Catbella769

hazelfrank

Hi there, I saw your reply post to another poster regarding spilling protein and am wondering how they diagnosed you with HELLP at 28 weeks without the classic pre e symptoms.

I was diagnosed with HELLP in my first pregnancy but they didn't catch it. I did have some protein though. This time around I am 27 weeks. I have had a trace of protein this far, platelets and hemoglobin are lower than when I first got pregnant but still within in the low normal range.

Catbella769

hi hazelfrank-

when i was 21 weeks i started getting really bad upper abdominal pain. i thought it was indigestion and my midwife thought it was my galbladder. she scheduled an ultrasound but a few days before i had to go in for it i got a fever and panicked and had my DH take me to the emergency room. when i got into L&D they drew blood and saw my platelets were at 40,000. so i was admitted to that hospital but they couldnt really conclude i had HELLP because my plateletts and my pain were my only symptoms- like i said, no protein spilling and my blood pressure was always low. so i saw a blood specialist who tested me for every disorder under the sun and stomach dr who also came up empty and i was transfered to the perinatal center at a hospital in my city near by.

When i got there, they did a bunch of tests (US. MRI, about a gallon of blood drawn) and by then they could determine that my liver functions were off- my enzymes were high and the pain i felt was from my liver beginning to fail. They also diagnosed me with an IUGR bc the baby's abdomen was measuring small. they said the IUGR could have been from a blood clot, and that caused my placenta to pull away from abdomen. and a bad placenta is sometimes associated with HELLP. my plateletts were still dropping or somehwere between 35,000 and 50,000. so i had to deliver and the baby was stillborn. Luckily the autopsy didn't find anything weird and i dont have underlying disorders.

so while i had really low plateletts, they were never in the normal range. and i definitely had the epigastric pain- i couldnt eat for weeks without excrutiating pain. now im 26 weeks and im being monitored very closely and at 28 weeks i will have bloodwork again, another A/S for size and prob a 24 hr urine. Your situation doesnt sound as bad as mine was but u should def be monitored. i think at the first hospital they may have found trace amounts of protein but nothing that made them worry. What are they doing for you now?

Catbella769

and the perinatal center also said that the Hemolysis had begun to happen. so at that point- 2 weeks after the ER visit- i had all symptoms of HELLP- hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelttes. but no swelling, no blood pressure rise and no protein. Leave it to me to be the weird House case.

hazelfrank

Thanks for the reply. I really do appreciate it. With my first pregnancy, I delivered full term. I had traces of protein practically since around week 25. Towards the end my protein was at a +4. My BP is generally really low, so even though I went from 80s/60s to 130/90 -- my doctors didn't think much of it.

My platelets were low and my liver enzymes were high by the time I went into labor. I do remember complaining about right abdominal pain, but I really thought it was the baby kicking me. I also complained about swelling, which at one point was +2, and I remember complaining about back pain. My doctor never ran any blood work until I was induced for labor, so there's no way to tell how early I actually developed HELLP. I had post delivery hemorrage as well, which they attributed to HELLP.

As of now, (I'm 27 weeks) my doctor is waiting for symptoms to do any testing. I complained about brusing that won't go away and they ran some blood work and determined that my platelets and hemoglobin are lower than when I first got pregnant. They told me that this can happen in normal pregnancy and that unless I begin to exhbit some additional symptoms they will not be running additional lab work. They haven't tested my liver function since I got pregnant, but I did do baseline lab work initially and a 24 hour urine test.

So, at this point I'm just waiting and trying to pay attention to my body. I'm really scared that they will miss it again. Again, thank you.

 

Catbella769

You're welcome. i'm nervous, too. Sounds like were in the same waiting game. You know its funny you mention the bruising cus i jus noticed a bruise on my hand today that i didn't expect. i wonder if my blood tests will show anything. i'm scared to do them in a couple of weeks, but at the same time i'm really happy i've come this far with no symptoms. A friend of mine had HELLP also and went on to have a smooth second pregnancy this past summer. she said by the end she was having non stress tests and they watched her very closely, and she made it full term.

Honestly if they catch if for you this time and you have to deliver a few weeks early, its better in my opinion, than to have them let it go. i remember the back pain too, and thinking it was just a pregnancy symptom. Hopefully we will both be more quick to act on that kind of stuff this time. Good Luck and keep me posted