Preeclampsia

So I had my 32 week perinatologist appt on Friday at the hospital. I expected another routine visit, as things have thankfully gone quite smoothly so far. But it turns out I have developed pre-e. My blood pressure has been creeping up every week and ankles getting more swollen. There was talk of admitting me so they could put me on the dreaded mag sulfate and get it under control, but then they did a urine test to check for protein and that turned out ok so he said I could go home. But no more work and I am to elevate my feet as much as possible and no more exercise (I have been walking and swimming).
I also have to start collecting urine in this huge jug and bring it to the hospital for testing. Fun stuff! Oh and go to the hospital 2x/week for non-stress tests. The doc made us an appt for 3 weeks but said he doesn't think I will make it as far as that. He just wants me to go another 2 weeks-says 34 weeks would be much better than 32. I'd like to prove him wrong and go to at least 36 but I guess it will depend. So for now, I'll be taking it easy and hopefully the bp increase will slow down (they don't expect it to get any lower or stop going up).
The good news is that the twins are growing well, they are both about 4 1/2 lbs now, a week above average-yea!

I am interested to hear about others experiences with pre-e... if you were diagnosed, did you have to be admitted to the hospital at a certain point? What did your doc say, as far as activity restriction and bedrest? Did your bp continue to go up, stay the same, go down (I have read pre-e can progress rapidly). Did you end up on mag sulfate and was it awful?
Did you end up delivering early?

Thanks!

Kelly

 

Pre E *can* progress very rapidly so make sure to look out for the warning signs such as severe upper right quadrant pain, headaches, and visual disturbance. Also if you just feel a bit *off* it would be worth it to be checked out.

I did spend a few days in the hospital (had been told that I wouldn't leave without delivering) while they waited to see if I would respond to BP meds. They ran LOTS of tests to check liver function, etc. Because my liver function was good, I was sent home on bedrest and scheduled to deliver the next week at 35w1d. I also was able to have the steroid injections.

At 32 weeks, everyday is a milestone. Listen to your body. Also, the 24 hour urine will give you and your Dr a much better picture of the protein.

 

I had pre-e with my daughter. I was put on bedrest at home and went to the doctor for NST's at least once a week. I did 2 24 hour urine catches and the protein increased, so they sent me in to be induced at 38 weeks.

I'm already having signs of pre-e with the twins, so we are keeping a close eye on it. I'm already on bp meds that are controlling the bp, taking extra vitamins that may help decrease my risk, and supposed to be keeping my feet elevated as much as possible. That's the part I can't do since my husband is deployed and I'm essentially a single mom.

 

I don't have experience with pre-e, I just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you!

:hug99: ,
Heather

 

Haven't had pre-e here (but hospitalized for other reasons: TTTS and cervix short). I was treated with mag sulfate for PTL in another pregnancy, and the only reaction I had was feeling my face flush and eyeballs got warm (weird, I know). It's not always so bad! Hang in there and do that rest. . . Thinking of you and babies!

 

QUOTE
Also if you just feel a bit *off* it would be worth it to be checked out.


My BP had increased gradually as well with alot of swelling. But my first 24 urine was extremely borderline. >300 is a concern, mine was 301. They opted for bedrest, feet elevated, check BP at home, etc. A week later, I just felt off. Went in, BP creeped a bit higher, swelling increased more, put in hospital this time for the 24 urine, it was near 700, babies came that next day.

You aren't going tofeel real good each day as it gets closer, but if you feel off even a smidge more then you think is acceptable, go get checked. Much better to be safe then sorry. With pre-e, things can change very quickly.

 

I developed pre-e towards the last week of my pregnancy. That, in addition to the other problems we were facing with IUGR/TTTS, led to the semi-emergency c/s at 35 wks. Just watch the signs, since they can come on very suddenly. Don't ignore anything! :hug99: you're doing a great job!

 

i hope you go to 36 weeks! you could get a home bp machine and take it 2x a day. i was on bp pills for contractions (the highest dose they can give) and was monitoring mine. for a few days it was way too high. i went in and told them my bp was too high. urine came back a lil bad, and then a few hours later bloodwork/urine came back REALLY bad. and i had them a few hours later. careful if youre just watching for the "signs" of pre-e. i felt perfectly fine, and didnt understand why they were taking my babies 10 weeks early when i felt fine. my mom had pre-e with me and felt fine too and both our bp's were in the 180/200 range. goodluck, relax, and keep cooking those babies!

 

I second the idea of getting a home blood pressure monitor. You can buy these at Walgreens or CVS or whatever drug store you have nearby. They're expensive, but saved me from hospital monitoring.

Lie on your left side as much as possible, drink lots of water, and relax! It's a huge pain to be tied to your couch, but every day you can keep those babies in and yourself healthy is good.

