To ask you about pre-eclampsia....

[sittingonacornflake]

So I guess this is kind of a TAAT but I didn't want to derail the other one....

I've been reading the thread about what's the most dangerous thing you've survived and noticed quite a few people said pre-eclampsia.

I had pre-eclampsia and other than enduring a 5 night stay in hospital after the birth for monitoring I didn't notice that I had it.

AIBU that I don't really know much about pre-eclampsia.... is it really dangerous once it's been diagnosed and you are monitored / on blood pressure tablets?

I feel silly, given that I had it, not to know this....

I had it with my third baby too and was constantly asked if she had the same father (she did). My first symptoms were floaters in my eyes and I was in and out of hospital for 5 weeks. I felt fine but I had protein in my urine, headaches and swollen ankles and feet. I still get the swelling 11 years later. I ended up having a crash c-section at 39 weeks but we were both fine as soon as she was delivered.

My pre-eclampsia was undiagnosed. I started having seizures and losing consciousness in labour. I had DC via EMCS under general anaesthetic.
I had no symptoms in the lead-up, it came out of nowhere and was terrifying.
I'm so thankful everyday we were both ok.

I was on hospital for 7 weeks with Ds 23.
I had high BP all that time and odema, but got protein at 38 weeks and bp shot even higher when they induced me.
While i was there one ladies kidneys failed and a baby died due to PE.

I was different in the fact I spent about 3 days a week visiting the hospital telling them I had pre eclampsia symptoms, and they spent 3 weeks sending me home. Guess what, I got diagnosed eventually. Very stressful knowing you’re ill and no one believes you.
I was aware of the risks, and felt all my symptoms were played down, even after diagnosis. It wasn’t until after delivery that my bp spiked and I was suddenly surrounded by loads of people with the matron arguing with surgery about letting the consultant in wearing outside clothes before I fitted. I was allowed 15ml of water per hour all day, bp checked every 5 min, drips in each arm, and not allowed to be left alone. I honestly thought I was going to die. And some people get it even worse. I’m still traumatised to be honest.

I had HELLP syndrome, although I was so ill I didn’t realise how ill I was (despite being a nurse and having seen my blood pressure on the monitor). I was symptomless apart from severe pain under my ribs until I was actually in hospital being checked over for the second time, then it all went downhill rather fast. Ds was delivered by emcs. It was only when I was pregnant second time round that dh pointed out I could have died and could well have done if I’d taken the advice of the maternity triage midwife on the phone to stay at home until my monitoring appointment next day as I probably just had a stomach bug (I was vomiting with pain). I’d also been told a few days previously that I was just anxious when I mentioned the pain.

I too felt traumatised by my PE experience. I say it in the past tense because my 2nd child was born with a PE free pregnancy and was so different that it helped me to get over it.

I felt unwell but didn't know what/why just exhausted and ill and hot and my head pulsed like I was ill and had overdone it at around 32/33 weeks. It was xmas so my appointments were slightly spread out than usual. When I was seen at around 35 weeks my BP was high 160/110 or something. Told I'd prob deliver the next week as some protein. But they retook BP a few times, it came down and I had daily checks (now that was stressful and prob made BP worse - trying to park every day at hosp!). One day I had no protein and a doc said I didn't have PE after all.

After a long weekeend at home I went back and told I did have PE. 24 hour urine collection. Admitted at 36 weeks. Went on BP meds but every day I was a bit worse and felt so stressed and shaky and my limbs started to feel twitchy and mentally I felt a bit bonkers. No one could understand or explain. I couldn't get a wink of sleep and felt awful. Induced at 36+6 and suddenly got a lot worse in the early hours. My mum arrived and I looked dreadful adn started throwing up everywhere, morning urine had been dipped and panic stations.

Wheeled quickly into HDU, drip in, catheter in, waters broken. Then the worse part...mgnesium sulphate drip. It makes you feel like you're on fire and dying. I've never know anything like it. Midwife by my side throughout. Eventually I gave birth vaginally. But placenta wouldn't come out (ragged and ripped out of me - later got infection), night in HDU, not allowed to drink or eat and another week in hosp.

I think my BP staye high from being in hosp after baby came. Was on meds for 6 weeks. DD was ok - a little small and mildy jaundiced, quite sleepy but no ill effects. I was a mess - took months to recover physically and mentally.

I developed HELLP really rapidly, went from no symptoms to severe pain under my ribs and swollen legs in a matter of hours, went into delivery suite and was told by a junior doctor that I had indigestion and to take gavisgon and come back when I was in labour. Fortunately one of the midwives gave me a blood and urine test and I was whipped off for an emergency section (luckily dd was 39+5) so she was ok.
I had a platelet transfusion and spent several days in HDU and 5 days on the ward but was quite ill for many weeks after. I have to say that the trauma of the whole experience stayed with me for years.

