Preeclampsia-UPDATE #2 IN OP (9/16/14)

NLJ82 · August 2014

My blood pressure it roughly 120/70 every single time I've ever had it taken. Today I went in for my 2wk appointment and it was 144/88 and after telling my Dr. that I've had some feet/hand swelling and gained roughly 9lbs in the past two weeks, she wants me to do a 24 hour urine test...which is going to be fun

I told my boss and she freaked out over the small possibility of me being on bed rest in the future. I believe her exact words were "WHAT?! ARE YOU JOKING?!?! Well...I would die. Lets pray that's not it..because i would die" WHICH I guess answers my questions from yesterday about being open with her on the possibility I may not return to work after LO is born. I'll just keep my mouth shut lol.

ANYWHO...anyone had this before? TBH, I'm going to do what's best for me,LO & my family and I'm not worried, but being a FTM I had never given this thought. Are there other symptoms or remedies I should be aware of?

Update #1- HEY ALL! Just an update for everyone that's been listening to me blab about my recent potential issues. I saw the Dr. today and he has instructed me to stop seeing the midwife I've been seeing (that works through his office), but rather, come to see him directly once a week. He informed me that 31 weeks is too early to be even borderline for preeclampsia and so he wants me to do one more 24 hour urine test. From there I'll have 2 scenarios:

1)Currently my protein level is at 280. If the second urine test comes back at 280 or lower then they'll keep me doing NST tests and being monitored and go from there with how to deal with my high blood pressure

-OR-

2)If my protein level comes back at 300 or higher, I will then be considered high risk and will be referred to Ohio State University. I will have to start doing NSTs twice a week AND Mr. Grayson will be delivered anywhere from 2-4 weeks from right now SO....prayers would be appreciated! I feel confident that I'll be potentially going to an amazing hospital and that my dr. feels very safe delivering at 34-36 weeks. As of now LO is measuring on time and his heartbeat sounds great. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! We'll see what happens with my results when I go back next Wednesday

Update #2- WELL...here we go -_-
My actual doctor's appointment isn't until tomorrow BUT...I'm impatient and accessed my lab results from my second 24 hour urine online. As I mentioned, my Dr. told me that when these results come back, if my protein level was 300 or higher, I'd be considered high risk and LO would be taken anywhere from 34-36 weeks at Ohio State University (which I've never been to : /). SO...after accessing my lab results, my protein level was at 465
The Dr is in surgery today so I walked down the hall to my midwife's office (thankfully yes, I work here!) and she confirmed that I will most likely be put on bed rest within the next few days and that LO would be taken early.
Again, I see my Dr tomorrow for the final say BUT, it's not looking too hot right now. No one has said anything about Lo being in danger thus far so I'm assuming he's healthy and that everything turns out well with the both of us. I'm SUPER scared at the moment Prayers are appreciated!!

Dumbgurl04 · August 2014

FTM Here too not much advice but I hope everything works out well for you. You will be in my thoughts

absolutelymaybe · August 2014

No advice, just wanted to say sorry you're going through this.

NLJ82 · August 2014

lissydee said:

They usually don't start worrying until your diastolics are 90+. A one time reading of 140/88 is nothing to get overly concerned about and for coworker is a jerk for her alarmist comments. Glad your doctor is following up with labs though.

Good to hear. Like I said, they're starting a 24 hour urine and doing blood work on me now just to rule it out but I'm hoping it's nothing AND yes...my supervisor is easily stressed and typically sits at her desk behind me either spewing the F word repeatedly or crying her eyes out SO....this should be fun...

Thanks for the concerns

Dana633 · August 2014

Good luck to you honey! Week 38 of my last pregnancy my blood pressure shot up and stayed up for a day or two. So my doctor decided to induce labor. I went in at exactly 39 weeks. I'm with @lissydee, I wouldn't be overly concerned with one reading, but I'd feel comfort knowing your doctor is on top of it!

ProcessofBecoming · August 2014

I had pre-e (actually, pregnancy-induced hypertension, as my urine draws were by and large protein-free) with my son. It started around 35 weeks. Like you, I gained 12 pounds in 2 weeks and my BP shot up to 140s-150s/90. It started a very, very fun (not really) merry-go-round of 24 hour urine catches, bedrest, and a failed induction/c-section at 37 weeks. Magnesium is the devil, that's all I have to say.

I take baby aspirin every day, as well as fish oil with coQ10 (coQ10 has been shown to decrease the incidence of pre-e) along with a calcium and fiber supplement (calcium is also good for combatting pre-e). I try also to eat a lot of protein. I don't follow the Brewer diet, as that is CRAZY amounts of protein, but I have read that a high protein diet may also help when one starts to develop pre-e.

