22 weeks pregnant and +++ protein in urine as well as pain

[Lili23]

Hi, basically what title says!
I’m 22 weeks pregnant with 3rd baby and this last 24 hours I’ve had a lot of strong braxton hicks.
no consistency or pattern though
a constant ache and pressure in my vagina almost like being full term with that baby’s head is there feeling if that makes sense? And general superpubic pelvic ache.
I’ve got no uti symptoms
No smell or dark colour, not peeing anymore than usual. But due to where the pain is and history of bad utis I thought I’d dip my urine for uti anyway.
Over the past 24 hours 8+ samples have all been extremely positive for protein
negative for nitrates etc. I’ve had a mild constant headache last few days but nothing unbearable.
I had hellp syndrome with my second baby in 2024 and delivered at 36 weeks
but never once had the high blood pressure just everything else ie: protein in urine, liver pain, low platelets low hb and raised liver enzymes.
Thank you in advance
( I did call mau and they said my urine tests are probably faulty and it’s probably just baby’s positioning…)

@Sickallday

absolutely nothing other than take cocodomal
and call 999 if I have signs of preterm labour such as strong contractions or waters breaking etc
not even a follow up in regards to protein because blood pressure is normal.
they’re aware that I don’t next see the community midwife until 3 weeks time too. And next scan isn’t until I’m 34 weeks
no consultant appointment either until 32 weeks

did they not even offer to re admit you if more symptoms of labour appear? This feels terrible . I am so sorry! Really
hopinh everything settles down for you.

could you ring your midwife Monday and explain what’s happened

@Sickallday
they said if I have signs of preterm labour such as waters breaking or regular contractions they’d admit me but that was it
this whole pregnancy I’ve only ever seen community midwife’s twice (2 different ones) haven’t got a continuous midwife and just a general contact number for the hospital not for a specific midwife

I’m so sorry. This sounds like horrendous maternity care. Please keep ringing them thou if things change. Don’t be put off in asking for help. I am going to keep everything crossed that you settle tonight nothing progresses

I think you should go to A&E, although you'll probably wait hours. I had the same as you with my first pregnancy and it was a serious UTI. Me and baby were fine in the end but it made my kidneys bleed at the time.

@MegMortimeri actually presented to a&e at 18 weeks pregnant for a uti and they told me I weren’t their problem and should have just called mau and gone to them due to being over 14 weeks pregnant so I was sent round to them.

since that finished a 10 day course of antibiotics including iv antibiotics and urine cultures were then negative.
also went to gp this Monday gone just for routine medication review and mentioned to gp that I’d had a few odd braxton hicks that morning. She said perhaps I had another uti making the uterus irritable so she dipped my urine which was negative but sent it to the lab anyway. Midwife last night informed me that culture was negative too.
and generally with my utis I am very symptomatic but currently have no urinary symptoms whatsoever.
they did also dip last nights urine sample which was negative for everything aside from +++ protein which they said would be sent to the lab anyway for culture and to measure exact protein levels.

Im so sorry this is happening to you. I dont have anything more to add other than what's already been said. I have lost all faith in the nhs and I say this from experience. They are nowhere near as diligent as they used to be and it really isn't good enough! I hope everything works out well for you and your baby.

I'm really sorry they're not taking you more seriously. When I had a heavy bleed in the second trimester and pains they gave me the choice of staying in hospital incase I did deliver. I was also too early for them to do anything to help the baby, it was purely for my own benefit.
I'm on the boarder of North Yorkshire and Teesside and currently at James Cook.

For those curious about protein test strip results, this is currently as of tonight
going to carry on monitoring it myself since I now know my test strips aren’t faulty at all

uti when pregnant can trigger birth and miscarriage so go get antibiotics for goodness sake!

@Nearly50omg Please read all of above
I’ve just finished a lengthy course of antibiotics including iv
urine cultures and dips are negative for uti
nor have I any urinary symptoms
so gp and mau have said no antibiotics are needed

what I’m dealing with is vaginal pain and pressure, braxton hicks, headaches, high protein in urine and hellp syndrome with previous baby

OP that’s shocking. When I had high amounts of protein in my urine I was admitted to ante natal until they were 100% sure about what was happening. In my case it was pre eclampsia and they were so vigilant on my next two pregnancies. Please keep presenting to the hospital if you don’t feel right. You know yourself when things just feel “off”.