As for mag sulfate, I was on it for 24 hours. 2 hours were before my semi-emergency C-section and 22 hours were afterwards. At first I felt really warm, almost like my blood was suddenly 10 degrees warmer than the rest of me, but after about an hour I didn't notice anything different. After the delivery I didn't even know I was being given mag sulfate - so I guess I didn't have any symptoms.

Good luck... and really... don't stress. =) It will raise your BP!

 

My BP started inching up and I started swelling a ton at 32 weeks. I had a very small amt of protein in my urine. The Dr didn't make a big deal - sent me home. At 33 weeks, BP still going up and little more protein. Still sent me home. I was doing twice weekly NST since 31 weeks so I was monitored closely.

At 34w3d, my BP was way up and lots of protein. They admitted me that day. My liver enzymes were up and platelets down so I had HELLP too. I didn't want the girls born so early so I convinced them to monitor me closely starting with the 24 hour urine. They agreed but if at anytime my labs, BP etc got worse, I was to be induced. I had bloodwork every 6 hours, fetal monitoring, 6 times a day BP checks. I made it another 4 days.

They didn't start the Mag until they started the induction. I guess things were bad at that point. I hated the mag. It made me feel so whoozy and I got very paranoid. I felt aweful. I stayed on the Mag for 24 hours after delivery with no horrible side effects and babies were born healthy.

I didn't realize how bad the pre-e was making me feel until a few days after delivery when I suddenly felt great. I was tired but felt great. As long as you're being watched closely, you should be fine. Listen to your body and let your Dr know when something feels wrong.

Hoping you get a few more weeks and have a very uneventful delivery!

 

I was on mag sulfate twice for several days each time. The first was at 24 weeks due to contractions. I was in the hospital for almost a week and on mag sulfate most all of that time. At first they give you a big dose that makes you feel out of it, but after that they lower it and you return to pretty much normal. I was still having contractions so I was getting a very high dose for my size and there were times when I felt a little off. It's hard at that point to know from what though. Between the mag sulfate, not sleeping, and being so terrified they would come so early it's a toss up. It does make you feel warm so you will freeze out any of your guests Even my heater of a husband was wearing jackets and sleeping under blankets while I complained of burning up. I was sent home on Procardia and bedrest after a week.

At 32 weeks I went in for an NST visit and had increased blood pressure and protein in my urine. They sent me on to the hospital though because I was already taking Procardia which is a blood pressure medicine and it was still going up. They did the 24 hour urine catch and it wasn't good. They gave me mag sulfate to hold things off so I could have the steroid shots again and then after that just to try to keep them in as long as possible checking liver enzymes and something else every 8 hours. I was there from a Tuesday through the following Monday (33 weeks exactly) when they finally decided we couldn't wait any longer.

The c-section went well and I had two very healthy boys at 33 weeks. They were 4 lbs 3 oz and 5 lbs 5 oz. They were in the NICU as feeders and growers for 14 and 17 days but there was never any real fear for them. Also, my little one came home first. Congratulations and good luck. Drink tons of water (100+ oz daily), stay in bed as much as you possibly can.

I'm in central FL too. Feel free to PM me if you would like.

 

Towards the end my blood pressure started creeping up and my ankles and feet were extremely swollen. I was already doing twice a week NSTs due to my US showing a low amniotic fluid level. I went for my NST on a Thursday and my doctor told me that Friday would be my last day of work. I was to stay home from then on and rest with my feet up. I went for a NST on Tuesday and my blood pressure was up again, but they had my lay on my left side (which was becoming routine at the visits) until it went down a bit. They sent me home. I went back on Friday for my other NST and this time by blood pressure was even higher. They decided to do lab tests and my platelets were low and my uric acid was high. They said I was pre-eclamptic and I had the babies by c-section within one hour of getting my lab work. I was 35 weeks 5 days. I never did show any protein in my urine, but I have read that an elevated uric acid is as good an indicator of pre-eclampsia. I had magnesium sulfate during delivery and for 24 hours after. It made me feel like I had a bad case of the flu. My blood pressure was still elevated for a while after pregnancy, but we finally got it under control with meds. It has been back to normal since a few weeks after delivery and I do not have to take meds for it.

 

Hi- I just posted about HELLP syndrome, which is similar to pre-e. I was on mag during after after delivery for 24 hours. The best way to describe it is you feel like you are stuck in quicksand. I found it hard to move and my eyes were kind of wacky- I was seeing double at times. Once they removed the drip, every hour was better... I felt like a normal person again. Good luck

 

i was put on bedrest at 28 weeks for high bp. then at 34 weeks, i did the urine jug test...and my protein was extremely high, so they had me go to the hospital that day. i delivered that night. i was on mag-sulfate too, but don't really remember any bad side effects...it all happened so quickly, it seems like a blur.

tips: definitely get an at home bp machine (i took mine all the time), stay on your left side as much as possible, drink lots of water, elevate feet, relax! most of the pp have said the same thing.

don't panic...just do what the doctors tell you to do and you should be fine.

there are other issues w/ pre-e to be aware of, but not everyone experiences them, so just be aware of it.

oh, and the twins were good sizes, 5 lbs. 4 oz. and 5 lbs. 14 oz.

