Pre-E

[justbreathe11]

Went to the dr today and was told they are going to start monitoring me for pre-eclampsia. My bp was 144/77, and has steadily been climbing at every appointment. I was supposed to go on vacation with DH next month but my dr has vetoed that. I really didn't think 144/77 was "that" high. But she said there was protein in my urine & apparently the pain under the right side of my rib cage is a no-no as well. Can anyone share their experiences with pre-e? I just feel so discouraged. Now they want to see me in a week for a growth ultrasound that I was not previously scheduled for. How worried should I be about this?

[sariana]

I'm so sorry. I have no advice but just wanted to offer you some hugs :hug: and hope all works out well.

[justbreathe11]

I'm so sorry. I have no advice but just wanted to offer you some hugs :hug: and hope all works out well.

Thank you, that means a lot :love5:

[JenaW]

How far along are you? Did the draw blood work and order a 24 hour urine? Alot depends on the severity (based upon several factors, but mainly your bp, amt of prtiein you are spilling in urine, and whether u r showing sx of HELLP) and how the baby is doing. It can range from a minor nuisance (increased monitoring but no real long term problems for u or baby) all the way to seizures/death for u and/or baby at the most extreme. Nt trying to scare u...it rarely gets that far b/c most obs are quick to induce as soon as necessary for mom's health. Feel free to ask any questions. As an ob physician assistant, I see this quite often.

[TwoBees]

I had pre-e, but I'm not sure I'll be of much help. Mine came on really fast. At one routine appt, my pressure was high, about what yours was. They had me comeback the next day, it was still high, then sent me to the hospital, where they watched me for about 4 hours and sent me home. No protein. Repeat that scenario about 2-3 weeks later. Then, about 2 weeks after that, I went for a routine appointment and my pressure was 180/something. By the time I got to the hospital, it was up to 200. DD was delivered about 36 hours later.

I should add that before the last appointment, I had extreme shoulder and chest pain for several days. I thought I had pulled a muscle, so I took tylenol and put it off until my appointment. So definitely listen to your body and call your doctor if you don't feel right.

How far along are you? Honestly, the 24-hr urine collections are a huge PITA, but I would do them again if it would have kept DD incubating a bit longer (in my case, it wouldn't have, the pre-e came on too fast).

:hug:
This might also help:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/

[BabyH]

My pre pre-e was so weird. It would come and go (which is why it wasn't full-fledged Pre-E) but then it got to the point where I was gaining weight rapidly (3 lbs in 3 days) swelling abnormally, and having vision issues. After being hospitalized for a weekend at 34 weeks, then put on moderate bedrest (more like couch rest, really), DS wasn't born until 37 weeks. I did two 24 hour protein collections, and surprisingly, there wasn't any protein in my urine. Even my doctor was a bit baffled, because up until right around 34 weeks, everything was easy peasy. At the 37 week mark, I was sent to the hospital w/ BP readings over 200.

Good luck- STAY in tune with your body. Pre-E can be managed, but it can also become very serious in a short amount of time. If they send you home, be sure to go to the pharmacy and get a BP cuff for your home. Do what you need to do to stay healthy!

[justbreathe11]

Thanks to everyone who responded. The first urine test they did was a +1. Then they sent me for labs & another urine test. Haven't heard back yet, not too impressed with my doctor's nurse. She seems way too laid back about EVERYTHING, even my doctor seems to get annoyed with her. I am going to call tomorrow and see if they have the results. My dr just told me to call her if I had changes in vision or if my bp was in the 140s again, but I haven't checked it today.

[justbreathe11]

Forgot to add I am 28 weeks.

[FTMLuc]

Definitely listen to your body and take it slow. I am not pre- e as I only have traces of protein in my pee, and everyhing else seems ok, other than BP in the high 140/80 range with BP medication. It started running high around 28 weeks, same as yours, and then at 33 weeks I was feeling off all week, checked my BP, it was 168-170/100+ range, called the Dr, she took me out of work right away, on bed rest and BP meds. but the LO has been measuring really small and I keep getting non reactive NST, so keep going to the hospital for an ultrasound to check on her. But we kept her in and growing, and I am 38 wks 2 days, with induction scheduled for Dec. 9, once I hit 39 weeks.

Good luck, try to limit all stress and keep LO growing.

P.s. Once i was home and not as stressed out and bp somewhat under control, LO caught up in weight gain from 12th % to almost 50th in 2 weeks.

[karstmama]

at least your baby is viable. mine was on the ragged edge, bless his teeny heart.

lots of rest on your side, preferably left. drink, pee, drink, pee, repeat. best of luck.

[TwoBees]

Bumping. OP, just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. I hope your DC is still cooking!

[justbreathe11]

Bumping. OP, just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. I hope your DC is still cooking!

thanks for checking in on me!! I am doing ok, have an appt on Friday, with a growth ultrasound, so we will see how LO is doing! I haven't really been monitoring my bp like I was supposed to, but I think its because DH is being a jackass about it. He keeps telling me I am bringing the bp issues on myself, and the more I think about it, the higher it is gonna be. I plan on mentioning this to me dr in front of him to see what she has to say about it!

[TwoBees]

thanks for checking in on me!! I am doing ok, have an appt on Friday, with a growth ultrasound, so we will see how LO is doing! I haven't really been monitoring my bp like I was supposed to, but I think its because DH is being a jackass about it. He keeps telling me I am bringing the bp issues on myself, and the more I think about it, the higher it is gonna be. I plan on mentioning this to me dr in front of him to see what she has to say about it!


Please measure your BP, it is extremely important. It's the one thing you can do, at home, to keep pre-e from getting out of hand. There is no identifiable cause for pre-e, so you can't be bringing it on your self (although I still give DH a hard time about him raising my blood pressure!). Also, high blood pressure during pregnancy alone is not enough for a diagnosis of pre-e, so even if your own stress was causing a BP increase, it would not cause protein in your urine or any of the other symptoms. Monitor your BP according to your doctor's instructions and call the doctor immediately or go to the ER asap if your bp gets too high, especially if you have other symptoms like chest pain, headache, or are seeing spots. The doctors can begin you on meds to prevent seizures and also give the baby steroids to speed up lung development so the baby has a better chance of survival if born early. You do NOT want to have a seizure. Please believe me about this. I'm sure I sound like your doctor or your mother, but I've been there. We want your baby to cook as long as possible!