AIHA is AutoImmune Hemolytic Anemia.

Thanks Caryn for the correction. You're right I had Class I with platelets less than 50K.

Esther, I'm so sorry you've had to find us after the death of your son. This disease is brutal and sneaky and very, very rapid.

I think that would actually be considered Class I HELLP -- Class III is platelets below 150K, Class II is platelets below 100K, and Class I is platelets below 50K.

We've had other posters develop HELLP in a second pregnancy and spend time hanging out in ICU, so you are not alone.

BP can normalize rapidly, or in a few weeks, or in a few months, or never. If it takes more than about 8-12 weeks, this is usually considered unmasked chronic hypertension. The idea is that your genetic tendency to develop hypertension was uncovered by the strain of hosting a foreign placenta and the triggering of the innate immune response that a foreign placenta can cause.

Sometimes headaches can be an allergic response to the medication, so I'd mention them to your doc.

Oh, and welcome to the forums. :)

Delissa, thanks for answering my questions. I'm not familar with the acronym AIHA, what does it stand for?
Good luck TTC!

1-I was discharged only on LDA. It was a month later my old OB put me on Methyldopa that ultimatley gave me AIHA.
2-I only had a headache the day after delivery and that day was when my pre-e hit me bad.
3-my dr has not discouraged me. She has explained the risks but more so leaned on the side of if and when these could hit again. I think the key is having a good dr who will stay on top of things, frequent work ups and labs and your own personal experience. Knowledge is key.

Esther, I'm so sorry about baby Evan. I lost my baby too and it's the worst, worst thing.

To answer your questions
1. I started on bp meds just a couple weeks before I delivered, am still on them, and probably will continue to be on them for the forseeable future for chronic hypertension.
2. No headaches for me
3. My OB did recommend no more pregnancies because of how early and how severe my PE was (with congestive heart heart failure and pulmonary edema) she said it was too likely to occur again

Funny you would mention the thing about doctors telling women to take their BPs daily because I was telling my friends that are pregnant to do just that. Having someone check their BP at home is so easy and inexpensive and could help prevent maternal and fetal illness and death that its crazy that its not standard of care for doctors to recommend to every pregnant woman. But like you said, its not a perfect world. Well I'm telling all my friends to pass it along to other women as well as informing them on the symptoms of PE/HELLP.

Thanks for answering my questions. Wow, 6 months on BP meds; I was hoping for a couple of months but I guess just as long they eventually get weaned off is all that matters. Thanks again!

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I too suffered from severe HELLP with a sudden onset. I also had a normal pregnancy until 34 weeks with only occational headaches, large weight gain and leg swelling. My doctor assured me along the way that these mild issues were "just part of my pregnancy". I went along with my doctor until the abdominal pain and vomiting began. I waited a day to see if the vomiting would subside, but the pain eventually became unbearable and I went to the ER. They observed me for ANOTHER day before i started showing of the "medical" signs of HELLP (blood pressure, enzymes, platelets...), thankfully they had already given started me on steroids for baby's lung development "just in case". Eventually I had an emergency C-section. Baby was okay, has some respitory issues initially and had to be in the NICU for a few weeks, but otherwise, very healthy. We were lucky indeed!

In answer to your questions:
1. No BP meds for me
2. Headaches continued for about 2 months
3. I spoke with several doctors and specialists. All were "concerned" about another pregnancy. Most said that if we did decide to have another baby, they would monitor me closely and that I could probably expect bed rest if at any point I began to swell (since that was my primary symptom in the first pregnancy and started in month 4) or show any other symptoms. I was also told that the chances of having HELLP again would be around 20%. Well, my husband and I are VERY thankful for the daughter we've been given and that I am still hear today, so we decided not to try to have more children. Also, we simply could not afford for me to be on bed rest for months at a time.

However, I would imagine that if our precious little girl had not made it, we would have tried again in spite of the 20% statistic.

Hi Ester. So sorry you had to find but but then again glad you did. Im so happy to hear that you are ok but am so sorry about your sweet angel :( This disease is scary and NOTHING to take lightly.

The fact this disease can come on at the drop of the hat makes me wish every pregnant woman would know their baseline BP and that doctors would advise all pregnant women to check their BP daily. Or at least warn all pregnant women on PE. But thats in a perfe3ct world right?

answer #1. It can take some women 6 months to get off meds. Sometimes PE and HELLP can unmask the fact that you are chronic hypertensive. Which lets hope is not the case but a possibility.

answer to #2. At 6 weeks since you were so very sick, I would imagine its safe to say that it could take you the full 12 weeks to recover. 12 weeks is when you are in the safe from getting postpartum pe.