Racing pulse, near fainting and low iron levels

[EmilyTurner]

Hi everyone

I said I was a newbie before. I am 31 weeks pregnant with my second child. Yesterday I had a turn in the shower where I felt hot, sick and faint. My heart was racing and pounding loudly. I sat down and had a drink of water. I've had the same thing happen this morning.

I went to the out of hours doc and he said bp was fine 110/70 but heart was 80-100 and a bit fast (and I was just resting). I told him when I actually did something, like folded up washing it was as if I was running.

He said my iron needed to be checked. He asked to see my blood results for 28 weeks and I said they hadn't been done. I had been told I "looked ok". He was shocked. Now I am cross.

I left a message on my community midwives answer phone to say I could have anaemia and was having these fits and my doc said I needed my bloods done asap. They called me back and a midwife came to the house in 20 mins. She took blood, said the baby was ok (which was nice as I haven't seen anyone for four weeks) but if I have another episode I need an ECG at my GP's.

It's a long story (all on www.doingitallagain.com) but basically I've had a hard time seeing my midwife. It is impossible to book in to see her and I've had to go to my GP. They were supposed to come yesterday for a home visit and no one turned up at the appointed 9am, but arrived at 10.40am and I was out (I had waited 90 mins with no phone call to say they were coming).

I feel really fed up and a bit worried. I am really lacking in energy. I am too exhausted to make a big deal of all of this, but I feel a bit let down by the midwives and I had a terrible experience with them last time with breastfeeding (an even longer story).

What would you do?
The bloods thing is just another thing.

contact the director of midwifery at your hospital and express your concerns.
how long before your bloods come back? sounds like awful care.

prob not what you want to hear but uyou are so lucky to get home visits, and 1 hr 40 mins is not a long wait. I have to weait longer than that at the surgery, not in the comfort of my own home.

It also strikes me that different ptofessionals do things in different ways: the doc was shocked at your not getting bloods but that might not be because bloods are absolutely 100% necessary, if you see what i mean.

I don't mean to belittle your concerns but I do think you are geting a bit worked up over very little tbh and think that given your funny turns you should put all your energy into looking after yourself: eat, rest, sleep. and if I were you i'd start taking a pregnancy multivitamin anyway. I had a few similar turns a couple of months ago but haven't had anything since I started taking the multivit.

hope you feel better soon: stress is just not what you need when you're up the duff.

Not sure about the bloods because of the bank holiday. Maybe a week.

I guess I wouldn't have minded waiting 1 hour 40 mins if someone had called to say there was a delay. When I called the liaison office no one could even tell me if she was going to turn up at all or where she was. After 90 mins passed I wasn't sure if she was coming at all.

I've only seen my midwife once in 31 weeks and that was at 17 weeks. I had to see my GP at 22 weeks as I was told my midwife was booked up. When I called her to ask for my MATB1 she said she had a free clinic that day and had no idea why I was told she was booked. At 27 weeks I saw a stand-in midwife and she asked me to measure my own tummy. As I had no clue where to start the measurement it came back as two weeks ahead on dates. And she said I was having a boy because my baby's heart rate was 120 (which, having looked up on the net, is all a load of urban twaddle with no research proof).

I find it suprising that I've only had one set of bloods done (at 12 weeks) all pregnancy and that stand-in midwife said I looked fine and didn't need them done, when the GP today said he couldn't tell by looking at me if my iron was down or not.

Maybe I am making more of it. I just don't like the funny turns. Nothing worse than feeling like yoru heart is racing and you are going to faint but have no idea what's happening with your body.

Your midwife/GP care (17 weeks, 22 weeks and 27 weeks) sounds fairly normal for a second pregnancy.

You will probably be seen every 4 weeks or so from now on.

I got very dizzy/faint all the time during pregnancy because my blood pressure was fairly low. I was told it was quite normal.

I would try not to worry too much - I'm sure that you and baby are doing just fine.

Fainting is not too bad. It is the racing heart thing which is just utterly vile and being told I have to have an ECG if it happens again. I haven't had any problems all pregnancy until this weekend.

I just feel worried.

really don't worry unless it happens again: when I mentioned I had funny turns they did include a racing heart too. I didn't mention it to the doc (and actually i'm quite glad I didn't now - the thought of an ecg would have scared me too!)

if it keeps happening in the morning maybe you need to get up more slowly and have breakfast before shower? it certainly seemed to be food related for me.

I know you are right. When I get up I go downstairs, drink water and eat shreddies and have half a banana on it. Then about 20 mins later I have a shower.

Today I got up extra slowly and had two glasses of water before eating my breakfast and it still happened. And I laid down all afternoon and was calm until abotu 4pm when my heart started racing again but not as bad.

I am really worried it is going to happen again tomorrow. I don't know what to do to prevent it.

