pre-eclampsia

What a week….

Still in and out of hospital. Where to start. I came home on Thursday evening after being admitted into hospital for high blood pressure. Friday I had to visit MAC (Maternity assessment unit) to check on my blood pressure. 30 minutes in – out – brilliant. So the new plan of care started off pretty fine. The community Midwife came out to me Saturday 15 minute BP check, urine – listen to baby in and out. Did jack shit Sunday and Monday. I rested! Back to MAC on Tuesday nice and early quick in and out 40 minute turn around awesome!

Wednesday routine appointment at 9 with diabetic midwife, appointment has been book a week. Feeling pretty good. Want to get in there get out pop into town to do some birthday stuff for my Charlie’s 10^th birthday next week. Got shopping being delivered between 12-1. Looking forward to my ham rolls when I get in!

I wasn’t feeling particularly stressed I was irritated by the wait but no biggie.

Diabetic midwife is Joanne and she lovely she always gives me a cuddle. What can I say I am just a big cuddly lion.

She checks my blood pressure and gives me that look, the look I have seen a few times now. She takes a deep breath and her shoulders slump. 150/100. I roll my eyes and ask her to check it again in a minute. She passes me over to the diabetic consultant. I am in a room with 2 med students, the big cheese diabetic consultant, diabetic midwife and an in training consultant. She started off chatting about my case. My diabetes is under control (yay) the metformin is doing its job. I am doing my best.

I Mentioned I had even lost weight at last week’s weigh in. The consultant mentions the protein in my urine. It is Plus2 again. This seems to be my baseline. I have done a 24 hour urine test to try and work out why the protein is there, even wanted to send me for a kidney scan to check it was not my kidneys failing! Alas, no answers to this riddle other than … pre-eclampsia.

They mention the blood pressure. Diabetic midwife suggests that it be rechecked – manually. She looked at big cheese consultant and he laughed. I laughed too and said, he probably hasn’t taken a blood pressure for 10 plus years! Dave said, he don’t even make his own coffee! So the med student step up lively and asked if it were ok if he tried. Yea sure no problems. Two attempts later 160/100

(Oh fuck)

The Consultant asks about medication for high blood pressure. That is one thing I am not taking medication for. But I was given a dose of labetalol last week when I was in hospital and it worked well. The consultant keeps saying pre-eclampsia and insists I go to MAC.

So off to MAC we go. I pass the screening co-ordinator that I was supposed to see quickly about my funky blood. I sit and wait for a moment and that’s when the headache hits me. Feels like someone hit me in the back of the head with a bat. Feeling a bit sicky and uneasy on my feet. I tell Dave how I am feeling and he can see me looking offish.

We tell the screening coordinator we are going to MAC because of my blood pressure. The lift to the upper floor nearly knocked me off my feet. We walk into MAC it’s packed with people as usual. I tell receptionist that the diabetes consultant sent me up with blood pressure 160/100.  I can barely catch a breath.  She leads me to the toilet and asks me if I can pee. Dave holds me up but soon tells me to sit down. He brings me water. I feel like I am about to fall over. They still need me to pee. Dave comes in and helps me. As we exit the toilet the midwife has me in a side room. I sit on the bed. Then I slowly slip down and lay on the bed. The light is killing me. My head is pounding and the fizzy lights start to dance over my vision with the beat of my pulse. Dave squeezes my hand. My hands are swollen (have they been like that all day?)  I tell him about the fizzy lights.

He tells a midwife. The midwife is in talking to me, then 2 then 3 and then the registrar.

Blood pressure check, 160/110.

They turn the lights off, some relief. Doc writes up for meds for blood pressure and pain relief. I down them. They get a line in my left arm and take a few viles of blood to send off. They tell Dave we are going down to labour ward.

They monitor baby. Steady heart rate not much movement. Head is pounding more. They take me down to labour ward. I close my eyes the whole trip down. I am trying to process what is happening but my head will not ease up enough for me to think straight.

I start to shit myself. My tummy in knots. I cry. I shake. The midwife brings in a bag and a tube. (Oh I know this. Looks like a catheter.)  Yep they want that in side me now to collect my pee.

- This is it, this is really it- I am going down, am I dying? Am I going to go down and have my baby now? Omg omg!!

Blood pressure machine hitting 160/108. Still every 5 minutes it’s pumping up my arm. A moment of silence. I look at Dave, we just look at each other. We both have fear and I grip his hand tighter.

My head gets heavy and the blood pressure machine inflates - then beeps. 150/92. It starts to come down. Then 148/89 and lower and lower and lower. Head still buzzy but nerves and anxiety big and loud. Blood pressure sits at 126/66. The doctor reviews my case. He wants 30 minutes obs and see what happens. I beg for the catheter to be taken out. Missed Phone calls on my phone, voicemails, bollocks!  The shopping is trying to be delivered! The Kids need to be sorted out. The phone reception is shit. No one answering their phones. Dave’s steps out to sort everything out and call my mum. He comes back and we sit talking .I start to feel a bit more myself.

Doctors back. They read off my notes. Doc confirms that I don’t need catheter in any more. (Thank fuck) I wait impatiently for the midwife to slide that bastard out. I get up and go to the toilet. I take a minute for myself. I sit and think what the holy fuck just happened? Baby starts to prod my side. I hold my tummy and let out a little cry of relief. His not coming out now and I am not dying right now. Deep breath.

That is what happened Wednesday. My blood pressure stayed ‘normal’ till 5 pm then started to creep back up. They treated me again with meds and blood pressure went down. I was sitting up eating and joking with the midwife and doc about going home and they let me leave but I had to come back to MAC 9 am next morning for more meds and my OB consultant to review new med plan. And home I went.

Slept like a baby and back to MAC spent all day waiting for Mr OB big cheese to come see us and tell us his happy for me to go home with meds and stay monitored at MAC three times a week until – well as long as I can. As long as the meds are working as long as my health is ok – as long as baby is doing ok.  And so I was sent on my merry way.

Didn’t get up to much today I rested and enjoyed my baby moving around my tummy. I got some paper work down and I figured I would air my head of this week’s drama.

Now I am at MAC tomorrow at 12.30 and now we have free parking at the hospital too. Let’s hopes the drugs keep me in the green for a little while longer. As pre-eclampsia is there lying dormant. Are we waiting for it to rear its head or will it just sit in the back ground……?

To be continued….