Pompano Beach

[regen]

Hi,
I live in Pompano. I had PE around 30 weeks, 2 weeks after my father died. I ended up with C-section at 34 weeks. My daughter had IUGR but was otherwise healthy. I am very thankful for the good outcome. I have been reading about so many of you that lost your children and my heart aches for you. I am trying to decide when to try for another child. I am scared that it is selfish of me to want another. I dont want to end up dying with PE and leaving my daughter without a mom. Any thoughts?

[specmom]

Hi Regen,
I am originally from the Pompano area too. I read about your experience in the Roll Call area. I am sorry you had such a hard time, particular so close to losing your father. I had a really tough time deciding whether to get pregnant again after a bad HELLP experience. I too was very concerned that I might die in the process and leave my older child without a mom. It is a really hard decision, especially when there are no medical guarantees. Here is a link to my story if you would like to read it:[url]http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2060[/url]. I just had another baby in January, and I feel very fortunate to be here. If you are considering trying again, I suggest consulting a perinatologist to review your individual medical history and check for underlying conditions. With the receptive doctor you had, and your skills as a nurse, you will likely be able to develop a plan to monitor any future pregnancies in a way that will make you feel more comfortable. It is a hard choice, and it involves some element of throwing caution to the wind. Take as much time as you need to decide. At some point, you will know either way.

If you would like to get involved in the Florida group or participate in the upcoming Walk-A-Thon, and you haven't submitted contacted info before, please click on my name (SpecMom) and send me an e-mail with your contact info.

Please keep us posted and know that we are here to support you.

Tamara
Moderator HELLP Syndrome Survivors
Florida Co-Coordinator
*Cole(2/15/03)-GD?/PUPPP/HELLP/severe atypical PE/Emerg.C/S
*Joshua (1/10/05)-Postpartum PIH & PUPPP

[crdv1976]

Hey!!! I live in the ft. Lauderdale area. Don't take for granted what you have. Just monitor yourself the next time around. Before you decide to have a new baby start an exercise regimine and a healthy diet, try to reduce your heavy activity to regimined activity (make certain days of the week be specific days for certain jobs..I.e. monday clen the kitchen... tuesday do the whites....,etc), make your life easier. I believe and I am not self-medicating but, I truly think all of these preeclampsia issues are due to women /us overwhelming ourselves. If we research preeclampsia alot of the causes are due to us killing our bodies.

[carolh]

Hi Regen -

Welcome to the Forum! You'll find alot of support here from women who are in your same situation. You may want to post in the Ask The Experienced section too....there is alot of 'traffic' there.

Regarding causes of preeclampsia previously mentioned............

I've just come from our Annual Conference and we were updated on all the widely accepted theories and current medical research by some of the top PE clinicians and reseachers. PE has existed for thousands of years, well before all the stress, strain and overwhelming anxiety of our modern society. There is no evidence or acceptance in the medical community for PE being caused by any of those sources. What they do know from scores of research is that PE is a vascular disease and that placental dysfunction and the dysfunction of the mother's endothelial cells (cells that line our blood vessels) are the main culprits. Both of these contribute in different ways in each woman, depending on her own medical conditions or history. Any underlying or chronic disease can impact these and add increased risk to the probability of developing PE (e.g. clotting disorders, chronic hypertension, kidney disorders, immune systems disorders such as Lupus, diabetes, insulin resistance, etc). A family history of these could also being playing a part. In the last 4-5 years there has also been research that shows that women with a history of severe, early onset PE have a 4-8 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. So, although we may like to think that the cause of PE is as simple as eradicating the stress and chaos from our lives, in truth it is a much more complicated and multifactoral set of medical causes that contribute to developing it. This is clear when you consider that PE affects women from all walks of life, rich or poor, thin or heavy, those that eat healthy and those who don't, those that exercise and those that don't, etc. PE exists in our culture and in those across the world. And unfortunately, babies and even women still die from it right here in the U.S. Knowing the facts and understanding the symptoms when you are pregnant is the best way to be your own advocate. There have been many a success story that has come from a first, tragic experience with PE (my own included). We are here to give hope, encouragement, and support to all the women who find the Foundation and our Forum. The Preeclampsia Foundation as a patient advocacy group plays an important role in preeclampsia education, awareness and in pushing for more research dollars to be spent studying this disorder. The more voices we have to spread our consistent message, the more powerful we will be. This is evidenced by the success of other women's health groups......particularly breast cancer awareness.

Anyone who wants more information on preeclampsia (we can refer you to scores of medical literature) or wants to know how to get more involved, please email me directly.

Carol

[missgamecock]

Carol did they say anything about endothelial cells being shed in urine? Just curious because in my medical records, I have a urinalysis that was done when I was admitted and it said endothelial cells moderate for the urine and it was an abnormal result.

[carolh]

Without knowing any other details, it's hard to know if the endothelial cells that were in your urine were related to your pe or not. These cells can be present in urine for reasons other than pe.

If you ever have a reason to, you can have a perinatologist review your records and comment on that.

Carol