Pre-e questions

I know that normal bp is 120/80. At what point is it considered to be of concern for preeclampsia? Mine is usually quite low (100/65) as a standard and for the last week has been about 135/80. I also have sudden swelling in my hands and feet. Yes, I mentioned it to my doctor and she's monitoring me. I don't show any other signs. My vision has been fine, I've been feeling fine for the most part, and I have no headached. With the swelling, however, I feel sprained. I feel as though all my joints in my hands are badly sprained until I get them moving a bit in some warm water. I can't move my hands pretty much at all in the middle of the night through to the morning, not even to pull blankets onto me.

I don't know much about this condition and am reluctant to read about it on the general web because the "previews" I've seen paint worse-case scenario pictures.

 

QUOTE(Lizzybo @ Aug 29 2008, 07:28 PM) [snapback]954134[/snapback]
I know that normal bp is 120/80. At what point is it considered to be of concern for preeclampsia? Mine is usually quite low (100/65) as a standard and for the last week has been about 135/80. I also have sudden swelling in my hands and feet. Yes, I mentioned it to my doctor and she's monitoring me. I don't show any other signs. My vision has been fine, I've been feeling fine for the most part, and I have no headached. With the swelling, however, I feel sprained. I feel as though all my joints in my hands are badly sprained until I get them moving a bit in some warm water. I can't move my hands pretty much at all in the middle of the night through to the morning, not even to pull blankets onto me.

I don't know much about this condition and am reluctant to read about it on the general web because the "previews" I've seen paint worse-case scenario pictures.

Lizzy, I just went throught (well, am still going through) a blood pressure scare as well. Mine's up to 124/100 and they've determined that it's more related to my body position (horizantal vs. vertical) than pre-e conditions. Just keep an eye out for the other symptoms and your doc will probably run some tests. I was lucky that mine all came back negative.

Keep us posted and hang in there!

 

I was pre-e with my first pregnancy (one of MANY complications) and even went eclampsic.

Honestly.... the best things you can do is RELAX and rest on your side. The docs prefer your left side (and really, all the way up on your hip), but we experimented for my comfort and took my blood pressure in several different positions. For me, mine was almost as low on the right side so the peri was okay with me shifting from my left to my right.

The biggest thing for me was starting to monitor it at home. You can get the cuff (with it's own little machine to take it) at the pharmacy. Then I got a spiral notebook and took it every 4 waking hours.... or there abouts, because it seems silly to wake up, stress out, and take my blood pressure, which in turn then made it go up! If I saw any type of rise, then I monitored it more closely until it either went up beyond the parameters my peri gave me or went back to normal.... DEEP BREATHING and SERIOUSLY RELAX. It's what is best for your babies AND for you.

I'll gladly walk you through more details, if you want them, but the biggest thing is staying calm. If you are calmed by baths, take them. We discovered that driving stressed me out, so I wasn't allowed to drive from 15 weeks on! To the poin that I would go curl up in the back seat of our car and sleep BEFORE it was time to leave so that my husband could literally drive with me never knowing we'd left the house. Do what keeps you feeling rested.

And most importantly, it was NOT my pre-e that caused complications for my baby... she was SEVERE IUGR (which was due to placental issues).... so please don't look at my signature and freak. The majority of Pre-E women do just fine. Feel free to PM me and I'll gladly give you first hand and research knowledge (I'm determined to know EXACTLY what I CAN do to make it -hopefully- not happen this time!) as well as support.

Oh... and dark chocolate lowers pre-e symptoms and risks. Just sayin'. So eat your dark chocolate, momma!

Dominique

 

Thank you, Dominique. I'll take your advice to heart and put in more resting time and consider eating dark chocolate. I have a neurological disorder, though, that is affected badly by chocolate (too many stimulants). I have to be careful with it. I'll ask my doctor, though, to see if it's okay for this situation.

 

I had pre-e. It started with accute swelling in my hands, feet, and legs around 33 weeks. at 35 weeks I started being seen for bp checks twice a week because of the sudden/extreme weight gain (15 lbs in 2 weeks). I gained an additional 15 lbs from 35-37 weeks (for a grand total of 90 lbs, most of which was fluid). I was finally induced at 37 weeks when my bp finally went up and there was protein in my urine (bp had been fine at that point). BP that day was like 150 or 160 over something. They sent me right to the hospital.

