I had heartburn and pretty bad acid reflux issues with both of my pregnancies (first one normal, HELLP @ 37 wks with second) and the location of the pain was similar to heartburn but it DEFINITELY feels different. It was not a burning pain but more of a pressure, almost like I couldn't catch my breath. It was right in the center of my chest, right under the sternum. It couldn't be ignored and no position relieved it. I am grateful I had the pain because I had no other significant symptoms (one isolated high BP reading one week prior that I think my Dr thought was a fluke). Because my BP was only borderline when I saw the OB and I had no protein in my urine, I was sent home. The pain continued to get worse and I went to maternity triage where they finally did blood work and caught it. I would suggest requesting a blood test if you suspect it may be HELLP. I think I was not diagnosed immediately because I did not have PE or any related conditions with my first pregnancy. From my understanding, the blood test is the only way to know for sure.

The pain felt like a heart attack for me (minus the arm pain) - it was horrible and didn't go away with pain meds. The pain was both in my chest and in between my shoulder blades. It was a debilitating pain - and your body just doesn't "feel right"

For me it felt like I had been punched in the stomach...and sort of like the onset of food poisoning. I lost my appetite. As it progressed, it felt like stabbing. All of the pain was concentrated on the top middle of my "bump". If I'd had even the slightest idea that HELLP existed, I'd have gone into the hospital right away. Instead, I went in a day later. I probably would have not gotten so severe if I'd have gone in sooner, but I just chalked it up to the discomforts of being pregnant. Definitely go in if you have even the slightest suspicion that you have HELLP!

Liver enzymes can get dramatically higher in hours - I would want to rule out the chance that it's HELLP, in your shoes.

I've been getting random sharp stabbing pain in my upper right abdomen as well. It's terrible pain, but it helps if I sit straight up.
Sometimes the pain radiates into my right shoulder and down my arm. My back, like on the right side deep inside under or around my shoulder blade also hurts like a terribly pulled or tight or muscle spasm. It's so intense I can hardly stand it!
I believe my liver enzymes read that they were okay last week, but this pain in my abdomen is getting worse and more frequent.
What do you all think?? Is this related? Btw I don't have a fall bladder.

The pain I felt was on my right side under/around my rib cage. I called my doctor the first time I felt it and she brushed it off to ligament pains. She said because I was so small everything was having to stretch and that was the cause of the pain. After being diagnosised with HELLP Syndrome I realized it wasn't ligament pain.

Tree,
Thanks for responding. I tried to get medical records two years ago when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. I wanted to do a VBAC but current ob/gyn wanted to make sure the internal incision was vertical. The hospital only kept records for 10 years & I couldn't find the doctor after extensive research & contacting my state medical board. Luckily I didn't get pre e the 2nd time around even though I am in my 40's, had donor egg IVF, and bp issues towards the end. My 2nd child was born via c-section at 38 weeks & was 8 # 3 oz. because of labile bp. I don't think I will ever know for sure. I was just curious what other people thought. I think I had too many symptoms not to have had it but who knows. I am now pregnant with the 3rd one at 44 & was just looking at worst case scenario since my beta's are pretty high & a little concerned about identical twins. I know w/o the lab records there is no way to definitively know but I still feel better somehow knowing I wasn't completely crazy about the pain. I know they were really concerned about seizures & at least they did the c-section before that happened. It was a bad experience but it could have been a whole lot worse! Thanks again for the input.

Hi Shelly,
I don't think it is possible to diagnose HELLP without doing some blood work, but your symptoms are all consistent with possible HELLP. You could probably get your medical records to see if they did any lab work while you were there. It might be hard after such a long time. I am sorry you got so sick and scared. The pain from HELLP can be absolutely awful, and I remember feeling certain that I would die too. It is a terrible disease. Feel free to start a new thread in this forum if you want some more responses to your post. Welcome to the forum.

I was never diagnosed with HELLP but I'm pretty sure I had it. I was 17 when my first child was born. The night I went in to labor the pain started. It started in my right side & went around my back. I never slept that night. Hot showers helped the most. My mom finally got up about 5:30 a.m. & said I was having back labor. I just knew it hurt so bad I thought I was going to die. My mom could tell when I was having a contraction but for me the "other" pain was so bad & constant that I never knew. I had already been on bed rest for 3 weeks for what they called toxemia, now called pre-eclampsia. This all happened in 1984 so I doubt the rural doctor I saw even knew what he was dealing with. My weekly appointment was scheduled for that morning and the doctor said I was dilated to a 3 & told me to check in to the hospital. My bp was very high & I had protein in my urine, was very nauseous, threw up in the labor room, was seeing spots & was completely terrified. I had just been a coach to my sister doing a home child birth 9 months earlier so I thought I was a complete wimp. No one ever really believed me when I said how much pain I was in. I was never told the baby was in distress but I know he was constantly kicking & moving. They finally gave me a little demerol late that afternoon to take the edge off but it didn't. The doctor finally came to the hospital about 5:45 that afternoon. By then I was almost incoherent from pain. I don't remember much of it but I know I was immediately taken to the operating room & my son was born at 6:23 p.m. He weighed 9 # 13 oz. I was very thin when I got pregnant, about 90 pounds. I gained 60 pounds during pregnancy. I didn't have sonograms or anything else to see how big he was. They did labs twice a day every day for the 3 days I was in the hospital. I have always wondered about so many things that happened during labor & afterwards but I think after reading this forum I now understand. I think I almost died that day. Did I have HELLP?

The day I was diagnosed (and induced) I went in & randomly complained that I thought that I was having indigestion. They freaked out & I delivered soon after. My pain was never severe- but constant & bothersome & definitely HELLP. I have still never had actual indigestion so I can't really compare the two- but that was what I thought it was.