update & questions

[amandab]

The forum is really hopping these days! It is great to see!

Well, I have made it to 13 weeks. It seems to have flown by so far, and things have been going so good with my BP. Unfortunately, we got an unpleasant wake-up call yesterday. I've been feeling for about 5 days that my BP is high. Swelling and tight hands and feet (only lasts for a few minutes), more frequent headaches and heartburn, and that creepy agitated feeling. I've read that most people can't feel high BP, but I really think I can. So I've been taking my BP every day at home, and it's been hanging around 126/76 (it had been 118/72 before this week). Yesterday morning I really was feeling the symptoms. I took my BP several times and got several unpleasant readings... 138/86, 128/90, 131/87. I know these readings probably don't sound that bad, but my BP last time rarely ever got over 140/90 during the 5 days that I had PIH. And I didn't develop BP 160/110 and +2 urine until after the abruption had started. So I am very scared about any readings even approaching 140/90. My dr. had me stay home and then come in for tests in the afternoon. My BP was 140/87 in her office, and she took it 3 times throughout the visit. No protein in my urine, though. We're still waiting on the liver enzyme results. So then we started going through the last few days, what had I eaten, drank, done, etc. She really seemed to think that I have overdone it on the salt and also not stayed hydrated enough. She sent me home to stay in bed the rest of the day and cut back on the salt and increase my water intake. That did seem to help... BP was 118/82 this morning, and it is still hanging in there. Baby B looked great on the u/s. S/he had a growth spurt over the last week, and the heartbeat was strong.

So now we are watching the BP even more closely to see where it goes from here. I'm going to try to keep the salt intake low and the water intake high. But my dr. is still suspecting that it is just a matter of time before my BP goes up again and stays high. I guess I should be expecting a chronic htn diagnosis soon and meds. I didn't develop high BP until 28 weeks last time so I am pretty upset that it is starting so early. Yesterday was a very hard day emotionally. It is hard to realize that I might be dooming another baby to such a short life. But today is better.

So questions... 1) Were any of you put on bed rest before 20 weeks? My dr. wants to put me on bed rest as soon as protein shows up so it seems like this could be coming soon. 2) Have nosebleeds been linked to high BP? I have had several nosebleeds in the past 2 days. The timing seems odd... Now I am going to go read the posts about chronic htn, etc.

Amanda
~i~ Aidan Timothy
4/14/03 29 wks
Expecting again!!!
EDD 6/13/04

[lgw]

I don't know about whether nosebleeds have been linked to htn, but my nose started bleeding at about 14 wks and stopped a week after I was induced. I've never had a nosebleed before and it hasn't bled since.

[laura]

Sweetie- I don't know all the answers (obviously[:I]) but I want to give you a hug and tell you I'm proud that you're being so proactive about this!

If it is chronic htn- that's good news. If they can keep it under control with meds, you have a great chance for a healthy pregnancy- not a whole lot different from "normal" people[:D] I think the success rates of chronic htn pregnancies are dependent upon how well the bp is controlled.

I think your doc is being nice and conservative. I know Angela had a baby after early onset hypertension, and I'm not sure they even put her on rest.

And I KNOW that I'm a freak of nature- not normal, etc. but even small amounts of salt when I was pregnant made me swell and my bp to skyrocket. You could be salt sensitive, like me. I got to the point where I was reading labels and checking the salt before anything even hit my mouth, because my reaction was so bad. Salting to taste was a distant memory.

Hang in there. You can do this! You know what you need to know to keep yourself and your tiny one safe and I'll sure be praying for you.

Laura-28
DH Jack-30
Allie 5-13-98 (35 weeks-pre-e)
Baby Camille 4-17-03 (36 weeks- htn and oligo)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/camilleandallie/

[sweetiesuzy]

As far as nosebleeds are concerned during pregnancy... think of all the major vascular changes your body is going through. Nosebleeds are common even in "normal" pregnancies. Here is a link giving a quick ditty about this topic:
http://www2.vhihealthe.com/topic/255
If you have concern though, I would talk it over with your provider.
Sorry to hear about the earliness of your onset this time. Please keep us posted! You seem to be very proactive about your care and you seem to have a great provider.

