Pre-eclampsia mentalling thread

[Fishandjam]

A place to come and kvetch/worry/chill for anyone at risk of developing pre-eclampsia in their pregnancy. We have buckets for those still feeling sick, cushions for those who are just plain knackered, and crisps and ginger beer for everyone else. Come and say hi!

Lol fish! I know delightful convos we have in here sometimes
That is a bit more worrying though, if you're pouring that much in, and only get that much out. Trying keeping a fluid balance chart tomorrow of your input and output and see if the difference is big (you can expect to see about 800mls less out than in though).

Well, I checked out OK at the DAU today - probably a bit post-viral, according to the midwife who saw me, and the disrupted sleep caused by restless legs won't be helping. BP fine, urine fine, fundal height fine, foetal HB fine (when they could hear it above the proto-fishette kicking seven shades out of the doppler!) Possibly a tiny bit anaemic but they won't do bloods for another 2 weeks. I'm due a regular MW appointment a week today so I'm to report any worsening or lack of improvement then.

confuzed, how are you feeling now?

I'm actually feeling ok today thankyou. How about yourself?

that's good fish; and glad you're feeling ok too confuzed.

Bump.

Hi everyone. Just checking in to see how you all are. I'm feeling grotty again but hoping that it's just down to (a) baby's head being right up under my ribs (giving me lots of upper abdomen discomfort!) and (b) lousy night's kip due to restless legs and wakeful DS1. Awaiting the results of LFT which was done at the same time as the Hb and cross-match last week.

How far along is everyone? I'll be 30 weeks on Sunday (scan dates - by the calendar, it's 30 weeks on Thursday).

Me again :)

My LFTs have all come back fine (in particular the ALT levels, which are 21 - when it all went pear-shaped last time they were 2000+!) The only slight anomaly is serum albumin (I think...) which was 28 when it should have been over 40. The GP has said to eat more protein.

Of course I asked Dr Google stupid girl which said that low serum albumin could be a sign of all sorts of horrible problems with the liver/kidneys. But apparently it's also usual for levels to drop in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, to around 75-80% of what they should be. (Due to increased blood volume etc.) So I'm only a little bit lower than that.

Is this something anyone else has any experience of?

Helloooooooooo! Glad to see someone has revived the thread
Glad all is well with you Fish.
I am 28+1 and am back at the hospital tomorrow for another Doppler and bloods. Have a persistent trace of protein but no-one is bothered about it as long as it stays trace only. BP seems to be behaving at present. Feel very tired, most of the time and HUGE!! Not noted any swelling in particular though, just continue to look washed out. Never bloomed in the 2nd trimester at all, but the end is now in sight

Hi all - I've really enjoyed reading through this thread! My ex DP had suspected PE although (like lots of you it seems) she didn't have the proteinuria and only slightly raised BP. She delivered naturally (1 hr labour start to finish, barely made it to hospital on time) at 31+5 to a nearly 5lb baby (due to gestational diabetes).

Anyway...

I'm currently 28+2 (waves to missing) and have been in hospital twice for monitoring. I've had Braxton Hicks every day since 22 weeks. At 23 weeks I had constant period pain across my lower bump, went in and had cervix checked - closed, BP normal, no protein. Sent home.

At 26 weeks I had a dizzy moment while visiting a relative in hospital, felt really flushed and racing heart. My BP is normally 90-100/65-80. I asked one of the nurses if she could check my BP just to reassure me and it was 140/90. I went down to L&D triage, where they found no protein, BH every 5-ish minutes, BP stayed elevated around 130's/80's. My highest reading was 145/95. I was monitored for about 4 hours then sent home with a 24-hour urine collection, which came back negative for total protein so have been told it's all fine.

I have severe oedema, it was pitting when being monitored in hospital. I should upload a pic to my profile to show you, particularly feet/ankles/calves are just incredible. I was having a headache the day of being monitored but since then only have them sporadically (never suffered from headaches before).

