September 2011 Moms
megank27
member
Just looking for a little feedback - Swelling
megank27
member
I know swelling in your feet/ankles is perfectly normal during pregnancy. From what I've read, though, it is supposed to go away overnight and if it does not it could signal a problem. By day's end I have pitting edema in my calves, ankles, and feet. It goes away in my calves, mostly in my ankles, and not at all in my feet overnight. At my last appointment on Wednesday my blood pressure was elevated (138/95), while at my 32 week appointment it was closer to 120/80 (which is my normal). I also had gained almost 6lbs from 32 weeks to 34 weeks. I had to see a nurse practitioner instead of my doctor because my doctor was out, and the nurse practitioner was not concerned because I had no protein in my urine. I called the next day to find out if my doctor had any concerns, and all I was told was she signed off on my chart and it was refiled. I also checked my blood pressure the next day at a pharmacy and it was still elevated. My mom thinks I should be concerned and is insisting I buy a blood pressure cuff, which I am going to do, but are their any opinions out there on the situation? More specifically, does this sound like anyone else's situation and their doctor is also not concerned? I'll see how the blood pressure monitoring goes and call my doctor if it goes up, but I thought I'd see if other doctors are as unconcerned as mine. TIA for any input!
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Re: Just looking for a little feedback - Swelling
I have an appointment a week from Tuesday. I told my mom I know the signs of high blood pressure if it is pre-e. I know her job as my mom is to be concerned, but her concern is making me concerned - she won't let up! So far no headaches, spots, etc. which makes me think everything is fine. Thanks for the feedback!
Interesting how different people react differently - my bp was the same as yours at my 32 week appt this week, and the midwife decided to do some baseline bloodwork and a 24 hour urine test to be on the safe side. Then she told me exactly what pp's have said - any headaches or seeing spots, call immediately. She also said I should try to take it easy and put my feet up whenever I can.
I'd try my best not to stress about it as that will just make the bp worse. Obviously you know what symptoms to be concerned about, so keep your eyes open for those and otherwise try to just take it easy.
Good luck!
My own personal experience was that once I started having the major swelling in my feet, my blood pressure went up and I developed pre-eclampsia quickly. I'm surprised your doctor wasn't more concerned, though, about your blood pressure at your last visit. The tips I've been given about swelling, in general, though, are the things you have probably already heard - stay off your feet as often as possible, rest with them elevated, drink LOTS of water. Watch out for signs of preeclampsia, too - severe headache, dizziness, dark spots in your field of vision., and if you notice those signs, call your doctor right away.
That is interesting. My doctor, in general, is very easy-going. I like this most of the time, but sometimes I want her to react like yours did just to be safe.
I was at least expecting a follow-up on the blood pressure before my next appointment, especially because when they retook my bp after my appointment it had gone up a little. Maybe it was a fluke and things will be fine, and maybe it wasn't. It's so frustrating when all these signs can be normal and not normal, because it leaves us not knowing what to think!
Totally lurking here...sorry!
I called my doctor's office last Friday because of the same swelling issues that you described. I took my blood pressure, which was 140/88, and they sent me to the hospital for 24 hour monitoring. Like you, I did not have any protein in my urine, and did not have any other pre-e symptoms. When my doctor released me from the hospital, she put me on blood pressure medication (Labetalol). She also put me on bed rest until my appointment 3 days later. Long story short, it's been over a week now, and I'm still on bed rest, did another 24-hour urine test (from home this time), and haven't seen much improvement in my blood pressure. My doctor told me to prepare to be on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy - I have 11 weeks to go!
The decision to keep me on bed rest may have something to do with the fact that my job requires me to be on my feet a lot (I'm a store manager of a big-box retail store), but nonetheless, I would encourage you to check back in with your doctor to make sure they're not concerned! Everyone is different, so your doctor may say you're fine, but I was certainly blindsided by this - I hadn't had any complications up to this point...not even have morning sickness!
Good luck!
My normal BP is 120/80, but has been spiking over the past month off and on and my swelling in my hands and feet has gotten worse. Last saturday they sent me to L&D because my BP wouldn't go down (everything was fine, though) and asked me to come back this past week for a BP check. When I did, it was high again and even higher after resting a few minutes so they sent me back to L&D. That was wednesday and they took me out of work till my appt on monday and asked me to do the 24 hr urine test. They told me to take it easy, pretty much everything pp stated and to also watch out for pain in my upper Rt abdomen, swelling my my face, and to also rest on my Lt side. I'm really hoping to don't need to put me on bed rest, but will do whatever they think is best.
Good luck! Remember, you know your body better than anyone else, so push your Dr if you feel something isn't right.
"Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing."
~Dr. Suess
I've been dealing with the same problems you've mentioned for 3 weeks. I had my 32 week appt. where the nurse took my BP, said "Wow, that's high!" and ran from the room to get my doctor. I was hooked up to a NST machine within about a minute and after about 20 minutes they took my BP again... 148/82. The nurse said "That is SO much better than it was!". Since then, I've met with High-Risk doctors, been diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension, and have had weekly visits. My mom and husband insist upon me having a blood pressure cuff at home and a wrist one for at work so I check it often and it is always high. Very rarely is it around 120/80. At my 33 week appt., I had to do the 24-hr urine sample. My results from that were ok according to my doctor. At my 34 week appt., my nurse tested my urine for protein, said that the number they like to stay below is 300 and mine was 312. So, I have crazy swelling in my feet, ankles and calves, consistently high blood pressure, gained 6 pounds between weeks 32 and 34, have a "higher" count of protein in my urine and have been seeing stars occasionally every day.
My doctor hasn't put me on bedrest. I'm not complaining, but I do understand where you're coming from on your doctor having a neutral attitude about it. I am being induced at 37 weeks because of the hypertension, so at least that's something. Every time I go to the doctor, I feel like the symptoms continue to add up, but that Im the only one concerned about it! My only advice would be to continue talking to your doctor about it and stay aware of all of the signs associated with pre-e. Only you know your body! Good luck!
I'm also having a very similar thing....the swelling and BP are very much intertwined as the higher your BP, the more likely you are to force fluid out of your blood vessels into the extracellular space.
Anyway, the foot/ankle/leg swelling is a bit insane at this point. I call them my ogre feet. Other than the things you are doing with elevation, etc, there's not a whole lot else to do. I try to keep my feet above my heart on the couch as much as possible; in bed they are even so its not as effective. I also have swelling in my hands when I wake up.
With the BP, my doctor just said we are going to watch the trend. Mine was ~130/80, which is way high from my pre-preg and more recent BP of 80-90/70s. Urine was fine, though. They went over signs of preeclampsia, etc and I am going to see how it is tomorrow morning when I go.