If you are diagnosed, chances are your doctor will put you on bed rest immediately (I think, anyway), and you will become friends with the big orange urine catch jug. But it's not all that bad (save for the magnesium). Hoping things turn out okay and this ends up being nothing to worry about!

mb314 · August 2014

Good luck! Hopefully the high reading was just a temporary one. Did they check your BP again at the end of the appointment? Sometimes my BP is higher at the beginning when I'm nervous or was rushing to get to the appointment. I have a BP machine at home, and was told to make sure I was resting for 5 minutes before testing in order to get the most accurate reading.

I did the 24 hour urine collection last time around. It wasn't fun - and the hardest part was not really being able to stray too far from the house. I wasn't about to carry around a jug of my urine with me, and there's only so long I could go without having to pee. But it's only a day, and hopefully it will come back negative for the proteins.

If you do have to go on bedrest, would you be able to work from home?

scarlet3egonias · August 2014

I'm worried about this as well. My dr hasn't voiced any concern but his nurse is always on my ass for high bp. It was high before pregnancy and has lowered some, but it is still high enough for the nurse to mention it to me every visit. I also take baby asprin and CoQ10 every day and have since TTC per doctors orders. Here's hoping for the best! Like others mentioned - my BP is always higher at the beginning of the appointment, so hopefully yours was just a fluke. Better safe than sorry though - I hope your pee jug reveals good news!

NLJ82 · August 2014

mb314 said:

Good luck! Hopefully the high reading was just a temporary one. Did they check your BP again at the end of the appointment? Sometimes my BP is higher at the beginning when I'm nervous or was rushing to get to the appointment. I have a BP machine at home, and was told to make sure I was resting for 5 minutes before testing in order to get the most accurate reading.

I did the 24 hour urine collection last time around. It wasn't fun - and the hardest part was not really being able to stray too far from the house. I wasn't about to carry around a jug of my urine with me, and there's only so long I could go without having to pee. But it's only a day, and hopefully it will come back negative for the proteins.

If you do have to go on bedrest, would you be able to work from home?

1)No....they didn't check it again at the end of the appointment but they'd like me to come back next week (probably when we return Tuesday, as I work in the same office as my OB lol) to have a random check done.

2)No I'd not be able to work from home, I'd just have to abandon everyone and lay around doing nothing I guess.

Again, hopefully it's nothing, but we'll see!

JamieK1882 · August 2014

Just Hugs. Hope all is well.

Dimples0101 · August 2014

First of all, screw your supervisor. I cannot stand it when people take someone else's situation and makes it about themself.

I had pre-e with DD. It was suspected at 34w3d, diagnosed at 35w (put on bedrest), hospital bedrest at 35w1d, induced 35w3d, DD arrived 35w4d, small, but healthy as can be! I had zero symptoms leading up to it, except the high blood pressure. I actually had a tougher time after DD was born because the pre-e came back. The symptoms I felt after delivery were headaches, high BP (200s/120s+) and strangely, my liver hurt. I believe headaches can be a symptom of pre-e as well as blurred vision, which I never experienced. I had to take BP medication for about 6-8 weeks and we bought a BP monitor. I would guess that if you have it, they'll put you on bedrest and monitor your BP both at home and in the office. Hopefully you can work from home if you do get put on bedrest. Keep us posted!

NLJ82 · August 2014

WildFlower810 said:

Is pre-e what causes pitting edema? Or is that something totally different? I know my mom had really really bad swelling and pitting edema with one of my siblings (no idea about BP, though) and her MW told her to eat 100 grams of protein a day, every single day, for the rest of the pregnancy.

My MW told me at our very first consult to eat 75-100 grams of protein a day for the whole pregnancy. I smiled, nodded, and have yet to be not nauseated enough to actually count grams.

That reminds me!! Another reason was because I had a trace of protein in my urine. SO...I'm supposed to eat MORE protein? lol...I'm so lost..

mb314 · August 2014

You may want to get a home BP reader just to keep track of it yourself over the next week. They're about $20 - 30. I have one because I've had a history of non-pregnancy high blood pressure so I like to keep an eye on it in between appointments.

NLJ82 · August 2014

knitsmagee said:

I hope it was just a temporary high BP!

I am being monitored right now for pre-eclampsia. At my last appointment my BP was 140/90 and they said there was a small amount of protein in my urine. I was sent immediately for blood work and a NST. I have to go in for NST twice a week now and last time I had no protein in my urine. Since then my BP has been closer to 120/70 every time. I have to take baby aspirin and calcium every day. They told me to call if I start experiencing headaches, sudden swelling, and/or spotty vision.

