PG After Pre-E/HELLP

Kaytee1087 · July 2016

I had preeclampsia pretty bad last time and DD was born via C-section to stop it at 34 weeks. My BP was like 210/150, I had gained 10 pounds of water weight in 2 weeks, and I was spilling lots of protein into my urine. My doctor and the hospital were amazing; I was very well taken care of and DD only had a 13 day NICU stay, learning temperature regulation and how to eat properly. Now here I am pregnant 7 years later, and suddenly having these irrational fears about it all happening again.

At my last doc appointment about 2 weeks ago, my BP was 144/86. The nurse was up in arms about it making me very nervous, but since it had been a VERY stressful week for me that’s kind of what we blamed the spike on, but when the doc came in, she looked at the note the nurse left her about it, but didn’t mention anything about it to me. I was too nervous about it to say anything to her (looking back, a dumb move on my part because I could have had any fears addressed right then), and they never called me about my urine results being out of whack (good sign). Since I know pregnancy hypertension is a thing and doesn’t always lead to preeclampsia, and I was oh so very stressed at the time, I’m trying to take that reading with a grain of salt.

Also I have had almost zero visible swelling (I can feel it in my hands and feet, but everyone else says they looks normal) and reasonable weight gain (between 3-5 lbs a month), so I have that going for me. I decided to keep track of my weights at home to make sure I don’t have a huge spike (taking morning and nighttime readings to see how much on average my weight fluctuates throughout the day).

Then last night I had a dream that I gained 35 lbs overnight and my blood pressure was sky high. I woke up in chills at 4am freaking out. I was finally able to get back to sleep and woke up to the alarm feeling much more calm, but I still can’t shake the nerves about it.

I know stressing about my BP is not going to help my BP at all, so I’ve been taking mile walks on my lunch breaks to try to help calm my ever stressing mind. I also thought talking about it might help, so here’s this thread if anyone else is having a bit of a freak out over something happening again. For me, writing it all down (or typing it all out in this case) helps stop the panic loop in my brain.

maf9866 · July 2016

I don't know if this helps, since my pre-e was argued about throughout my olds obgyn since some of the Drs only considered it hypertension and some considered it pre e, but this pregnancy I have had to see MFM Drs because of that and other delivery complications, at my last appt even though my blood pressure looked good, I was told to start a baby aspirin regimen. The MFM dr at the hospital said they used to not recommend it because of the blood thinning issue (if they ended up having to do something emergency related) but now consider the benefits to outweigh any risk that may cause. So maybe it would be beneficial to ask your dr about doing the something similar? Sending good thoughts for the rest of your pregnancy.

Kaytee1087 · July 2016

@maf9866 I had been reading about the positive results from a baby aspirin regimen and I'm going to try to remember to ask my doc about it at my next appointment in 2 weeks. Thanks for the good thoughts! Sending them back to you too!

simcal18 · July 2016

So I don't know that I quite fit here since I haven't had preeclampsia before, but I am terrified of getting it this pregnancy and it almost threw me into a panic yesterday, so I very much appreciate this thread being here. Going into this pregnancy, my #1 fears were gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. I've never had problems with blood sugar or blood pressure before (other than the occasional high-ish reading here and there, typically caused by stress), but I'm overweight and knew that they were a risk for me.

I was diagnosed with GD on Tuesday, which was really hard. And now that one of my fears has become real, I'm even more terrified that the other one will become real too. Yesterday, I woke up and my hands were a little swollen. I got on the scale and I'd put on about 2.5 pounds in the past week (when up to that point I'd had ZERO swelling and had only gained 3-4 pounds the first 23 weeks of pregnancy). So of course I completely freaked the fuck out. I got so nervous that I actually checked my blood pressure at those pharmacy machines twice and considered calling my doctor (One reading was low 120s/low 70s which was fine, the other was 131/81 which is borderline but given that I was working myself up into a tizzy that's not too shocking). Then I got a headache in the afternoon, which I was convinced was ANOTHER sign of preeclampsia -- in reality, given that the headache was quickly resolved with two Tylenol and a cup of iced coffee, it was more than likely caused by stress and caffeine withdrawal.

In any event, my DH is out of town for work, and I spent the night bawling because I was so scared that this pregnancy is going to compromise the health of me or my baby. The GD I feel like I can manage, but the thought of developing preeclampsia this early is terrifying -- I'm only 24 weeks tomorrow and baby still needs a lot more time to cook (not to mention the fact that we've still done basically nothing yet to get ready for this kid). I'm feeling much better today -- the swelling in my hands is mostly (although not completely) gone, 2 of the 2.5 pounds I'd gained yesterday are gone, and I'm in a much better place mentally. I know chances are everything will be fine, and even if they're not I live in a city with medical care that is among the best in the world. But I guess what I'm saying is that I understand the fear, and I'm there with you, and I really appreciate having a place where we can talk about it, especially today.

ETA I have a nurse visit for my GD on Friday and a monthly OB check in a week from tomorrow -- I will definitely be discussing this issue at my OB visit in hopes of calming my fears a bit and may even have the nurse check my BP on Friday just for reassurance if she doesn't do it unprompted (I think the visit is just supposed to be some diet information and learning how to use my glucose monitor so she may not).

queen_frostine · July 2016

I have never been diagnosed with pre-e and have never had a child before, but I wanted to give a shout out to home blood pressure monitors. I had borderline high blood pressure (it was 140 the first time the doctor checked it, 136 at the end of the appointment, I forget the bottom number) and having a monitor at home gives me peace of mind. I compared the monitor to the blood pressure machine at the pharmacy machine and it was a few points lower with my hand held up at heart level like they suggest and a few points higher with my hand resting on the armrest, so I always test at the latter position. At home my blood pressure is usually in the teens - except that one night I was freaking out thinking I had DVT and it went to 136!