My edema was serious. I couldn't even bend my right leg it was so swollen with fluid. I think you're OK at this point. Just lay low and keep an eye on the swelling.

 

I think when your BP is above 140/90 (either #) they start to worry. I have had the same experience as well as it has gotten later in my pregnancy. All of sudden after gaining 1 pound a week I have begun to gain at least 2 1/2-4 lbs!!! I started swelling overnight as well in my hands and feet. My BP has only been high once at an appt though and it was 140/85 and they had me relax for 15 minutes and it went it back down. Good luck

 

I was pre-e with my first. My BP slowly started to raise just after my 28th week. And I was starting to gained 1-2lbs a week. I did two 24 hour urine catches, only the last one showed protien. But since It was slow at first and the doctor was not concerned. At my 35 week visit, he noticed a BIG difference in swelling, and told me to come back in a week. In just one week I gained over 15lbs. I was so swollen my shoes wouldnt fit. My hands, and face didn't look like mine. I went into the DR and they took my BP and it was VERY HIGH. My doctor sent me home to get my bags and advised me I would be induced that day.

I was very active in my pregnancy I worked all the way up to 34 weeks, Full time with 9+ hours on my feet. That was my BIGGEST mistake. I didn't take care of my body.

Take care Mama! I hope everything turns out ok!!! Youre in our thoughts!

 

QUOTE(hardinfamtwins @ Aug 30 2008, 02:53 PM) [snapback]955060[/snapback]
I was pre-e with my first. My BP slowly started to raise just after my 28th week. And I was starting to gained 1-2lbs a week. I did two 24 hour urine catches, only the last one showed protien. But since It was slow at first and the doctor was not concerned. At my 35 week visit, he noticed a BIG difference in swelling, and told me to come back in a week. In just one week I gained over 15lbs. I was so swollen my shoes wouldnt fit. My hands, and face didn't look like mine. I went into the DR and they took my BP and it was VERY HIGH. My doctor sent me home to get my bags and advised me I would be induced that day.

I was very active in my pregnancy I worked all the way up to 34 weeks, Full time with 9+ hours on my feet. That was my BIGGEST mistake. I didn't take care of my body.

Take care Mama! I hope everything turns out ok!!! Youre in our thoughts!



I too was very active in my pregnancy, working anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a day and the swelling got so bad, (and to dilating/effacing early) my doctor put me on bedrest at 28 weeks. As soon as I went on bedrest, I lost 5lbs of water weight. Now, this week I went back to the doctor and mentioned the swelling was starting to return in my hands, feet, and calves. My blood pressure was okay, 126/71, the week before it was 132/71.

Lizzy, make sure you are getting plenty of rest and are drinking plenty of water. Sodium can increase swelling so you might want to limit things with too much sodium. My hands still feel achy and my joints feel like they are locked, its a weird feeling. Just hang in there and make sure to relax!

 

Thank you for sharing - you've helped. That's exactly how some of my joints feel, too stiff and full to move them. So far it's just my arms/hands, and I have that neurological disorder I mentioned, which mainly affects my arms. That can confuse things. On top of that, we're in the middle of a major heat wave, which could be a contributing factor.

I'm not too worried just now, and I am glad to learn from your experiences and will definitely be taking it easy, drinking plenty of fluids, and limiting sodium. My doctor will run more labs on Thursday so I know I'm in good hands.

Thanks again! :grouphug:

 

Ask your pedi what BP she would be concerned about. I had PIH from the very beginning of my pregnancy. My pedi didn't believe it was pregnancy induced. She was convinced I must just have high BP all the time, because the onset was way too early in the preg to typically be considered PIH. But I had lots of records in the previous 6mo showing my bp of ~110/70. And 2 days after I delivered it was right back to 115/78.

My pedi was concerned with anything over 140/90. I took my bp at least every 4 hours, or anytime I was concerned with it. Staying horizontal made a big impact on my bp. I was pushing 150 over 90 from 28w+. At which time I went on bedrest and was put on BP meds. Swelling really kicked in at about 34 weeks, and I started having trace protein in my urine around the same time.

The good news is that I delivered two healthy boys at 37w0d. Neither spent any time in the NICU. So try not to stress too much and stay hydrated! I know easier said than done, but you have very little control over it, and worrying only makes it worse.