My BP went up at the end of my last pregnancy and I ended up being induced because we couldn't get it to come back down. Because of that I got to do a 24 hour urine collection earlier in this pregnancy. It wasn't that bad. I just had to make sure I did it when I was planning on being home all day.

GOOD LUCK!

Kristil2014 · August 2014

I hope the high reading is only temporary. Keep us updated.

ProcessofBecoming · August 2014

Walmart has good BP monitors that are very reasonable. I got mine there and check it every morning. I think it cost like $40???

FishyMom · August 2014

I'm so sorry you are having to do this. I hope that the time passes quickly and that you get good results from the test.

kjmommy1214 · August 2014

I am being monitored for pre-e. I had high bp the second half of my pregnancy with DD. I never spilled protein or showed any other symptoms. I made it until 40w3d before they started my induction.

I am scared of having it this time. My bp is not coming down by the end of my appointment. I did a 24 hour urine after my 28 week appointment. I have my 30 week tomorrow and will see how that goes. I know that they will be watching me like a hawk again.

Hopefully, we can both escape a pre-e diagnosis.

CrisDee · August 2014

I had signs of pre-e last time and ended up with HELLP. My dr is keeping a close eye on me this time...the MWs caught it just in time last time.

NLJ82 · September 2014

(KUinCBUS I just happened to see your post in n14 rants & you're right...it was 22lbs in 3 1/2 weeks. Overall, I've gained about 35 total. The sudden rush of packing on the lbs did not make me happy lol)

Maelara · September 2014

T&Ps that your protein levels come back below 300!!

HappyToBeHere · September 2014

Keeping you in my thoughts! Keep us posted.

absolutelymaybe · September 2014

Thoughts are with you! Hope your pee test comes back under 300.

mexinugget · September 2014

FX for good news. Thinking of you.

brooklyngirl18 · September 2014

I hope the test comes back with lower numbers!! if not, sounds like you'll be in great hands. either way i'm thinking of you and hoping for the best. good luck!!

LongIslandMama1114 · September 2014

Hoping your numbers come back lower than 300! But no matter what, it sounds like you're in great hands with this doctor. Thinking of you!!

mander82 · September 2014

Oh boy, well hopefully it comes back less than 300.....sheesh! I cannot imagine going that early! (mainly cause I booked a firehall to have my shower @ 36 weeks!!)

NLJ82 · September 2014

mander82 said:

Oh boy, well hopefully it comes back less than 300.....sheesh! I cannot imagine going that early! (mainly cause I booked a firehall to have my shower @ 36 weeks!!)

My shower is on October 4th...I'll be 35 weeks lol! He may be here to enjoy his own party, who knows! I hope not, BUT I'm sure he'll be healthy either way. I definitely want him to cook longer, but I believe he's like his mother and is extremely impatient so the thought of POSSIBLY meeting him sooner and a plus....I think

Sarahbeth612 · September 2014

Thinking of you and wishing for the best! 2-4 weeks sounds kind of exciting and completely panic-inducing, I can't imagine what you're feeling!

mommymeg143 · September 2014

I'm glad you finally got some answers. It's great that you'll be reporting directly to the doctor now too. Now, positive thoughts and low number vibes for your urine test!! Even though I would love to see his cute face, he needs to wait to make an appearance!!

E&B0811 · September 2014

::lurking from D14::

I hope you and LO are doing well. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents about OSU. I have been working with the MFMs at OSU since about 12w in this pregnancy and love them. They are helpful, patient, direct and professional. I'd heard horror stories about wait times and the like and have never had a bad experience there. If you end up having to go there (and I hope you don't) I hope you have a similar experience.

NLJ82 · September 2014

E&B0811 Good to know! I don't know many people who have went up there and especially not for pregnancy related issues so I'm praying that if I have to see a specialist or even have a C Section done there that everything goes smooth. I hear they're the best around SO...God speed to me!

dr_pr · September 2014

FX for low numbers!

smboswell1 · September 2014

Prayers! No advice, but hoping for good results!

FishyMom · September 2014

So many prayers for you! I hope it works out ok. Hugs

brichar31 · September 2014

I'm happy you are finally getting some answers! FX your numbers come back lower than 300!

sweetbabyrahe · September 2014

Hopefully you have low numbers after that test but I'm glad you at least have some direction and a healthy baby is the most important thing.

minibean16 · September 2014

I like the more positive time of your update! I hope that means you're feeling well-cared for and relieved to have a plan! I would be! And, of course, excited knowing that a HEALTHY LO could be coming sooner.