 

I started having elevated blood pressure around 31 weeks. I was put on labetelol, and told to watch for all the signs of pre-e. 3 days later I went to the hospital for low fetal movement. They did an NST, everything was fine, and I was sent home with bedrest instructions. I did a 24 hour urine collection that week, and it came back about 200. My doc told me if the numbers were close to 1000 I would be admitted to the hospital, and if they were close to 5000 I would have to deliver immediately. So I continued my bedrest, drank tons of water, monitored my bp (I had a home one too, it's pretty cool, and you can use your medical flex dollars to buy it if you are enrolled in one of those programs), and watched for pre-e signs. A week later my 24 hour urine collection was in the 900's. I was admitted to the hospital at 32 weeks gestation. I started another 24 hour urine collection that day, and it came back at 3000. They told me I could either have my babies the next day, or I could do one more 24 hour urine collection, but all I was doing was buying about 48 hours til my babies were going to be born. I was devasatated at this point. Nothing was turning out the way I had imagined. I was going to end up with my babies being born on Christmas Eve way earlier than I had wanted. DH and I prayed about this, decided to do one more 24 hour urine collection. I drank tons and tons of water over the next 24 hours, I ate only very healthy foods... and my results came back around 900 again. The entire medical community was in awe. Dr's were coming into talk to me about what I had done to lower my levels, because it is unheard of. Well, we did another collection, came back at 800 the next day (which was Christmas.) I figured it was a crapshoot, but I asked if I could go home. Well, they saw no reason to keep me, since my numbers were decreasing. They sent me home with strict bedrest instructions. I returned 3x/week for NST's, and did 3x/week 24 hour urine collections. I ended up having my babies at exactly 36 weeks gestation.

Anyways, I hope this helps and lets you know that anything is possible, but also to be flexible, and realize that we have such great medical care now, and that your babies will be fine no matter what.

 

QUOTE
I am interested to hear about others experiences with pre-e... if you were diagnosed, did you have to be admitted to the hospital at a certain point? What did your doc say, as far as activity restriction and bedrest? Did your bp continue to go up, stay the same, go down (I have read pre-e can progress rapidly). Did you end up on mag sulfate and was it awful? Did you end up delivering early?

As pp have said, it CAN progress rapily...but it doesn't necessarily always progress rapidly.

With my twins, I developed Pre-E around 20 weeks...and was on bedrest from abt 24 weeks (for a total of nearly 9 weeks). My BP stayed steady (yet high) and went up some during that time also. I was put into the hospital at 32w3 d. Before that I was at the hospital 3d/week for NST's. Once I was put into the hospital I was put on the Mag Sulfate...I don't remember how bad that was honestly.

The reson they had to go ahead and delived 2 days after putting me int he hospital is that my BP would not go down at all (my bottom # was 90-95) and my platelet count was dangerously low (it was 75K when I went in on that Sunday and got down to 70K on the Tuesday that I delivered---normal platelet count is 150K-300K).

I delivered at 32w5d via emergency c-section. I was actually put under general anesthesia b/c of my BP and platelet count...it was safer than a Spinal.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!! Hope youa re able to go to 35-36 weeks!! :hug99:

ETA: I just noticed that this post was older and you are now 37 weeks (if you haven't delivered already). Hope everything is going well for you!! :hug99: :hug99:

 

Just posted concerns about pre-e... I should have read all this 1st...

Please KUP on how you are doing...

Maria

 

I second buying the BP machine I got one on sale for about 30.00 from CVS no need to buy their expensive one, it measured very well. I took my BP every 6 hours unless it was elevated.

Get into bed as much as possible, even making meals or sitting up brought my up.

While in bed make a list of things to buy and ask for help from mother, sister or friend to buy the items you still might need. I met a friend who went at 26 weeks, so I was determined to have everything washed and ready by 26 weeks, then i got pre-e and so glad I did. Buy on-line. A wireless lap top in bed will save your sanity if you can afford it. You can get everything ready from your bed.

Get your husband to do some things, like buying batteries, charging up the camera & video camera, putting swings and bouncers together. Give everyone a list of things that need to be done. If you gradually start now to get things ready it will be less stress later on.

Focus on eating, drinking, and sleeping. Put those things FIRST and orgainizing for the babies only when you can't sleep a minute more. Buy a little fridge (I've heard in the car section of WAlmart ? ) a very small one for protein drinks and later for bottles....

Heather I made it to 36 weeks but my pre-e came on later....

 

Hang in there, pre-e is not fun. You've gotten some great advice and I can only add to stay off your feet as much as possible. I was on strick bedrest with my pre-e and any time I got up and out of bed (even for simple things like brushing my teeth), my bp would spike. Hugs to you! :hug99: