Pre-E

What a difference a day makes.

I'm typing to you all from a hospital bed. Pre-Eclampsia.

Here's my whole story.

Essentially, I'd had no swelling or heartburn throughout my pregancy until last Friday. Last Friday, my feet got puffy. Not crazy puffy, but puffy. I figured it was just normal pregnancy swelling.

Tuesday I got "heartburn." It was pretty bad heartburn, but you know, again.. I'm pregnant. Suck it up and move on.

Tuesday night I went to bed and slept about an hour, then had to pee (of course).
After getting up and trying to go back to bed my stomach really hurt again. I was up most of the night pretty miserable.

Ate some breakfast, ate some tums, drank some milk, managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before work. At one point I started to dry heave and finally threw up a little bit of stomach acid.

I considered calling in because I REALLY didn't feel good, but decided I was silly to miss work over some heartburn and things are crazy at work, so just go on.

Was pretty uncomfortable most of the day. I sipped some water and managed to eat a fruit cup, but that was about it.

In the afternoon, I felt a little better and thought maybe it had passed.

Just before I got off work I started to feel cruddy again.

I was talking to a friend on a message board who had HELLP and delivered her daughter quite early and she was encouraging me to call the doctor. I told her if it continued to the next day, I'd call. But I was really expecting them to tell me that I was pregnant and heartburn was normal- I'll feel better in 14 weeks.

I compromised and decided to go by a BP cuff and see what it said.
It kept coming back REALLY high- like 170/105. But as you know, I'm a fat girl and the cuff is small. I figured it just wouldn't take right.

During the night, I felt sort of so-so but not HORRIBLE, managed to eat some chicken noodle soup and do okay.

Slept a few hours, woke about 9am this morning and felt pretty darned good. I thought *phew* that's over. Then I rolled over.

WHAM! Pain again. More "heartburn."

I thought of my friend and decided to call. Still thinking they were going to tell me I was crazy, of course.

I called and the nurse answered. I told her that I was 26w pregnant & had what amounted to the worst stomach ache I'd ever had (and I had an ulcer when I was 18, so it was pretty bad.) I told her that I really didn't have any swelling to speak of- my feet are a little puffy, but "I'm not going to die of Pre-E in the next 12 hours or anything." (Yes. That's what I said. Aren't I funny?)

She hemmed & hawed a little bit, and asked if I had happened to take my BP. I told her about the cuff. She said she thought I ought to come in. Be there in an hour.
When I got there, the nurse took me back and took my blood pressure- Twice.

I knew by the look on her face it wasn't good.

"Is it high?" I asked.

"Yes."

"How high?"

"168 over 105."

"Oh. That's HIGH."

"yeah, that's REALLY high."

She left saying that Krystin would be right in. Krystin is a NP.

About 45 seconds later, my doctor popped in and said "Hey girl, what are you doing?" I figured she saw me as she walked passed and came to say hi.

I said "Well, I've got a really bad stomach ache and apparently my BP is really high."

She replied "yes. And you're spilling a TON of protein into your urine."

She didn't have to say more. I knew.

I got quiet and said "Oh. So. Pre-E, then?" I was crestfallen, but still a little unsure where that left me.

She nodded.

I said "Now what?" Then I started to cry.

She told me that I was not to do anything else but was to go directly to a local hospital- NOT my hospital. When I clarified which hospital she meant, she explained I needed to go to the hospital with the best NICU.

Oh.

Then she said words that will probably haunt me forever. "Hold on. I want to go check and see if we should send you by ambulance."

Wow. Ambulance.

Ambulance is serious. Ambulance is scary. Surely I don't need an ambulance.

She left. I cried some more.

I called my husband. He was on his way to a meeting with his boss in the city car. Fortunately his boss is a helluva guy and had him drop him at the meeting promising he'd find a way back to work. David headed to the hospital.

I called a friend who is 10 weeks more pregnant than me and was talking to her when Dr. G popped her head in and asked if I was talking to my husband and if he could come get me.
My friend volunteered to come and I accepted.

They laid me back on the table and I waited.

While I waited for my ride, Dr. G brought me a copy of my records and told me everything was set up. The hospital was expecting me.

When I got the hospital, my husband met me in the waiting room. he'd already set things up at the desk.

They got me signed in and into a room. High risk L&D.

Nurses came. IVs were placed. Blood was taken. Doctors came.

In the end, I got a shot of steroids, a drip of magnesium to keep me from seizing, a saline drip & a baby & contraction monitor.


The daytime resident was not one to sugar coat. Her best case scenario was that I make it 48 hours- long enough for the steroids to work. She informed me that my "heartburn" was actually my liver hurting.

I went to perinatology for an u/s. The baby looks great. Weighing in at 1 lb 12 oz with good blood flow. Would be great for a 26 weeker if only the placenta supplying it with life was slowly poisoning its mom.

My blood pressures have been mostly in the 160s & 170s over the 90s. My latest one was 172/100. They went to call the resident. I guess that 100 mark scares them.

They tell me that my liver levels are elevated but not severely. My protein is a +3. Something hemo-something is very concentrated. I am considered severe pre-eclampsic.

The perionatologist visited this evening. He said I could get very sick and deliver tonight. Or I could linger like this for 6 weeks. He said average, he'd guess 1-3 weeks. Even another week would mean a lot.

My husband is with me. They left a bed for him.

I feel pretty okay, to be honest. I have a headache from crying off and on all day. But my stomach feels pretty good. I'm on clear liquids only so that may be why.

I'm in as good of spirits as possible, I think. I don't see much option but optimism at this point.

I've made a lot of jokes about jinxing myself by ordering maternity clothes or planning a drug free birth.

I'll be getting a classic, full anesthesia C-section instead. And I suppose I'll return the maternity clothes to Old Navy. Not much need for them when the hospital supplies beautiful, comfortable gowns.

At this point- we wait and see. I've got an extremely classy bedside cammode. They collect my pee for 24 hours and I guess we re-evaluate then.

If you're the praying type- even if you're not, please pray. Pray for lower blood pressure and no more protein. Pray we can stay pregnant another week. Another two. Anything.

Baby C is severely undercooked and as excited as I am to meet him or her, I promise I can wait a little longer.


--Trish