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Pregnancy

Pre-eclampsia

22 replies

tassey · 04/10/2006 13:54

In January this year i suffered severe pre-eclampsia & lost my baby as well as nearly loosing my life. I didnt realise that I had the first stages of it for over a week, I was extremely ill but did not seek medical advice as I had never been pregnant before so didnt know any of the symptoms, I just assumed that this is how i should feel & maybe it could just be because i am that much older (37). I then realised something was seriously wrong on a Sunday morning, I could hardly see when i awoke. When I looked in the mirror my face was about 2 times its normal size, I had literally balloned to double overnight. My legs were nearly the same size from my thigh to ankle. Im not a big girl - normally 8st & 5.2 ft so I was beside myself with shock. My boyfriend rushed me to hospital & I was hooked up to every machine going. They tried despertely for over a week to keep us both alive but I was eventually told by the consultant that it was basically my life or the baby's (I was 27 weeks). I had to go through a kind of abortion & then go through labour, I had the option of a emergancy C section but I would not have been able to have any more children. This would have been my first (a beautiful little boy - Kalen) so as you can imagine I feel cheated & still long for a baby. I have been told I can try again & would like to but have been advised by my Consultant that I have a 50/50% chance of developing Pre-elampia again, "hopefully" much later in pregnancy this time around. I would like advice from any ladies out there that have been through the same thing & if they suffered again in later pregnancies. I just need to hear that someone out there has been through it and has a healthy baby this time around without any severe complications. I am also so angry at myself that I had NEVER heard of this illness until I actually suffered it. There is always that nagging at the back of my mind that if I had been aware I could have taken immediate action & maybe not lost my son. I really do think that "new" expectant mums should be made more aware of such a severe killer.

OP posts:

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heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:04

I'm sorry for your loss.

I had pre eclamsia and deveolped HELLP which is a complication of pre eclamsia.My son was born at 32 wks and he is now 7.
I didn't develope pre-eclamsia for my second and he was born at full term.
There is less risk of this in second pregnancies it the father is the same.

Why were you told that you wouldn't be able to have a c-section ? Why would that mean you couldn't have children in the future.

You would probably be monitored closely and you make have to take asprin during the pregnancy.

Why not go and talk it through with your GP.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:11

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. What a dreadful thing to go through. I cannot believe your care team did not inform you about this dreadful illness and you suffered as a result.
I developed pre-eclampsia at around 30 weeks. Protien in my urine was the only sign for 4 weeks and midwife had me back each weeks to watch over it. After four weeks she refered me to the hospital. After much too-ing and froing over a week and a massive urine sample where I had to collect every drop I passed in a 24 hour period, I was finally admitted to have my baby at 36 weeks as my bp wouldn't fall. I was induced, baby became distressed & I had a c-section under GA. I wasn't told at the time that you can get flecks in your eyesight as a sign of PE, (which I had) Other than these symptoms I had nothing else normally associated with PE.

My daughter was born weighing 4lb 4oz and is now a lively 3 year old.

I have heard that the risk is reduced in subsequent pregnancies, and that you are monitored more closely/often, but I guess I won't find that out until I have another.

At least if you do have another you will be more aware. Know what to look for.

Please do not blame yourself, PE is not your fault. The midwife who was with us at the hospital told dh that the gene that causes it could be from his side, or mine. You cannot prevent it (as far as I know). You were unlucky enough to be ill informed about it.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:12

heavenis, what is HELLP?

julezboo · 04/10/2006 14:15

Hi Honey

First of all Im sorry for your loss. And what you had to go through.

I was in a similar position on Im greatful that my turned out better.

I was 28 weeks when i started feeling unwell, I had been suffering with a headache for a few days, but I was also in the process on moving into my first home. I went for a midwife appt at 30 weeks to be told I had protien in my water but not enough to be concerned about. I went home and basically slept on and off for the next week or so. I went back for another mw appt at 31 weeks, told the midwife I still had a headache i couldnt get rid of, she told me I still had protien in my water, to go home and rest and if it was the same at my next appt then she would admit me for more tests. That was a tuesday afternoon at 1pm, I went home from there, went to bed and didnt wake till the next day.

