You Won't Believe It

From: Tonia
To: My Sidelines Buddy

You won't believe it...I weigh 130lbs today!

I was 106lbs just 3 weeks ago.

I sat in a chair for the first time in 8 weeks yesterday, and I soaked my feet in my new foot spa.

It was so refreshing!

The weather here is beautiful...I think?

Hahaha, I never see it!

I will have a follow up appointment with my Dr tomorrow, but as of right now, I'm still on bed rest for the next month.

I'm tapering off my steroids so we'll see how well I do without them.


Thanks for the encouragement. I love it!

Tonia

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Sent from my iPhone

4/20/09 Tonia Update

I hope you are doing well

Tonia is still on bed rest. She is at 14 weeks today.

She is on steroids and other nausea meds. Her dosage of steroids is being tapered off over the next few days.

We will be seeing her doctor each week now.

Her doctor is hopeful that we will see better health than we did the last time we took her off of the steroids, since she is at week 14.

Tonia expects to be out of the office for another couple of weeks. She or I will be in touch with you each week to keep you updated.

I am getting an extension on FMLA and will send you that information asap.

I will keep you posted, know that Tonia intends to be back in the office as soon as she can.

Thank you.
_________________________
Ryan J. Sanders

My Baby's Name is: Baby Sanders

4/8/09 Tonia Update

From: Ryan Sanders

Subject: Tonia

Tonia is still in the hospital from when she was admitted on Monday, March 30th. I just wanted to let you know. Please forgive me that I haven't let you know before now.

She may be in the hospital for another day or so at least. We think we have her stable enough to bring back home with meds. The plan is to try and keep her on the steroid and various meds until week 14, which is two weeks from now.

We hope that she will respond more positively to the baby by this time.

I will continue to keep you posted. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

_________________________
Ryan J. Sanders

I'm in the Hospital Again!

From: Maggie
To: Tonia


HI Tonia!

Laura emailed me to let me know she doesn't hear from you much and was hoping she wasn't being a pest with you. She wants to be available without being too pushy. :-) So just check in with her when you can and let her know how you are doing. ;-)

Maggie

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From: Tonia
To: Maggie


Hey Maggie,

I am in the hospital AGAIN.....

I haven't been too social because I could barely move a finger. She is no bother. I love to hear from her.

Hopefully I will be leaving here again soon. The internet access I have is temporary so I will just let her know that.

By the way, please express my deepest gratitude for Sidelines making me the Volunteer of the Month. I am going through such a difficult time and it really made my day to see my family photo and to read my sentiments of this disease prior to ever getting it again.

I'm taking my own advice!

I appreciate Sidelines so much, and I am blessed to work with such a great group of caring volunteers who make times like the ones I'm dealing with.

Thank you for allowing me to help others, but also thank you for allowing others to help me!

XOXOXOXO,

11 4/7 weeks

Sidelines Volunteer of the Month

http://www.sidelines.org/volunteer-spotlight/april_volunteer/

Sidelines volunteer Tonia Sanders with her husband,
Ryan, left, and daughter, Isabella

Name: Tonia Sanders
Home: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Husband's Name: Ryan
Children’s Names and Ages: Isabella, age 2

"I will always remember the overwhelming feeling of illness during my high-risk pregnancy/bedrest, but I will also remember my willingness to stick it out and get through the difficult time."

Travel and event planner Tonia Sanders loves to dance, enjoys doing meaningful volunteer work, and in her spare time likes to get together with her girlfriends, dining and painting pottery. In fact, she plans events with friends and family for any and every reason she can!

But when Tonia began dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum (unrelenting nausea and vomiting) and ptylism (hyper-salivation) 14 weeks into her pregnancy, all of her activities came to a screeching halt. She joined Sidelines in the spring of 2007 after doing research on hyperemesis gravidarum online.

"During my pregnancy, I had very little support from anyone other than my husband and doctor, and I was unable to communicate well due to the severity of my illness," she said, explaining the reason she became a volunteer. "I felt very alone and misunderstood by much of the outside world. When I found Sidelines, I decided that I would like to be there to support the women who were dealing with the issues I had already been through."

During her experience, Tonia was treated daily with Zofran, Reglan, Vistaril, Phenergan and Pepcid. She also was administered IV hydration in the emergency room.

"Every day was awful, and the ptylism made matters a lot worse, because I could not swallow saliva without becoming even more violently ill," she explained. "I was on bedrest for most of the pregnancy. At 33 weeks into the pregnancy, my family suffered an emergency crisis, and I went into premature labor and delivered my daughter Isabella."

Looking back on her complicated pregnancy, Tonia acknowledges that it was hard, but says that she always knew that she was suffering for a limited time. "I will also remember the support that my doctor and husband gave me," she said. "I was well cared for, and it helped me to get through the toughest times."

Tonia said that she and her most memorable Sidelines referral continue to be dear friends, and their children pretend to be cousins. When Tonia first met her, she was very ill, suffering from hyperemesis and ptylism, and she was also lonely. After calling and e-mailing each other frequently, in May 2008, they traveled to Atlanta to meet for the first time.

"I will always understand her pain and suffering, and although she was not there for mine, she understands it as well," Tonia said. "It's great to have been able to see her through such a difficult time, and to celebrate the beautiful children we have. We will always have a common tie that bonds us forever."

Tonia offers the following tips for moms-to-be experiencing similar difficulties during their pregnancies:

• Make sure you have a doctor who works well for you and your family and who is familiar with what you are going through. This is not a time to be doubted, but a time to be supported and treated appropriately. Seek out the best care possible for yourself, because the road ahead can feel long and hard, but the proper care will really make a difference.
• Take time to share your concerns or fears with friends and family and help them to understand what it is that you are suffering from or going through emotionally. If possible, do some research and provide information regarding your illness/situation to help others understand what it is and how they can help.
• Don’t be afraid to let others help you. The best thing for you to do is not to overextend yourself. You may have been responsible for a lot of things when you were healthier, but now you are in a fragile situation, and you must respond accordingly. If possible, let others take on some of the tasks you used to do and spend more time trying to get through your pregnancy with as few complications as possible.