Pregnancy related illnesses after birth - anyone?

[Jzee]

I was critically ill for 3 years after ds was born with a rare pregnancy related illness. I have yet to meet anyone that has been in similar circumstances, although I'm sure there are many mums out there? Just wondering how you are feeling now ?

hiya. after my last child was born i spent the next 18 months or so attending various hospital appointments. firstly to remove a huge varicose vein that was hanging like a golf ball from the inside of my thigh. then to see a nephrologist about my kidneys which are now apparantly damaged by my raised blood pressure from my first two pregnancies.blimey all i did was have my children..not fair is it?

Hi ya bubblepop: Did the midwives or doctors know that your kidneys were damaged after your first two pregnancies or could it have been prevented? I thought my pregnancy was fine except for the fact that I had really bad water retention and was the size of an elephant! The midwives just kept saying 'keep an eye on that' and the doctor told me to stop eating so many cakes! I just wonder how many other women have had similar experience?

hi jzee.sorry for late reply, only just logged on! well after my first pregnancy it was a midwife who told me that i should 'get this checked out'- i had lots of protein in my urine due to pre-eclampsia. to be honest, baby was ill after being born and i really did'nt realise the significance of what she was trying to say to me. not one doctor even mentioned it further. in second pregnancy there was just a little raised blood pressure near the end and so another induced birth. i think, in hindsight, i should'nt have had any more children, but i suppose the damage was already done at this point. third pregnancy was fine but this was some five years later,and then my fourth was quite unexpectedly conceived when my third was just nine months old. i was terribly ill the whole pregnancy with what they thought was repeated urine infection;but eventually turned out to be chronic kidney disease.my consultant told me the damage has been done through having high bp through my first 2 pregnancies. i suppose it could'nt have been prevented, unless i had remained childless all my life. still, perhaps if someone had told me the knock on effect of high bp then maybe i would have made an informed decision as to whether to have any more children. i do feel that doctors keep information from you and tell you very little..its on a 'need to know basis' isn't it? so what happened to you jzee?

Hi Bubblepop: I think you are right about the doctors providing little information.I suppose my dissapointment( to say the least) would be with the midwives that I saw when I was pregnant as they should have referred me to my doctor. Totally out of the blue and 12 hrs after birth I suffered heart failure and couldn#t breath and to make matters worse the hospital wasn't prepared for an emergency it was mahem. Fortunately, I had some good doctors along the way - but some of the midwives at the hospital were useless. I probably sound quite pissed off about it all and in a way I am, but as you probably know having kids is a positive diversion.

I had a baby 8 months ago and since then have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroditis (underactive thyroid) as a direct result of pregnancy, gallstones and am having tests tomorrow for Addison's disease again as a result of pregnancy.,

DH and I laugh about it but it does get me down that having our beautiful little girl has caused me so many health problems and I do worry about the future. Both the above could cause fertility issues and I have to take medication for rest of my life.

Not same situation as you guys but kind of related x

jzee. what happened to you is bloody SCARY. are you going to have anymore children,have you just got the one? they say having children is the most natural thing in the world, but they don't tell you what a strain it can put on your body. im kinda glad you started this post because sometimes i think im the only person i know with a few health probs after my children.

BABYEATSDIDDLYSQUAT, thansk for joining in, yes its a bummer isnt it? im afraid ive no idea what addisons disease is without looking it up..don't worry too much about the thyroid as once your medication is right it should,nt cause you too many problems..ive been on thyroxine for 20 odd years or so now. take care of yourselves anyway and i'l be back in a bit.X

Hello both,

Thanks for letting me gatecrash!

Addison's disease is another autoimmune disease like Hashimoto's but it attacks adrenal glands whereas Hashimoto's attacks thyroid gland. Quite common to get more autoimmune diseases once you have one.