When i did wake the next day I was in agony and very swollen, just like you described. My DP at the time rung the labour ward and I was taken in. When i got there i felt fine, headache was still there, they made me a cup of tea and some toast, check my bp, it was high I think. I wasn't really told much until I asked when i could go home. Then i was told I wouldnt be going anywhere till my baby was born.

To cut a long story short, My ds was born very small at just over 31 weeks. He was ok, just small so was taken straight to scbu.

I however on the other hand wasnt ok. I remember the day he was born, I remember the scbu nurse showing me a polaroid picture of my ds and thats it. The rest My family have told me. The next day the docs came on the rounds, I had no movement in my right side at all. They could wake me either. I was transferred to ICU for tests, mri scans, lumbure punctures. My family where all forced to come out of work, and from where ever they where living at the time and they was told if I survived I would certainly be in a wheelchair and never be able to walk again.

2 days after the birth i was transferred 40 miles to a nuero centre, my family had come from all over the country to "say their goodbyes" I was in a coma for 9 days. Finally though I did come round, i had more tests and My pre eclampsia had developed into eclampsia and I also has cerebal odeama (swelling on the brain) and a mild stroke. Alot for a 20 yr old girl to go through. I dont really remember all of it, I was moved from ICU and taken to HDU, then to a recovery ward, I proved all them doctors wrong once there and got up out of bed to go to the toilet. Shortly after i was taken back to my hospital where i met my ds for the first time. I have no side effects of what happened.

They couldnt tell me then why it happened, just put it down to one of those things, I was also told 4 yrs ago when i asked my doc about having anymore children, "there are some women i would say never ever get pg again, but your not one of them women, theres a 50/50 chance it could happen but we would moniter you very closely and it would never get to that stage again".

I went onto to have 4 mc's after my ds and have been diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder called factor V leiden. They have told me this was also the reason all of the above happened.

As for advice as whether you should try again, its totally up to you, I can try and explain what to expect. I am now 20 weeks with my 7th preg but second child. I am anxious, on baby aspirin and heparin injections. My blood pressure is ok this time, but the one thing I do have on my side is that I now know what to look for and can be treated right away. I have changed hospitals too but even these doctors want to keep an eye on me from 20 weeks, the midwife is at the other end of the phone and I have my own bp machine at home and have learnt how to tell whether my bp is high or not.

Sorry this was long and Im sorry if any of it upset you. I did get told to wait 3/4 yrs to try again and my ds is nearly 5 now. All my mc's have been in the last year.

Good luck honey and I hope I have helped you ((((hugs)))))

Julie x x

heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:18

Hauntsandcastle HELLP is all to do with things like liver function,how well your blood clots etc.
My platel count went down to single figures and I had to have a transfusion of them before they could to the emergency c section otherwise I would not have survived.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:32

Wow...reading this has really opened MY eyes on how bad it can get! I mean, I knew of eclampsia after the event & I knew it was potential, but it seems there was ALOT I didn't know!

heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:33

Just looked up what each letter stands for couldn't remember with it being 7yrs ago

H= haemolysis
EL= elevated liver enzymes
LP = low blood levels of platelets.

I also took part in a trial for magnesium sulphate to see if this helped women with pre eclampsia.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:34

it was potentially fatal

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:34

what was the outcome?

heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:40

Do you mean the out come for me.
Ds1 born at 32 wks 4lb 6oz straight to SCBU for two weeks then tranfered back to our hospital. (No room when I was taken in).He is now 7 and fine.
I soon recovered luckly,and hadn't realised at the time how ill I was.

julezboo · 04/10/2006 14:42

pretty scary isnt it. I will be induced/given a c section before around 36 weeks this time but I am worried about it all escalating, the docs told me if that midwife had of sent me sooner it probably wouldnt have got so serious. I also had an eclamptic fit.

I heard of HELLP but dont know much about it tbh, the docs say the baby aspirin and heparin should prevent it from happening again with this baby. But already this pg is totally different.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:45

I also took part in a trial for magnesium sulphate to see if this helped women with pre eclampsia

the outcome of the above? Sorry, not too clear, was I?

heavenis · 04/10/2006 14:45

My second pregnancy was totaly different from the first. (Although I did have gestional diabetes but late on.)
With the second one my blood presure was fine all the way through no protien etc he was born at 38wks 8lb 13.5 oz.
I have now been sterilised.