Oh my goodness this thread is terrifying! I really, really didn't know it was this dangerous.

Am I right I'm thinking you're more at risk of having PE in s sequent pregnancies once you've had it before? If so, to those of you who have gone on to have another pregnancy, how did you cope with the str3s of possibly getting PE hanging over you?

stoneroses I thought the magnesium sulphate would kill me too. They had to hold me down in the bed to administer it because I was in full blown panic - and spewing which was a nice touch. BP at that point 185/125.

sittingacorn well as I failed to under the gravity of the situation I went right ahead and got pregnant asap. My fears kicked in around the 26 week mark and I was monitored at the hospital weekly then from 32 weeks twice weekly then building to daily including growth scans. My BP with baby 2 was a mess. Too low. Too high. Going to the hospital all the time seemed like a massive bind but obviously I'm glad the care was there for me. I didn't develop it diagnosis-wise the second time - but truth be told I'm not sure my kidneys could tolerate a third pregnancy.

It’s about a 30% chance of developing in further pregnancies I believe, I couldn’t take the risk of being so ill again so dd is an only child.

I had severe PE and HELLP seven years ago with my first pregnancy at 27 weeks. The main symptom was of a really bad pain around my ribs (bra line), like as if a belt was being pulled tighter and tighter. Turns out it was because my liver was expanding. I also felt really ill. I spent an awful night alone at home (wasn’t living with DH then, I had booked my moving date for two weeks later...) and called 111 and labour ward who told me to take two paracetamols. In the morning I phoned the GP who arranged to see me later that day. The pain had subsided but I had high levels of protein in my urine and the GP phoned the hospital to say I was coming. I arrived at the hospital with just my handbag and no coat, thinking I was just going for some routine blood tests. Five hours later, I was having a general anaesthetic and DS was delivered by EMCS. I was then on constant supervision for 24 hours and only allowed 100ml of water per hour as they had to measure my urine output to ensure my kidneys were working. I recovered fairly well after that. However poor DS, weighing only 1 and a half lbs, sadly died aged 6 weeks due to NEC (necrotising enterocolitis, a common cause of death in premature babies - it’s when the bowel gets poisoned and dies). We now believe that the hospital where he was born and cared for incorrectly gave him the wrong milk to build him up, which he couldn’t tolerate. There’s no way of knowing what would have happened had he have been cared for elsewhere or not given that milk, but the hospital concerned has an serious ongoing enquiry into excessive neonatal deaths.

I took advice from my consultant and went on to have a successful second pregnancy, taking low dose aspirin which thinned my blood to prevent clots, and DS2 is now a rowdy 5 year old. Felt it was too risky to try to have another baby due to the first ceasarian’s scar tissue adhering to my bowel causing DS2’s birth to be somewhat alarming and having to have the on call obstetrician come in to deliver DS2 in the middle of the night.

I strongly recommend any pregnant ladies to go with their instincts if they feel something is not right. Don’t be fobbed off. Initially my GP asked me ‘are you sure your bra’s not too tight?’ when I complained of the rib pain! But yes, a couple more hours and it might have been a different story,

In a very very simplistic manner, pre-eclampsia is dangerous, like a stab wound that won’t heal is dangerous.

A small stab wound could kill you, whilst your thinking it isn’t all that bad. But the complications of the injury may take days, or even weeks to fuminate into anything, but untreated the eventual outcome will be negative.
Whereas a stab to the heart kills you almost instantly.
Both have significant negative impacts on your health and well-being, but the severity of the outcome depends on the severity of the insult and it onset. (The difference will pre-eclampsia is the pregnancy can be removed, generally rectifying the problem, unlike a swab wound)

Some people will have completely undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, whilst theoretically life threatening, they will get to full term deliver their baby’s and no one will be any the wiser. Whilst another may become severely ill from it. The rest will land somewhere in between.

It is unusual in this day and age for people to become severely ill from pre-eclampsia, but it is not unheard of. But due to the quality and regularity of our antenatal care, it is usually picked up before it’s too late^.
That said, there will always be some that regardless of the level of antenatal care, the insidious nature of pre-eclampsia will onset quicker than it can be treated.

Excuse my multiple typos 🙈

@RoseLavenderBlue so sorry for your loss 

@babycatcher411 that's a good explanation thank you!

I was told it would be tantamount to suicide to attempt another pregnancy in exactly those words.

@Bluelady to put it bluntly eh?!

My DSis had another baby after her DD, a DS (now 7). We were all on tenterhooks as you can imagine. She had gestational diabetes but thankfully not the PE. It was a high risk pregnancy, obviously, but she wasn't told it was 'tantamount to suicide'.

