think the more you lay around, the more tired you become.

5. DVR is the greatest invention ever, and I miss it when I don't have it. We got our DVR a few years ago, and I always loved it. But, this past week, while I've been in bed in the bedroom, I have realized how much I loved it. I could have avoided a lot of daytime television if only I had a DVR in the bedroom.

6. Laying around makes you worry more. I think it's because you have more free time on your hands, and this gives your mind time to dwell on things it shouldn't. I worry about what's going to happen, what's not getting done and what I need to get done.

7. Bed rest causes ADD. I don't have any proof of this, but my mind flips from one thing to another. I can't hold onto a thought for very long before my brain is onto something else. One minute I'm thinking of what all I need to get my husband Brian to buy for the baby, and the next, the mental list is gone. I seriously can't recall what we need or even what I was thinking about 20 seconds before.

8. High blood pressure sucks. My head hurts almost constantly. Luckily, Tylenol takes away most of the pain. I am extremely irritable, biting people's heads off for no reason. It's like I can't control my emotions. I feel sorry for those who have to deal with this on a daily basis, and I'm thankful they are able to take medicine for it.

I am hoping that by the time I have to write another column, Ella will be in my arms safe and sound, and bed rest will be just another distant memory.

-- Tamara Belinc is a freelance writer for the Times-Gazette.