Post HELLP issues

[nm71gh]

OMG what a breath of fresh air this forum is.... I live in the UK and had never heard of HELLP working as an ED nurse:
I presented at 32 weeks with borderline high BP, was monitored in a day unit and came in at 33 weeks with epigastric pain was sent home as a bilary infection, developed Class 1 HELLP at 34 weeks had a emergency C section with platelets of 30 and deranged LFTs. Its now nearly 7 weeks since baby Arran is home from NICU and doing great however no one seems to know why I still have ankle/finger swelling and also why my abdomen is swelling I have put on 4 lb of weight in the last 3 weeks even though I follow a healthy diet and am walking for hours each week and now cycling,my abdomen is also tender when prodded. Am waiting to see a liver doc as my liver bloods are still not quite normal, I am concerned about the swelling but no one seems to have answers or investigations so far, does anyone have any advice??

[Lee2011]

Hi!

Firstly **HUG** from another HELLP survivor in the UK and many congrats on becoming a mum! I'm afraid I can't help with your ongoing medical problems, my only advice would be to keep up the pressure on every medical person possible - don't be afraid to make a nuisance of yourself

Hope everything gets back to "normal" soon, don't hesitate if there's anything I/we can do!!

***HUG***

[tree]

Congrats on the birth of your son, and sorry that you had to find us here.
I had my GP repeat my labs at 8 weeks, and everything but my liver was normal, and my liver was still a bit tender then. She wasn't worried because I had been steadily improving, and my blood work was getting close to normal. I remember that it took a few months for the swelling to go away, but I don't remember having any swelling in my abdomen after I recovered from the c-section (about 6-8 weeks). Talk to your doctor if you think things are really out of whack. The swelling does seem strange if you are getting worse.
FWIW, my OB didn't think that I needed to follow up with my GP after delivery, but my GP really wanted to see me and make sure that I was actually recovering. She reminded me that my body had just been through major surgery and a very serious illness and that it might take a little while to recover. It took me about 15 months to get back to full speed (running, biking, hiking, skiing, etc.) I really struggled with the weight loss until this summer. i finally got back to pre-pregnancy weight this month after starting weight watchers in May. I hope you have an easier time with that.