Pre-eclampsia...

I have really wanted to blog over the last couple of weeks, but things in Memphis got a little crazy the night of May 30th. Here is the story!

I was working that night in the ICU, and was having a very good night! I was assigned to "admit", which means I only had one patient until a new patient arrived. Sometimes, this means you are going to get a very sick patient and will have your hands full the rest of night. Anyway, the night was going slow... until I decided to check my blood pressure.

My blood pressure at my last three prenatal visits (3 consecutive weeks-- they had me come in for some additional tests) had been a little elevated, but the doctors we're watching me very closely. I was at the doctor the previous Wednesday (May 25th), and they did a BPP, some lab work, and they checked my blood pressure. Everything had checked out okay except my blood pressure was beginning to creep back up and my amniotic fluid was a little low. Since all of my lab work checked out okay, the doctor thought this was a complication of my chronic hypertension.

After checking my blood pressure, I was concerned enough to discretely call the emergency number for OB doctor at about 0130. The nurse on call for my OB instructed me to leave work immediately, and for the women's hospital. At this point, I was expecting to get some IV meds for my blood pressure and sent home on bed rest. I called Jason on my way to the hospital but convinced him it was not a big deal and to back to sleep and call when he woke up. However, upon arriving to the women's hospital I quickly realized this was a much bigger deal than I realized!

By about 630 in the morning I was beginning to get the picture... I called Jason back and told him I thought he needed to come to the hospital. The nurses in labor and delivery were great! They really took care of both my physical and emotional needs. The nurses called the on call doctor for my OB, Dr. Lacy, several times for orders for bp meds. After 3 rounds of IV blood pressure meds without relief, I knew things were bad. My head was hurting and I was beginning to get very worried about the situation. Dr. Lacy ordered pre-natal steriods to accelerate fetal lung maturity, magnesium to prevent seizures, and a full lab work. Dr. Lacy came by and talk to Jason and me, and she told us that it was her feeling we would have to deliver in the next 48 hours. She also consulted a perinatologist, who specializes in high risk pregnancies, to follow me and help ultimately make a decision on delivery.

By this point, the magnesium had begun to work ... My blood pressure quickly became controllable. However, I felt like I was dying -- sweating uncontrollably, my eyes were so dry, my mouth was dry (but I could not have anything to eat or drink), I was sooooo hot,  I was very nauseated,  my head was still hurting, and I was vomiting almost continuously. Terrible, very bad, no good day!

The perinatologist came by to talk with me as well. He explained that my extremely high and uncontrollable high blood pressure combined with the low amniotic fluid led him to believe that I had  severe pre-eclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension. He explained that many times they are able to hold delivery off until 32 weeks or longer, and he believed we could do that because my lab work was only slightly abnormal. After 24 hours of magnesium the transferred me to an antepartum unit to hang out for 3 weeks... I was very excited to have a shower and to be off the delivery bed!

By now it is Wednesday afternoon and I am beginning to get settled into my room where I am planning on spending the next 3+ weeks. Jason brought up my scrap booking stuff and some friends brought up movies, magazines, and some Bath and Body works stuff (which really made my day).