Stressing again - is it warranted?

[cranberries]

I'm sorry for blabbering. And sorry for stressing here. But I hope that you can read through my randomness and offer your thoughts. I hate asking for advice or validation, but man...I am worried and I am just reaching out there into cyberspace for someone to hold my hand. See? I am begging. And yes, I am in therapy too.

I have felt like crud for this entire pregnancy. Very different from my first pregnancy, where I felt pretty great after the puking subsided at 14 weeks. Well, until pre-e and HELLP at 32. But between those two points, I felt pretty fabulous.

Anyway, my point is that I feel crappy every day. Not a day goes by that I feel normal or fully functional. And I am wondering if crappy will equal a repeat experience with pre-e? Or if a general feeling of being unwell might be related to stress/depression/ptsd, or if my real, honest-to-goodness symptoms are a sign of things to come?

I just passed the 32 week marker. My bp has been 90s/60s-110s/70s with occasional spikes, none of which impressed my docs because the spikes didn't repeat. Had 24 hr urine, a baseline many months ago and a more recent one in the last couple of weeks. Both clean.

My blood pressure and urine are fine. My doctor seems unconcerned. I know I posted before about feeling like a hypochondriac, but really, I have symptoms consistently. Every day it is inevitable that I will feel like I have the body flu (not the above-the-shoulders kind). Heavy muscles, zero energy, aches. And just about every day I have a headache right in my eyebrows, behind my eyes, and around to my temples. My ob said sinus infection. However, I have no drainage, no stuffiness, and I have never had a sinus infection or allergies.

I do have nosebleeds every day. She says that is because in pregnancy, the membranes are swollen and more sensitive.

I am swelling, but nothing like last time. It is the worst in the morning when I wake up. My face is swollen (looks like I have been crying), the wrinkles are gone from my hands, and the bones in the tops of my feet disappear. By night time, the swelling lessens and my parts are mostly back to normal. I don't have pitting edema.

I've had random back pains that are in weird areas, but that come and go. Sometimes laying down makes it worse. Back pain was my clue to pre-e the first time around, so that makes me pretty paranoid. But again, I have gone in and all of my labs are good.

So I am not even sure what I am asking, to be honest. I guess I am just wondering if I should anticipate that this will turn in to pre-e? Or if I should just keep on trying to plug away because this pregnancy is just really, really uncomfortable? And can low, normal bps just turn the corner and get worse all of the sudden?

*sigh*

I just feel stressed. And very isolated. I needed to reach out. Now, to hit "submit"..........

[blythe]

((hugs)) I'd be more worried for you except that you've got good docs, a therapist , and you're very aware of your body and your signs and symptoms. What has your doctor said in your specific case for when they would be concerned?

I can relate a little on the general unpleasantness of pregnancy. I kept waiting for that mythical "second trimester energy boost" and it just never came. I was just always tired, always dragging, always uncomfortable. I couldn't hardly eat or sleep because my reflux was so bad - come to think of it, that might have a lot to do with my lack of energy . And I didn't get sick until 36 weeks with #1, 37 weeks with #2, and though I had hypertension scares as early as 26ish weeks, I delivered at 37 just like the others with #3. So how bad I felt during my pregnancy had nothing to do with my PE experience.

Come here and vent anytime! I think you'll find you're not at all alone!

[alviarin]

Sorry you haven't been feeling well.

I wouldn't take it as a sign of things to come, but in the past when I have felt tired/crummy there usually was a reason. Whether it was low iron or low vitamin D or low thyroid (which can be unmasked by pregnancy) or even a sinus infection.

I felt exhausted beginning of this pregnancy, just tired and apathetic. Thought something weird would show up in my routine vitamin D or thyroid bloodwork but no. My GP pointed out feeling tired can be a symptom of asthma, and low and behold my peak flow was a little lower than my normal and unknown to me I had a sinus infection. (normally my asthma doesn't bother me at all, unless I have a cold or a sinus infection). I actually see an ENT now every time I think I have a sinus infection, since they can look up my nose and see if I have one or not. Plus culture my sinus crud to make sure I'm on the right antibiotic for whatever I've caught so I don't have to take a ton of antibiotics when pregnant.

That being said, my sister with totally normal pregnancies and no underlying health issues said in her first and last trimesters all she wants to do is put her feet up on the couch. Plus my old OB pointed out half the women in his waiting room are puffy with swollen feet or rings fitting a little tight so swelling can totally be a normal pregnancy symptom.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that what your experiencing could be normal pregnancy stuff, but it couldn't hurt to investigate a little further since this doesn't feel normal for you. Hope you feel better soon!