My obstetrician (I'm in the US where everyone is monitored by a doctor, not a midwife) says I need to drink more as dehydration can cause BH. But even when I have had lots to drink they still don't go away. My back pain is incredible at this stage, I know to expect some degree of backache in pregnancy but over the last couple of weeks it is just constant and all over. Most of it is in the lower back, dull 90% and sharp 10% of the time. I've been wearing a support belt the last few days which takes care of the lower back pain, but then I have upper and mid-back pain instead.

I am overweight but not obese (or wasn't before the pregnancy anyway!), have gained about 2 stone (28-ish lbs). I keep having a niggling feeling that something isn't quite right, but my proteins are all negative, BP hasn't gone above 130/80 since monitoring at 26w, and my cervix is closed so no one has any suggestions for me. Feels very disempowering to say the least. Just wanted to share my symptoms in case anyone had experienced this before and also been told all fine for it to then not be?

Oh and I've been exhausted the last 2 weeks. Like 1st-trimester fatigue, could nap every day (and frequently do), can't go more than an hour around the shops without feeling completely worn out.

Hi all, and especially hi fishpond (us fishy types must stick together!) How are you feeling now? I totally hear you on the fatigue front. Your oedema and BP sound a little concerning, but if you're under an obstetrician then I'd hope you're being monitored to the Nth degree.

Hi other fish!

I was actually in labor and delivery yesterday hooked up to fetal monitors as I had very bad pitting edema. My BP was a little high but nothing alarming. There was a trace of protein in my urine so I am doing a 24 hour urine collection at home today. My blood tests came back fine, I'm just hoping that this urine collection will pick up anything if I'm getting PE gradually. I just have a feeling that this baby is going to come out early due to one thing or another!

Hi all, sorry to hear of your experiences with PE.

In my last pregnancy, I had mild PE toward the end of my pregnancy (37 weeks) - high BP, pitting oedema, protein in urine. I was very lucky though that all blood tests came back normal, so apart from some monitoring requiring a stay in hospital my daughter was born at 39 weeks by CS as planned.

I'm just worrying a little bit now - I'm 19 weeks and I've just noticed very slight swelling in my ankles. I'm guessing this is normal though! Up until now, all my BP and urine tests have been fine, but don't get to see my midwife for 5 weeks. I guess I'm just scared of it happening much earlier in this pregnancy.

Was thinking of buying a BP monitor to test at home, has anyone ever bought the protein urine sticks to keep an eye on things too? What would you recommend.

Thanks.

Hi due. Understandable that you're concerned with ankle swelling. I guess the thing to do is mention it to your MW and make sure you're regularly monitored. I've got a home BP monitor, though I have no idea how accurate it is - I use it for reassurance more than anything else. I was wondering about the urine sticks too, but having googled them they seem hellish complicated and I wouldn't be sure I was reading them right!

My hands and feet have swollen slightly over the last couple of days - something to report to the consultant tomorrow...

PS: fishpond, sorry to hear you had to be hooked up to monitors. But if your bloods came back fine I think there's probably not much to worry about at this stage - alarming as your oedema probably looks! Have fun collecting 24 hours worth of wee

Actually, I have a vaguely funny story about that. My mum had PE with me and had to do a 24 hour urine collection before a consultant appointment. At the time she lived in a rural area of the West Midlands, and (this being the early 1970s) her consultant was at UCH down in London. So she, my dad and a gallon jar of cold wee travelled on the train down for her appointment. The wee was sitting in a holdall on a spare seat. Along comes the ticket inspector, and says "you'll have to put that on the luggage rack". My dad says "I really don't think you want us to do that." Ticket inspector says "well you'll have to buy another ticket then." My dad shows ticket inspector what is in the holdall....

Thank you fishandjam.