Am waiting for my thyroxine to kick in, been on it since January and had it increased once but not feeling much better. If I have got Addison's it would mean having to wear a medic alert bracelet as in cases of emergency they have to give you adrenaline, would also mean being on steroids. Just don't want another illness to add to the medical dictionary!! Since lo was born it's been a constant round of appts and tests and without family nearby that can be quite hard to manage.

Oh well! x

Jzee - did/do you have post-partum cardiomyopathy? There is another mum on Mumsnet who had that (LGJ) - not sure what her current posting name is though.

just joining in to say the same as babyeatsdiddlysquat - diagnosed with hypothyroid and had my gallbladder out - both as a result of pregnancy. But nothing like your league.

I also had phlebitis after the birth which is known as milk leg - so also related to birth. Very, very painful leg inflammation but all fine now.

gatecrashing a bit but very similar to you guys -

1. Hashimotos thyroiditis and then radioactive iodine treatment as it didnget get better
2. Heart Arrythmia
3. Umbilical Hernia (just recovering from having that removed) 4)Slight prolapse of womb
4. Liver problems
5. Hypoglacamia

Sometimes it can get you all down can't it ! I look at DH and think 'next time I am coming back a man !'
BABYEATSDIDDLYSQUAT, hope your thyroxine kicks in soon. What dose are you on ? I am on 150mcg a day.

Mousemole I'm on 100mcg, not feeling any better though and goitre is still large, that's why I'm having tests tmw for Addison's as lack of cortisol and adrenaline can make you tired.

Also being tested for Coeliac's on Friday!!

eczema. trivial compared to what you lot are going through, but not much fun and yep I'm stuck with it.

BABYEATSDIDDLYSQUAT, it can take a while for things to level out with the thyroxine so hang on in there. I was tested for Coeliacs which came back negative. Hope you feel better soon. Thyroid problems are a pain aren't they ! I have my mother to thank for mine!

I also have my mother to thank for mine! Although hers is not Hashimoto's.

I got an autoimmune disease when pregnant - Ideopathic Thrombocytopeania Purpurae (ITP for short), which means that my blood doesn't clot properly. No cure, and as I don't want to be on steroids for the rest of my life, or have my spleen out, I manage it on my own, and have been doing so for 12 years now. I have blood tests every 6 months to see what my platelet count is doing, and can have steroids if necessary.

I know when it's getting bad as I get very tired, and get a most attractive rash spreading up my legs from my feet. I also bruise fairly spectacularly when I bang into things even slightly when the platelets are down.

I was advised not to have more kids, so just have the one.

Leonie you are brilliant, I may need more advice and support from you if it does appear to be Addison's as well. Just got back from hospital so now we sit and wait for results.

I'm 34 so want to crack on with no.2 even though no.1 is only 8 months old but also want to make sure all this is sorted and medication is stabilised.

Don't all these diseases have stupidly long names?!

Hi LeonieD - only just found this posting and realise its a year old now but if you are still out there, would love to have some advice from you. I had a horrendous first pregnancy (2005) - sick all day, every day, lost weight, confined to bed and then had an emergency c-section at 37 weeks. Some 4 months later, still being sick and really unwell, I was diagnosed with Addisons (aged 35). Now I take hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone daily and, touch wood, am coping pretty well. I would like to try for a second baby, but am really worried that I'm going to have another bad pregnancy and don't know how I'll cope with my little one during this. Just wondering how your pregnancy went and how it affected the Addisons (if at all?). Did you have to increase your dosage of medication and did you have a natural birth? Any advice would be much appreciated xx

Hi Jzee, I'm new to the board, just wondered how you are since being diagnosed with post-partum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) adn if you have had any further children. I to was diagnosed with PPCM 2 yrs ago after the birth of my first child. As you can expect, no-one has heard of this condition, so would be interested to know how you are getting along.

Hi, would like to know if anyone else has suffered with post-partum cardiomyopathy during their pregnacy. Is a rare condition which I have had for 2yrs and contemplating another pregnancy, just wondered if ther is anyone with simlar experience.