Anyway, I recommend it to anyone freaking out. Ultimately it's around the same cost as the home doppler and a similar peace-of-mind tool. Sorry I can't give more commiseration - honestly I'm fearing the GD test and possible other issues too because of my weight and general sedentary lifestyle, but I'm not there yet and haven't been before.

kolwe · July 2016

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kolwe · July 2016

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UponAStar16 · July 2016

@kolwe I'm sorry for your loss but really, a TW or trigger warning would have been helpful with your inserting a fetal demise story in when someone's stressed about pre-e and starting a thread for O16 moms to talk about dealing with BP concerns/stress.

Anyway, @Kaytee1087 my BP was a little high at one appt so far and the (MFM) dr didn't say anything until I asked, at which point she said they would retest at the end of the appt and monitor bc that was the first time. I also got one of the cheap home BP monitors so I feel a little better being able to check on my own if I'm worried about it (I haven't started checking regularly or anything since I wasn't told to). I def can relate to the vicious cycle of stress and BP haha and I'm not sure the solution but I think a daily walk sounds great. My doctor said the signs they look for are swelling especially in the face, persistent headache that doesn't go away with Tylenol, and black spots/blurred vision.

Kaytee1087 · July 2016

@kolwe She's right, a TW would have been a nice courtesy for those reading who may have had a loss, also. I am so sorry for your loss, though. Glad to hear everything is going along as it should this time and fx that it continues until you're full term!

@UponAStar16 Glad to hear I'm not the only one with spotty BP. I have been keeping an eye on the mirror for my face, and an eye on my feet and hands for any sudden swelling (my rings still *mostly* fit and I still have toes and ankle bones showing).

I got crazy bad headaches the whole time I was PG with DD and took Tylenol like it was my job, so since then Tylenol hasn't done jack for my headaches, or really any aches or pains. I used to/still get really bad sinus headaches/migraines that sometimes even Exedrine wouldn't touch (usually hormone or weather/barometric pressure related) but since I can't have Exedrine now since it has aspirin in it, the headaches just stick around until they feel like going away... Luckily, I haven't had very many since I got out of 1st tri and my hormones regulated, although my head can always still tell me when it's about storm outside.

My contacts don't fit right anymore, which I read here www.pregnancy.org/article/pregnancy-and-contact-lenses, is pretty common for pregnancy, but my glasses have always made me motion sick because I have no peripheral vision with them, so I stick with my ill fitting contacts as the lesser of two evils.

I think maybe all of that is partially why I'm a little more paranoid, because the "signs" of pre-e are things I have anyway, and things that happened even before I was PG. So I'm keeping an eye on the swelling and watching my weight to make sure it doesn't spike like it did last time.

@RainMira9e A home BP monitor seems like a good idea; I am a little concerned now that I'll read high at the doc because I'm anxious that it'll read high and be caught in a cycle... I have an aunt that is a retired nurse, so I bet I could always ask her to take my BP, too.

Thanks for helping me talk this out, ladies.

mommathoner · July 2016

First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your experience and totally understand why you're having anxiety this time around.

I also had pre-e with my first. BP was always borderline high and I started spilling protein at 28 weeks. Luckily, I was monitored closely (NSTs twice/week) and made it to 39 weeks before the BP really spiked and I had no choice but to be induced ... which led to my c-section because my cervix wasn't ready. Of course.

ANYWAY, this time around I am trying for a VBAC. My doctor also recommended the baby aspirin as someone mentioned above. He also reassured me that the risk of pre-e is minimal for second time moms. For some reason, it's a bigger risk for first time moms. (I have no research to back this up for you, but I think my doc's pretty damn smart and wouldn't lie to me, so I'm going with it.) That bit of information made me feel soooo much better.

You should definitely talk to your doc about your concerns and be honest about your fears from your last pregnancy. Hopefully, they can give you some reassurance.

maf9866 · July 2016

I was also told that the risk goes down each time. I have no idea why but so far my bp has been holding steady so I'm just taking a deep breath and hoping it was that ftm fluke.

kolwe · July 2016

Apologize to everyone for not putting 'TW'. It was an honest mistake which i did not realise till now & i thank you all for stating it for my future posts. Wish you all well.

UponAStar16 · July 2016

kolwe said:

Apologize to everyone for not putting 'TW'. It was an honest mistake which i did not realise till now & i thank you all for stating it for my future posts. Wish you all well.

Best wishes for a full, healthy pregnancy for you this time too!

kolwe · July 2016

Thank you soo much.

Kaytee1087 · July 2016

@mommathoner It's nice to hear that pre-e can set in and it doesn't immediately mean hospitalization and delivery. I am the sole bread winner in my house so if I have to take off more then the 12 weeks I saved for, our finances would be in serious trouble. I think that's a lot of where my anxiety lies. DH has some chronic health issues that make working full time impossible, but he does subcontract when he can, it's just an unpredictable source of income.

I'm thinking of switching my OB practice because I should be able to talk to my doc about this, but I really don't want to. I don't have a problem talking to the other doctors in my life, so I'm not sure what's up with this one; I can't put my finger on why I don't feel comfortable talking to her. And the more I think about it, I'm not even sure it's her I feel awkward with but her nurse. She's the one who had me kind of freaking out last at my last appointment and always just makes me feel like something should be wrong.

I actually probably won't deliver with my actual doc unless I have a scheduled c-section (there are like 10 docs in the practice), and I had to see a different doc 2 appointments ago since my doc was on vacation. The other doc asked me how I was and if there were any problems. I said I was doing fine, no problems to speak of. Her response? "It wouldn't be a pregnancy if there weren't problems!" What if I end up with this doc who is LOOKING for problems when I deliver? The more I think on it, the more I want to change...

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