Signs of pre-e?

AMcLaws

I'm from July '14. I've recently been diagnosed with Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. My doc ordered me to stop working, and we're keeping an eye on things. My BP at my last check was 138/94. Not terribly high, but enough so to watch it.

I woke up this morning with awful right shoulder pain. A friend of mine had the same thing when she started developing pre-e. (Her doc said it was a sign of her liver "malfunctioning", for lack of a better term). I've had an awful headache all day long. It responded slightly to Tylenol.

Those are the only "signs" that I'm exhibiting as of now. I'm gonna go check my BP at the local pharmacy.

Should I be worried about the shoulder pain? Or chalk it up to having slept wrong? Idk if it warrants a call to my doc, or not?

poptart109

I would be more concerned about BP and headache that's unresponsive to meds. Any swelling? I'd have it checked then call dr.

AMcLaws

No swelling, been sitting on my butt all day. Just checked my BP and those are the readings I got. I wanted to sit and rest longer to try to get a more accurate reading, but my 2 year old was losing it (VERY tired), so we left.

poptart109

I would still call. If you end up spilling proteins in your urine you won't know unless you go in which they may have you do. Also, if you used the same arm, the numbers may not be as accurate.

Eta: more info added

AMcLaws

Yes, I used the same arm. I called my doc and he said I could go in tonight, or I could wait and see how I feel in the morning and go. It's borderline enough that I could do either or. He said my labs on Thursday were normal. But of course, that could change in no time at all.

AMcLaws

I went to L&D, just to be safe. They clarified the whole "shoulder pain" for me, and monitored me for awhile. My BP was actually pretty good, after the first 2 readings. They gave me a couple Percocet for my head and sent me home to sleep. Glad everything is ok...but feel silly that I went in for nothing. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

poptart109

Glad everything worked out and you're feeling better!

PrincessBritt17

Happy everything is OK!  I also had a scare a few weeks ago and ended up going home feeling a little silly, but everyone in L&D and my doctors office told me I did the right thing.  When we are dealing with things as serious as Pre-e and the health of our little ones there is never a reason to feel silly!  It is always better to get checked out and have it be nothing than to blow it off and have a serious problem!  Good luck to you!!

AMcLaws

Yeah, they told me they'd rather I come in and see them then rely on the BP machines at the stores.

EAng

I had pre-e with my first.  It was a mild case, but I was swelling badly and ended up on bed rest at 33 weeks>delivering at 37 weeks.  I would have been worried about the headaches as they told me that was a warning sign.  I haven't heard of the shoulder pain.  I am glad you went to hospital.  Better to be safe, pre-e is no joke.

BC&LM

AMcLaws said:

Yes, I used the same arm. I called my doc and he said I could go in tonight, or I could wait and see how I feel in the morning and go. It's borderline enough that I could do either or. He said my labs on Thursday were normal. But of course, that could change in no time at all.

What kind of labs were normal? If they didn't include a 24-hr. urine test, I would insist on having that done immediately. The dipsticks won't always catch the protein in your urine, but if it is there, the 24-hr. test will.

Also, check out this link about diagnosis of preeclampsia:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/preeclampsia/basics/tests-diagnosis/con-20031644

BC&LM

AMcLaws said:

I went to L&D, just to be safe. They clarified the whole "shoulder pain" for me, and monitored me for awhile. My BP was actually pretty good, after the first 2 readings. They gave me a couple Percocet for my head and sent me home to sleep. Glad everything is ok...but feel silly that I went in for nothing. Oh well, better safe than sorry.

Don't feel silly. You didn't go in for nothing. Monitoring with symptoms like that is a good idea, and they provided treatment for your headache. Sometimes it takes several monitoring trips before they even make a diagnosis. I was sent over to L&D two or three times by my OB to monitor my blood pressure before they finally did a 24 hr. urine test and diagnosed me with preeclampsia.