HauntedsandCastle · 04/10/2006 14:48

thank you. We are hoping to have another, soon. I am worried about it, but knowing that things can be OK the next time round is a big help!

littlefrog · 04/10/2006 14:59

My grandmother lost her first baby and nearly lost her life to pre-eclampsia in the 1930s; she's a bit vague about what happened, but I think she was unconscious for a while. She went on to have two healthy children with no trouble.

tassey · 04/10/2006 15:03

thank you all for such good advice, I really needed to hear from other women that have suffered with this rather than the advice of doctors (which of course I appreciate). Its good to hear that there is hope of a healthy pregnancy after an illness such as this. I couldnt have a c section because it would've had to be an emergancy as my major organs were not working working by themsleves & my blood wasnt clotting properly so they were concerned of the blood loss I would've suffered obviously even more than if i were to give birth (if thats possible!). To be quite honest I didnt remember much apart from the noise of all the machines, I was in & out of conciousness for most of the time, it was my poor dp & family that had to witness the clear side of everything, at one stage they were told that there wasnt much more the doctors could do & I may not survive, I cant even imagine what my poor family must have gone through. But I already feel so much more positive after all of the responses I have recieved. Thank you so much

OP posts:

heavenis · 04/10/2006 15:08

You sound like me I had problems with blood clotting and I had to have a transfusion before they could do the c section. Otherwise I would have just bleed.

My liver started to go funny too, the caphiter looked like it had mud in it not urine.

I'm sure you would be kept alot closer eye on the next time round.

tassey · 04/10/2006 15:29

I am still on tabets 9 months later and I have to have regular check ups at the hospital as it really effected my blood pressure & health, the midwives that helped out when I was in hospital didnt even recognise me at first when I came back to an outpatients apt as I had originally ballooned to what looked like a size 18 & then returned to a normal size 8 after I had fully recovered! I was originally on 16 tablets a day but my GP/hospital then slowly lowered the dose/talbets & I am now only on 2 which I am so pleased with. I have been advised that I will have to take aspirin straight away with any future pregnancy like some of you have & I will be closely monitored.

OP posts:

heavenis · 04/10/2006 15:32

I was told I would have to take asprin,but I never needed it or blood pressure tablets second time round.

LieselVonTrappDoor · 04/10/2006 16:19

I had eclampsia. My DD was born at 37weeks totally healthy thank goodness. It was the other way round though and I was in intensive care. DH and I met with lots of very knowledgable people from the hospital afterwards and they also said the risk was 50/50 but that they would spot it earlier and I would be under much more care. I have never had another child since and that was 5 years ago. Its not to say I wouldnt though but there is still a niggling doubt in my head.

LieselVonTrappDoor · 04/10/2006 16:25

Im so sorry about your loss tassey I have just re-read. I never heard of this until I had it as well. I think its just as well cause when they told me it was full blown eclampsia it didnt ruffle me too much cause I didnt know what it was. I also since then have every faith in the NHS cause I was given a pretty slim chance of survival and they were also quite amazed that the baby was doing so well.

lisa27 · 04/10/2006 16:43

Hi,
Sorry to hear all those sad stories. I had pre-eclampsia twice. Both were fairly late onset and the second really was pretty late - can't remember exactly when now. I never experienced the other serious complications some of you talk of but I was monitored pretty well. By the time we decided we wanted to have baby number three (despite rumblings from the obs doctor that I should think carefully about having more) I contacted the pre-eclampsia charity Apec who were incredibly helpful and gave me details of one of their specialists. I asked my GP to refer me and I tested +ve for Hughes Syndrome (another blood clotting disorder). I had shared care with his hospital and my local hospital and took asprin and self-injected fragmin and I had no pre-eclampsia and no IUGR (just Strep B instead!).
I would really recommend contacting Apec (Action on Pre-eclampsia) for support and information.
Sorry, can't remember web address but sure you will find it with a search.

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