Just a quick response - I had the racing heart and faintness just like you describe with my first pg. I found it very scary. I was told it was normal but eventually they did test my iron levels and did an ECG. Everything did come out normal actually, although iron was quite low. But I put myself on a high-iron diet (lots of red meat) and by the next time my blood was checked the iron levels were much higher and I was feeling much better.

BTW, if they do an ECG be careful - I ended up nearly passing out when mine was done because I had to lie on my back for so long while they put the electrodes on.

Hi gingernut

how much red meat did you eat? I am already eating steak and spag bol once a week, so red meat twice a week. I am going to take multivits from now on too.

you need more than red meat twice a week, so yes, I really think multivits will help.

Sorry, I can't remember (it was 5 years ago). But I did increase it from what I had been eating, and started taking a supplement too. I do know that we hadn't been eating very much red meat at that time, because my dh was newly diagnosed with diabetes and was on a healthy eating plan and trying to lose weight (so we were eating mainly chicken or vegetarian).

Your body when pg absorbs iron from food VERY WELL

Buy a big bag of apricots and some dried dates, and eat a doen or so with a glass of orange juice three times a day

Your iron levels will SOAR

and it's tasty

and your bowels will love you

doen=dozen

Dried apricots contain quite a lot of iron - eat at least 5 a day. Also figs, dark chocolate, raisins and eat plenty of green veg (spinach!!)

Are you getting enough rest? Too easy to overdo things when you have other children to look after

Thanks everyone
braising steak casserlole with broccoli is on the menu tomorrow.
And I will do the OJ (have been avoiding incase of heartburn). I will do the dates too. Am allergic to apricots, so, sadly, can't do that one.

Hopefully this will make a difference! And I feel a better that I am not some freak and some people have had it too.

add figs and raisins too

small bowl three times a day

your iron levels will be FAB

Been to docs and had an ECG. I've got a heart murmour because my heart is working so hard. When I stand up my blood pressure is falling so the heart is beating really fast and working hard, which is why I feel faint, sick, hot and see black dots. The ECG showed the heart is working to a good rhythm and the murmour is just my heart doing its job. Waiting for the blood results tomorrow but he thinks it is anaemia.

Happy days!

Phew. Glad its not something more serious. Try having half a glass of guiness to bring your iron levels up. Not the best taste in the world, but it did me the world of good and is entriely safe as its low alcohol. My iron levels were the same as a mens after a few weeks & I'm used to the taste now!

spatone is what you need
health food shop or decent boots chemist stock it
No constipation, it raises iron levels really fast
I had pregnancy iron def anaemia at 28 weeks and had same problems as you.
I got my levels back aithin 8 days using spatone

you will prob be prescribed iron tablets which will bring your levels up much more quickly than eating iron-rich foods (I'm on iron and folic acid to bring my levels up - I was 10.2 last week)
glad you've got some answers and hope you have some help around for your other one - do relax - hard I know! -

ferrous sulphate the iron tabs will cause constipation I imagine you will get quite a hefty dosage
be armed with prune juice if you take them ..

Hello! Glad all is normal (I assume that's what the results meant?)

I'd REALLY recommend the FOOD route for iron - mine was low (10) but apricots/oj meant that after I'vd given birth it was high-normal for a NORMAL woman, which was great considering all the blood loss. It also helped a GREAT deal because I - cough - tore my erm ARSE during birth and you DO NOT want constipation with that going on...

emily, in all my pregnancies I had an extremely high pulse rate if I was in any way dehydrated. In fact I'd go so far to say that unless I was very WELL hydrated, my pulse would go up and my BP down.

It may well be as simple as that - anyway, try to drink a litre of water before lunch and a litre after as a minimum and see if tht helps?

Hi Queenpeahead

Sadly that is not the problem here. I don't drink tea or coffee and drink only water. I have about three litres a day. I actually asked the GP today if that was too much and if I was diluting my blood. He told me it was fine and to carryon.

Morning paper
I am doing the food route at the mo. I've had so much beef, jacket pots and brocc in the last two days I might burst. I've also had wholegrain bread and raisins, plus fortified cereal. Would go the apricot route but am allergic to them!

Well, tomorrow should tell me if it is anaemia or postural hypotension. I really REALLY hope my results are in tomorrow.

Just a quick note to say I was sent to hospital last week with feared blood clot on lungs. The racing heart/fainting fits made my GP very unhappy and my bloods showed anaemia.

I had to stay over on the labour ward and heard three babies being born. As they were taking blood out of me I was hearing all the screaming. Very surreal.

Anyway I am hyperventilating because of low CO2 and high Ox in my blood and the anaemia which is causing the low blood pressure. They did more ECGs and xrays and all sorts of blood tests and it was a nightmare. I convinced them to let me out instead of keeping me there three days. I've got iron tablets and they will take a week to work. No constipation so far!

I am just glad someone finally took it seriously after being ill for five days. The docs at the hospital were shocked my bloods weren't done at 28 weeks, as is routine round here, because I "looked ok".