Hello,

Just looking for a bit of hand-holding, really. Currently 39+1; was referred to DAU yesterday by community midwife as I had 1+ protein on my urine test and my bloods came back funny. All fine on bloods taken at DAU, everything fine on CTG and they gave me a 24hr urine collection bottle. Took that back today and they did a placental doppler (no probs), scan (fine) and a renal scan (kidneys look normal) as well as a vaginal exam (cervix like Fort Knox though feels really sore up there now). And my blood pressure is always low to normal. Follow up at DAU on Friday then consultant appointment on Wednesday.

So basically I keep going through this thoroughly frustrating dance of having proteinuria (I've never had less than a trace, according to my notes) and having it checked out only for nothing to appear dodgy. No headaches, pale stools, epigastric pain, hyperreflexia... flashing lights once and slight oedema another time but both times everything else was normal.

I was feeling fairly serene and philosophical about it all but they've started mentioning induction and now I'm starting to freak out - this is getting v far from my hoped-for water birth in the MLU and I thought I was ok about that but I'm not so much... and - for better or worse - I can't find anything useful info about why I'm constantly spilling protein. I'm just really feeling overwhelmed and don't know what to do with myself :(

Hello everyone. I have popped on here before but wondered if the thread is still alive for some calming/advice. I am 15 weeks. Previous PE, LBR baby, long hospital admission and transfusion with DD1. Been very positive this pregnancy will be different but slightly worried with an increase in headaches, extreme tiredness and thirst over the last week and the. Sudden and violent vomitting which doesn't feel like a bug (nobody else at home sick). Logic telling me too early for PE to rear its ugly head but currently waiting for the GP to caller back so I can get BP checked. Anyone else experienced symptoms so early it am I just being paranoid? Any experiences or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Hello everyone. I have popped on here before but wondered if the thread is still alive for some calming/advice. I am 15 weeks. Previous PE, LBR baby, long hospital admission and transfusion with DD1. Been very positive this pregnancy will be different but slightly worried with an increase in headaches, extreme tiredness and thirst over the last week and the. Sudden and violent vomitting which doesn't feel like a bug (nobody else at home sick). Logic telling me too early for PE to rear its ugly head but currently waiting for the GP to caller back so I can get BP checked. Anyone else experienced symptoms so early it am I just being paranoid? Any experiences or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Midget just to answer your question about PE - it only happens beyond 20 weeks gestation so at 15 weeks is not a possibility - hope that reassures you - sounds like you're doing the right thing by getting checked out though.

Hi ladies,

commander and midget, how are you both doing now? Commander, fret not about being induced - I was with DS and it really wasn't that awful.

I'm still OK, though really tired - bloods all fine as of 3 weeks ago - but when I saw my consultant last week she muttered something about not letting me go beyond 38 weeks. So I guess that means either induction or CS :( I'm due some more bloods at the end of this month, when I'll be just over 35 weeks, so I suppose that everything will depend on the results of that and how everything's looking.

Thanks for asking Fishjam my symptoms were norovirus related not PE. Made me realise how fearful I am of getting it back even though I convince myself I am positive about it! I am also a touch paranoid about it too!

I had to be induced at 37 weeks because if my PE. For me it was totally the right call and the labour itself wasn't actually that bad (as labours go). I remember trying to convince my consultant that I could just have a couple of extra days before induction. She would have none of it. She was right. I hate it when that happens!

I'm here - will catch up properly soon - hard to keep up with this plus the fb group

Just got back from my 30+2 ultrasound, baby is measuring 32+4 and weighs 4lb 3 already. He is estimated to reach 9-10lb by 39 weeks. Glad I'm not pushing him out - they also said they could see hair on his head already, so cute!

Protein same as last week, 0.3, and BP was 120/84, also similar. Not worried about PE for now. My swelling in feet has also gone down considerably last few days as I've forced myself to lay in bed and watch Telly all day (was quite hard) and I've backed off on water consumption, my dr told me it could make things worse and he was right. Crazy.

Lol this was meant to go on my antenatal thread but it explains the PE too so will plan to double post