Suzanna

[amandab]

Thanks so much for the replies! As you can imagine, I am still quite nervous about things. It helps so much to get all your thoughts on what I am going through, and to hear what each of you have been through.

I think the nosebleeds must just be due to the vascular changes, and I think the dry winter air just adds to the problem.

My BP is still hanging around 125/82. That is definitely higher than it was in the 1st trimester (118/72), and I know in a "normal" pg (what is that???), my BP would still be low in the 2nd trimester. So that is my biggest concern right now. I think my BP is definitely becoming a problem. I'm just not clear on what point it becomes a treatable problem... with meds. I have another appt on Wed, and I'm definitely going to discuss this again with my dr.

Thanks again for all the responses!! Laura, thanks for the info on how you handle salt. I definitely think I am salt sensitive like you. Hopefully, avoiding salt will make a difference!

Amanda
~i~ Aidan Timothy
4/14/03 29 wks
Expecting again!!!
EDD 6/13/04

[laura]

AMANDA- look what I found!!! Isn't it fascinating how this stuff works together?!

The abstract was all that was available, but I'm putting the link in so nobody thinks I'm making this up. Wow.

http://www.mdbrowse.com/Speciality/Endocrinology/Endocrinology.htm

"N Fuenmanyor, E Moreira, LX Cubeddu, (Central Univ of Venezuela, Caracas)
Salt Sensitivity is Associated with Insulin Resistance in Essential Hypertension. Am J Hypertens 11: 397-402, 1998.

Patients with essential hypertension may be salt sensitive or salt resistant. Hypertension in salt sensitive patients is associated with insulin resistance. In salt sensitive patients, high salt intake leads to increase in blood pressure, induced hyperinsulinemia, and worsening of diabetes."


And... other topics... do you have a humidifier? We can't live without ours, it's too frickin' cold here to do without!

Laura-28
DH Jack-30
Allie 5-13-98 (35 weeks-pre-e)
Baby Camille 4-17-03 (36 weeks- htn and oligo)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/camilleandallie/

[paljane8]

It is just so exciting that you are 13 wks! Hang in there, Amanda. I know it is stressful.

You all should come for a visit...we have a natural humidifier this time of year!

Nancy-35
dh-34
ds-8yrs
dd-7yrs
Scott-born 05-14-99 @38 weeks-PE
Janie-born 05-12-03 @37 weeks-PIH, small for gestational age (oligo and low blood flow)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/4/4lbs/

[deerhart]

oh I forget where I saw it, but there is also a connection between Diabetes and Hypertension and Pe, Hypertension, and GD. Somehow they all seem to rally around the same thing in our bodies that if you have one your chances of getting the others increase.

Erin

Mommy to Alex and Mason

[amandab]

Wow, Laura, that abstract definitely explains our salt sensitivity! It also links PE and diabetes. Like Erin, I've read in other places that the two go hand in hand. Fortunately, I didn't have any problems with insulin resistance or gestational diabetes last time. Hopefully, I won't this time either. I think worrying about my BP, kidneys, liver, brain, etc. is enough! [:p]

Right now I am just waiting patiently until my appt tomorrow morning. I'm anxious to see if there is any protein yet, and what my BP is in the office. I have my hospital bag packed, and I am preparing myself mentally for a long hospital stay, though. I'm determined to do whatever it takes to keep Baby B cooking.

By the way, if I am in the hospital on bedrest I don't think I will be able to post. I'm pretty sure the hospital doesn't have a connection. But I've given DH all the info to log on and post updates as me. He says if I write them up, he'll log in and post them.

Amanda
~i~ Aidan Timothy
4/14/03 29 wks
Expecting again!!!
EDD 6/13/04

[catherine]

Good luck for tomorrow Amanda, I hope that they can manage this with meds and bedrest and that hopefully you don't have to be in hospital. If you do.. is there an email for patients? There is at the University hospital that I work at. Perhaps DH could find out.. then we can stay in touch with you even if you can't visit with us here.

Hugs

Catherine (37)
DH, Dave (40)
Finn (6)
Lucy (2)
Chloe (7/2/03)