@SparkyBlue
I don’t know if maybe they’re not taking it as seriously because I’m only 22 weeks and my blood pressure is okay
I say okay
it was 123/95
but my normal which is in my notes recorded multiple times is always
101/56 ish roughly
(I did tell them this and they insisted my current blood pressure is normal)

Is there any possibility of going to a different hospital?
I'm utterly horrified at their dilatory attitude.

@TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne
unfortunately this is my closest hospital which is a 25-30 minute drive away and in peak traffic up to an hour,
we have a smaller hospital closer by but it hasn’t got wards or an a&e just urgent care and outpatient stuff

How are you feeling this morning? I hope you managed to get some sleep.

I wonder if they are treating you worse because you are perceptibly non-local in some way? Or is this just the care they offer everyone.
I wonder if PALS might be of any help. Surely they should understand where the protein is coming from before deciding everything is fine.

@Sickallday
I managed a little bit of sleep thank you! Though very restless
had drenching night sweats twice 5am and 9am
and in the end the horrific persistent headache is what fully woke me.
bottom of stomach uterus area feels all bruised even to touch.
protein is still +++
im really fortunate partner is able to work full time from home being self employed
hes also super hands on with our 1.5 and 3.5 year old boys and lets me get as much bed rest as needed. But there’s only so much bed rest you can until it starts to get to you I just feel lonely lazy and unproductive laying and resting so much but equally I know I’m in too much pain to do much.

@APatternGrammar
hmm I wonder
I have a veryyy obvious London accent well spoken etc and having only lived here 12 months absolutely everyone I’ve ever met comments on it or asks where I’m from

They just seemed so insistent not to worry about +++ protein because blood pressure is normal (although for me higher than my normal which i mentioned a few times)
and also urine dip negative for infection as well as urine culture earlier on in the week

I had icp and probably HELLP in my last pregnancy. I also had an irritable uterus and had preterm birth assessments at 33 and 34 weeks when they were every 10 minutes but had been having them for weeks earlier. From about 16 weeks I had a really tight bump with activity and regular irregular contractions from 32 weeks.
I was called in for induction at 36+6 when I started showing signs of hellp and my icp became severe. I had 2 hospital admissions in the last few weeks due to extreme fatigue

OP with a headache I’d get to the hospital again

I'm so sorry you're being fobbed off. Don't feel ashamed to keep presenting if symptoms persist. You know you, and you're the only advocate your baby has.

Fwiw, I had my son at 27 weeks and he's almost a teenager now. Certainly back then, 24 weeks was the point when they were more interested in doing things, but since then further advanced in neonatal care means babies of 22 and 23 weeks surviving (not always with great outcomes, but still perfectly viable). They probably say the 24 week thing as it's the cut-off for abortions unless risk to life etc.

Basically, if you're not right, be the squeaky wheel. Ask them if they will document all their turning away and what will happen if there's a poor outcome if you or baby. Contact PALS if you feel you're not being listened to. Thinking of you

I’ve also read that it can be helpful to ask them to document in their notes why they are excluding a diagnosis.
So document why they are excluding HELLP because of a lack of high blood pressure when you have previously had HELLP with a complete lack of high blood pressure.
I also found it helpful in a very complicated pregnancy to mention on every single encounter (because they don’t read the notes) that it was not my first child and that I know what a normal pregnancy was like and this wasn’t it (and it wasn’t).

Back to the hospital in the morning, unless you deteriorate then call an ambulance.

Weekends are direly short staffed at weekends I'm afraid.

Hi OP @Lili23, have you been seen yet? Your blood pressure was high (a bottom reading greater than 90 is high and yours was 95) and with such elevated protein and you having had HELLP previously, you need to be seen urgently by a doctor - could you go back to MAU and insist on being seen by a doctor and having blood tests? HELLP is an emergency.

edited to correct the blood pressure reading which was 95 so even higher than 93, the cutoff to be considered high is 140 at the top and 90 at the bottom, so your blood pressure is not normal, it is high.