But when they decided to have a third child they adopted and they now have a lovely 3 year old DS.

My 22 year old was born at 32 weeks and I was very sick. He’s 6 foot now 🙂

I developed PE about 10 days after DS was born which is quite rare. I suddenly got a terrible headache and called post natal ward, they got me to go back in. BP was 200/120. Was immediately readmitted to be stabilised, fortunately I responded well to the drugs.

Was on BP medication for 12 weeks until BP fully stabilised. I'm pregnant now with DC2, consultant thinks my chances of developing PE this time are less than 10% but I'm having more midwife appointments than normal and will be carefully monitored.

PE is very dangerous and I do think there needs to be more awareness around the fact that it can develop post natally. I knew to look out for symptoms when pregnant but thought I was safe post birth, not so!

Gosh this is a scary thread. I had pre-eclampsia but was extremely lucky in that it was controlled by meds and I had lots of monitoring. I have pre-existing slightly high bp so was already on the low aspirin dose and consultant led.

I woke in the night with severe ‘indigestion ‘ when I was 23 weeks pregnant.
I went to the hospital after a few hours as I just felt something wasn’t right. I was given gaviscon which I promptly threw up.
I had NO other symptoms apart from this incredible pain.
The next day the doctors said they thought I had gall stones - did a scan but couldn’t see anything so discharged me & told me to visit my doctor. We didn’t even make it 5 minutes up the road before we had to turn around. I had to crawl on my hands & knees the pain was so incredible.
I was readmitted.
A growth scan showed my baby was small & I was told I must of got my dates wrong.
The next day I was reading in the hospital bed & my nose started to drip with blood.
My urine was blood.
My organs, I now know, were starting to fail.
Bloods were taken and I was told I had a vvvv rare blood disorder- there was no cure & I and my baby would die.
No mention of pre eclampsia/HELLP.
I was moved to a private room & suddenly a consultant rushed in a said I had HELLP & would need an EMC immediately.
I had to have a platelet transfusion first & it took over half an hour to find a vein as mine had nearly fully collapsed.
Unfortunately my little one was too sick & died at 9 days old.
This was 20 years ago . I am still upset that it took 5 days to diagnose but understand it presents itself very differently.
I have 2 DC & had mild pre eclampsia with both. I had scans every week with them & both were delivered at 36 weeks. Small but healthy.
💐 to all who have suffered from this terrible & unpredictable condition

I had it with my first pregnancy. Protein in urine was detected and then major swelling in legs, fingers and toes (even my nose!) and then high blood pressure. I felt fine the whole time but my daughter was delivered by C-section at 34 weeks and was fine but very small. Didn't have it in my other pregnancies but my sister had it and my mum so I suppose it's in the family. My mum never even mentioned she'd had it until after I'd had DD and she casually said, 'oh I had that too and had to have 6 weeks bedrest before I had you'!

I've had PE three times, though the first time was poo poo-ed ant not diagnosed officially years later by my Consultant who reviewed my records (he was one of the leading experts on the subject) That pg ended at 27 weeks with my son not surviving

Second time I was being looked after by the high risk team that also specialises in PE. I was medicated and in and out of hospital for weeks but managed to get to 36 weeks. I know at that time 32 odd years ago, had I not been with a specialist team DS would of been born much earlier.

Third time they were on the lookout and I was on medication from quite early on DS2 was born at 34 weeks. I gad the unusual type of PE that escalates after the birth and I was very unwell for a few days my BP was shocking and I was confined to bed for a few days and my doctors were very worried about a stroke and were considering shipping me off to HDU again

The main difference the third time was that I was very aware of the consequences, I had supported the team that looked after me and had been minor lay involved in PE research

I am now on BP meds long term. I am very grateful to Professor Redman and his Silver Star team at the John Radcliffe. I rally don't think I would be here without them

A family member had it and didn't even know till the dr told her. She felt fine, took some blood pressure medication and was no worse off for it.

I had it and no one knew either, untill it was bad. Like really, really bad. My kidneys had basically shut down as had my liver, I hadn't done a wee in days, but becuase it makes your head all fuzzy I didn't notice. My headache was so awful I couldn't move, I could feel I was dying and was very aware of it, but I couldn't tell anyone I was in so much pain. That headache was worse than labour, it was worse than anything I could imagine. I couldn't evenm see through the rainbow, snake, triangles in my vision.

During labour medication wasn't able to keep my blood pressure down and I came very close to fitting. It was a horrible feeling. It came back again a week or so after the birth, not quite as bad thank goodness. But still so bad that the pain was indescribable.

It can kill, we're jsut incredibly lucky for our antenatal care and greater awareness and treatment options. Blood pressure medication saved mine and my sons lives.